With the arrival of boas for every slot, twinking became less of an effort to perform. You simply had to get boas in all slots and you were already basically set.
I loved the idea behind having to do EVERYTHING yourself on a trial. The farm is the hardest part, which bums out a lot of people, but it was my favourite part. Plus, its really fun when you are finally BiS.
Also, when I originally started my trial, it was back when Aerie Peak was at its golden days; the community was outstanding, immense, and our premades were /afk frightening.