Anna Kournikova: new "Biggest Loser" trainer

[SuperMillionaire]

Since my original Biggest Loser thread failed to attract attention (possibly because I didn't put the main attention-getter up front), I figured I'd scrap that thread and make a new one. Hopefully, this one will grab your attention, now that I'm putting the main point front-and-center this time.

Anyway, yes, that's right: former Russian-American female pro tennis athlete (and Maxim magazine pin-up model) Anna Kournikova is one of two new trainers on The Biggest Loser for its 12th season (and yes, she's still with Enrique Iglesias). She previously appeared as a guest trainer on a tennis-themed challenge in season 10, and is one of two brand new trainers this season; the other is Dolvett Quince, a male trainer who has worked with Janet Jackson and Justin Bieber. Jillian Michaels did not return this season, nor did Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel from the previous season, leaving Bob Harper as the only returning trainer. Alison Sweeney also returns as the host. Anna trains the blue team, Dolvett trains the red team, and Bob trains the black team. (In previous seasons, he trained the blue team, but has switched to black this season, leaving the blue color to Anna.)

I didn't see all of the first episode last week, but from what I did see, Anna is certainly much tougher than she looks. She may not be as tough as Jillian (at least not yet), but she's still quite tough: She denied one contestant both water and a break ("No, we are working now! Push yourself... you can go faster! No water. We're not done!"), and when another contestant complained about his heel, she replied "I don't care." She has stated that she has been a fan of the show for quite some time, and is honored to have been casted as a full-time trainer this season.

She is the youngest trainer to join the show (she just turned 30 last July), and oddly enough, she got the oldest contestants this season. The 15 contestants' first challenge was to race to get the chance to pick their trainer. They were divided into groups of five, based on age: 30 and under, 31-49, and 50 and over. The 31-49 group came in first and chose Bob, and the 30- group chose Dolvett, leaving the 50+ group with Anna. She is also the tallest female trainer to join the show (she stands 5'8'', whereas Jillian, Cara, and Kim Lyons froms seasons 3 and 4 all stand between 5'2'' and 5'4'').

She has also stated that her experience comes from training as an athlete with numerous trainers before her, and was also certified as a trainer after she left professional tennis. She also credits her mother for her toughness, stating that she, her mother, disciplined her, Anna, hard when she was young.

If you're a tennis fan, and think that Anna Kournikova is hot, then what's your opinion about her being a new trainer on the show? I personally would have rather them bring back Kim Lyons from seasons 3 and 4, but I'll still give Anna a chance.

[Del Murder]

Is Anna even qualified for this? I guess it doesn't matter.

I've never watched an episode of Biggest Loser and probably never will, but this piece of information has made me more interested in the show than I ever have been (from a 0 out of 10 interest to maybe 1.5 out of 10). Anna is on my 'list', if ya know what I mean.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Is Anna even qualified for this? I guess it doesn't matter.

It's not like real personal trainers are all that qualified in the first place.
*sees trainers recommending millions of ab exercises*

Anyway, she's hot, so maybe I'll check out an episode for once.

[SuperMillionaire]

It airs every Tuesday night at 8PM (EST) on NBC. You can also watch full episodes online (after the episodes aires on TV first) at nbc.com (though I have to warn you that every time they go to a new segment of the show, they constantly show the same advertisements that you can't skip!)

Also, would you like to have Anna Kournikova as your fitness trainer?

[Peegee]

Depends. Does she know more than I do? the relationship would be professional so there wouldn't be any other metric to measure.


btw re the biggest loser - eating so few calories while doing so much exercises will cause the body to destroy itself and your chemical balance will be all out of whack. note the years when an old man or whatever had to do a reduced intensity diet and note all of the people who quit and came back later - they all lost more weight than contestants.

[SuperMillionaire]

Depends. Does she know more than I do? the relationship would be professional so there wouldn't be any other metric to measure.


btw re the biggest loser - eating so few calories while doing so much exercises will cause the body to destroy itself and your chemical balance will be all out of whack. note the years when an old man or whatever had to do a reduced intensity diet and note all of the people who quit and came back later - they all lost more weight than contestants.

Yes, that is true; the show is a controlled environment provided by a small army of trainers and other health experts, and the regimen involves about six hours a day of extreme exercises (intended for hardcore professional athletes) and hardcore dieting. For the most part, contestants from earlier seasons have gained the majority of their weight back; more recent contestants, however, have done a better job at keeping the weight off. Then there's also the weekly eliminations; if you don't lose a certain amount of weight (by percentage) relative to the other contestants, you could get sent home.

But enough about that, because I'm also curious about something else, though: Some people might feel a little "uneasy" if they had a female personal fitness trainer who was previously a pin-up girl, as is the case with Anna Kournikova on this season of The Biggest Loser (though none of her contestants have had those feelings; viewer comments on other forums however, suggest that they wouldn't approve of her). For that reason, I want to ask: if you had a female personal fitness trainer, how would you feel if she was previously also a pin-up girl?

[Del Murder]

I would probably be much more likely to show up for training, I can tell you that much.

[Miriel]

I bet you would.

I am a big Jillian Michaels fan, so Anna Kournikova can suck it.

[Old Manus]

I sure hope she can.

[Miriel]

I knew someone would go there.

[Del Murder]

I'm sure a lot of guys would go there.

[Peegee]

So is sucking it in or out?

[Shlup]

I bet you would.

I am a big Jillian Michaels fan, so Anna Kournikova can suck it.

I'm right there with you. I miss Jillian's monkey-ass just climbing on anything and anyone.

Watching Anna get stuck with the old people is kind of funny though. There is no smurfing way she knows what she's doing.

It's also kind of funny how Bob's just wiping the floor with both of the new trainers.

[NorthernChaosGod]

Watching Anna get stuck with the old people is kind of funny though. There is no smurfing way she knows what she's doing

Most personal trainers don't either.

[Pumpkin]

For that reason, I want to ask: if you had a female personal fitness trainer, how would you feel if she was previously also a pin-up girl?

I wouldn't care because I don't judge and would be going there to work out and improve myself.

my HONEST answer
I would be so insecure I would probably drop out and give up on the hopes of ever losing weight ever.