LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Welcome to another super-sized edition of The Biggest Loser! The previews for this week’s episode promise more shenanigans from Neil. They must take a loooong time because this is another 2 hour episode. Last week, everyone said goodbye to David and we saw him return home to buy a pair of Wranglers that will, hopefully, fit better by the finale. So far, 8 contestants have been eliminated, leaving us with ten players still in the game. The remaining contestants have now lost 861 pounds and I’ve lost patience with all the scheming this season. I only hope that the players who are manipulating the game, manipulate themselves out of the game.
After the elimination of David, Bryan finds himself all alone on the now-decimated Red Team. He vows to go on and knows it will be especially hard for Kim (and her ego) if he’s eliminated. Elsewhere, Neil tells us he knows he’s a marked man. He welcomes it. I welcome it too, because I hate it when people make Bob mad. Isabeau is surprised to have made it this far in the game and says her killer instinct has kicked in: now she wants to win it.
November Sweeps Gimmick or Sincere Effort? You Decide
The next morning, the players all meet Ali out on the lawn. They’ve all made it to week nine and this week, Ali says, they’ll all be giving something back. No, this isn’t the beginning of some power eating competition where they’ll be “giving back” some of the pounds they’ve lost: it’s Green Week. If you’ve watched NBC at all in the last few weeks, you already knew this. To get everyone in the spirit, Ali passes out dark green Biggest Loser t-shirts, complete with recycling logo on the back. Okay, before we go any further, I have to admit that I’m more than a bit cynical about this whole Green Week hoohah. I’ll try to keep it to a minimum, but really, sometimes I can’t help it. Like now. I can’t help but wonder what kind of dye those shirts were dyed with. Wouldn’t unbleached cotton be a better and more green choice? Anyway, on we go.
Alison extols the virtues of recycling, saying it’s a simple thing that can make a big difference. They will all be doing some recycling…starting with their teams. That’s right: the game has changed again. It’s time to say goodbye to trios and hello to duos. Since we only did the whole trio thing, what, a couple weeks ago, I wasn’t that attached anyway.
On a table next to Ali sits a giant meat pizza and a 32 ounce soda. It’s a meal that most of them probably once thought was a pretty reasonable meal. They all drool over the smell of the pizza. Several of them probably contemplate knocking Ali over and making a run for it with the pie. The challenge this week is to guess the number of calories in this “meal.” The player who comes closest to the actual calorie count will be able to choose their new teammate. That first new team will then choose the next duo. That duo will choose the next team and so on until everyone is paired up.
Ali passes out dry erase boards and pens. She reminds them that their future in the game is on the line – so, no pressure. The guesses range from Bill at 2145 calories to Hollie with 4079 calories. In the end, Nicole wins. She guesses 3240 calories and the actual calorie count was 3253. She’s good. Nicole is really happy to finally win something and get to pick her teammate. She says she needs a combination of someone she can get along with who is also a hard worker. She picks Neil, which throws me, because I thought he was more of a pariah than that. Neil says the pressure is now on him to keep Nicole safe since her weight loss numbers are never huge. Odd that Neil seems to actually care for someone other than himself. I’m sure that will pass.
Neil and Nicole decide on Ryan and Isabeau as the first team. Ryan is sure Neil and Nicole were trying to help him by putting him with Isabeau. Isabeau just wants to do what she can to protect Julie and Hollie. Ryan and Isabeau pair up Julie and Bill. At this point, Kae is starting to get nervous. She knows she’s viewed as a threat. Julie and Bill pick Hollie and Bryan as the next team, leaving Kae and Amy as the final team. Kae is clearly disappointed and finding it hard to be civil. After all, it was Amy who lobbied for Kae to be voted out the night before. She’s not exactly feeling warm and fuzzy now that she has to rely on her as a teammate.
…..And One More Thing
Before Ali sends our new little teams off to bond and back stab, she breaks another little piece of news. Since they’re going green this week, they won’t be using any electricity in the gym. Julie likes being inside on the treadmills and isn’t happy about running outside with the bugs. Jeez, it’s Southern California. Not like you’re in a Lousiana bayou.
After the teams head back to the gym, Kae goes for a run to clear her head and get focused. She’s wonders if Amy will work as hard as she can or if she’ll try to ride on the coat tails of Kae’s proven success at the weigh-ins. When Kae returns from her run, she spies Amy splayed out on the couch, sound asleep. I’d say she might have a little to worry about.
Down to One
Bob, Jillian and Kim all arrive at the dorms to find out what happened at the elimination ceremony. Jillian was expecting to see Hollie gone and is elated to see her still there. After they learn about the new teams, Bob says it’s so obvious that Kae is a target. She’ll just have to push even harder now that she’s been paired with Amy.
Kim is obviously disappointed to see that David is gone. Now she only has one person to train. Kim the Drama Queen and poor Bryan discuss the situation. This could not be worse for the two of them, Kim intones. If Bryan is eliminated before the finale, it will be the first time a whole team was eliminated before the final weigh in. Kim is willing to work hard but wants a promise from Bryan that he will take half the responsibility. His training has been great, but his diet has not. I half expect Kim to roll out a video of Bryan eating Little Debbie Snack Cakes and chugging YooHoo. Shockingly, overeating isn’t the problem. Kim pulls out Bryan’s food journal and goes over the numbers. It seems Bryan actually hasn’t been eating enough: he needs to be eating at least 300 or 400 calories more than he has been. Plus, he’s only eating three times a day when he should be eating four to six times a day. He can’t work out that much and only eat three times a day.
X-ing Out the Competition and Saving the Planet
When Bob and the Blue Team meet, Bob is clearly concerned about Kae. Nicole thinks she’s upset about her new teammate. She explains that Amy wanted Kae sent home the night before. Neil tells us that things have changed for Kae. Because Kae is the biggest threat in the house, Bob decides to make it more obvious for everyone. He takes electrical tape and makes a big “X” on her back. He wants to show everyone that Kae knows she’s a marked person.
Meanwhile, Jillian meets with her people in kitchen for the weekly nutrition talk. Jillian praises organic produce to the heavens and talks about the evils of pesticides. They all parrot the party line about being green and environmentally conscious….all while standing at a counter covered with produce in plastic bags.
Eco-Friendly Exercising
It’s time for the first real workout without electricity. Bob takes things outside for a WAY back-to-nature workout. He points to a huge mountain: they will be walking straight up the side of that mountain. FUN.
Kim and Bryan stay in the gym and he uses the treadmill without electricity. This is not easy. I’ve done it. It sucks. While Bryan toils away on the treadmill, Kim spouts off about how great being green is. I know a little frog who might disagree. Jillian has also opted to keep her people in the gym. They work out on balance balls and with weights. It doesn’t look any more fun than the treadmills. Like Kim, Jill loves green….like the green of the faces of her trainees right before they puke during a workout.
At this point, I didn’t notice if the lights in the gym were on. I know the camera lights had to have been on. I guess the whole no electricity thing didn’t really mean NO electricity….just less electricity.
Out on Mt. Everest – California Edition, Bob is continuing the death march. Holy crap, that’s a steep climb. Neil pants and sweats as he tells us he thought Bob would dial back the workouts without any electricity. No dice.
This week’s gratuitous product placement segment is here! This week, Bob pimps Jennie-O turkey. That stuff isn’t bad, actually. They make a great turkey ham. Alas, I digress. Since the electricity is off this week, the Blue Teamers decide to have a barbecue. They grill turkey burgers outside and eat them without any of the good accompanying barbecue foods. He could have at least thrown a little salad in there.
You get a Car! And You Get a Car! And YOU Get a Car!
The players all meet Alison out on the lawn for this week’s challenge. On the lawn are piles of empty food containers – pizza boxes, burger containers, chip bags, ice cream cartons, etc. These piles of waste represent the kinds of things they all used to eat in a year. Another unhealthy thing that they all consumed in excess is soda. Cue two giant trash trucks. Out of the back of the trucks pour mountains of aluminum cans: 148,000 cans, to be exact. As a nation, we go through 80 billion cans each year. This huge pile only weighs 2.6 tons and represents the garbage they’ve accumulated in their lifetimes. Neil admits that they could have gotten all of it from his apartment.
For this week’s challenge, they will be helping recycle a lifetime of cans…. in 30 minutes. Across the lawn are 5 steep ramps – one for each team. The teams will gather aluminum cans, run to the top of the ramp and dump the cans into a bin below. The team with the most cans will win the challenge. The winning team will be very happy, Ali promises. It’s a prize everyone wants. Out come two 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid SUVs. Bill admits that, upon seeing the cars, he could only think of Julie’s story about sacrificing to be a stay at home mom. Julie tells us that giving up one of their cars was the only way she and her husband could afford for her to stay home with the kids. She’s grateful, but finds it hard to be stuck at home most of the time without transportation.
The challenge begins and it’s another of those endurance challenges…for me. Honestly, it’s not all that thrilling to watch overweight people lumber back and forth across a lawn while carrying aluminum cans. Several people decide that carrying the cans in their shirts is the best method. This results in lots of views of uncovered bellies…running. Yeah, it’s not scenic. Through the magic of time-lapse video, we progress to the fifteen minute mark. The race appears to be between Kae and Amy and Bill and Julie. We time lapse again and reach the end of the 30 minutes.
Ali reveals that, as a group, they hauled 336 pounds of cans. She then announces the team totals. In last place are Isabeau and Ryan with 43.2 pounds. They’re followed by Neil and Nicole with 47.6 pounds and Hollie and Bryan with 75.4 pounds. The winning team, with over 95 pounds of cans, is Bill and Julie. Kae and Amy were nearly 20 pounds behind them with 75.8 pounds of cans. Julie tries hard not to cry, but fails as she climbs into her new car. Isabeau says she can’t imagine being happier if she’d won the car herself. Bill checks out his car and finds that he actually fits through the sun roof.
Facing Extinction
Neil and Julie talk about the upcoming weigh-in and elimination ceremony and worry about who will be eliminated. Neil is especially nervous because Nicole has had trouble beating the scale.
Kim and Bryan talk more about his diet. He still can’t get it into his head that he isn’t eating enough. Bryan explains that it’s hard to imagine that he should be eating when he feels full. It runs counter to everything he thought he knew about weight loss. Kim says she understands, but that he’s eating healthier foods now and needs to trust her expertise. She wants to help Bryan avoid a weight loss plateau that could put him at risk for elimination. Bryan wants to keep Kim there as well and admits he feels totally alone. Kim tells him she feels the same way.
Jillian arrives to meet with her people and find out who won the challenge. When she learns that Bill and Julie won, she immediately wants to know if they won immunity. They explain that they can’t tell her what they won: they have to show her. Everyone practically drags Jill outside as she complains that she doesn’t want to know about it if it doesn’t have something to do with the weigh-in. They promise that it’s a good prize, even if it isn’t immunity. When Jillian finally sees the two cars, she admits that, yes, it is a very good prize. They all go for a little ride before, I’m sure, getting punished in the gym.
At the last chance workout, the trainers abuse their teams, sans electricity. Bob puts his people on the treadmills while Kim runs Bryan through his paces. She has him circuit train, running through his routine 15 times without stopping. Kim says she knows Bryan is under a lot of pressure, but admits to beating him silly anyway. Jillian, as usual, abuses her team too. She grins while admitting to us that the last chance workout is always her favorite. I’ve always suspected that her enjoyment is directly proportional to the number of people who vomit as a result of her training sessions. Jill says she’s now putting them through workouts that she does and that kill her too. She’s getting creative too: she has Bill doing bench presses with her body. Considering she probably weighs about 120 pounds, this is probably not too strenuous for Bill.
Huge Numbers
We’ve got 50 minutes left and it’s already time for the weigh-in.... I hope. Hoo-BOY, that’s going to be one hell of an elimination! Alison welcomes everyone. They all started out as teams of six and now they only have one person to rely on. Ali asks them all to look around. She asks if they remember meeting for the first time and how they all looked. They hardly look like the same people. Bill has lost 83 pounds. Kae has lost 57 pounds: that’s more than a quarter of her body weight. Ali praises them: they all have a lot to be proud of. You’re only as good as your last weigh-in, so let’s get on with it.
Kae: 163 (5 lbs / 62 lbs total)
Amy: 245 (9 lbs / 52 lbs total)
Kae is elated: now she sees that Amy is taking this seriously.
Totals: pounds lost: 14 / total percentage of weight lost: 3.32
Hollie: 212 (6 lbs / 43 lbs total)
Bryan: 278 (11 lbs / 68 lbs total)
Totals: pounds lost: 17 / total percentage of weight lost: 3.35
Nicole: 229 (6 lbs / 50 lbs total)
Neil: 321 (18 lbs / 100 lbs total)
Totals: pounds lost: 24 / total percentage of weight lost: 4.18
Isabeau: 246 (9 lbs / 52 lbs total)
Ryan: 302 (6 lbs / 60 lbs total)
Totals: pounds lost: 15 / total percentage of weight lost: 2.66
Bill: 242 (9 lbs / 92 lbs total)
Julie: 180 (6 lbs / 38 lbs total)
Totals: pounds lost: 15 / total percentage of weight lost: 3.43
With that, Ryan and Isabeau are headed to elimination.
I Wouldn’t Be So Paranoid if Everyone Wasn’t Out to Get Me
The next morning, Kim arrives to learn that Bryan is safe this week. At the same time, Bob learns that Ryan is on the block. He’s definitely not happy that Ryan only lost 6 pounds this week. Neil seems surprised that Ryan is up for elimination: he thought Ryan and Isabeau would make a strong team. Bob vows to do whatever he needs to do to keep Ryan there because he’d miss him a lot if he went home.
Isabeau meets with the Black Teamers and tells them she doesn’t trust anyone. Julie tells us she just can’t identify with Isabeau because she hasn’t had her name written down time after time at elimination ceremonies. Isabeau cries, saying she understands who she can and can’t trust, but that no one in the room understands that she can’t trust anyone fully. Or something like that.
Stabbing Your Friends in the Back for Fun and Profit
We’ve finally arrived at he elimination room and my hands are starting to hurt from all this typing. After everyone is seated, Alison asks Isabeau and Ryan how they’re feeling. Isabeau tells Ali she finds it frustrating to be up for elimination, especially in a week when she had her highest weekly weigh loss since coming on the show. Ryan is thinking about his wife and daughter at home, but isn’t ready to go home yet: he still has work to do.
Amy speaks for both Kae and herself in saying that their vote is for a person they both respect and care about. This was a hard decision, but they voted for Ryan.
Bryan says that he wasn’t partial to either person since he wasn’t on one of the original teams with either of them. Because Hollie was on the Black Team with Isabeau, they vote for Ryan.
Nicole cries as Neil explains that this was the toughest decision either of them have had to make. They had to vote for someone, even though they didn’t feel either of them deserve to go home. He then rambles on about wanting this person to go home in an honorable way: Ryan gets his third vote and is eliminated. I don’t know where the honorable part comes in there, but whatever you have to tell yourself, dude.
Ryan says the show has been a fantastic experience: he’s met wonderful people, is a better person for having been there and is grateful that Bob came into his life. Amen to that. Ryan knew this might be his last day and he’s okay with that. Now he gets to go home and play with his daughter and see his wife. Ryan says he’s worked harder here than he ever has before and vows to keep going.
Twenty four hours later, Ryan arrives home to his wife and 4-month old daughter. He says he felt lost without them. Also there to welcome Ryan is a whole host of people, including his parents, who are both understandably proud of their son. Ryan thanks everyone for coming and then talks about how the changes he’s made are not just about food and exercise, but about changing his mindset. While he’s proud of his accomplishments, the best thing he ever did was ask his wife to marry him. At this point, I actually let out a little “awwww” before the cynic in me could stifle it. Ryan then vows to make a lot of people jealous at the season finale.
When we catch up with Ryan today, we see that he’s lost a lot more weight: 49 pounds to be exact. Ryan now weighs 265 pounds, putting his total weight loss at 109 pounds. He says having control of his life feels great. He now looks like the slightly pudgy love child of Scott Foley (aka Noel Crane for you Felicity devotees) and that gardener from Desperate Housewives. Cutie Pie Ryan says it feels great not to get winded going up stairs and to wear clothes he actually likes, but the greatest reward is being a good example to his family.
Next week: Neil betrayed Ryan by voting him off. Now even Bob thinks he’s playing a game, but Neil isn't the only one who can’t be trusted.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Critical;2656501; 
