Wow! What a Finale! Isn’t it extraordinary to think that last year we had the youngest ever winner of The Biggest Loser title, Sam Rouen, and this year we have the oldest ever winner, the amazing Bob Herdsman who shed 52.21% of his body weight to win the coveted crown.
The oldies – and I hope they don’t mind me using that term – have really been the standouts for me in this series. Let’s face it – it’s easy to lose weight when you’re young; but Bob, Julie and Cameron have all proved that age is no barrier in this journey. They each entered the competition not really for themselves but to support their children, and I don’t think in their wildest dreams they would have imagined that they could accomplish so much.
Last night was a night of one accomplishment after another. I thought Sean did an amazing job to have the best weight-loss out of all of the eliminated contestants – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: that boy is ‘dead sexy’.
Speaking of dead sexy, did you see how ripped the brothers Nathan and Andrew were? I had the privilege of being in the audience for last night’s show and those boys were setting hearts a flutter let me tell you!
I was also really impressed with Ben and Jodi – they’re two fine examples of contestants who were eliminated relatively early in the show and have done a sensational job at home. As has Ajay who has lost 11kg and raised over $20,000 for Diabetes Australia during the series.
Which gets me to the part of the blog where I can start talking about the dresses (sorry, you knew it was coming!)…
Meaghan: three words – oh my goodness! How divine was that dress! Sammy: what a stunner! She was like a little moonbeam. It was such a joy to see her so happy, gorgeous and confident and know that her life is moving forward in so many beautiful ways.
And finally: Tiffany. What a supermodel superstar! She was radiant and gorgeous and her transformation from a shy young mum to one of Australia’s hottest ladies has been a privilege to witness.
As has the journey of Sharif. How drop-dead gorgeous did that man look! It has been wonderful to see his body change to better reflect the beautiful person who has been hidden inside for so many years.
It was actually quite surreal for me to sit back and watch the contestants come out on stage and reveal their new selves. This time last year that was me, and one thing is for sure: these contestants are all going home to life like they never lived it before. As Sharif said, “This whole experience has meant the start of my life. I’ve been overweight my whole life so for me I’m experiencing something totally new… I have so many more options and choices that I can make now with my life.”
It truly has been an honour and a pleasure to watch each and every one of the 2009 contestants grow as they shrunk. It makes me feel so proud and so happy to see people who get what this journey is all about. At end of day there’s so much more to it than weight loss and it’s been such a privilege to witness the transformations, inside and out.
Hopefully in a year’s time the 2009 contestants can sit back, like I am now, and watch the 2010 Finale at their finale weight and be living life to the full. I am very proud to have maintained my weight for 12 months now, and I know Sam Rouen is too.
If last night’s Finale teaches us anything it’s that no matter how young you are or old you are, how troubled your past or how long you’ve been overweight, you can get healthy and turn your life around. At the end of the day there really are no excuses and it’s never too late. As the Second Chance team, (who combined lost 546.8kg during the series) proved, great results are within your reach at home if you only have the courage to say no, I won’t do this to myself anymore.
As the inspirational Bob Herdsman said of his and Tiff’s journey, “We never set out to beat anybody; we just had to conquer ourselves.”
Thank you to all of you for reading my blog throughout The Biggest Loser Couples series and for your kind words and ongoing support. For all of you who have followed the blog daily, it has been a privilege being part of your lives for yet another year albeit via the computer screen and inbox!
I hope the show and the blog have inspired you to conquer the things in life that are holding you back. Because, as I have discovered since my Biggest Loser experience, anything and everything in life is possible if only you believe in yourself.
xo
Alison Braun
Finale highlights
If you missed last night's show, you can watch the full episode at The Biggest Loser TV show website.
Below I've shared my two favourite segments The first is where the Second Chance at-home team are revealed and friends Ben and Kate announced as the winner with a combined weight loss of 78.5kg or 28.25% of their body weight. It starts about 6 minutes into the segment.
The second segment is where Tiff and Bob strut their stuff. What else can be said but AMAZING!