Bob Harper told us about a month ago that Biingo should be "finding some sort of vegetable that he likes." At the time, Harper was more concerned about getting Biingo to move.
The good news this week was that Harper was more concerned about Biingo getting vegetables, just not directly to his face.
The fear of vegetables is something that most children deal with. The Biggest Loser wanted its contestants, adults and teenagers, to openly confront their fears … except when it came to vegetables.
The trainers have their Skype discussions with the kids, except Bob's conversation is with Michelle, Biingo's mom. Bob is concerned about Biingo being afraid of vegetables, and as we hear from Michelle, she hasn't been helping with the problem.
"Growing up as a kid, we didn't make him eat them. As a mother, it's disheartening. I feel like I failed."
Michelle admitted that Biingo said he thought broccoli was grown in a factory.
Bob sent Michelle a meatloaf recipe to sneak some vegetables via veggie puree into Biingo. We see her making the veggie puree to put in the meatloaf. The goal is to cram in 5 vegetables (spinach, broccoli, carrots, peas, sweet potatoes) into one meatloaf. Gradual? This is television, after all: the more, the better.
Then again, sweet potatoes and peas are starchy veggies and carrots are very sweet in that world. Biingo would have been better off with spinach and mushrooms, small steps for a large boy who wants to get smaller.
The clue for Biingo should be that the family dinner is being televised, and Mom keeps pushing Biingo on whether he likes the meatloaf. He does find small pieces but doesn't know what they are.
Parents don't tend to yell at you with a cameraman around, unless it's "Cops." I would have suffered a lot less damage from my childhood if our family dinners could have been televised.
Biingo's reaction contains a bit of shock in his face, but returns quickly to ignorant bliss or a strong dose of Valium. He doesn't seem to care that he just ate vegetables or that his mom tried to sneak in veggies into his meatloaf.
Yes, Biingo ate some vegetables, but hasn't come close to conquering his fear or his need to eat more vegetables.
Michelle said Biingo ate more vegetables in that meal than at any point in his life. She clearly is confusing the number of vegetables as opposed to the amount of vegetables. If Biingo has never had that much vegetable puree, he has nowhere to go but up.
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Lindsay has a fear of diabetes, especially since she was diagnosed as being pre-diabetic early in the run of the show. She has a very legitimate fear, but isn't afraid to confront her fear. Turns out, a school guidance counselor at Lindsay's school is diabetic, and so they have a conversation about what it's like. There is a difference between being Type 1 diabetic and Type 2 diabetic, a difference the show never explores.
Lindsay wants to have a normal life and fears diabetes will ruin that. The counselor shows Lindsay what she has to deal with in being a diabetic.
While filming a segment between a student and a guidance counselor feels negatively voyeuristic, this was honestly an exercise that translates well to television.
Sunny is afraid to reveal anything about herself, so we're not surprised that her fear is something that is not about her. Sunny's fear stems from the weight and health of her mother.
One look at her mother and you can see why Sunny is worried. But Sunny needs to think about her greatest fear: not being able to share her greatest fears. Sunny's reaction is normal, given she is a teenager. But Sunny should realize that being on television, you need to reveal yourself. The producers want her to do so on-camera, but Sunny should do regardless.
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