Jackie Warner

Warner was always destined to set herself apart from the pack. Born in Fairborn, OH in the heart of the conservative Midwest, Warner's family was Southern Baptist, but later converted to Mormonism. By the age of 14, Warner knew that she was gay. Ostracized by here parents' beliefs, she rejected organized religion entirely only a year later. Wanting to flee the oppressive environment, Warner moved to liberal Los Angeles at the age of 18. Although, she had always been an athlete, Warner did not begin her fitness career immediately upon arriving; instead undertaking various jobs in the entertainment industry, including working as a script coordinator, model and actor. It was not long before she even achieved the improbable Hollywood dream - eventually writing and selling her own scripts.By the age of 22, her talent as an entrepreneur was evident when she founded and co-owned her own cellular company, which later became the third top grossing cellular company in Southern California. After succeeding in business and entertainment, Warner gravitated toward her true calling as a personal trainer, earning certification from the International Sports Science Association and the National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association. In 2004, she meshed her business savvy with her passion for fitness, opening the posh health club, Sky Sport and Spa in Beverly Hills. Two years later, having earned a reputation as a top L.A. trainer, Bravo came courting with an offer she could not refuse."Work Out" depicted the boyishly attractive Warner's personal life as tempestuous - or highly dysfunctional - depending on your perspective. The viewing audience was granted an inside look as Warner repeatedly engaged in a losing cycle of fighting then making up with Mimi, her infantile South American girlfriend. Mimi Saraiva, 11 years Warner's junior, had a penchant for pouting obsessively. When that did not do the trick, she would resort to biting her girlfriend. Viewers lapped up the drama, watching as Saraiva dealt with unresolved frustration from living in Warner's gigantic shadow. Warner wasn't the only one to suffer the wrath of Saraiva. When Warner's religious mother came to visit her daughter, she made no effort to conceal her disapproval of her daughter's sexual orientation. While Warner chose to ignore the tension with her mother, it was the volatile Saraiva who hounded her girlfriend's mother into an argument over gay marriage for the duration of a dinner party.On the popular reality show, Warner had an easier time establishing dominance over her fitness kingdom, which included a preternaturally attractive staff of trainers, all vying for their own time in front of the camera and all vacillating between sucking up to Warner and chaffing at her authority. Just in case they forgot who was in charge, Warner barked orders, subjecting them to grueling boot camp workouts on the beach and testing (and criticizing) their fitness levels. A highlight for fans was when Warner required her staff to don swimsuits, submerge themselves in a water tank to measure their fat levels, before adding insult to injury by announcing the results on the show.Not surprisingly, the voyeuristic show was a hit. What was surprising to many, was the fact that some of Warner's biggest fans were the unlikeliest of people from the unlikeliest of places - such as Midwestern homemakers. Maybe it was her Ohio upbringing that they latched onto, but, much to the relief of Bravo executives, the demographic least likely to relate to an uber-fit, wealthy, Hollywood Hills-dwelling lesbian, found her entertaining enough to tune in en masse.