Bravo, home of Queer Eye, Blow Out and Project Runway, serves up another cerebral, meaty reality series with Work Out, which follows the professional and personal dramas of gym owner, Jackie Warner, her core staff of personal trainers, and her girlfriend, Mimi, a delightful woman with a penchant for biting.
On the east coast, Work Out inexplicably premiered at 11:00 pm, a time when fitness-oriented viewers who follow the edict to get a good night's rest are, ya know....sleeping. No matter. Work Out doesn't offer exercise tips or inspiration to put down the chips and slap on some cross-trainers. It's a reality show with Hollywood-sized egos, glamorous dyke drama, and really nice abs.
Jackie Warner looks a little like Pink, that is, if Pink were gay, and ripped, and tan. “I'm just a small town girl from mid-America who came to L.A. to seek my fortune,” she tells us. It's apparent she still holds those small town values as the opening montage shows her stepping off a private plane, whipping off her designer sunglasses, Miami Vice-style, and straddling a motorcycle.
“I had a vision of a gym high in the sky, different from anything anyone had seen before." Jackie's vision is Sky Sport & Spa, a temple of body and fitness worship that occupies the penthouse floor of a nondescript office building in Beverly Hills. The gym's glass-enclosed training floor affords a 360° view of L.A.'s smoggy horizons, but the real view is inside, where each of her “A-list clients” works out with their very own beautiful trainer. At $400 per hour, we're not going to be seeing any secretaries jazzercising in here.
The opening features a Missy Elliot-sounding tune, “… work hard, play hard, training cel-eb-ri-ties…With drive and passion, Jackie keeps you motivated...Top of her gaaame, your lifestyle'll chaa-yange… ”
Jackie explains, “You need a personal trainer to workout here. I've brought on some of the hottest trainers in L.A. to join my existing team.”
We're first introduced to Erika, the veteran on the team. Erika, who looks an awful lot like Angelina Jolie, is “completely single.” “If I can't meet Mr. Right, then I don't want to deal with the Mr. Right Nows,” she says. About work, Erika states, “I like to instill upon my clients that they're not just coming here for a better body, they're coming here for a lifestyle change.” I guess the song is right.
Next is Doug, who's cute, in an all-American gay guy kind of way. He claims, “If you're 40-years old, and you want that 20-year old body, I'm your trainer.” Doug, if I want that 20-year old's body, I don't need a trainer, I just need her phone number.
We learn about Rebecca's workout philosophy. "Have a lot of fun and work really hard.” Yes, I think Socrates had that same philosophy. “I'm a flirtatious person, I flirt with everyone.” She shakes a client by the shoulders, "Ooh, I made your boobies jiggle," she laughs.
Andre is a trainer with a “military background” that he never fully explains. Maybe he's in special ops fitness and can't talk about it? Like many trainers, Andre talks about training people “to 110%.” He says he has a preference for smart women. Maybe he'll meet someone during the season that will explain the concept of percentages to him.
Zen is a perky trainer with a big smile who says cheerfully, “I think my thing is that I'm a motivator.” She says, “I'm also a comic, so I've got some good energy.” Comics have energy? Guess she's never heard of Steven Wright.
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