by Gina Scarpa and David McAlpine

 

Last week, on The Biggest Loser, Jessica fell below the yellow line and, up against Elizabeth for elimination, was voted out unanimously by her fellow competitors. With the ranch being ruled by Brendan, Frado, and Patrick, their decision to save Elizabeth and keep her around was pretty much set in stone. Today, we caught up with Jessica in an exclusive interview to get her opinions on what went down at the ranch and how she's keeping the weight off at home.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the wakeup call that made you realize you should try out for The Biggest Loser?
A. Jessica: I had lost quite a bit of weight before I actually ried out for the show but I was still stuck at 282. I was trying for three years to get under that number and no matter what I did, I was not losing the weight. Looking back, I know it was because I wasn't eating well. I would work out and work out and then give myself a green light to eat whatever I wanted. I was like, "Why is the scale not moving?" It's common sense now. I was getting really frustrated. I had had surgery and I was still fat. Watching The Biggest Loser, I thought maybe they had a golden ticket or something I didn't know. I saw there was an open call back in season 8. I made it and they said they loved me but not that season. I tried out again and again and finally, in season 10, I made it.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the most surprising part about actually being on the show as opposed to watching it on tv?
A. Jessica: Watching it on tv, you see the workouts and you think it's hard but that you can do it. Everybody can't go to the gym but they should! What I learned about myself is that I'm much more capable than I thought I was and can push way further than I thought I could. That's what you see on the show. You see us breaking barriers and breaking these ceilings that we've set for ourselves. It was every day, overcoming those things. That's what I encourage people to do at the gym. They say, "I can't run 5 miles." And I say, "Okay get on the treadmill and just do it. It doesn't matter how long it takes." That's a huge mental thing to get over.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was the general feeling when you all saw that Ada had no family video? Who's idea was it to give her her own video?
A. Jessica: Completely honest, not on camera, we didn't know what happened. Nobody was telling us why she wasn't with us. That reaction that you saw was 100% real. We didn't wanna watch our videos if Ada wasn't there. We refused to watch our tapes until someone told us where she was. Finally, someone told us she didn't get one and we were heartbroken. It was not staged. She had become family to us. We wanted to make a video for her. I can't remember specifically whose idea it was. We wanted to show her how much we love her and support her and encourage her. It was really upsetting to a lot of us.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: It's been clear for weeks now to the viewers that Frado, Brendan and Patrick have been running the game - was it that obvious to you at the time?
A. Jessica: I would say yes and no. The thing with them is that we were all very tight and then it became every man for themselves. I don't fault everyone for their gameplay. I think everyone went in with the best intentions. Towards the end, it became kind of skewed as to why we were there. When you're thinking about winning the game, you kind of forget reality. Do I hold grudges? No. Was I disappointed? Absolutely. I consider these guys my friends. It is what it is.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Were you worried when you saw it was Elizabeth you were going up against in the elimination room?
A. Jessica: Yeah! I pretty much knew at that point. If it was anybody else, I would think that I had a chance and maybe they'd save me. When I saw it was Elizabeth, I had booked a ticket home in my mind. I love the girl, she's great, but as a competitor, it was frustrating to watch over and over again. There were people working hard who had a bad week and going home against her. I wish her all the best though.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What are you doing to keep the weight off?
A. Jessica: For me, it's all about keeping it very fresh and new. I get bored really easy. I need to mix it up! Every morning, I go to spin class. I do bikram yoga, I'm training for a 200 mile relay in southern California with other Biggest Loser alumni. Running has become a big passion of mine. I'm just trying to change it up with all kinds of stuff to make sure my body doesn't get used too much and just mentally.

 

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What do you think now when you look at pictures of you when you first arrived at The Biggest Loser ranch?
A. Jessica: Oh man! I actually just looked at a couple pictures that I had sent in when I tried out this season. It is surreal! You think back like, "Wow, we've been at this 5 months and I don't even know that person anymore!" Physically, it's just insane to see the difference. I think that even bigger than that is that I look at that girl and not even know her anymore, mentally and emotionally. Everything has completely changed in 5 months and that's the cool part! I look at that and say, "Wow, I'm never going to be that again." I know a lot of past contestants have said that but if you could feel what I feel, you would know. That's the biggest gift I take away from the show.

 

The Biggest Loser airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa and David at twitter.com/davidmcalpine

 

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