The Biggest Loser's Joelle just confuses me

For five weeks now we've watched Joelle (left) at The Biggest Loser ranch. She makes odd expressions, stands in silence a lot when asked a direct question, and when she does respond it seems like she's just trying to use ten-dollar words and catchphrases. But she just strings them together haphazardly, creating nonsense. She never really answers anything. I've seen a lot of different kinds of people in real life and on reality shows on television, and I just can't wrap my brain around this woman.

Clearly she has motivation problems, as evidenced by her continuing lack of effort (except for one week) on the show. Poor teammate Carla was reduced to screaming at her during what was supposed to be a beneficial reward for the both of them. Even Bob completely lost his cool and yelled at her; the first time he's ever lost it with a contestant. I suspect that Joelle's defense mechanism when she's attacked is to shut down, not unlike what a deer does when yon headlights shine into its eyes. It makes her come across very oddly on my television screen.

I don't think Joelle is stupid, or even mean-spirited. I just think she may be wired differently than the rest of us. What's fascinating to me is that she and Carla developed a friendship in the first place, as they seem to be very different people. And yet Joelle "pushed" the week she needed to in order to ensure Carla would be able to return to the ranch. After that, however, she fell back to her old ways and managed to put up a big goose egg on the scales sending herself and poor Carla home.

It seems to me that for the past two weeks, two of the people who needed to be on the show the most have bit the dust due to partners who just didn't seem to care. David as much as came out and said he didn't want to be there, helping seal Daniel's fate last week. And then this week Joelle doomed Carla by failing to answer the question of whether or not she wanted to be there and being so ... Joelle for five weeks. Meanwhile, Ron and Mike pleaded out two weeks in a row to hang in there, but the boys have their work cut out for them.

The saddest thing, though, was learning that the show has destroyed the friendship Joelle and Carla did have. Again, I'm not sure what kind of friendship that was; did they go clubbing together or just happen to sit near one another at work and share pleasantries. Still, it was difficult to see the old wounds bubble up to the surface when they did meet up for the cameras for the first time since their elimination. Carla wanted to say her piece (of course she did!) but Joelle would have none of it and left. It was very cold, but emotionally cold seems to be a specialty for Joelle. I don't know, I just don't get her.