The new TV season kicks off today. Woo hoo! Finally something new to watch. I have to admit I haven’t done a lot of TV watching during the summer. I did more reading, but I am looking forward to a few of my returning favorites like BIGGEST LOSER, BEING ERICA, CASTLE, MEDIUM and GHOST WHISPERS to name a few.

I can’t wait to see what Castle discovered and Becket’s mother’s death. Was it murder or suicide? I noticed in the sneak previews that a dead body is stolen from the morgue van while the coroner and Castle are in it. This should be interesting.

As for the other shows, I hear that Melinda’s son will be born in the first few minutes of the first show and then we are thrown 5 years in the future, Allison on MEDIUM wakes up in the hospital and must deal with the fact that she doesn’t have her talent and may never ahve it again.  Last saw the beginning of BIGGEST LOSER, Danny is back along with more contestants with inspiring stories.  As for BEING ERICA, I hear she will the be one helping out the Dr, that should be interesting. I am just looking forward to relaxing and being entertained for a little while.

What shows are you looking forward to watching?

What Filipe said on the Biggest Loser last night hit home for me, and impressed his fellow contestants. He wants to be an inspiration for others in his community though weight loss. His goal is to get others motivated to loose weight. I loved seeing him keep his word. At the end of the show we saw him hosting classes in his own backyard which just goes to show you that you don’t need a big gym to get going on your weight loss goal.

Now I’m not one to be center of attention, actually I hate it which is why I decided to donated my royalties to make a difference. I have had a few people question my motivation for donating my royalties to the fight against breast cancer. To me this is just one of many worthy causes I want to include in my life. Do I think my donation will make a big difference? Will it be the donation that will finally find a cure? Of course, I don’t. However if it helps on woman to get tested and find her lump early on and gives her a better chance to beat the disease then yes it was worth it.

Has reality TV gone too far? I’m not a big fan of reality TV. I do watch some of it like Biggest looser. However I think that shows like the Biggest Looser and Dancing With The Stars might just be pushing their contestants too much for our viewing pleasures. We love to see the pounds go down and the higher marks, but we have to remember the contestants haven’t been active or danced so much in their lives. Dancing With the Stars had to replace 2 stars before the season even started and has since had something like 2 or 3 more injuries. Last night we heard that Lara on the Biggest Looser has a hip injury. It may not sound life threatening but an injury like that could very well limit their physical abilities later in life.

As much as I like to watch these shows and get inspired by the weight loss, I think they have gone too far. It’s time to pull back and remember these are people we are dealing with not things. Does that mean the shows should end? No of course not, but they should reduce the pressure and expectations of the contestants though.

It’s been a busy week and I’ve barely had time to look at my favorite blogs and show let alone write my blog entry.

Ok so I watched both BIGGEST LOSER and WILD ROSES, sort of.  Well I have to confess I got the times wrong from the BIGGEST LOSER and missed the fun part, the first hour. I love seeing their reaction when they discover they have been chosen. The hour I did see was quite revealing, 9 teams were split up on the first elimination night. Now they have a chance to return as long as their remaining partners don’t get eliminated for 30 full days. Now that’s motivation! I’m looking forward to seeing Daniel the largest contestant ever lose his weight.

As for WILD ROSES I recorded it and watched a day or so later. I truly enjoyed it. It’s not quite like Dallas, but it does have some of the feel. The rich jerk does remind me of JR, but that would be it. The characters were starting to shape up by the end of the first show. The cast that has been chosen is very good. Am I addicted? Not quite but I am going to be tuning in again next week. I’m looking forward to it.

It looks like Dallas – the show, has made its way to Canada and in the new century. No I’m not talking about repeats. I’m talking about WILD ROSES a new show that CBC (Canada’s version of BBC) will be premiering tonight.  The show takes place in Calgary.

WILD ROSES has the same flare and feeling as Dallas, rich family out to get more money, but the twist here is that they are fighting for land owned by a family of females who aren’t rich in money but have tons of values, at least they seem to based on the commercials. I’ll be taping the first show tonight since it’s also the premiere of THE BIGGEST LOSER. I love that show.

It should be interesting to see which will capture my attention the most this season.  

Well the Biggest Loser Family finished this past week. I delayed blogging about it since I had already planned my I AM A SURVIVOR feature. As great as the Biggest Loser is, this feature is more so.

I was thrilled when Michelle won. She looked fabulous. They all did, but she did have a harder time the last week at the ranch since the others didn’t seem to really want to include her. Some of the contestants from last year were there to cheer everyone on.

The ladies certainly lost a lot of weight. Shellay and both Amys looked fabulous along with the others. The biggest change in my opinion was made by Jerry. He really wasn’t healthy when he walked in and now he’s not only healthier but running. Good on him!

It’s funny none of the contestants this year lost over 100 pounds while they were on the ranch. In the past they’d have a few, especially the men hit that weight loss target.  

Was I shocked when America chose Ed as their 3^rd finalist? Not in the least little bit. I have to say their reaction was a little disappointing, I know Heba wanted to be in the finals but she really didn’t come across nicely during her time at the ranch. That said she did fabulous and lost over 138 pounds. Good on her!

Will I be watching the new season when it starts in Jan 2009? You bet. I find this show very inspiring. I also like what they have set up. You at home (in the US) can sign up to loose weight from your own home and every pound you loose the show will donate a pound of healthy food to those who need it in the US. If I could I’d take part, but I don’t live in the US.

Here’s hoping all the participants keep off their weight!

For those of you who haven’t seen last night’s BIGGEST LOSER and don’t’ want to know the outcome. Stop reading NOW. I warned you.

I have to say I was truly shocked at the way the blue team treated Michelle. Actually I should be surprised but I was. They included her in some stuff in a distant kind of offer but it didn’t look sincere. I mean even Heba mentioned that if Michelle fell below the yellow line which she hoped would happen then they were getting rid of her.

This is the second year in a row that America gets to vote who the third finalist will be. The twist was how Ed handled it. He gained 2 pounds at weigh in. Bob even predicted it was to give his wife what she wanted, a spot in the finale. Well that wasn’t enough. They are both below the line. Then when it came time to pitch themselves to America he asked the audience to vote for his wife. Now that is love and dedication.

Now who do I think will win? Originally I wanted Amy to win but since she’s out I’m going for my second choice, Michelle.

So another one is gone at the Biggest Looser Ranch. I missed last week’s show so I didn’t hear what everyone had to say about Amy, which was one of my favourites. I bet there were quite a few not so nice things said.

However I was sad to see Renee gone but she’s done so well on her own. I loved watching her feature at the end of the show. That also happens to be the best part of the show in my opinion.  

Do I think it’ll be an all woman finale? I’m not sure. I do say that Michelle needs to stay above the yellow line in order to make it to the finale. If they have to choose between her and another blue team member. I’m sorry to say she’s a gonner.

Now if I had to choose today who the winner was among the remaining 4 contestants. I’d have to say Michelle. I know Vicky is playing the game better than anyone else, but Michelle is the person I’d like to see win. And win it for HERSELF no one else.

It’s snowing! It’s snowing here in Ottawa and I couldn’t be happier. Then again I didn’t have to drive in it to get to work. I love snow. As long as temperature isn’t 30 below zero I love winter as well.

Yesterday The Biggest Loser saw Phil go home, one week after his wife. I was really surprised by how much his team didn’t loose. While the blue team lost tons. It will be interesting to see how many pounds the blue team looses next week.

I loved the way Phil remarried his wife upon his return from campus and the fact that even though he hasn’t been able to wear his wedding ring for the past 15 years his wife kept it. Now that he’s lost weight he’s able to wear it.

Who do I think is the biggest threat still on campus? I’m not sure. Only two families are still intact. I think Brady and Vickie are the bigger family threat, but over all I think Amy and Colleen might be strong enough to take over.

I can’t wait until 8 tonight. Why? Biggest Looser is back on. I truly enjoy watching the show. Why? Personally I find it inspiring to watch people not only shed excess weight but also discover who they truly are and what they are capable to being. There is nothing like a little competition and pushing ones physical and emotional boundaries to become a better person.

Do I have a weight problem? No I have never had one. I love to jog and go to the gym, but that doesn’t mean I’m perfect. Like most women I have body issues. I have what is called a “boy figure”, no big curves on my body. Do I love my body? Nope, but I’m working on that.

What else do I watch Biggest looser for? Other than getting a high when contestants’ loose weight and I mean some weeks, especially at the beginning, they loose some major numbers. I’ll confess I can’t afford to get trainers like Jill and Bob so while I’m watching the show I steal ideas from the workouts they put the contestants through.

So tonight I’ll be routing for the new batch of wonderful contestants from my livingroom.