I'm with you. I supposed it always makes for good television to have a villian, but they shouldn't ever become the winner. Does she realize what she looks like when she talks trash? In my books, I also like good to triumph over evil.

I totally agree! I like niceness too. I've read books before where I thought the hero was a total jerk and was still a total jerk by the end--never changed. Same with heroines. Like you said, how can you cheer them on when you don't really like them?

While I know that in real life the bad guys often win the day, I'm sorry to see The Biggest Loser - which has always touted itself as positive and inspirational - devolve into just another reality show. As far as I'm concerned, Vicky personifies every negative, destructive aspect of human nature. She is petty, greedy and vindictive, and her continued presence on the show makes it painful to watch. We all know the producers have some input into how things shake out in the end. I don't care how much weight she loses - if Vicky's despicable behavior is rewarded by winning, I'll never watch the show again. I've heard quite a few other folks say the same thing. I hope the sponsors are listening.

Vicky is horrible and I agree with Selah, if she wins, I'm done. I've watched this show from the beginning, and usually I feel so inspired. This year, I feel anxious and frustrated. She really gets under my skin and there is nothing inspiring about her at all.

Vicky is so horrible. I've watched The Biggest Loser from the second season, but I'm not sure that I can watch again if Vicky wins. Vicky makes my skin crawl. My only hope is that Vicky is under the yellow line and America votes her off. I really hope Michelle wins this year. She is the only contestant left that has stayed nice through the entire process.

I completely agree with everything you just said. Normally, I love The Biggest Loser, but Vicky (along with Heba, and to some extent Ed)is just so hateful that it makes me sad to watch. I find myself fast forwarding to the weigh-ins just because I can't stand her. I love Michelle and Renee. They are both such kind people. I really hope Michelle wins it all.

If I disliked the protagonist in a book, I probably wouldn't read far unless the writer was very skilled or the character was interesting or funny.

If I disliked the protagonist in a book, I probably wouldn't read far unless the writer was very skilled or the character was interesting or funny.

I'm so glad I'm not alone. I want to cheer them all on in their efforts to lose weight but this season seemed to be more about the drama Vicky caused than about the goal of losing weight and getting healthy. Was anyone else just floored when Heba and her husband all but handed the football challenge over to Vicky? Tuesday night was the final straw - all of a sudden she's afraid of heights? It was a pity play - because she's a player plain and simple - and all I thought was that she was a (b)witch for stealing Michelle's thunder by acting like a whiny baby. My vote is for Michelle - she has come far in her relationship with her mother, her own self esteem and her weight loss goals, she is the only one who really deserves it.

I don't watch any of the reality shows (my own reality is all I can handle) so I can't comment on that. But as far as reading, it depends on just how bad (and how skillful the writer) makes the character. I can't finish a book if the protaganist exasperates me to no purpose. If it seems like the author is making the character unlikeable in some fashion because a personality change is coming (even in a sequel), I'll struggle on. I know some writers actually plot to redeem questionable characters at some point, but sometimes it's not worth the effort.

Thanks for your blog, Barb! I was disappointed with only one of "The Cat Who..." books by Carol Lillian Braun. Thank goodness it was one of the last ones I read (& she wrote)!

That's the same way I felt about Omarosa and Piers Morgan on Celebrity Apprentice. And when Piers won, I was livid. I don't watch Biggest Loser but this woman sounds like she has serious emotional problems in addition to the weight issues. She's a toxic person, and toxic people need to be avoided. I don't like toxic characters in books either. I read mostly romance and in suspense, a villain is necessary. But the hero and heroine should be good at heart. They can act like jerks until love changes them. Life's just too short to spend it around such negativity. I was just emailing wiht a friend this morning about her mother, who is manipulative, mean and makes life miserable for her. So sad.

The problem with reality contest shows is that sometimes the jerk wins (I think Richard from Survivor was the first). Jerks are into playing the game, instead of making friends. But they're good to watch if you're a writer, because you get to see, realistically, just how far you can take your more unsavory characters. As far as protagonists that I didn't like, I can think of a few. I'm not fond of Kay Scarpetta, but she has some redeeming qualities, so I let her slide. I read Catcher in the Rye when I was 16 and didn't understand or like Holden at all, but I found the story intriguing in a lingering-bad-dream kind of way. I don't even remember the name of the hero in the DaVinci Code, I felt so detached from him. And then, there's George Babbitt - yuck. I guess if the plot's good, I'll go along for the ride.

Me, I chuck it. Literally - I think I threw Les Miserables across the room when I read it in high school. Cosette was a milktoast, and Marius needed to be slapped! It would have been a much better ending if the two best characters (Valjean and Javert) had just shaken hands and gone for coffee in the end. *LOL*

Yeah, I couldn't stand that reporter in "Heartsick". I so wanted her to die. Everytime I recommended the book, I had to make apologies for her. I actually thought more highly of the serial killer than her!

Like all of you, I read so much and have so much to read, that I have found a great freedom in being able to throw an offending book across the room without finishing it and never to think about it again.

I actually don't watch the biggest loser but this is the second blog I've read about Evil Vicky. Yet it doesn't intrigue me to watch it, just the opposite. I find it sad that a show that should be inspirational is going down the drain. As far as books go I've pushed my way through many a narcissistic, whiny, heroine (doing it now) but I can't think of a single book where I found the hero someone I can't stand. Wonder what this says about me? ;)

Your post has reminded me of a quote from one of my favorite books-- Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead." Asks the smug Edward Toohey, whose unbridaled hatred of the accomplished Howard Roark has led him to destroy his career: "Mr. Roark, we're alone here. Why don't you tell me what you think of me? In any words you wish. No one will hear us." Replies Roark: "But I don't think of you." I admire you, Barbara, for having so much free time to actively dislike someone.

I know "The Gargoyle" is supposed to be one of the must-read galleys from BEA 2008, but I just hated the main character. He was a completely unsympathetic person, and I couldn't even feel compassionate about him being a burn victim. I always finish a book, but this one I just had to give away!

This is the first year I've seen this show, and I watch it very sporadically. I tend to be skeptical of reality shows because I wonder how much is arranged behind the scenes. I attributed the 'villain' behavior to that kind of thing -- a way to generate ratings by having one person be so obviously icky. It sounds like others think this is real behavior, though, which leads me to wonder why someone would act that way -- especially since the public votes on the winner, don't they? (I don't know the mechanics of who wins or loses, so I may be wrong on that).

Since reality stars put themselves out there for public display, they leave themselves open to be liked or disliked. Howard, I would have to say, in Barbara's defense, that no matter what tv show or movie we watch or what book we read, it takes no more energy to dislike someone then to like them. Thinking is just something we humans seem to do.

Here's my theory....Vicky and the Meisterburger Burgermeister (from Santa Claus is coming to Town) are either the same person or separated at birth. Trust me on this one!

Here's my theory....Vicky and the Meisterburger Burgermeister (from Santa Claus is coming to Town) are either the same person or separated at birth. Trust me on this one!

As I said at Romance Divas, Vicky is a cancer that needs to be chemo'd into oblivion.

I haven't watched the Biggest Loser since the second season, but I know what you mean about the Vicky personality. When her time is up don't be surprised if she says it was all in the editing of the footage and she really is a nice person. I watch Grey's Anatomy and Meredith Grey is so whiny and clueless I have to turn away sometimes.

I LOVE Biggest Loser, HATE Vicky. She's a troll, yes, but the way she's being portrayed goes against expectation. We want the winner to be a hero, someone relatable, inspirational. She's...someone to avoid.

Vicky grates on my nerves too! And one of the reasons I think is that unlike Survivor or the Amazing Race where scheming and being devious really is part of the game, The Biggest Loser is known for its positivity and bettering yourself. The past contestants have never been close to being as conniving, b**tchy and vicious as this woman. It will be truly sad if she wins it cause then it will open up one ugly can of worms with future contestants. I'm so rooting for Michelle to win. As for what I do if I don't like the hero or heroine of a book. Funny enough, that recently happened. This author, whom I usually quite enjoy, put out a book where I didn't like either hero nor heroine. I really tried too. Did the 'put myself in their situation' and came back with a 'yep, I don't 'get' either of them. Thankfully though as I know the writer has written books I've enjoyed in the past I've picked up her next one and will chalk it up to her having an 'off' book. Let's hope I'm right. If it's two in a row then it's pretty next to impossible for me to buy the author again, especially in these tough economic times. I'd rather save my money on what I call my 'tried and true' list: authors that rarely disappoint me. Now if it's a new author to me, first impressions really do count. If the author can't make me root for the characters from whichever book I pick up of theirs, I usually don't finish it as it almost seems like work trying to struggle through the pages. Esp when it comes to the romance genre. Heck if I don't feel like cheering for the hero or heroine or both, what's the point of me reading it? The only time I may pick up a second book is if my friends are singing the author's praises. But if the 2nd book doesn't pull me in then I move on.

Vicky grates on my nerves too! And one of the reasons I think is that unlike Survivor or the Amazing Race where scheming and being devious really is part of the game, The Biggest Loser is known for its positivity and bettering yourself. The past contestants have never been close to being as conniving, b**tchy and vicious as this woman. It will be truly sad if she wins it cause then it will open up one ugly can of worms with future contestants. I'm so rooting for Michelle to win. As for what I do if I don't like the hero or heroine of a book. Funny enough, that recently happened. This author, whom I usually quite enjoy, put out a book where I didn't like either hero nor heroine. I really tried too. Did the 'put myself in their situation' and came back with a 'yep, I don't 'get' either of them. Thankfully though as I know the writer has written books I've enjoyed in the past I've picked up her next one and will chalk it up to her having an 'off' book. Let's hope I'm right. If it's two in a row then it's pretty next to impossible for me to buy the author again, especially in these tough economic times. I'd rather save my money on what I call my 'tried and true' list: authors that rarely disappoint me. Now if it's a new author to me, first impressions really do count. If the author can't make me root for the characters from whichever book I pick up of theirs, I usually don't finish it as it almost seems like work trying to struggle through the pages. Esp when it comes to the romance genre. Heck if I don't feel like cheering for the hero or heroine or both, what's the point of me reading it? The only time I may pick up a second book is if my friends are singing the author's praises. But if the 2nd book doesn't pull me in then I move on.

Oh! I'm with you! I hate Vicky and think that Michelle is just an adorable cutie pie, and I was soooooooooo happy when she pulled such a great number this week. Vicky is just so nasty! And she sucks Heba into it too! I don't think Heba is a generally nasty person but she sure falls in with Vicky. Congratulations to you with your 119 pound weight loss. That's amazing! You're truly inspirational! I've got 117 pounds of my own to lose so I have taken up running. As far as characters go, I'm with you. I want the characters to be someone I can connect with. I even want the villains to be easy to connect to, but I never want them to win.

She is EVIL. A bad loser and just a bully. Amy should've kicked her @$ off that week. You KNOW she would've done it to her! If Vicki wins tonight I WILL BE PISSED!!! She's just a bad example!!!!