WEEK 9

All about the food this week!  Nutrition is an integral part of the weight loss equation and it’s never been as prominently featured on the show as the exercise segments.  We fans are a curious bunch,  judging by the live Twitter Q&A with BL nutritionist Cheryl Forberg, RD.  Tell us, Biggest Loser:  What do the contestants eat, how much and when?

• High:  TIE!  Blue Team wins the Pop Challenge, gets pampered at the Four Seasons while Black Team cleans the kitchen and the gym.   Yick.  Then Top Chef, Biggest Loser-style!  Curtis Stone judges the contestants as they prepare an appetizer, entree and dessert with only six ingredients.  5 lbs advantage at the weigh in for winning Black Team.
• Low:  Old vs. young as Sherry and Drea end up below the yellow line.
• Who goes home:  Sherry

WEEK 10

Alison makes a surprise announcement immediately after Sherry’s elimination.  The contestants are going home for the entire week!   An emotional tug-of-war:  joy at reuniting with family, concern about getting off track without the trainers.   Each contestant receives a stationary bike, cupcakes and a DVD.  This week’s challenge is to ride 26.2 miles to win $10,000.   Basic enough…cycle fast, win the race, cash the check!  Except that each player can eat a cupcake to add a 5 minute penalty to another contestant’s time.   Sam finishes first, but also has the most cupcakes against him.  He bumps down to near last place.  Stephanie, Drea, Sunshine and Daris all have cupcake penalties too.  Koli ends up with the prize!

• High:  Despite the stress of being at home and out of the routine, everyone loses weight!  Sam peels off an impressive 14 lbs.
• Low:  Blue Team’s still a little cocky.  The bravado is working against them.
• Who goes home:  Lance gets the boot!  And you know what – or should I say, who – that means….

WEEK 11

Goodbye teams, hello individuals!  And a howdy to all the previously eliminated contestants (except Migdalia whose husband is serving overseas)!  They return to compete against each other for a chance to rejoin the game.   Everyone weighs in but the remaining players at the ranch will choose the one who returns.   The remaining players choose Victoria.   Alison announces a step Challenge and another surprise twist – the first player to hit 1,000 steps will also return to the ranch.   You can guess how this turns out!  Clues:  Red, wife, Texas.

• High:  Victoria!  Finally, the girl gets a chance to spend some time on campus with immunity for her first week.
• Low:  TIE!  Melissa’s back.   And she gets immunity too!  Curses.  The lovebirds, Sam and Stephanie, end up below the yellow line.  Cupid’s pissed.
• Who goes home:  Stephanie, who is the victim of some surprisingly tart game play from Koli.  That’s not going to go over well with Sam when he finds out!

WEEK 12

An interesting immunity challenge – first player to lose 2% of their body weight for the week gets a pass at the weekly weigh-in.  Once the player thinks he or she has lost the 2%, that player can push a special siren button.   Melissa spends quite a bit of time telling us that she’s focused on game play.  Funny, I must have missed that.   She thinks she’ll push the button first, but it’s Victoria who hits it…prematurely.  She loses 3 lbs, but it’s not the 6 lbs she needed for the 2%.   Sam is next to buzz and he easily surpasses 2%, losing 10 lbs.  He’s relieved that he won’t end up below the yellow line again this week.   Sunshine scores a week at the Biggest Loser ranch during a pool challenge.  Melissa ends up the loser, with a 1 lbs disadvantage after the rest of the players refuse to help her finish.  Karma, baby.  Karma!

• High:  The players take a silent jab at Melissa, ensuring she finishes last in the vacation challenge.
• Low:  After falling below the yellow line with Drea, Melissa actually argues that she’s the easiest person in the house to beat, so it’s in the rest of the players best interest to keep her on campus.
• Who Goes Home:  Melissa – by a unanimous vote.  Nothing too subtle about that roundhouse.  Oh yeah, baby!

WEEK 13

The money episode!  Or as I like to call it (based on the challenges), “The Price is Right” episode.  Suze Orman returns with Season 8 winner Danny Cahill to discuss the financial burdens of being overweight.  She explains that she picked Danny to win last year, based on his FICO score and how he deals with money.  This year’s pick:  Sunshine.  Side note:  She actually picked Koli first…until she found out he was lax about counting his calories.  A big no-no for Suze!  The Pop Challenge requires each player to hold a tray of quarters on a tray.  Person with the most money for the longest time wins.  Each quarter = $10.00  Michael cleans up with 100 quarters – $1,000 for 45 minutes.   The big challenge involves 140 keys at the top of a soon-to-be-muddy hill.  Two keys will start two brand new cars at the bottom of the hill!  Drea scoops up one, O’Neal the other.

• High:  O’Neal gives the car to Sunshine!  Love that man.
• Low:  Suze’s predictions based on the players FICO score.  By her rationale, none of the contestants would even be on the ranch, because they would be THAT diligent about maintaining a healthy weight.
• Who goes home:  Drea.  She gets to drive herself to spin class in style!

WEEK 14

Food temptation:  86 the kitchen!  Alison tells the group that the kitchen is closed for the day.   The players have to select all their meals from a room filled with a wide array of healthy and unhealthy eats.  The person who eats the most calories will cast the sole vote at elimination.   Most do not eat, reasoning that one day of game play isn’t worth it.  O’Neal eats three bunless burgers, Victoria eats one chicken wing, Ashley splurges on what she thinks is a high calorie taquito (turns out to be less than 150 calories) and Koli goes all out, stuffing himself with over 4000 calories.  Koli easily scoops up the win.  The weekly challenge involves building a structure with 175 building blocks.   Contestants can arrange them in any way – the goal is to reach a banner above each player.  A 1 lbs. advantage at the weigh in is at stake.  Daris masters the blocks and grabs his flag.  O’Neal takes a tumble and ends up not finishing, earning a 1 lbs. disadvantage by default.

• High:  Game play is futile!  Seriously think the players are too afraid of Jillian and Bob’s wrath to even bother eating the excess calories.
• Low:  TIE!  Poor O’Neal.  Not only does he injure himself during the challenge, but he finds out later than his older brother has passed away from cancer.  And Koli…he’s becoming a little less convival and a lot more opportunistic.   The new attitude doesn’t do him any favors.  His comments at elimination seemed unnecessarily harsh.
• Who goes home:  Victoria.  Another short stint at the ranch comes to an end.  But we get to see mom Cherita – both are looking great!

WEEK 15

Don’t mess with Texas!  The players head to Texas, where they recruit both people and cattle.   Yes, that’s right…cattle!  They visit radio stations to announce a community Biggest Loser 5K – inspiring hundreds of people to come out and get fit.   The physical changes in each player become more obvious each week; this week, the emotional changes are visible too.  As they run, the players share their weight struggles and what they’ve learned on the ranch.   Each participant finishes the race, and as a bonus, we get to see a few progress updates.   The immunity challenge involves corralling calves into pens labeled with the players’ names.  Whoever herds the most calves into his or her pen wins immunity.  Koli and Sam team up to direct the most calves to Koli’s pen.  Michael, Daris and Ashley form their own partnership in an effort to keep themselves on the ranch.   Sunshine and O’Neal spend most of the week at home, attending O’Neal’s brother’s funeral.   The stress is ultimately too much – both find themselves below the yellow line.

• High:  So good to see Season 8’s Abby Rike!  She and Jillian hit the road, visiting a local high school to discuss health and fitness.
• Low:  O’Neal throwing himself under the bus for Sunshine.  At this point, he needs it more.
• Who goes home:  O’Neal.  Again, tell me why Kleenex isn’t a show sponsor?  Bawling again at elimination.

WEEK 16

Makeover time – the unofficial third prize for the Biggest Loser contestants!  Alison doles out $1000 to each player for an L.A. shopping spree, followed by a hair appointment with celebrity stylist Jonathan Antin.   After completing the makeovers and watching videos of themselves only five months before, the six pose before the mirrors and receive surprise visits from family.   Ashanti delivers one more surprise – a private concert for the entire group.  This week’s challenge involves staying on a Jacob’s Ladder suspended above water.  First person to fall off gets a one pound penalty at the weigh in; last one hanging gets a one pound advantage.  Ashley is the first to splash earning the penalty.  After a hard fought 3-way battle between Koli, Sam and Daris, Koli emerges victorious!  Michael and Sam fall below the yellow line and there’s a tie vote at elimination!

• High:  Ashley loses 10 lbs and sets the women’s record for the most weight lost on campus…in spite of her last place Challenge disadvantage!
• Low:  Daris is battling his demons.  Bob has to give him a pep talk about not giving up, whether in the Challenge, the Last Chance Workout…or at home.
• Who goes home:  Sam, since he had the lowest percentage weight lost.

WEEK 17

Time to determine the Final Four.  Michael knows that once again, sheer luck pulled him through the last week’s elimination.  Koli and Sunshine worry about not being able to get the third vote for Michael, viewing him as a bigger threat than Sam.  No sense fretting about faulty strategy this week though.  Alison announces it’s the last week on campus and elimination will be automatic based on weight loss percentage.   Season 7 winner Helen Phillips and Season 3 winner Erik Chopin visit to share advice on keeping the weight off permanently.  They’ve each had very different results.  Helen’s kept off her entire 140 lbs, while Erik regained most of the weight before losing another 70 lbs.   The week’s Challenge is a fan-favorite repeat – the players run over 16 hills with weighted vests that represent the weight they’ve lost over the season.   At each hill, the contestants drop the same amount of weight they lost that particular week.  The winner chooses the prize:  $10,000 OR a 1 lbs advantage at the weigh-in.  Daris finishes first and trades the cash for the weight advantage.   The Last Chance Workout is brutal.   The contestants take the beatdown, fighting for one of the Final Four slots.

• High:  Triple TIE!  Daris gets his groove back after a shaky week, picking up not only the Challenge prize, but a bonus prize for highest % lost – an at-home visit from chef Curtis Stone.  Amazing to see Helen embracing her new life with strength and determination – we don’t see enough of her on the Biggest Loser circuit and I hope that changes.  Michael sets the record for the most weight lost on campus – 204 lbs!
• Low:  Michael has a complete meltdown at the gym, a la The Incredible Hulk.  Good television, but made me wonder how he’ll do at home.
• Who goes home:  Sunshine

WEEK 18

Ashley, Daris, Koli and Michael head home for 30 days.   They each repeat the public weigh-in, revealing their transformations.  Family and friends are overjoyed by their success!   The at-home struggles emerge quickly though.  Alison contacts each player to announce that when they return to the ranch for their final weigh-in, they’ll also have to run a marathon.   Curtis Stone visits Daris at home to prepare a special feast for Daris, Mama Cheryl and the rest of the family.  Everyone has a great time, but Daris is starting to get nervous again.  The result:  he loses grip on his eating and ends up over training, earning a knee injury in the process.  Jillian checks in on him and Ashley too to lend some last minute trainer support.  Ashley struggles with her social life, concerned she can’t focus on weight loss at home.  She and Michael are dreading the 26.2 miles, so they decide to run it together.  Michael worries the scale’s ticking up.  Bob has a breakthrough moment with Mike’s sister when he visits Michael and mother Maria.  But when Bob tries to visit Koli at home, he discovers that Koli is in Las Vegas training in mixed-martial arts.  Bob is pretty mad, stating that Koli will have to deal with his real home life at some point…or he won’t be able to maintain his weight loss.  The contestants return to the ranch and go all out for the marathon, inspired along the way by past contestants.  Ashley and Michael secure their spots at the finale, losing 18 and 23 lbs respectively at home.  Koli loses 13 lbs and Daris gains 2 lbs.  Koli and Daris plead their case to America for the third spot.

• High:  Daris wins the marathon, finishing in 4 hours 2 minutes.  He shatters Tara Costa’s previous record of 4 hours 55 minutes.
• Low:  Koli’s moved from confident to cocky – and it doesn’t suit him.
• Who gets the 3rd finale spot:  ????  Guessing America chooses Daris over Koli.
• What to expect at the finale:  Progress weigh-ins from Season 8 Shay Sorrells and Season 3 Winner Erik Chopin.  At-home prize guess – Stephanie or Sunshine.  $250K winner – Team Daris all the way!

Good luck to Ashley, Daris, Michael and Koli, and the entire cast of Season 9!  The Biggest Loser finale airs May 25, 8:00 pm EST.

Since I’ve been out for a few weeks dealing with a medical issue (no worries, everyone’s on the mend), I’m not quite caught up with my Biggest Loser recaps!  Gail, Paula and Season 2’s Pete Thomas aptly fill the void.

Quick thoughts:

• Delighted to see individual competition.  It’s the whole reason each person is there…for him or herself.
• If you want a trainer, stick with Bob and Jillian.  The Olympians aren’t mean enough!
• Biathlon challenge was my favorite so far this season.  Reminded me of paintball, dodgeball, all the fun games.  Plus, some insight on how the players think strategically.
• What a bizarre elimination cliffhanger!
• Completely bewildered by Melissa.  Was she intimidated by the game?  Or is it a team approach to win both the at-home prize and grand prize?

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

She’s done quite well at home.  Not at all surprised to see her boxing!  But I think Jillian’s initial assessment at the ranch was correct.  Something doesn’t add up here.

NEXT WEEK

Who folded under the faux Olympic torch:  Cheryl or Darrell?   Teams reform…into Blue vs. Black!

AFTER THE ELIMINATION

Michael is the first to return to the house after the players send Maria home.  The rest of the players roll in and waste little time in reminding Michael how lucky he is to be there, since he wasted a good portion of the previous week.

POP CHALLENGE

The next day, Alison meets the group and announces the next Pop Challenge.  Immunity is up for grabs, along with three decisions that will affect the entire game.  The players have to run the Presidential Mile, grab a key card from the 100 on the board, and run back to Alison to try the key in the machine.  If it’s a green check, the team gets one point.  If it’s a red x, they have to try again.  First team to get three checks wins.

Stephanie’s working hard to win the challenge, lapping players in her quest to to get the three checks.  But the first player to get a green check is Melissa.  Orange and Pink Teams are nipping at the Red Team’s heels.   The momentum sticks and Red Team is the first to get the three green checks.   In addition to immunity, Melissa and Lance have three envelopes with penalties to distribute to the players of their choice.   They must decide:  game play or try and curry favor?

They opt for game play for two of the three decisions.   John receives the “no gym for a week” envelope.   Works in his favor as his knee injury keeps him in the pool for most of the time.   Red Team gives “no vote at elimination” to Michael, since the players were pretty harsh with him after the previous week’s elimination.   The 2 lbs penalty at the weigh in goes to Green Team.   Miggy and Migdalia are pissed.

CONFRONTATION WITH RED TEAM

Heads are about to explode!  The trainers are not happy when they learn about the results of the day’s Pop Challenge.  Bob notes how crazy it’s been in the house.   Jillian knows Miggy’s at the breaking point.   Time to confront Red Team, and again the trainers opt for the “tag team” approach.

Bob takes Melissa and Lance aside.  He doesn’t make any headway with them.  Melissa is upset that Bob called her a liar on national television.   Lance says he lost a lot of respect for Bob during the last weigh ins.  They insist Melissa is telling the truth.   Bob hesitates, then decides to let Jillian call the Red Team’s bluff.

Jillian asks Lance to come clean about the game play.   Lance refuses and says he’s not going to work with Jillian.  “Okay,” she says.  “Such is life.”    She trots over to tell Bob what happened – in front of everyone.   The teams split off, one of each pair goes to box with Jillian.  First up, Melissa.  She looks Jillian straight in the face and repeats that she’s not involved in game play.   Ridiculous!  Jillian’s only been doing this for 18 years and 8 seasons on the show.   No fooling the one who knows the science.   Jilllian looks straight at the camera and says, “She’s lying!”

Later, Melissa asks Lance to continue to work with Jillian.  He agrees.  She smiles, noting that she gets what she wants.  I hope it’s a good kick in the rear.

CHALLENGE

Hardhats on deck!  Each team has to hoist themselves one hundred feet in the air to the top of a crane.  And the prize is good – phone calls home for the winning team and the three other teams the winners choose.   Koli and Sam are channeling some kind of super human strength.  We hear a few catty remarks about steroids.   Jealous, Red Team?  It’s a photo finish, but the boys hold off Melissa and Lance for the win.  Koli and Sam’s hearts match their size.  They share the phone calls from home with Melissa and Lance (second place), Migdalia and Miggy (family birthday) and John (because he’s without family on campus).

TRAINER TIP

Jillian has a lo-cal treat to curb your sweet tooth.  Microwave an apple in a small bowl of water for 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!

REWARD PHONE CALLS HOME

Gray Team is delighted to talk with family!  It’s the first time that Sam’s Dad has ever said how proud he is of his son.  Koli’s mom tells him she loves him and his aunt promises that she’ll never make fun of either guy for eating organic.

John’s wife tells him that their son is talking!  She puts baby Nicholas on to say hi to Dad.

Lance and Melissa are both excited and sad to speak with their kids.  They really miss them!

Both members of the Green feel like they want to go home.  Miggy speaks to her fiance who’s lost 20 lbs!  Migdalia’s daughter says, “Where are you Mommy?”  Her husband tells her to hang in there.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

It’s plug time!  Fill the Brita and head over to Subway.   Bob coaches the players on how to fill up with lean protein and healthy carbs.   Good thing they replenished their energy reserves.    Last Chance Workout moves out of the gym into the great outdoors!

Bob has hill duty.  The teams hike up the mountain, alternating walking with running intervals.   That hill is steep!  It’s John’s first official Last Chance Workout and he’s glad to be with the group.   Daris is running like a machine!  Just when the players reach the top and think they’re done for the day, Jillian’s waiting for them.  With kettlebells.  Wheelbarrows.  And rocks!   Jillian’s gleeful as she pounds the calories out of the players.  She taunts Koli and Sam as they try to push themselves up the hill in the wheelbarrow.   “It can’t be done,” she says.   The Gray Team proves her wrong.

WEIGH IN

Ali reviews the Red Team’s escapades for the week:  John couldn’t go to the gym, Michael can’t vote at elmination and the Green Team has a 2 lbs disadvantage.  Melissa and Lance stand by their decisions as Green Team fumes over the game play strategy.   With immunity, Red Team kicks off the weigh in.  Jillian is absolutely sure that “peer pressure” will cure Melissa’s amazing struggle to lose weight on campus.   And what have we learned thus far?  Don’t.  Doubt.  Miss Jill!

• Melissa – 11 lbs
• Lance – 6 lbs
• Michael – 15  lbs
• Andrea – 5 lbs
• Darrell – 10
• Cheryl – 6 lbs
• Daris – 6 lbs
• Ashley – 7 lbs
• Sherry – 4 lbs
• John – 10 lbs
• Sam – 14 lbs
• Koli – 12 lbs
• Stephanie – 6 lbs
• Migdalia – 5 lbs
• Miggy – 1 lbs
  

The high points:  Michael, Sam, Koli and John lose double digits; Cheryl and Daris hit milestones, dropping below 200 and 300 respectively.

The low point:  Melissa’s smirking response to Green’s less than impressive weight loss.   She actually says out loud, “Ali, just so we’re clear, 2 lbs wouldn’t have made a difference here.”

Migdalia starts to cry and Miggy instantly admonishes her, telling her to stop.  Jillian points out the inherent sadness in this command.  The Green Team is constantly swallowing their emotions, refusing to show stress to anyone.

The pre-elimination conference rapidly goes downhill.  Migdalia flat out says she’ll make it easy for the group.  Someone has to go home.  Pick her.  Melissa, not content to let it play out without drama, cautions the group to remember that the majority of attitude has come from Miggy.

ELIMINATION

The group is clearly conflicted.   I can’t remember another elimination like this one.  The two up for elimination are ARGUING and talking trash before the voting is complete.   Last season, Rebecca and Rudy went at it but that was after she had been eliminated.    The players refuse to honor Green’s request to go lockstep for Migdalia, with Red, Gray and Brown voting for Miggy.   Ultimately, the majority of votes go to Migdalia.

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

Startling to hear Migdalia say she’s opened up and learned to deal with her emotions during the final interview at the ranch!  After a brief period of uncertainty at home, Migdalia gets back on track.

NEXT WEEK

They’re baaaaaaack!  After battling it out at home for 30 days, who will get to return to the ranch – the Blue or Yellow team?

Now imagine how my world was turned upside down this week as I was forced to watch the show on the DVR.  By myself.  On a Friday!  Avoiding Twitter for three days so I wouldn’t see any spoilers.  Never again.

What I learned during my solo viewing:  Emotions get in the way.  Where to start with Migdalia?  Whether it was dealing with the student/teacher pairings or responding to Jillian’s attempt to “knock the chip off her shoulder,” she’s clearly unwilling or unable to express her feelings.  It’s easier for her to squelch them with self-sabotaging behavior.  Feel sorry for her, but also extremely frustrated with her attitude.  Why did she come on the show if she doesn’t want to do ALL of the work – physical and emotional?

Fantastic round ups from Paula and Ali this week.  Quick thoughts:

• Jillian and Bob are in the “good cop/bad cop” groove.  I like the joint training approach.
• Worried that Jillian’s going to push one of these contestants so hard emotionally they will lash out at her physically.  Not a character or personality flaw in the contestants, just the reality of releasing that anger/energy on the nearest thing they can.  Jill’s right up in their faces and they are big in comparison.  Sheer physics.
• Michael’s lucky his mother cares more about him than he does, or he would have gone home.  Unattractive slacker attitude.  Good for Gray Team for calling him on the mat.
• Melissa.  You’re not fooling anyone, least of all Bob and Jillian.  And Lance either knows the score, or he doesn’t know his wife at all.

After the White Team loses the weigh in, Maria makes an impassioned plea for the group to send her home.  Most of them honor the request, except for John and Stephanie who vote for Michael.  What a joy to see Maria at home, changing the way she cooks for her family and getting into that swimming pool!

Random thoughts on Week 2:

• It’s a sobering experience when Dr. Huizenga gives the contestants the results of their medical testing.  Quite a wakeup call to see decades tacked onto your chronological age.
• Why is anyone with a fear of water applying to be on the show?  You’re going to be in the drink within the first three weeks.  Poor Maria.
• Red is the new Purple.  Tracey passes the crazy game play hat to Melissa.
• Highs and lows – Patti sets the weight loss record for women during week 1, ends up going home.
• Week 2 curse – now officially a myth?

Understandable for Patti to sacrifice her time on the ranch for Stephanie, but I was sad to see her go.  She’s doing well at home though, aided by her strong family support system.  Daily workouts with her daughter, dancing with her husband and family running sessions have helped her lose 43 lbs. Patti’s also made huge progress in her battle against diabetes.  Looking good Momma!

Why I cried:  the season 9 premiere gives us not one, not two but the three heaviest players in Biggest Loser history.  The 11 couples are also the sickest bunch to date.   At this rate, we’re bound to see a 600 lbs player on Season 10.

MEET THE TEAMS

Bob and Jillian phone each team at home to tell them they’ve made the cut for Season 9!  Team colors are selected for each pair, then the trainers throw the first curve.   The teams have to do the first weigh in before their family and friends, in public!  I am personally horrified.  It takes a lot of courage to strip down in front of EVERYONE you know.  I don’t even like getting on the scale in front of myself!

More info on Red, Pink, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Brown, Black, Gray and White Teams.

Starting weights:

• Cheryl (Mother), 247 lbs
• Daris (Son), 346 lbs
• Patti (Mother), 243 lbs
  
• Stephanie (Daughter), 264 lbs
• John (Identical Twin), 484 lbs
  
• James (Identical Twin), 485 lbs
• Sherry (Mother), 218 lbs
  
• Ashley (Daughter), 374 lbs
• Darrell (Father), 419 lbs
• Andrea “Drea” (Daughter), 238 lbs
• Cherita (Mother), 277 lbs
  
• Victoria (Daughter), 358 lbs
• Miggy (Mother), 240 lbs
  
• Migdalia (Daughter), 265 lbs
• Melissa (Wife), 233 lbs
  
• Lance (Husband), 365 lbs
• Koli (Cousin), 403 lbs
  
• Sam (Cousin), 372 lbs
• O’Neal (Father), 389 lbs
• Sunshine (Daughter), 275 lbs
• Maria (Mother – White Team), 281 lbs
  
• Michael (Son – White Team), 526 lbs

Speculation that the one of the “Half-Ton” twins was the heaviest player – completely shattered by 40 lbs!  Mamma Mia Michael!  The son of Chicago’s Italian-American duo takes the top honor.

CHALLENGE

The players arrive at the ranch to meet Alison.  (”Smoking hot!” according to Lance.  Who said it in front of his wife!  Oh Lance.  But he’s right, Alison looked fantastic!)  Hugs all around, then Alison brings the contestants up to the gym.  All the equipment is gone!  We know it’s the first of many season surprises.   Alison reveals 22 stationary bikes and announces the first challenge – 26.2 miles on the bike.  Immunity’s at stake, with another twist…the bottom two teams must leave the ranch immediately.   Without even meeting the trainers?!

No product placement yet, another surprise and probably a Biggest Loser first.   The teams hop on the bikes and the feet start flying.  Green Team mother Miggy gets out in front and never lets up.   She is fiercely determined to stay on the ranch.  The Gray Team cousins are a close second.  Neither Koli or Sam can believe how quickly Miggy is cycling.  Everyone’s covered in sweat as Miggy and Migdalia are first to 13 miles.  They rocket all the way to the finish, guaranteeing themselves immunity.   Gray Team finishes second.

The other teams roll through the finish, one by one.   Blue Team mom Cherita suffers extreme stomach pain forcing Dr. H to take her off the bike.  This leaves daughter Victoria biking alone against the other two remaining teams, Yellow and Purple.  The mother/daughter team of Patti and Stephanie squeak out ahead, assuring the Purple Team will stay on the ranch another week.

Blue and Yellow are going home.  Cherita and Victoria knew it would be an uphill battle with mom’s injury, but O’Neal and daughter Sunshine are devasted!   Good thing the limos stuck around.  The two teams load up and prepare to go home, but surprise!  Ninja Jillian and Bob leap out of the bushes.   The teams go home for 30 days.  Yellow gets Bob, Blue gets Jillian – the team losing the highest percentage returns to the ranch.

TRAINER TIP

Bob and Jillian show how easy it is to exercise as a team.  They demonstrate various strength exercises, including plank/leg lifts and toe-to-toe situps with a weighted ball.

FIRST WORKOUT WITH TRAINERS – FI-YYAAAAAAA!

Bob and Jillian pull the fire alarm to get the players out of bed and to the gym.  What a rough wake up call, especially on the first day of certain pain.  As they meet the players and Michael nearly squashes Jillian, the trainers point out the obvious.  The players get bigger and bigger each season.   Bob and Jillian are training together again this season.  Pain, puke, snot and tears commence before the trainers even get ramped up!   Cheryl quickly becomes the gym standout, pounding the mat, screaming like a bad ass with each push.   Everyone’s impressed.  As Jillian says “Somebody wound up the mama and let her spin!”

Wow, first product placement comes 55 minutes in – double Brita and WalMart whammy.

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

As the first week on campus draws to a close, the contestants tell each other how they gained the weight.  While the specifics differ, the stories sound oddly similar.   Heartbreaking to discover that most of the kids in the parent/child teams have never been in love or even kissed.  Maybe we’ll get more love connections at the ranch this season!  Maria is stuck in the sandwich generation, caring for elderly relatives and raising her kids.  She has little time for herself, another common theme, especially with the mothers.  Koli and Sam saw themselves in Season 7’s Tongan cousins Filipe and Sione.  Koli cried during the makeover episode when he saw Sione’s wife meet him on stage.  He is desperate for love and acceptance.  Migdalia’s husband may be deployed to Iraq again; she’s all her kids have and she’s in terrible health.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

Last Chance Workout?  Did someone say Last Chance Workout?! We got another 30 Day Challenge going on…details here.

Back on the ranch, Jillian smirks, “Welcome to the Biggest Loser gym -  family fun for all!”  The contestants get down to business.  Bob reminds them all to input all of their calories and exercise into their bodybugg every day.  Melissa says there’s a lot at stake in the Last Chance Workout.  Patti knows she’s put in the effort but worries that it won’t be enough.   Bob has the twins walking the pool to compensate for their limited mobility, especially James.  He and John are worried about the competition.  As Jillian reminds us,  every day is the Last Chance Workout at the ranch.  You don’t want to end up there, because it’s the last stop, end of the road.

FIRST WEIGH IN

Alison shows off the Biggest Loser scales and reviews the weigh in rules – team that loses the lowest percentage of weight falls below the yellow line.  The rest of the teams will choose which player goes home.

Green Team has immunity, thanks to Miggy’s cycling prowess.

• Miggy, 13 lbs
• Migdalia, 16 lbs
• Koli, 29 lbs
• Sam, 18 lbs
• Daris, 29 lbs
• Cheryl,  14 lbs
• Darrell, 30 lbs
• Drea, 14 lbs
• James, 23 lbs
• John, 23 lbs
• Melissa, 19 lbs
• Lance, 21 lbs
• Patti, 23 lbs (highest % of any female competitor 1st week on ranch)
• Stephanie, 16 lbs
• Ashley, 17 lbs
• Sherry, 21 lbs
• Maria, 13 lbs
• Michael, 34 lbs (most amount lost by any contestant 1st week on ranch)

Holy crap! Michael gets out of the 500s, yelling “are my abs showing?”  Purple Team has the highest percentage of weight loss at 8.09, carried over the top by Patti’s stunning individual loss of 9.4%.  Brown Team falls below the yellow line with a combined percentage of 4.75.  They look alike, weigh almost the same and each lost 23 lbs.  I can’t even tell them apart.  Now the rest of the teams have to send one of the twins home?!

ELIMINATION

Each of the twins argues that the other should remain at the ranch.  Ultimately for the rest of the teams, it comes down to which twin has the time and ability to do it at home.  They choose James.

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

James vows to win the at home prize.   He says that John doesn’t understand what a gift this elimination was for both of them.   Then he says we’ll finally be able to tell the twins apart because he’ll be the more handsome, skinnier twin.   Boy did he make good on that promising, losing 100 lbs in 2 months!  Imagine what John will do at the ranch.

NEXT WEEK

A wild first week!  A total of 5 players sent home.  Public weigh ins before the players even got to the ranch.  Season 8’s Abby Rike blogs this week about the courage it takes to get real with yourself (apparently something that Season 3’s winner – or whiner – Erik Chopin hasn’t mastered yet).  The stakes remain high, while the yellow line stays low.

Coming up…the dreaded week 2 curse.  Which didn’t turn out so bad last season.  Just saying!

POST ELIMINATION

A jolt for Amanda – Rebecca’s gone and she’s truly alone.  She has to start worrying about herself and no one else.  If it works out that America made the right choice, cool.  Getting to the Final Four is her responsibility.  The rest of the team discusses what they’ll have to do this week to stay – take advantage of every second with Bob and Jillian.

Bob and Jillian are more surprised by the “whys” of the vote than the fact that Rebecca’s gone.  They tell the remaining five to admit it – Rebecca was a threat!  Game play aside, it’s the last week on the ranch.  Everybody’s going home.   The trainers pile it on in the gym – it’s the last chance they have to make sure that the players leave the ranch prepared to do it at home.   Rudy is able to laugh at how easy the workouts are now, compared to what they were at the beginning.  Allen, Danny, Amanda and Liz are exercising like pro-atheletes, focused and strong.

MINI CHALLENGE

Ali introduces a surprise guest, financial expert Suze Orman.   Suze asks the players if they’ve ever made the connection between wealth and health.   It’s expensive to be overweight!   After reviewing their personal finances in detail (no big deal to talk FICO scores after the entire country knows how much you weigh, I guess!), Suze gives the players a chance to make some cash while they burn off a few calories.   The players hop on treadmills and answer a series of money questions.   Right answer means $1,000, wrong answer bumps up the treadmill speed.   Amanda collects $3,000 while Rudy, Liz, Danny and Allen bring home $4,000 each.

SPOT IN FINAL FOUR

The players evaluate each other and their individual chances to stay in the final four.   Amanda makes peace with herself and what she’s already accomplished.  She knows the others will vote her off if she’s up for elimination.  Rudy and Danny think they’re each other’s biggest competition.   Allen’s wondering if he can stay above the yellow line.  Percentage-wise, he’s smaller than the big guys.  They have more weight to lose.  Liz has to fight like she’s never fought before.

Bob is trying to figure out where everyone is mentally.  He insists that he won’t be accepting any Miss America answers; he wants an honest admission that they are afraid.   And they are.  They know it will be hard.   Danny thought he had won the battle years ago but the weight still came back.  Will they be able to keep it off?  Amanda, overwhelmed by tears, says this is the happiest she’s ever been.  She’s not going back to the person she was before.   Amanda later speaks privately to Bob and thanks him for getting her on track.   He’s convinced that America chose her for a reason and he counts her as his biggest success this season.  Danny and Liz also have a heart-to-heart.  They each recognize their partnership was instrumental in getting them to the final week on the ranch.

CHALLENGE

The team mets Ali at a football field and are surprised by Biggest Loser fan (and NFL Hall of Famer) Rod Woodson.  Each contestant runs up and down the football field, harnessed to a barrel containing 10 footballs.  The balls equal the amount of weight lost while on the ranch.  Rod cheers them on as the players move the footballs out of the barrel and down to the other end of the field.   Allen takes the early lead and despite a challenge from Rudy and Amanda, maintains the number one position.  There’s no immunity this week, but Allen wins two tickets to the 2010 Pro Bowl.  The NFL also donates $5000 worth of athletic equipment to his daughter’s school.  Ali congratulates the players and tells them to enjoy the rest of their time on the ranch.

TRAINER TIP

Rod Woodson joins the NFL in its effort to eradicate childhood obsesity, encouraging kids to exercise at least 60 minutes a day.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

Is Biggest Loser looking for a new theme song?  Danny’s been flexing his musical muscles and debuts a song he wrote about his time on the ranch.   Jury’s out – heartfelt or cheesy?  You decide!

Bob and Jillian are all about the tough love during the last Last Chance Workout.   Rudy and Danny battle it out on the stair climber, while Allen throws punches for Jillian.   Bob reminds Amanda that the Pink Team has had it good at the ranch.   He wants her to continue the streak.    Liz ups the intensity by adding Jillian to her routine, dragging her across the gym and doing pushups as the trainer sits on her back.  They are fighting for it!  No one wants to be the one who doesn’t make it.

TRAINER TIP

Bob and Jillian say drink up!  Water, Brita filtered water that is.   The Brita filter is an inexpensive way to make sure that your water is as clean as possible.

WEIGH IN

Ali reminds the final five – no immunity tonight!  However, the winner will win a healthy cooking lesson at home visit from Curtis Stone.   Each player has earned this second chance and now it’s all about staying above the yellow line.   Rudy ends up setting a record – the most weight lost of any player on campus.   Danny also breaks a record – most weeks of double-digit weight loss.  And overall, it’s Danny who ends up on top and wins the home visit from Curtis!  Hope the Danny trend continues at the finale.  Results are:

• Liz – 5 lbs, 2.46 %
• Rudy – 12 lbs, 3.9 %
• Allen – 8 lbs, 3.36 %
• Danny – 16 lbs, 5.26 %
• Amanda – 6 lbs, 3.63 %

So it’s Liz and Allen below the yellow line!   Liz and Allen figure that Amanda will be the swing vote…and they’re right.   Liz has voted for Amanda in a past elimination, and Allen speaks to Amanda privately, reminding her that this is a game.  Allen has not been able to get the percentages each week; Liz is more of a threat to Amanda.

ELIMINATION

Danny votes for Allen, Rudy votes for Liz and Amanda casts the tie-breaking vote for Allen.  Amanda explains that she wants to see another woman in the finale.  Will that prove to be a good decision?  Only America knows for sure!

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

Before Allen leaves the ranch, he vows to be a smoking hot fireman!  Judging by his wife’s reaction, he’s more than  fulfilled that promise.

NEXT WEEK

Finalists from last season cheer on the Season 8 finalists as they prepare to run a marathon!

SURPRISES

• We didn’t see the trainers’ reactions to the younger team doing extra exercise rather than getting sleep during Week 9.  That’s a big reason why Amanda and Shay fell below the yellow line and Daniel went home immediately  Both Bob and Jillian consider proper rest as important to weight loss as nutrition and exercise.   If NBC is reading this, please add this footage to the behind-the-scenes web clips.  Thanks!  :0)

• Rudy’s sister died of leukemia when he was in his early teens.  Jillian flipped out when she and Bob found that out during Rudy’s motivational speech.  Exercise beatdown followed shortly thereafter.  Hard to believe Rudy had never made the connection between his sister’s passing and his weight gain.

• And Rebecca had a meltdown over Rudy’s vote at the elimination.  If I had been in Rebecca’s shoes, I wouldn’t have been surprised.  It’s Young vs. Old at this point.  No reason to expect Rudy to deviate from that.

If you missed the Makeover Episode, check out these stellar recaps from PhillyBurbs and Celebrate Weight Loss. And Alison has a great collection of “Before and After” photos of the final five!

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

NEXT WEEK

(Okay, this week!)  Back to back episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday!  First, financial guru Suze Orman and NFL Hall of Famer Rod Woodson pay surprise visits to the final five contestants on Tuesday night.  Then, are they still winning the battle of the bulge? Contestants from the previous seven seasons return in a 2-hour special Wednesday night.

But as luck would have it, I got sick this week and never managed to convert my rough draft into a polished recap post.   And lucky you!  Once I read this, I figured, “Why bother?!”

Alison…“Baby, You’re the Best.” Thanks for bailing me out.

I reserve a special place in my heart for Washington, D.C.

I discovered the city as a high school junior when a friend enrolled at Catholic University.  Fell head over heels for one of my friend’s college buddies.   An older man!  (Okay, 4 years.  Just old enough to make Mom nervous.)  Walked around the Memorials, hand in hand.    After that fizzled out, I returned to D.C.  the next year as part of a Young Leaders Conference.  Met a girl from Michigan on that trip.  We ended up meeting again as randomly paired college roommates.    I spent a college semester there, working as an intern for the Senate, writing my thesis and house-sitting for a couple whom I still consider part of my family almost 18 years later.   I always thought I’d end up living there again.  Lots of personal history.   And now I can add one more fond memory – it was the site of my favorite BL elimination to date!

IN THE ELIMINATION ROOM

After Black sends Abby home, Alison invites the Blue Team to join the rest of the players.   Alison reminds them that America looks to them for inspiration.  They’re losing the weight.  All over the country, Americans are fighting the same battle against obesity.  The statistics are staggering.  Alison gives the teams a new mission:  help Americans lose those pounds.  And the best place to make it happen:  the nation’s capital!

TRAVEL

The last time they flew, no one could buckle their seatbelts without the extender. What a difference 8 weeks makes!  Black and Blue board their JetBlue flight to D.C. and settle themselves into their seats. No spillover, no discomfort, no embarrassment, plenty of room to stretch out!

Alison, a vision in another “Mad Men” inspired outfit, greets them at the Jefferson Memorial. Shay cannot believe she’s right down the street from the President. Everyone’s excited to play a role in helping Americans lead healthier lives. Who better to assist them? Bob and Jillian, of course! Both trainers marvel at how far the show has come in just eight seasons – it’s not a normal reality show. And when Alison tells the group they’ll be going to the White House, Bob nails it: if that doesn’t say that the show has had an impact on America, he doesn’t know what does.

As Jefferson was a proponent of individual rights, meeting at the memorial has special significance. The game is going back to singles! Each man or woman stands on his or her own, in his or her previous color shirt. The players are delighted to hear Alison say this, especially Daniel whose lower than expected weight loss has hampered the Black Team.

POP CHALLENGE

If you want to affect change on a national level, you need grassroots support to promote your cause. This becomes the cornerstone of the day’s Pop Challenge. Alison announces that in a few hours, Bob and Jillian will hold a public workout in front of the Washington monument. Each player has 60 minutes to get the most people assembled in front of the monument, ready to workout. The winner will get a huge advantage at the next challenge, but of course Alison keeps mum. She does reveal that the winner will also get to take his or her entire team to Subway for a post-workout dinner.

The contestants scurry and start working the streets around the National Mall. They start selling like crazy to corral as many people as possible. Color-coded stickers in hand, Danny tells a group that he’s proof The Biggest Loser works. He’s lost all this weight in 7 weeks. Amanda discovers her unique selling proposition: people start recognizing her from last season’s finale. She’s racking up the votes. Allen’s not messing around. He heads to the nearest fire station and issues a 911.

Oh Lord, Liz says as she approaches a group and they start chanting “Amanda, Amanda!” She searches for people who aren’t wearing pink stickers and finds some young boys. She bribes them with promises of cute younger female contestants, telling the camera, “I left cute behind 30 years ago. I’m relying on guilt and charm!” Shay and Rebecca try staking out their individual turf, as Rudy and the others taunt them with their growing numbers.

Getting the people turns out to be easier than keeping them. Talk about a political schooling! The D.C. tourists and residents turn out to be a fickle bunch. When Amanda’s groupies see Daniel, they have an immediate change of heart and start hooting, “Daniel, Daniel!” Rudy crosses party lines by slapping a Blue sticker on Daniel’s back. But Daniel refuses to move to the middle.

Time’s up! The fire trucks start rolling into the monument site as the teams assemble – it really looks like the Brotherhood will lock this up for Allen. Ali introduces the contestants and says that it came down to one vote separating the top two finalists, Allen and Liz. And Liz wins! Yes, you definitely go girl.

It was awesome to see the crowd start working out. Bob grabs the headset and starts leading the crowd. He is pumped, it’s what he loves about his job…the ability to help people. Jillian’s also pretty happy, strolling through the crowd, picking on total strangers. Poor tangerine-suited woman tells Jillian she can’t and everyone else ends up doing 20 extra squats because of it. Tangerine gets in line pretty quickly after that! As the winner, Liz gets to take her team and Jillian to dinner at Subway. Jillian instructs them to order off the 9 gram menu, pick lean protein and load up on the veggies.

NEXT DAY

The Biggest Loser storms Capitol Hill! The trainers and players lobby two members of Congress on obesity issues and how they affect children specifically. The contestants all tear up a little talking about their own experiences. Jillian makes an empassioned plea for Congress to pay more attention to what’s in the food supply. Our bodies don’t recognize this Franken-food! The general consensus: reps need to hear the people on these issues.

CHALLENGE

Alison meets the team at Constitution Gardens and announces a 4 station challenge. Winner gets immunity! Liz’s advantage is that she can choose not to compete in a certain section. As every politician knows, you’ve got to run hard to make it to D.C. The first part is a one mile run around the Constitution Gardens. The first six finishers will go onto the second station and Liz decides to participate.

Tracey freezes when she hears Alison say “one mile run.” Amazing to see how much goodwill surrounded her during flashbacks to the first week…and how she squandered it over the next 6. But she’s game. Allen and Rebecca take an early lead, Shay and Tracey bring up the rear. Shay says the difference this time is that it’s a matter of when, not if she completes the race. The top six are Rebecca, Daniel, Allen, Amanda, Rudy and Liz. Tracey ends up finishing the race ahead of Shay, happy to have conquered the distance.

Fundraising time! Probably the worst part of being a politician. 17,954 pennies cover the steps of the Watergate Hotel. The amount of pennies equals the amount of pounds lost to date on the show. Each player has to scoop enough pennies to fill their tube. First four move on. Liz decides to sit this one out. I would have done the same thing! Rudy and Daniel secure the next two spots, with Rebecca beating Allen for the final position.

TRAINER TIP

Bob says that everyone asks how to handle workouts during vacations. With a flight of stairs and a little creativity, you can stay on track. Walk or run the stairs for 20-30 minutes for cardio. Then finish with chair dips, side squats and pushups on the stairs.

After another impromptu happy dance from Rebecca, the competitors move to the next station in front of Capitol Hill. Getting things done in Congress requires a certain amount of balance. The players have to stand on a pedestal, balancing on a narrow ledge as they hold a Pilates ball over their heads. What?! This one’s over pretty quickly. Daniel folds almost immediately, Rudy worries about his big feet but manages to beat out Liz before falling off. So it’s Rebecca and Rudy at the top of the ballots!

Or maybe just in front of the White House. They’ll have to take 206 steps, the amount of contestants in the show’s history. All the cable networks would have called this pretty quickly. Rebecca opens up a 30 step lead and never looks back. She’s an immunity-winning monster machine.

In the first open rebellion to excessive product placment, Twitter nation contemplates a Gumcott as Bob has a heart-to-heart with Amanda. (I think he wants to squeeze her as much as he wants to squeeze the Obamas.) If she wants to stay in the game, she has to focus on healthy snacks, like Extra gum. Sigh.

WHITE HOUSE TIME

The group gets to meet the White House personal chef, who takes them on a tour of the First Lady’s organic vegetable garden. They pick the produce for their lunch and then trot off to the White House kitchen to prepare their salads. Bob is very impressed to learn that the Obamas eat healthy every day. If it’s good enough for the President, it’s good enough for the country. I’m sure at this point, Secret Service was keeping a very close eye on Mr. Harper. You know he’d be leaping across the counter to squeeze those Obama kids! Jillian, slightly less huggy, admires the standard being set by the 1st Family.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

Back to singles means back to joint training. Torture, sings Jillian! Especially for Tracey. She’s been dying to beat the gameplay out that girl. Jillian barely gets a sumo squat out of her before Tracey turns on the waterworks. Don’t fall for it Jillian! Everyone else is happy to be back on track, especially Amanda who is getting her groove back with Bob.

WEIGH-IN

A spectacular site as the scale sits underneath the Lincoln memorial. The usual amount of panic sets in, but as Danny says, no one knows what a week away from the ranch will mean. Shay is set on getting below 400. Daniel hasn’t lost much in the last two weeks, so he’s hoping for big numbers. And Amanda wants to see results from her renewed Bob connection.

Results are:

• Rebecca – 4   Immunity
• Shay – 9  Bye bye 400!
• Tracey -  3  Jillian didn’t make a dent.
• Daniel – 11  Just 7 short of 200 lbs lost since last season!
• Allen – 9
• Danny – 12
• Rudy – 9
• Liz -  3  Needed 4 to stay above yellow line.
• Amanda – 7  All that “extra” attention from Bob!

ELIMINATION

It’s Liz v. Tracey!  Mentally kicking Liz, who better be kicking her own ass for not taking it Tracey when she had the chance.   I mistakenly cue the Rocky song, thinking they’ll go a few rounds in a last ditch effort to keep themselves safe.   Liz doesn’t fight at all.  AGAIN, just like she failed to stand up for herself a few weeks back.  And Shay points this out, noting that her vote will never be based on strategy.  Now I want to do the punching.  Room starts to get hazy and I’m having trouble tweeting.  Alison isn’t helping me with her repeated banana hands tweets.    Can’t breathe.  Tracey may pull this out again!!!

Luckily, it’s pretty cut and dried.   Shay casts the lone vote against Liz; Amanda, Danny, Daniel and Rebecca give the four needed to cut Tracey loose!

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

24 hours later, Tracey departs for home…in a helicopter just like the one she needed the first day on the ranch.  Her family is delighted to see her and even cheer her on when she returns to Malibu for another go at the “Miracle Mile.”    Safe to say Tracey inspired a lot of people across America, maybe not in the usual way other players have.  Ultimately, she fought hard to stay, she played the game and the choices came back to bite her.  She says she’s a new person, a happier person.  Definitely a leaner person as we saw on Leno. I  believe her.   But that doesn’t mean I have to like her!

NEXT WEEK

Nervous squabbling, treadmill user error (Rudy!) and heated outbursts as players learn two will be eliminated!