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PagongRatEater 12973 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-09-09, 00:54 AM (EST) "Biggest Loser Time/Cost" Whenever I watch this show in particular, I have to wonder how the contestants can AFFORD to participate. From comments made and discussions, it seems that if you make it to the end you could be investing SIX MONTHS in the process. Now I understand you can't put a price on your health, but seriously is this show only for wealthy people or dependents? Is there some type of compensation that I'm unaware of? A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.   Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Subject     Author     Message Date     ID    RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost Snidget 01-09-09 1  RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost samboohoo 01-09-09 2    RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost PagongRatEater 01-09-09 3        RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost samboohoo 01-09-09 4        RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost Snidget 01-09-09 5  RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost cipher5150 01-09-09 6  RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost mtopaz 01-09-09 7  You're missing the obvious. Estee 01-10-09 8  Potential answer Snidget 01-13-09 9  RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost zazzy 01-15-09 10  RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost YankeeDixieDoodle 01-23-09 11    RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost cipher5150 01-26-09 12        RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost YankeeDixieDoodle 02-02-09 13        RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost YankeeDixieDoodle 02-02-09 14            RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost cipher5150 02-02-09 15                RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost YankeeDixieDoodle 02-09-09 17    RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost udg 02-07-09 16  RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost sportykat66 02-24-09 18    RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost PagongRatEater 03-02-09 19        RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost Silvergirl1 03-05-09 20

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Snidget 43862 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-09-09, 06:12 AM (EST) 1. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I'm fairly certain the labor laws tend to mean that most people on any reality tv show get paid some sort of stipend every week they are away from home. I thought most of them went back to work when they went home.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

samboohoo 17075 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-09-09, 08:34 AM (EST) 2. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" PRE: I think the longest any of them are at the ranch is 3 months, and then they are home for 3 months before the finale. I have wondered as well, and I agree with Snidget that I think there is a stipend there of at least something. I have also thought that there really are some people who can do it because they have enough time built up that they can use it all at once, or maybe they are taking some time off unpaid and have savings, etc. Or maybe they live on credit cards, etc. for a few months. I don't know. I know that I couldn't do it. Tis the season.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PagongRatEater 12973 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-09-09, 11:05 AM (EST) 3. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I don't think that I could afford to be on the show unless there was a significant stipend. Once I heard that Survivor participants got $5K per show aired episode they were in, but I think that was hearsay. That would certainly change things, as it is without knowing I wouldn't even apply for a show like this. As to the time off, I would think that for any of the people who are this obese they would be able to recieve unpaid leave under FMLA because of the medical and health issues. A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

samboohoo 17075 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-09-09, 11:28 AM (EST) 4. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I was thinking about the FMLA as well, I just forgot to mention it. Tis the season.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Snidget 43862 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-09-09, 11:29 AM (EST) 5. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" FMLA leave I suppose would depend on what your doctor said and if they count this like they would going to any other in patient diet center like the one here at Duke. Most of the shows don't publicly announce what the pay scale is (a few have gotten leaked and put on the web, or mentioned on the show like Big Bother). I do think all of them have to have some sort of pay scale and while it usually isn't in the downloadable application information I'm sure that you can get that info before you actually sign a contract to be on the show. I think they usually have to pay some sort of honorarium or stipend, if nothing else to pay you for your story. Whether it is enough to cover your costs probably varies a lot depending on the show.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

cipher5150 166 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Blistex Spokesperson" 01-09-09, 01:27 PM (EST) 6. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I heard a long time ago regarding one reality show that contestants received what they would ordinarily receive if they were at their normal jobs (in addition to any prize money). I can’t remember what show it was in reference to but I believe it was one of the bigger/longer ones (Survivor, TAR, BB, or Biggest Loser). However, one of the female contestants from, I think, two seasons ago (maybe Ali?) had remarked that she needed to use some of her prize money to pay back the people that supported her while she was on the show. I interpreted her statement as meaning she received financial support (rather than emotional).   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

mtopaz 2167 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Roller Coaster Inaugurator" 01-09-09, 01:35 PM (EST) 7. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I wonder the same thing, especially last season when some of the couples were husband/wife, so neither spouse would be working during the time they were at the ranch. I recently saw some on-line information, a "where are they now" recap of past contestants. Roger, one of the former football players, is still doing pretty well maintaining most of his weight loss, but it indicated that he lost his job while on the show. The only way I could do the show would be if they paid me as much as I'm earning now, and my boss agreed to have a temporary person in my slot for the time I was gone. Designed by Agman, siggy maker to the gemstones   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Estee 55195 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-10-09, 07:57 AM (EST) 8. "You're missing the obvious." Government bailout.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Snidget 43862 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 01-13-09, 07:13 PM (EST) 9. "Potential answer" Although this is for American Idol. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28425686/page/2/ Says that the contestants join AFTRA (like SAG but for announcers and reality TV people rather than actors) and that requires a wage of some $900 per hour episode as of a couple of years ago. I would suspect that may be something other reality TV shows do. Some might not do that, but I suspect if the stage crew is union they may also want the reality contestants to be union as well.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

zazzy 4390 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Jerry Springer Show Guest" 01-15-09, 10:14 AM (EST) 10. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" Michelle (recent winner) said on some talk show that she had quit her job 3 days before finding out she was on TBL...I think people quit or get an unpaid leave like Vicky and use their savings/credit to stay afloat while they are on the show.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

YankeeDixieDoodle 442 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Daytime Soap Guest Star" 01-23-09, 04:19 PM (EST) 11. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I suspect that the contestants are compensated for being on the show, but, even if they aren't, they do receive a lot of freebies. Free room and board, free training, and free medical care, to mention just a few. And, when you consider how much these contestants will save on medication they'll no longer need, due to improved health from losing weight and eating decent food, TBL is a pretty good deal. On this past episode, a doctor told two contestants, one who had already cut out all of his meds and another who had cut down to just one, that just the weight they'd lost so far, would save each one $733,000 on meds over the remaining course of their lives.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

cipher5150 166 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Blistex Spokesperson" 01-26-09, 02:19 PM (EST) 12. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" Yes, but I believe those prescription costs were for the full retail price. The average person with insurance coverage would only pay a fraction of that amount (although that could still be a significant amount). I understand the point they were trying to make but I think it was a little misleading.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

YankeeDixieDoodle 442 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Daytime Soap Guest Star" 02-02-09, 03:28 PM (EST) 13. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" Not necessarily. Many Americans have no health coverage. Especially those so morbidly obese that they've got chronic preexisting conditions that most insurance companies wouldn't be willing to cover. And, even if they do have coverage, there's often a "cap" on how much an insurance company will pay, over their lifetime, on prescription costs. Once that "cap" is reached, they assume the full cost of their medications.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

YankeeDixieDoodle 442 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Daytime Soap Guest Star" 02-02-09, 03:33 PM (EST) 14. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" It's still a lot of pills to choke down, even if most of the cost is covered by insurance. To say nothing off the side effects, especially from interaction, of taking so many different medications.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

cipher5150 166 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Blistex Spokesperson" 02-02-09, 06:38 PM (EST) 15. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" Yes, I understand all that. But I still take issue with their use of such grand monetary figures. In 2007 85% of Americans had health insurance coverage of some sort. The implication on the show was “if you are an obese person and you are taking ½ dozen or more medications, then this is what it is going to cost you, personally, over your lifetime,” and that is simply not true for the AVERAGE person (obese or not). In addition, a lot of the medications that an obese person would typically be on (diabetes, cholesterol, high blood pressure, etc.) are some of the most common medications and are far more likely to be available in a generic form. These would certainly be much cheaper than the name brand versions - call me a cynic but I expect the figures they compiled were only for name brand medications. As I said, I understand why they would want to present such dramatic and grand monetary figures but it reminds me of the book I had to read in college, “How to lie with statistics.”   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

YankeeDixieDoodle 442 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Daytime Soap Guest Star" 02-09-09, 04:39 PM (EST) 17. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" You're probably young, and so am I at 56 going on 57!,and aren't on any of that "old folks" medicine, but I've met some older people on some really expensive/i] medication, even with Medicare coverage, because there isn't yet a generic version available. Or, so these people have told me. And, had both contestants arestill fairly young. Had they not through TBL, or some other weight loss program, there's no telling what further complications, and additional medications might have been waiting for them further down the road. Obesity could age their bodies awfully fast. Of course, an early death, could cut into the lifetime cost of their medications.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

udg 3038 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Car Show Celebrity" 02-07-09, 06:03 PM (EST) 16. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" But getting free room & board at the ranch doesn't mean they don't have to pay rent/mortgage and so on back at home. If my husband went on a reality show, we'd still have our mortgage, plus food & clothing for me and our 4 kids to pay for. And if I went on one, we'd have to pay for child care (I'm a SAHM) that isn't usually an expense. Slice n' Dice's Sigpic Chop Shop 2004   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

sportykat66 1 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "American Cancer Society Spokesperson" 02-24-09, 01:07 PM (EST) 18. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" A former contestant Matthew McNutt said there was a $500 a week stipend for cast members on the ranch. All airplane tickets, hotel accommodations, etc., for the contestants and potential cast members are taken care of by NBC, and during the casting process it self there was a $50 per Diem to cover food costs. That was in 2006, it may be more. If you search his name, you can find his blog site where he talks about the show and what he went thru to get there and how much weight he lost.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

PagongRatEater 12973 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 03-02-09, 05:54 PM (EST) 19. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" Thanks! That is good info. I'm afraid that I would definitely not be able to pay my bills on $2K/mo though. Sounds like you have to be of SOME means (or actually poor) to be able to participate. A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship.   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

Silvergirl1 9320 desperate attention whore postings DAW Level: "Playboy Centerfold" 03-05-09, 02:06 AM (EST) 20. "RE: Biggest Loser Time/Cost" I'm afraid that I would definitely not be able to pay my bills on $2K/mo though. But if you were there with your wife or one of your kids, your family would get double that amount. Most people could make due with it, depending on where they lived, and their standard of living. Agman, 2008   Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top

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