A couple of amusing morsels:
- More Russian than Maria Sharapova, who has no trace of an accent, Kournikova seems to get her phrase mixed up, referring to her regimented mother as a "drill surgeon" instead of "sergeant." (1:44)
- It's priceless to hear Anna exclaim during the medicine-ball bit, "Regis, do you have enough rage in you?" (3:20)
Philbin's love affair with tennis is well documented. He had Samantha Stosur on after her U.S. Open triumph, and Kournikova, coupled with Regis's righthand woman and fellow blonde bombshell Kelly Ripa, is for his program a perfect fit. (Pun purely intended.)
Like Serena Williams, Kournikova turned 30 this year. "I was never a big, strong girl, six feet, like Serena," says Kournikova. "You know, they're really super strong. ... That was kind of a problem, always." A chronic back injury and a stress fracture in her foot were among the ailments that contributed to her retirement from the WTA.
Still, she's obviously an incredibly healthy person, and Loser is slinking away from calorie counts and toward general fitness. It's a a stealthy show, now in its twelfth season. Loser saw a 20-percent dive in its premiere ratings this year from last season—a result of Jillian's departure?—while, as the LA Times notes, the saccharine-celeb-injected Dancing with the Stars itself suffered a 33-percent fall.
Some may find the easy quips about Anna K hosting a show by this title, but her results are nothing to scoff at: WTA doubles No. 1 in 1999, two Slam titles with Martina Hingis), 16 dubs titles overall, a No. 8 singles ranking, a 1997 Wimbledon semifinal showing, and more than $3.5 million in prize money. Though she never claimed a singles title, that's quite the litany of flukes for detractors to say that she was a shabby tennis player.
What do you make of Kournikova as a Biggest Loser trainer, and of her appearance with Regis and Kelly? Drop me a tweet.
—Jonathan Scott (@jonscott9)
