The Snapple Lady Shapes Up

When Wendy the Snapple Lady (aka Wendy Kaufman) began e-mailing Ask Ausiello imploring him to keep sipping Snapple, we at TVGuide.com developed a soft spot for this spunky spokeswoman. The 46-year-old Long Islander has also been the sole voice of sanity on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club (whose finale airs Sunday at 10 pm/ET). Here, Wendy gives us the skinny on her fellow Fit Club members and her fabulous life as a TV sub-lebrity.

TVGuide.com: It was great seeing you answer fan letters again on VH1's I Love the '90s. How'd that happen?
Wendy the Snapple Lady: It was so awesome. Honestly, I had been so out of the loop with Snapple. I had lost an entire generation of young kids who had no idea where Snapple came from and how it was put on the map. All of my kids who grew up with me are now working at VH1. Then, they came back to me and asked me about Celebrity Fit Club. I was tickled pink, although I was scared to death.

TVG: You recently got married. Was your husband dieting along with you?
Wendy: No, he was not. I was ready to kill him the moment that we were in a diner and I ordered egg whites and dry rye toast and he got a hot fudge sundae.

TVG: Are you happy with your portrayal on Fit Club?
Wendy: I'm not one of the people on the set that was difficult to work with. They are trying so hard to make a show. I understand that if we didn't have strong characters, that it wouldn't be as enticing to watch. But it sort of felt good that Ralphie [May], Kim [Coles] and I became the heart of the show.

TVG: Was it harder to get along with some of the other celebs?
Wendy: [Divorce Court's] Judge Mablean, she was certainly hard-headed, but it got to a point for me that I couldn't listen to it anymore because it was like a battering ram. It was like the Energizer Bunny was morphed into her head and it just didn't stop. When we had to get rid of someone, we were really in a quagmire because Ralphie was more inclined to go with Kim. But I had said to Ralphie that I'd rather lose than have to listen to Judge Mablean for one more minute.

TVG: Was Daniel Baldwin really that wacko?
Wendy: He's a handsome guy. He certainly has an interesting family, and the truth is that, underneath it all, he's just a wounded child. I never disliked him in any way, because he reminded me of so many guys I grew up with.

TVG: How about Mia Tyler?
Wendy: She's like my wild child that I never had. I have a complete affection for her. Even though they portray her the way that they do, she's really not like that. You've seen glimmers of her crying and her sensitivity.

TVG: How are you doing with your diet since the show finished filming?
Wendy: I didn't gain anything back, and I haven't lost anything more. But I'm back on track. [Fit Club trainer] Harvey sent me an e-mail in capital letters saying, "You better damn well stay in the firefight."

TVG: Is there anything physical you do now that you couldn't do before?
Wendy: Yes! As an exercise detester, it was so much fun to go on a trampoline. It was fun to do Billy Blanks [Tae Bo] and try to do a routine like that. It is something I would never have done. Your endurance does pick up so quickly. I can now be on an elliptical machine for over an hour.

TVG: Do you have a favorite Snapple flavor?
Wendy: When I was a regular person, and not a Diet Snapple drinker, I loved the peach tea and pink lemonade. Now I've substituted the diet peach tea, and we just came out with a brand-new flavor, it's a diet lemonade-iced tea combo and it is delicious.

TVG: Do you only drink Snapple?
Wendy: Absolutely. I do drink a lot of water; I was really happy when they did the Snap2O. I felt like a traitor drinking Poland Spring. My soda weakness is ginger ale, but Cadbury [Snapple's parent company] also owns Schweppes and Canada Dry. Tears came to my eyes when I realized my favorite soda was in the portfolio.

TVG: What's the best fan letter you've ever received?
Wendy: My favorite was from a guy who invited me to be his prom date. I was 33. When I went to my prom, I had to beg my friend to take me. I had to resort to what every girl who demands to go to the prom has to do — I contacted his mother. So when I finally got my invitation at age 33, I went to the prom.

TVG: Do you get any weird fan letters?
Wendy: I've totally gotten strange letters, some I can't say, I think from people who were incarcerated who just wanted to write.

TVG: Does it ever bother you that people only know you as "The Snapple Lady"?
Wendy: No! I've been getting so many e-mails from people who remember me from the old commercials. They found me again, and the only reason that they watch [Fit Club] is because of me. That's the gift. When I started this job, it was such a great thing to be an anonymous Snapple person who would do nice things for other people. But when I look back over the years, the fans have always been there for me. They have given me more than I could ever have done for them.

TVG: Anything we should look forward to on Sunday's finale?
Wendy: I know it's been a little controversial up until now with the personalities, but it gets worse. It is unbelievable how the show ends.