Philip Does Dance Cam Slam

Here is a video of Money hungry star Philip doing his Dance Cam Slam. Which airs Tuesday October 26th, 2010 at 10PM.  Watch his video as he dances to Pussycat Dolls- Don't Cha

VH1access Interview: Jackie/Kaitlin (Money Hungry)

I recently did an interview with Jackie/Kaitlin who was The Slenderellas on Money Hungry. They made it to the final 4 on the show. We discuss about their experience on the show. They said that being the show was "the amazing thing that they ever did"

We also talk about their favorite challenge, who they got along with and what they have been up to since the show.




 Hey, thanks for wanting to an interview.

Thank you for the interview.

How was your experience being on the show?

Being on Money Hungry was the most amazing thing I have ever done. I have always been a huge reality t.v. addict, so the fact that we made it on the show was a dream come true. I was always that person at home watching similar shows saying, "I could definitely win that challenge," and it was a once in a lifetime chance to prove I could make it through challenges, and even win one! It's sad that the ratings weren't what we were hoping for, but I met the most amazing cast, who will be my friends for life, and worked with the most helpful and caring crew I could imagine. 

What made you guys decided to name your team The Slenderellas?

Coming up with our team name was kind of hard for me and Kaitlin. We literally wrote down a page full of adjectives and a page full of synonyms for fat, skinny, and any other weight loss terms we could think of at the time. Finally, after hours of brainstorming, and calling all of our closest friends for ideas, we came up with Slenderellas. It is really just a play on words. Money Hungry was our Cinderella story, it was our chance to prove to ourselves that we can be competitive and become the slender selves that we have inside. Cinderella story + getting skinny = Slenderellas.

How was the the filming process? and also how did it felt like being on a reality show?

The filming process was much different than I had ever expected. There were times where we had to sit for long periods of time, not knowing what challenge we were about to do or where in California we even were. But, I guess that was one of the fun parts of filming a t.v. show. I can remember only being wierded out by the cameras for two days, tops. Some days you wake up and they're in your face and some days you wouldn't even notice they were around, but that usually meant there was drama elsewhere, so go find it! What viewers don't realize is that sometimes what seems to be an intimate bathtub scene between a few friends, really has about 6 camera and mic people standing around. It is really so much fun and I hope to be involved in television for a while, in front of the camera or behind the scenes. 

What was your favorite challenge?

By default, my favorite challenge was the first puzzle challenge because we won, but I really enjoyed the 'Spare tire' challege with the cars parked on the bridge. They closed down a major bridge in Los Angeles for US to do this challenge. That was so cool! Plus, I thought it was a really cool concept. We split tasks in this challege, Kaitlin got to prove her endurance in running the first half of the course, and I used my size to shimmy through the back seats and hop over the cars in the second portion. It also showed us how car we had come physically because we were not too far behind Slim and Grading Curves. 

You guys went far on the the show. You made it to the final 4. Did you ever thought you would have made it that far in the game?

If you had told me while I was raising the $10,000 that we would make it to the final 4, I wouldn't have doubted it. I am very competitive and like to keep a positive outlook on every situation. Up until Dan asked for our gym passes, I thought we would be there till the finale. 

Is there anything you would have done differently on the show now that you are eliminated?

There were times when I was watching the show that I would judge ever decision I made in the house and come up with some different plan I should have done. Well yeah, it's easy to say what I would have done differently, but I'm sure we all would have manipulated the game perfectly now that we know everything that happened. The Slenderellas made it to the final 4 of Money Hungry and all I would have done differently is acted like a fool to make for better television.

Who did you get along with the most on the show?

I'd say I got the closest with Stephanie. We were roommates and we had similar struggles within our teams. Kaitlin and Philip, and Stephanie and I all had similiar starting weights and weight loss through the weeks. Being in such similar situations, Stephanie and I became workout buddies, pushing eachother and making sure the other doesn't slack off. Of course, I love everyone in the 'Family', but especially Dave and Po. They were like real brothers to me. We would go swimming with them almost every night and that was our time to bond and get away from drama for a little bit. They even gave us dating advice and taught us that no man should treat us as less than a queen. Last but not least, our final orphans. Mark and Joe are honestly two of the nicest assholes you will ever meet. Minus that one time they didn't give us immunity, they were true to their word and wanted the best for everyone. And Grading Curves, unfortunitely I didn't get a chance to really bond with Missy and Tricia until our final couple weeks as the few girls left standing, but our fears of being booted out by the boys gave us time to really get to know eachother. 

What are your thoughts on Dan Cortese?

Dan is the shit! I'm not sure if all hosts care, but Dan really wanted the chance to get to know all of us. There were times behind the scenes where he would want to come and hang out with the cast but could only do so for a few minutes until someone yelled at him. He even offered to cook us all dinner once. Yeah, he might have been joking on the last one. Dan Cortese is has a dirty sense of humor and hes hot! I give him a 10.

Now that you guys are eliminated, what have been doing now since the show?

Since the show ended I have done a lot! Kaitlin and I worked at Camp Kingsmont, the weight loss camp we met at, who helped sponsor us, for the second half of the summer. Once that ended I had to come back home to work and support my traveling addiction. A local bar, that I hosted a fund raiser at, allowed me to have some viewing parties on Monday nights. I had a handful of viewings and was able to have friends, family and fans together in one place to watch the show. It was even better when Kaitlin got to be there because she is a celebrity to my town. Also, I just recently met up with Kaitlin, Phillip, Double Chocolate, Family Size, Roll Models, and Mission Slimpossible in NY for GL's comedy show and a viewing at Slim's bar. We had so much fun finally being together without stress! Many more Money Hungry visits are in store for the year, we have a lot of the US to cover. I have also been taking yoga and going to the gym regularly. I never thought the transition would be so hard, but I'm maintaining my weight loss and I am feeling good!

Do you guys have any upcoming appearances or other projects that we should know about?

I live outside of Boston and Kaitlin lives in Long Island, so unfortunately we don't get to see eachother on a regular basis. However, we are in the works of planning a 10 day road trip to the Great Lakes area, or wherever our hearts guide us to, we haven't decided yet. But, in anticipation for our own show, we are planning on video taping our adventures and making video journals for all to see! This should be great. We are two people who really enjoy ourselves when we go out, and I think people enjoy meeting us, too. It gets crazy.

To pay it forward on our weight loss journey, Kaitlin and I are also going back to Camp Kingsmont next summer. We are looking to be inspirations in the lives of overweight children and teens. If you know anyone between the ages of 6-18 who are struggling with weight loss, or would like to help these children, please go to www.campkingsmont.com and you can see where our journey began and our goals will be met! :)

Well thank you guys for your time. Do you want to give a shout out to anyone?

We would just like to thank all of our sponsors and the people crazy enough to give us money to get on this show. With out any of those $5 donations from strangers or long lost friends, we would never have made it on this crazy show!! We owe everything to our friends, families, and our new Money Hungry family. YOU WILL SEE US SOON AMERICA!

Money Hungry - Finale Recap

Money Hungry - Finale Recap

Ok so it was obvious who was going to the final two. the final was The Regulators and Misson Slimpossible. Here is a short recap of what went down at the finale.

The final challenge was a big relay race between the teams. They had to ride a tricycle. Whoever won the final challenge would be at the ultimate weigh in and received 10,000. But the Grading Curves got screwed over when Tricia was knocked over from her tricycle causing her knee cap to break. She went to hospital. Misson Slimpossible won the final challenge. Back at the mansion, Missy tried her best work out as much as possible so they can have a chance to stay. Tricia came back with a broken leg. They decided to not quit but unfortunately The Grading Curves were eliminated due to The Regulators having a higher percentage.

So the final two teams were Mission Slimpossible and The Regulators. As expected. Both teams were rivals since the beginning of the show. Their families were their at the ultimate weigh. in. Misson Slimpossible won with 20.07 percent. Regulators lost 18.59 percent. 

Congrats to Mission Slimpossible they won the $20,000. It's kinda ironic that they almost quite earlier on the show.

Money Hungry - Episode 9 Recap

Money Hungry - Episode  9 Recap

Sorry for the late recap. Here is a short recap of what went down on episode 9 on Money Hungry.

With the $100,000 grand prize in sight (literally), the final four teams battle it out in the most exciting challenge yet. It comes down to a photo finish and the outcome changes everyone's game plan. Some teams are dependent on old alliances for safety, while others feel that now it's now every man for himself. Every team pushes themselves in the gym, but one team will come up short and have to forfeit their $10,000 entrance fee. With the finale one week away, every move counts.

VH1access Interview: Phillip (Money Hungry)

I finally did an interview with the breakout star of Money Hungry which is Phillip who was on team Flabolous with Stephanie. He says that his experience on Money Hungry  "was one that I would not trade for the world"   We also discuss of a spin off show. He says that he would do a show with Jamie who was the team Roll Models and the show would be called "Phillip and Jamie Take Over NY" and also open to do a dating show.

Follow him on Twitter and follow Stephanie on Twitter

VH1access: So how was your experience on Money Hungry?

Phillip: My experience on Money Hungry was one that I would not trade for the world. I have made some life long friends and it was if nothing a major stepping-stone, for my new healthy life! It showed me that I can workout, I can change, and I am worth every bit of it! It helped me to hold myself accountable for MY weight loss and to stop dwelling on past hurts that contributed to my weight gain. I feel that Money Hungry was not given the chance to shine that it deserved. It was simply an amazing show, with a super cast. I mean clearly I was on it! How more super can you get! LOL just kidding.

VH1access: How was the filming process?

Phillip: Filming was cool. It was fun to learn all the hard work that goes into making a show like that. It is so many people that do vital work that are all behind the scenes. Even after everything I went through on the show I would love to do it all over again. I wouldn’t even have to think about it.

VH1access: Did you like the way VH1 portrayed you on the show?

Phillip: I mean it is reality TV and it was Vh1! Like I said before this isn’t a regular channel. This is VH1! LOL. I mean I am sure everyone on the show has quips about editing and portrayal but overall I am happy. I wish they would of showed more of the workout though. I worked very hard the week I was eliminated and actually every week I was there. Losing weight is a battle! I laughed when Po of the Regulators said one week that I wasn’t working out as hard as I could and was treating this like a vacation. PULEASE. Living in the Money Hungry house was as far away from a vacation you could ever be! Suckas.

VH1access: Who did you get along with the most on the show?

Phillip: I got along most with Family Size, Slenderellas, Double Chocolates, No Excuses and the Regulators. Everyone in the house had moments when they got along, and moments when they fought. I am sure everyone had moments when that hated me. LOL.

VH1access: How is Stephanie doing?

Phillip: Stephanie is great! She is still working out losing more weight and if I am not mistaken she night be about 30 pounds or so from her goal weight. She looks amazing. I am sure she would love to interview with you too! It would give her a chance to have her voice heard since I kind of overshadowed her on the show. It wasn’t on purpose I swear!

VH1access: What are your thoughts of Josh having a crush on Stephanie?

Phillip: No Comment. A guy like him would never stand a chance with a knockout like Stephanie. And that is all.

VH1access: You seemed very pissed off when Mission Slimpossible messed with your microphone.

Phillip: YES I was PISSED! You know I was in the secret alliance with Mission Slimpossible then and I knew that they would put Jell-O ON my microphone. They promised not to damage it. When I saw that it was filled with Jell-O and possibly not going to be able to be used again …I WAS LIVID! I was steaming mad!

VH1acces: On the show you said that your grandfather have been in the hospital. How is doing now?

Phillip: He is still ill but working through it. The grandfather who is sick who they show me talking to on the show is not actually the same grandfather who gave Stephanie and I the money to go on Money Hungry. He loved the show though and that it was awesome that he could hear himself on TV.

VH1access: Is there anything that you would have done differently on the show?

Phillip: If I could do Money Hungry again, I would probably not change a thing. Try to push myself harder in the workouts and try to compete harder in the challenges, but I was an Ace at the game, as you know. I might not have drunk as much as I did on the first night.

VH1access: What are your thoughts on Dan Cortese?

Phillip: Dan Cortese was an AMAZING host. We got to spend a lot of time with him on the challenge days. The first day we walked on the steps of the money Hungry house Dan runs out and everyone is like “Who is that?” I guess I was too young to remember his prime MTV days, but he was real cool on the show.

VH1access: Did your family tune in to watch?

Phillip: Yes. My entire neighborhood did. My little brother and sisters just LOVE the show. My grandfather who gave me the money to go on Money Hungry didn’t watch regularly though. He said football was more interesting. He still doesn’t know that I lost. I can see it when I talk to him that he is just happy that I am losing weight and changing my life for the better. That means more to him than the 10 stacks. I would still have loved to win it though!

VH1access: Being on a weight loss show, did it kept you more motivated to lose more weight after you were eliminated?

Phillip: YES! I workout with my trainer Brittany Ramsey 6 times a week. I also do morning and evening cardio by myself at the gym or at the park by my house too. I am down around 70 pounds since the show started but 100 pounds since around March/April. I no longer inject insulin and I am just excited about reaching my goal weight of 260lbs! You couldn’t hold me down when I was 470lbs. I can only imagine what I will be doing at my goal weight.

VH1access; Now you were clearly the break out star on this show and many of fans are demanding VH1 to give a spin off. What type of show would want to have?

Phillip: Oh thanks. Everyone keeps calling me the star. It is quite humbling. I am open to many shows. I would love to hear what kind of show my fans want to see me do? Any show I do will surely have a weight loss aspect to it, even if it just shows me working out occasionally. I have made a lifestyle change and will not back step. I would like a dating show possibly or something along the line of me moving to a new city and trying to further my career in the industry! Jamie of Roll Models said we should do a show called Phillip and Jamie take over NY! I am pretty open though.

VH1access: Are you doing any other projects/appearance that we should know about?

Phillip: Well on October 12, at 7:30pm I will be an Honorary Ringmaster for the UniverSoul Circus in my hometown of Chicago, IL! I would love to meet my fans there and take pictures, answer questions, shoot anything, just have a good time! I have some other projects in the works that I am not really at liberty to talk about in detail but I would love to do an online radio show! I am geeked.

VH1access: Well thank you Phillip for this interview. Do you want to give a shout out to anyone?

Phillip: Yes I would like to give a shout out to a few people. First, I would like to thank GOD because my Money Hungry and continued weight loss experience would not be possible without him. Allowing him to USE ME is what keeps me going! I want to shout out my partner Stephanie who held me down everyday in the house! I would like to shout out my wonderful at home trainer Brittany Ramsey, she is truly a blessing and pushes me when I think I can’t work anymore. I want to shout out my registered dietitian Andrea Williams who is helping me with my diet and teaching me how to eat for a lifetime. Weight loss is not just working out or just eating clean. It is a vital combination of both! I would like to thank my grandfather James C. who supports me in everything that I do and last but not least you John for interviewing me and of course my FANS! Without them I am nothing! Everyone please follow me on twitter and facebook @phillipnlambert. Follow the other half of team flabulous Stephanie Lynn @fabdivasteph. Follow my dietician on facebook Andrea Williams and my bomb.com trainer Brittany Ramsey on twitter and facebook @missfitbrit! Ask her all your health related questions! This is not the last you have seen of Phillip!

VH1 interviews Stephanie (Flabolous) from Money Hungry

VH1.com did an interview with Stephanie who was on the team Flabolous with Phillip on Money Hungru. she says that she was annoyed that she looked like she was mute on the show, she also talks about Josh having a crush on her. she says that Josh had a crush on every female on the show.

I’m particularly interested in talking to you because we heard so little from you on the show.

I know! It really irritates me. I did talk, and they don’t show me talking at all. I look like a mute and that’s definitely not me.

So what was it? Phillip overshadowing you?

I think it was. He’s the life of any situation he’s in. You try to chime in against him and you’re just not going to win.

Did you expect that going into it?

Yeah, anywhere we go, anytime we’re out, you cannot get a word in edgewise. I literally have to keep repeating myself to talk over him. I’m used to it. In our interviews and stuff, I didn’t want to have to keep pushing my way in to get my words out. Most of the time, what he was saying was what I would be saying, too, it’s just that he beat me to the punch and wouldn’t allow me to get some time to talk.

What was your take on him referring to Flabulous decisions in the first person? It seemed like he had absolute say.
Most of the time, we were on the same page. I don’t take it personally or think that he wasn’t considering my thoughts on the matter. There were a few votes that we didn’t see eye-to-eye on, but we eventually talked about that. That’s Phillip, he’s very “all about me” all the time. I’ve known that about him, and I don’t take it personally. He’s just always so focused on himself. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but when he’s talking, he says, “I’m doing this, I’m doing that,” because in the house, he was the main person involved in a lot of the game play and scheming and everything we needed to do to stay out of the bottom and in the house.

So you just trusted his decisions?

I did. There were a few times we disagreed, like I said, but then again, I wasn’t the person who was actually able to get us on the show. I felt like it wasn’t really my place to push when we didn’t see eye-to-eye. I trusted him, we talked about things, and it got us pretty far.

It seemed that you were one of the smallest  people on the show. Is that a fair assessment?

If you ask me personally, I don’t think so. A lot of people in the house thought that about me. I know that Josh said that when he saw me on the bus, he was like, “What is this skinny bitch doing here?” That was the first time I never heard myself referred to as skinny. Hey, I’ll take it, but I don’t necessarily agree. I’ve lost a lot of weight over the past two years. There was a point in my life where I was 280 lbs. Before we went on the show I’d lost about 65 lbs., so that’s why it was hard to lose weight on the show. I was one of the smallest, but there were smaller people than me like Tricia of Grading Curves. She’s the one I looked at and thought, “What is she doing here?”

How much weight did you lose on the show?

I lost 20 lbs., and I lost a lot of inches. I went down three pants sizes. Me and Phillip set out realistic goals for ourselves before going on the show. Mine were that I wanted to get out of the 200’s, and lose 20 to 30 lbs. I knew in the time I wasn’t going to be able to lose much more than that. I hit both of those goals. Phillip wanted to lose between 40 and 50 and get of his insulin injections, and he hit both of those goals. Even though we went home, we were proud of ourselves.

Is there any point where you wish that you stepped in and put your foot down?

Yeah, when we decided to vote for Josh. After he went home, Phillip, Kaitlin, Jackie and I realized that this was somebody that this was someone that was in our alliance and was pretty good at challenges. He could have won immunity and saved one of us. We could have sent Grading Curves home had we stuck with the plan, and they were one of the more challenging teams in the house.

Speaking of Josh, what was your take on his crush? Were you actually attracted to him?

Not necessarily. He’s a really nice guy and I could see us being friends, but he had a crush on everybody in the house from Jamie to me to Jackie. I don’t know what he was trying to accomplish, but it was funny to hear some of his confessionals about the situation. I didn’t think he was that sneaky and conniving as he was with some of those comments that he made about keeping people around because he needed them. It all could have been part of his plan: to make all of the girls in the house swoon over him. I don’t know how successful he would have been but hey, it doesn’t hurt to try.

Was your shared time in the confessional in which he gave you a flower awkward?

It was very awkward. I didn’t know what I was going into. I was caught off guard and the camera was right there. He gives me this flower and I was like, “What is going on?” Dave, Po and Phillip knew and I was like, “These assh***s didn’t even give me the heads-up that he was going to do this.” I guess he was going to do a dinner and everything, and I’m so glad that didn’t happen. That would have been so much more awkward.

Do you still blame yourself for your elimination?

I kind of do, but I did realize that even if I had lost weight, with Phillip losing two lbs., we still wouldn’t have beat Jackie and Kaitlin’s numbers. But just for that to be such a pivotal weigh-in and hearing, “You didn’t lose any weight,” after I worked out so hard, it was very emotional. To know I put in all that work and have my weight stay the same was like a slap in the face.

Money Hungry - Episode 8 Recap

Money Hungry - Episode 8 Recap

It seems like this show will never be the same now since last night.  Episode 8 started off of the other being angry with Phillip because he never keeps his word on who he is voting off. That is what Tricia (Grading Curves) said. Well he said told her "I'm a person of a game"  Joe (Mission Slimpossible) made sarcastic comments to Phillip telling continue doing what you are doing. In the commentary Phillip says that the other should know how he is by now.

This weeks challenge was called "Layer  Cake" it was at the beach. Dan also tells the the teams whoever becomes the Big Heavies will not grant immunity to someone else. Since the teams were now down to five. The challenge was to re-stack the layer cakes in order in different pegs. Phillip thought he got this one in the bag.  The bottom layer weigh around 80 ibs! Some teams had some problems such as Grading Curves. They had trouble putting the bottom layer cake in one of the pegs. Phillip then realized his team was about to be in last place... again. He had this black stare and did not know what to do. Mission Slimpossible end up being the Big Heavies and Flabolous was last, so they were up for elimination.

After the challenge. Phillip wanted everyone to vote off The Slenderellas  since they were beating them with their weights. So he tells Regulators this idea but Po wants to vote for Grading Curves. Phillip said liked the idea but was not confident enough because he feels like Grading curves will get rid of Flabolous. We also found out that Dave and his wife are unemployed and he says that he needs this money.  Phillip (with a  new hairstyle) tells grading curves to vote for The Slenderellas. But Missy (Grading Curves) does not trust saying that he lied to him last week on who he was going to vote off.

The Regulators lets Grading Cures know that they are voting for Slenderellas. Po lets Kaitlin know that her team may not be safe this week. The Slenderellas then revealed that they were voting off for Regulators. The Slenderellas also tries to bring Grading Curves into their side.  It was elimination time and Flabolous ended up getting 0.34% and lost only two pounds. Slenderellas was voted in after all but their percentage was greater. They had 1.61% an an lost 9 pounds. Which meant that Flabolous was eliminated.

Vh1 Money Hungry A Pair of Nutz Comedians Performing in Miami

Deez nuts will perform at Area Stage tomorrow and Saturday to celebrate a successful year of national TV appearances MegaTV, El Vacilon (where they claim they had "the opportunity to introduce the Spanish audience to something they've never seen ... funny."), and Comedy Central's Tosh.0.

Money Hungry - Episode 7 Recap

Money Hungry - Episode 7 Recap

The 7th episode of Money Hungry aired last night. Some folks were sad to see No Excuses being eliminated. Gerogette (Double Chocolate) thinks it was horrible that Jackie voted for No Excuses. The Regulators know now that The Slenderalles and Flabolous are playing both sides. Mark from Mission Slimpossible talks to his wife on phone. She tells him not to embarrass her with his on screen behavior. She then asked him if he sleeps with any girls in the house lol 

This weeks challenge was called " Taking The Stairs" It was kinda like a relay race type of challenge. Each team had 100 small footballs and one big football and each team must carry the footballs to the top of the stairs going up and down. Mission Slimpossible ended up being the big heavies. Double Chocolate finished last so they were going to be in the chopping block.

Katlin (Slenderellas) fears that her team might be targets so she works her ass off at the gym.  Then Mark tells the Regulators how Phillip and Slenderellas helped them  to accomplish his goal to vote out No Excuses. This is a way of telling  them  "I am voting for you"  Slenderellas fearing that they might get voted int he chipping block tells mission Slimpossible about their deak last week, so they could hive them immunity

Meanwhile, Philip eavesdrop on Grading Curves and Mark about Slenderellas.  Jackie and Phillip decide that thet will vote for The Regulators. Phillip also admits that he threw the vote away from last week that was not part of the plan. Joe thinks the vote changer should be voted in the bottom. Phillip says "f*** that" joe then decides to vote for Flabolous instead of Slenderellas.

Phillip and Mark then had an argument. Mark says "Too bad your f***ing mouth can't cash your F***ing check" Trcia (Grading Curves) urges Phillip to vote for the Regulators. Meanwhile Kaitlin is freaking out in the confessional room saying "I don't know what to do" Mission Slimpossible decides to give the immunity to Grading Curves. Then all of them took the bit the apple on who they want to be voted off.

It was elimination time. It has been revealed that Misson Slimpossible and Grading Curves have gain weigtht due to drinking lots of water. Double Chocolate was the in the chopping block. The last thress teams remaining were Slenderellas, Regulators and Flabolous. Double Chocolate receaived 1.45%. Slenderellas did better than them with 1.59%. Flabolous received 1.33%. Turns out Slenderellas was the one voted in BUT they were safe because they had a better perecentage than Double Chocolate which means Double Chocolate was elminated. Oh and Regulators lost no weight. 

VH1 interviews Josh (No Excuses) - Money Hungry

Josh wjo was on the team No Excuses who was recently eliminated on Money Hungry this week , did an interview with VH1.com. He says that VH1 made him look like a cocky ass. He also talks about his crushes on Jamie and Stephanie, Mission Slimpossible and his partner Melissa.

How was your time on the show?

It was a crazy experience. It was a little bit different than we expected going in. We didn’t have an idea as to the game play or the voting. We thought it was going to be more like The Biggest Loser, where you show up and you lose the weight with possible immunities and surprises. When we got there and everything was completely different, it took some adjusting.

What did you think about your portrayal?

It’s VH1, so I didn’t know what to expect. I think they showed the sneaky side of me. Everything that was there obviously happened, but I think there could have been more emphasis on the workouts. My team was in the gym five hours a day, minimum. From Week 3 on, we were helping other teams with their diets and their workouts. Richard was there so many times a week, but he wasn’t there for every meal. They did touch on that in episode 6, with me helping the regulators. Other than that, they made me look like a hornball.

Before we get to that, I wanted to touch on your coaching of the Regulators. It was ironic that the episode in which we saw you coaching another team was the episode in which you went home.

My entire reason for going on the show at all wasn’t about the money. I wanted to get out there and show America what I was capable of. Before I went on the show, I’d lost 100 lbs. on my own. I had a base knowledge. Obviously, that didn’t show because of the way that it was edited, but I did want to eventually parlay this into a training career. That’s still the ultimate goal.

Just the way that it played out, someone could watch the show and say, “Well, he doesn’t know what he was talking about. He was eliminated before several other teams.”
On the same token, I pretty much designed the Regulators’ entire diet and workout that week, and they dropped 13 lbs. each. They’re kind of my testament. And if you look at the percentages in the game, we were in second place behind only Mission Slimpossible. We were doing extremely well on the weight side of it, we just kept struggling on the challenges.

How much weight did you end up losing on the show?

40 lbs. I was there for 28 days, so I averaged 1.5 lbs. a day.

How hard was it to make good nutritional choices on set? Was there an array of food including both healthy and unhealthy stuff, or was it more controlled?

I think it was the most uncontrolled environment I’ve ever been in while trying to lose weight. We started with 24 people in the house. No matter how much healthy food they put in there, it was gone the next day. Everyone ran to things they knew: the chicken breast, the ground turkey. They’d be gone for a day or so before the supplies were replenished. Since this was 51 Minds’ foray into a weight loss show like this, we had to get really creative. You end up eating things that you probably wouldn’t have in a different situation. I never advocate relying solely on protein powders for meal sources, but it was nice to have that there in a pinch when you’ve got 24 other people in the house vying for that 5 lbs. of chicken. But on top of all that, you have a pantry that’s full of M&Ms, cookies, chips and pasta – everything that you should probably be avoiding when you’re trying to lose weight in a competitive nature. I’m really proud of the cast, though: besides that first night, I don’t think anyone went into the liquor cabinet at all.

Have you lost weight since the show?

I lost about 40 more lbs. since the show. I’m keeping a slightly slower pace than on the show, because the show wasn’t real life. It’s not sustainable. The rate that some people were losing at is probably sustainable at home, but what I was doing wasn’t. I’m doing it at a moderate pace to where it isn’t my life right now.

So it was the pace that wasn’t sustainable?

The pace, and the amount of working out. Five-plus hours a day is Olympic-athlete training level. I’ve been lucky since the show to get sponsors that are essentially paying me to work out. I have the time and I’m still putting in three and a half, four hours a day. But it’s not as do-or-die right now. I’m having fun with it. I’m lifting weights more. A lot of people were afraid of lifting weights, not so much because of gaining muscle because it’s really hard to gain muscle in a caloric deficit, but I think people were afraid of volumizing the muscle with water, which is what I think happened to Deep Dish when they went home.

You seemed sad to be eliminated. Did that come at all from a feeling of betrayal?

I went into the game playing it strategically, not personally. It was: what can I do to get me as far in the game as possible. When I left, they brought up my inspiration for being there, which is my little brother, Grant. He’s got Down syndrome and he’s got gluten intolerance and he’s got heart issues. This little kid has had everything against him since the day he was born. He’s a Special Olympics gold medalist. When they brought him up, it made me break down. It was a month of nonstop workouts, a stressful situation since Episode 2, because of my own moves. It was emotional, but I don’t think there was betrayal. Now maybe a little bit because you see some of the things that were said that you didn’t know about. In the moment, though, it was more about not being ready for it to be over. It wasn’t about losing the money. That sucked, but for me it was more about not feeling like I finished what I started.

Did you feel resentment for the Slenderellas or Flabulous?

We kind of had a heads-up for how the Slenderellas planned on voting, and so I knew they were essentially lying. But I couldn’t blame them. What had I done in Episode 2? The Orphanage said, “Hey we want to vote out Jamie,” I said, “OK,” and when the time came, I switched my vote. If I were to be upset for that, I’d be a hypocrite. If we’re being real about it, it was a good decision on their part. I can see where they were coming from strategically.

Any thoughts on Mission Slimpossible and their brutish maneuvering?

That’s just their personality. They’re aggressive, they’re blunt, they’re straight to the point. One of the reasons me and my partner decided to switch our vote was that Mark said, “Josh, you’re a real competitor, and I’m going to get rid of you as soon as I can.” And this was when I was supposedly in his alliance. Some of the teams in that alliance were keen on making personal attacks, and I’m not into that. There’s no reason to make fun of somebody’s appearance when you’re all on an overweight show. There’s no reason to call names, to get violent. It’s childish. That’s not what I wanted to be a part of. That said, they’re hellish competitors. I always considered myself in really good shape for my size; those guys are just in really good shape.

Speaking of the hornball thing, was that accurately portrayed? Did you really skip from Jamie to Stephanie?
All I can say is: it was a situation I’ve never been put in before and I’m a natural flirt. When you’re working out a lot, there’s a lot of endorphins flowing – there’s a lot going on. I don’t think either instance went as far as puppy love, they were just crushes. They were both attractive women. They both have a lot going for them in life.

The Stephanie matter wasn’t mentioned in the last episode – the last we saw of that was your presenting her with a flower in the confessional. Did anything bloom from there?

She and I are really good friends. I think anything that happens on reality TV is not sustainable to begin with, but we talk. We talked about maybe having a fake engagement for publicity reasons (laughs). She’s an awesome girl, and it was conveyed after we left that she had nothing to do with the decision to get rid of us. It was Phillip grabbing the ball and running with it, which is Phillip. That’s what you expect dealing with Phillip. I don’t think we’ve seen Stephanie talk much at all.

How’s your relationship with your No Excuses partner, Melissa, these days?

I was just up in South Dakota about a week ago. We had lunch, it was good. I think we’re both moving on past the show. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I’d do it again in a heartbeat…but it wasn’t what we expected. I think her biggest problem, if anything, is that I said on national TV that she had a crush on me. But I told her that if you look at they way they edited, I ended up looking like a cocky assh***, and she doesn’t. She doesn’t have to worry about it.

Do you regret saying that?

I do. I don’t think it was appropriate to say on national television. I feel like I kind of threw my partner under the bus. Truth be told, in a period of 28 days, I said it twice and both times happened to make the air.

Giving the flowers to her was a nice save, though. We don’t see a lot of that kind of consideration on reality TV.
She’s one of my best friends. At the end of the day, I wasn’t going to hurt her feelings for something on reality TV. I meant what I told her: I came here with you and I’m leaving with you. I had hoped we’d have friendships with the other people after the show, but she was the only person that really mattered.

Do you have any other regrets?

I really don’t. I stand by the way I played the game, I know people said it was sneaky, but the fact is that I went there and I never said anything mean about anyone, I played strategically, I lost a bunch of weight in a short period of time. I wish I could have won, but other than that, no.