Michael’s personality is starting to grate on me.  I started feeling ambivalent about him during the last two episodes, but this one put me over the edge.   Is it the humor?  I used to love his fun expressions, especially the “I can see my abs” after the first weigh in.  The in-your-face jumping around after each win?  Not so much.  Looking out for yourself is much, much different then trying to SCREW the rest of the players.  Isn’t there a happy medium somewhere?

CLIFFHANGER:  LAST WEEK’S ELIMINATION

When we last left our Dynamic Duo, Cheryl and Darrell were balancing the faux Olympic torches on their heads.  Cheryl pulled a Tara.  Supreme confidence and focus.  After more than 10 minutes, Darrell’s torch tumbled, sending him home immediately.

HOW THE ELMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

Broke my heart to see Drea so sad about her dad’s departure.  But when you meet Darrell’s wife, it’s clear that he has the support team at home to continue dropping the weight.

TEMPTATION CHALLENGE

Cookies!  And lots of ‘em, in addition to other calorie-laden treats!  It’s the time we deliciously anticipate all season:  Blue vs. Black.  Before announcing the actual challenge, Alison explains the prize – the winner will choose the teams AND the person who gets immunity this week.    Alison asks who will participate.  Some players don’t want the power because they know it will cause drama in the house.  Others, put off by the sheer volume and smell of the cookies, don’t see the wisdom in potentially eating thousands of calories.  Drea and Michael are the only two who decide to play.  The game is a big old Concentration board.  They’ll pick two boxes at a time, hoping to match the items behind the cards.  No match = picking player has to eat a cookie.  Match = opponent eats whatever’s inside the box.   They’re looking for the Golden Tickets.

Drea’s on an early roll, racking up matches while Michael stacks up the calories.  But as luck would have it, Michael ends up matching the Golden Tickets after eating over 2000 calories!!!  Michael takes the power very seriously, saying it’s the first time he’s put his own well-being ahead of others.  What that really means?  He wants to stay in the game as long as possible.  And boy does he stack the deck!  The smaller women (Cheryl, Stephanie, Drea, Ashley, Sherry) and Sam end up with Jillian on the Black Team; the larger men (Lance, Koli, Daris, Michael) join Miggy and Sunshine with Bob’s Blue Team.  Michael selects O’Neal for immunity and because there’s an uneven number of players, he’ll train alone this week.  After the weigh in, he’ll join the losing team the next week.

The Black Team players are really pissed.  They don’t like the perception that they are the weaker team.  They know Michael is playing the game.  He asked them who they wanted to train with, then did the opposite in most cases.   Stephanie feels betrayed, as seen in this confrontation that didn’t make it to air.  No one’s more angry than Jillian.  She calls Michael’s actions completely unfair and unprecedented, then apologizes, saying it resurrects her inner “fat kid” pain.    But remember:  no one does underdog like Jillian.

TRAINER TIP

Time to get out that Brita!  Bob reminds us that clean water is instrumental in weight loss.  Filter with the Brita pitcher to improve water quality, then put the water in a washable, reusable container to reduce waste.

TEAM CHALLENGE

The teams have to hoist their team banners up the side of a Burbank building.  The prize – letters from home!  With the exception of Sunshine and O’Neal, the players haven’t heard from home in almost two months.  The Black Team gives it their all, working handily as teammates but they are easily outmatched by the pulling strength of the Blue Team.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

Bob warns the Blue Team not to take anything for granted.  Yes, they have sheer size on their sides.  However, Bob knows that without complete mental and physical focus, anything can happen at the weigh in.   Meanwhile, Jillian is on edge.  She’s got to get the most out of her team to prevent disaster on the scale.   And a funny thing happens as her team starts working out.  They are completely in sync.  They seem to be channeling their anger at Michael into impressing Jillian with their determination.   It works.  Although she’s beating them up, she’s dishing out the praise after every workout segment.

WEIGH IN

O’Neal has immunity, so he’s the first to weigh in, followed by the Blue and Black Teams.

• O’Neal – 9 lbs
• Michael – 15 lbs
• Sunshine – 7 lbs
• Miggy – 4 lbs
• Koli – 10 lbs
• Lance – 5 lbs
• Daris – 7 lbs

Blue loses 2.7% and 48 lbs.  Black needs more than 39 lbs.   Is it possible for them to pull the upset?

• Andrea – 5 lbs
• Cheryl – 4 lbs
• Sherry – 6 lbs
• Sam – 8 lbs (the power of the black nail polish!)
• Stephanie – 8 lbs
• Ashley – 10 lbs

CELEBRATION!!!  Wow.  Congratulations to the Black Team.  Michael laments “It should have been us.”  Good realization for him, since he’s got the highest percentage of weight loss on the Blue Team, ensuring his own immunity.    When Blue Team gathers to discuss their elimination decision, the obvious choice is Lance or Miggy, simply based on the numbers.  Lance can’t vote for himself and most of the others question whether Miggy’s stress level will hurt or help the team in the long run.  Survey says, “HURT!”  Miggy gets the boot.

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

Miggy looks refreshed and happy!   The power of meditation.  And an at home visit from your new Biggest Loser family.

NEXT WEEK

The Black Team may have won the weigh in….but they didn’t make any friends on the Blue Team.  Goliath’s out to get them with a vengeance!

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!

Maria, 51 is a corporate travel agent based in Chicago, IL.   As the primary caretaker for her disabled husband and elderly mother, Maria spends more time taking care of others than herself.    The result – significant weight gain over the past 20 years.   The pounds have crept up slowly, but have made a sudden impact on Maria’s ability to help her loved ones.   She is hoping to show others that good health is essential not only for oneself, but for family.

One of Maria and her son Michael’s biggest issues is food.  As Americans of Italian descent, they eat many old world culinary favorites that are loaded with unhealthy ingredients.  While they want to keep their cultural traditions alive, they would like to learn how to use healthy alternatives and ditch their bad food habits.

Michael, 30 is a deejay in Chicago.  He’s used to being the center of attention, both because of his career and his weight.  He’s tried several unhealthy ways to lose pounds quickly but has been unsuccessful.   Michael believes the excess pounds will prevent him from meeting the love of his life and having his own family.   Losing weight and keeping it off will be a lifelong process.

GRAY TEAM – Cousins

Koli, 29 is a football coach and head of security.  He lives in Rohnert Park, CA.   The Tongan culture views extra weight positively and until recently Koli has never worried about his size.   But he is slowly tiring of the expectations that others have of him because of his weight.  He’s always expected to eat the most and be the muscle when anyone needs help moving.  Koli, a former high school athlete, loves athletics and wants to be a positive role model as a coach.   This means embracing a healthy way of life, something that is compromised due to his shift hours.  He often eats irregularly and is unable to commit to an exercise program.

Sam, 24 is a security guard and volunteer youth football coach in Rohnert Park.  His Samoan family regards big as normal, so like his cousin, Sam is used to big family gatherings and lots of food.    He works overnight and sleeps during the day.   This work schedule makes it hard for Sam to establish healthy eating habits.  And although his primary focus is to control his weight, Sam is also concerned about the history of diabetes, hypertension and gout in his family.   One of over 150 grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he believes that changing his life will also set a great example for his relatives.

When you have a hit program on your hand, why waste time between seasons?  Or leave those who need to live Tweet the show with idle hands on a Tuesday night?

Just a few short weeks after the Season 8 finale, The Biggest Loser returns to NBC on January 5.  Season 9:  Couples 3 features 22 contestants, paired off into 11 new teams of loved ones.   No random pairings as in the Season 5:  Couples Blue Team of Bernie Salazar and Brittany Aberle.  Personally, I loved the friendship that developed between those two!

And here’s a shocker – neither of the “Half Ton Twins” is the heaviest player in show history.   Given current rates of obesity in this country, you can bet that Season 9 won’t be the last time Bob and Jillian will say “we’ve got the heaviest player ever.”

Early calls on who will be The Biggest Loser of Season 9? A snippet from Tuesday’s premiere…