What a wonderful surprise this afternoon! I was doing a weekly check on the web site stats and saw that Willo’s Web has surpassed the One Millionth hit milestone!! If I could insert bells and whistles here – with massive amounts of confetti, streamers and balloons – I would!

It’s been a challenging few years to reach this milestone, and I thought I’d take a few minutes to chronicle some significant posts that show the development of Willo’s Web since it’s inception – the moments in time that made the site what it is today.

October 10, 2005 – Please Login or Register to see the link.My first blog was published on this date over on the Blogger platform {I’ve transferred all the old posts to this site}. I had left my Director of Marketing position 53 days before and was growing increasingly bored at home and tired of hearing “you’re over qualified for the position” “we decided to hire internally”. It was time for a creative project … and the blog was born.

January 7, 2006 – Please Login or Register to see the link. – Once again I chose to begin a new weight loss program. This time around I was dropping weight by eating oatmeal breakfast bars, Lean Cuisine for lunch and a healthy dinner with no carbs. It seemed to work while it lasted!

January 24, 2006 – Please Login or Register to see the link.! I made the decision to audition for the Biggest Loser. I thought – what the heck – I’m not working. Why not audition for the only Reality Show that would have me? Hubby and I had always talked about wanting to be on shows like the Amazing Race and The Mole – so why not just go for it? Little did I know it would blossom into a full fledged obsession!

January 28, 2006 – Please Login or Register to see the link.The Actual Casting Call – I met some pretty amazing people during tha tlong wait in line for casting. It was a very exciting day .. but somewhat of a let down at the same time. The actual face time with the casting people lasted all of 5 minutes – and it just seemed that wasn’t enough time to make myself sparkle. Looking back I know I had at least caught the eye of the CD – as she did write notes on my application. But there was no call back for me – time to make a video and send it in!

March 12, 2006 – Please Login or Register to see the link. and Please Login or Register to see the link. – When the casting process was nearing the end I knew I hadn’t made the Season 3. I decided to post my casting experience .. and let my opinion be known regarding some events that took place during this time. As it turns out this marks the first visit by 3Ball and NBC executives to the blog as well … and they didn’t have a ver positive reaction to what I had to say. These two blogs mark a very significant change … one that affected the next year of posting here at Willo’s Web.

This first post was written after much drama took place on the NBC Biggest Loser forum. There were people jumping on board with all sorts of false accusations and claims regarding the casting process .. and the result was complete Chaos. It was at that time I decided to learn as much of the casting process as I could .. in order to help future hopefuls from falling intot he same traps being set by “Trolls”. The process was difficult enough emotional without the false Highs and Lows being spread. It was later found that the casting directors themselves were feeding the false information to some of their hopefuls … something that is unforgivable in my books.

April 6, 2006 – Willo’s Web makes a move from Blogger to Word Press. Best move I could have EVER made!

April 28, 2006 - Jim is rushed to the hospital and begins his battle with post-transplant lymphoma. It was at this time I started blogging about my experiences at the hospital, and utilizing the blog to keep my family members up to date on Jim’s progress. The next few months focused on Jim’s health and other nonsensical distractions that I had in my life during this time. The entire story unfolds in the Please Login or Register to see the link. … life as we knew it unravels over 13 pages of posts .. and ends on June 26, 2006. I’m not going to dive into that world again .. it was a very dark time for me and often times still is. I’ve been battling the grief ever since.

June 24, 2007 – Please Login or Register to see the link. and Please Login or Register to see the link.- By this time, 3Ball Productions had announced their next round of casting for Season 4 of the Biggest Loser. It was right around this time frame I discovered that people were coming to Willo’s Web structly to find out information on the casting process. They wanted help in figuring out the steps in the process .. and looking for others who were also going through the process. I found by comparing notes, and having others to talk to about casting, was key in getting through the process and made the decision to help out others as much as I could. I think too .. by focusing on helping others during this crucial time in my life .. took me away from some of the personal pain. It helped me escape … if only for a few moments … everything that was going on at the hospital. Please Login or Register to see the link. brought along additional questions as well.

August 16, 2006 – Please Login or Register to see the link. and Please Login or Register to see the link.. Looking back I’m not 100% sure I remember why the spoiler was such a big secret. Actually … I can’t even remember what the spoiler might have been? Perhaps the fact that Jillian was not a trainer in Season 3. Either way .. this request from NBC indicates their continuing concern with Willo’s Web .. and actually ends up driving more traffic to the web site. From this point forward .. similar requests from NBC continued to drive traffic towards Willo’s Web instead of away from it, readership grew daily and membership at Willo’s Web reached all time highs.

September 2006 – we see continuing rumors on Season 3 of the Biggest Loser, the show actually premiering, nd additional visits to the web site by NBC and 3 Ball producers.

October 4, 2006 – The Rumor Mill is born! One of the most notorious chat rooms in the “Biggest Loser” family. In this room we’ve discussed casting strategies and all the latest rumors and gossip surrounding the show. There have been many interesting theories discussed in here – that have later been found to be TRUE! We’ve developed a close knit circle of regular chatters – or Millers as we like to call ourselves – and we’re always open to new members joining in the discussion.

October 19, 2006 – Please Login or Register to see the link.. When the latest Biggest Loser book was released – of course I was one of the first to buy it! When I discovered the photos inside showed Aaron and Adriane return tot he ranch – BEFORE they actually did so on the show – was a HUGE mistake on the part of NBC. They thought that I was giving away spoiler information .. when thier own company gave away the biggest spoiler of them all! Then again on Please Login or Register to see the link. when the newest DVD came out showing a much skinnier Pam and Kae on the cover.

December 2006 – I head to LA for the Please Login or Register to see the link.. What was one of the best trips of my life .. was a little bittersweet. While I enjoyed my time out in California – the experience was tainted a bit when I was told by two individuals that I was not wanted at the after party. One of them even went out of her way to mention to a casting director I had met at the pre-dinner I was the “notorious Willo” on several occasions. This hurt me much more than I’d care to admit .. and at the time I was completly embarrassed and bewildered by the comments. After speaking with several of the Season 3 Contestants this summer … I found out that none of them had a concern and they were disappointed I didn’t introduce myself to them at the finale. I guess you live and learn! I did have an opportunity to meet Bob Harper – and we ran into JD Roth after the finale out of chance. The trip was well worth it and I encourage anyone who has an opportunity to attend the finale this year – to go!

January – March 2007 – a rough time for the Season 4 Casting hopefuls. There were many MANY nights spent in the Rumor Mill speculating on what was going on with casting, learning who was where in the process, and trying to guess what the next steps would be. There was a bit of unnecessary drama too where some Millers pretended to be people they weren’t, while others just down right lied to find out the information they wanted. True Millers stuck around for the long haul .. and it was esay to tell those who were there just to dig up information on the casting process and leave. I threatened to shut down the Rumor Mill on more than one occasion – and even participated in my own drama a few times. The one instance that stands out in my mind the most was what I call now the “Please Login or Register to see the link..”

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I learned the truth of what really happened in that situation. It seems that one of girls lied when she told me who had given her the link to my audition video. Her lie caused me to speak to both the casting people at 3 Ball Productions, and to those at Richocette{Producers of the show Fat March} … and it is very possible that one lie is responsible for several people being cut from consideration for both shows.

March 2007 – the finalists are selected for Season 4 of the Biggest Loser. Discussions are made in the Rumor Mill about starting up a web site dedicated to our personal weight loss journeys – a “spin off” from Willo’s Web. The Reality of Weighting and The Chubby Network are both born.

I post my Please Login or Register to see the link. and am asked by Allison Kaz to remove the post. I remove her portions of the conversation – but leave the post pretty much as is.

April 2007 – I’m able to announce that I was a winner in the Please Login or Register to see the link., and I begin my weight loss journey with Jenny Craig. It wasn’t an easy move, but I decide to leave the Please Login or Register to see the link. support group due to the antics of Katie. Those antics continued on the NBC Biggest Loser forum – which eventually led to my leaving the forum on my own for several weeks.

It was during this time .. and that of my banishment over the summer – that I lost faith in people in general. I found out that no one can be trusted … that people will say anything whether or not it’s the truth … to get what they want. I was astounded at the behavior of some individuals … shocked that people could be so EVIL. I was especially shocked at the behavior of one person in particular – with the false accusations that both I and Chubbyi from the Chubby Network had participated in criminal activities. To see what levels a person can stoop to … to discredit others in order to make themselves look better … was just unbelievable.

To this day I’m still uncertain of the motives behind the personal attacks. I’ve done my best to try and come to terms with what was said … but I don’t think I’ll ever understand nor will I ever be able to forgive. As much as I would like to forget these events … they have shaped the current Willo’s Web format … my own belief in people .. too much to dismiss so easily.

May 2007 – September 2007 – I decided to write a special series over the summer called “Where Are They Now” – featuring past contestants of the Biggest Loser. The series would focus on a set of 10 questions – asked to the past contestants – to see what each of their unique experiences on the show were really like. We found out that many of the contestants were indeed dehydrated during their final weigh-ins .. which led to my looking into this technique further.

The Biggest Loser franchise decided to do their own reunion special, and 3 ball Productions asked NBC to ban me from the Biggest Loser forum. This banishment holds through today … and is supposed to end October 2008. It was at that point I decided to stop holding back on the information I had regarding the show … all gloves were off!!

October 2007 finds me continuing to find myself after the loss of my husband. Each day continues the healing of my heart, and shows me that there is a whole big world out there waiting for me to conquer. I’ve made the decision to remove myself from the world of the Biggest Loser … and I’m not even sure I’ll continue to watch the show. All I know is that part of my life is over.

I am still surprised by some of the activities taking place at the Reality of Weighting. While the site has achieved the success hoped for in those early discussions of what the site might be … I am surprised to see that the site will be asking it’s members to pay a subscription fee in the near future. One thing you can count on at Willo’s Web – regardless of how big the membership grows – you will NEVER be charged a fee to come here. You have free reign of the message forum, and of the chat room. All I ask is that you treat your fellow members with respect and encouragement.

I’m happy to say that I’m succeeding in my weight loss journey – while it’s a slow and steady progress – I am consistently losing 1-3 pounds a week and I couldn’t be happier. The interview coming up next week will be yet another adventure in life .. and another step towards finding myself. In the next few months I hope to make some decisions .. like what I want to actually do when I go back to work. By cleaning away the clutter – emotionally and physically – I hope to reach some of those decisions very soon! The roller coaster I’ve been on the last 18 months is finally starting to fall more under my control .. and that makes me VERY happy.

To see Readership reach ONE MILLION this week is so very humbling. When I started out writing I never once thought ANYONE else would read the site. It was an exercise for myself to keep my mind active. Now .. as I look back … I realize that this web site has been a life saver for me. If I were not able to vent out the emotions of the past 18 months .. I’m not sure where I’d be right now. So I must thank all of you once again for being here for me when I need you. Thanks for letting me be an emotional wreck .. and not judging me. You have no idea how much it means to me!

Here’s to reaching 2,000,000 readers by the end of 2008!!