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?

And judging by the Tweets during the live show, she’s shaping up to the be the most reviled player in Biggest Loser history.   I always thought it would take a lot of effort to surpass Vicky Vilcan (Season 6) in that regard, but Tracey is pulling it off!  Had an interesting Twitter conversation with DonnaInHouston Tuesday about the Tracey vs. Vicky as villian.   Tracey has pretty much put it all out on the table, for both the players and to camera for viewers.  Her intentions are clear.  Donna thought Vicky’s game play was very obvious too, although I don’t remember Vicky tipping off the other players so early on in the season.  Thoughts?

WEEK 4

The week begins with a chat between the Orange and Purple Teams about the previous week.   Shay tells Tracey that she didn’t appreciate her going back on her word and she felt betrayed by Tracey’s actions.  While she wants to love Tracey, Shay isn’t getting respect or even honesty, making it impossible to trust the Purple Team.    Tracey insists that she was being “straight up” and that she chose Shay at the weigh-in because she thought Shay had worked so hard in the gym.  The four of them know the truth.  It’s hard to see Mo sitting there, defending Tracey again.  Jillian’s words at the last weigh in have fallen on deaf ears.

Bob and Jillian meet up with the contestants the next morning and discover that Sean and Antoine have sacrificed themselves in order to keep Shay on campus.  While it’s clear they appreciate the generosity of the Red Team, they remind the group that everyone needs to be on campus.  No more favors for each other.  Each individual has to fight to stay.

The gym workouts begin.  Jillian is especially focused on getting Julio to confront his issues.  He insists he’s happy.  Jillian is equally insistent that 407 lbs are screaming “not happy!”  Abby’s workouts are in the pool again this week due to her stress fractures.  Tracey meets with Dr. H, who tells her that her muscles are still stressed.  Her CPK enzymes are unusually high and if they climb any higher, she risks organ damage.  The prescription:  no exercise for the entire week.   Tracey is very upset by this news, anticipating the difficulty of losing pounds by relying strictly on her diet.   I’m not sure I get why she’s fretting, since she was able to do it the previous week with a pretty impressive 11 lbs loss.  Mo will have to pick up the slack in the gym to keep Purple Team in play.

POP QUIZ

As the players meet Alison in the kitchen, they are suprised to see the cabinets, pantry and fridge locked down tight.   Alison tells them that they won’t have access to the kitchen for the entire week.  Tracey instantly becomes Trazey, with panic flooding her face.  Instead, the players must order all of their food from take-out menus.   Reminding them that they’ll have to make food choices in the real world, Alison announces a pop quiz.  The players have to select the lowest calorie entree from three dinner plates.  Winner gets a fully stocked kitchen for an entire year!!!   Each plate features various portion sizes of chicken, plus varying assortments of vegetables, grains, desserts and beverages.   The teams are divided between Plate A and C, with most opting for Plate A.  Pink, Brown and Orange correctly choose Plate A and in order to win the prize, then have to guess the plate’s calorie count.  The plate is 445 calories and Pink comes the closest without going over, guessing 385.  Pink is elated, doing a sit down version of their happy weigh in dance.   Consolation prizes for everyone though – copies of the recently released Biggest Loser Simple Swaps.

TRAINER TIP

Jillian suggests a guilt-free mashed potatoes recipe,  swapping out potassium-rich, vitamin C filled cauliflower for the potatoes.  She’s keeping with the simple swap theme, but we’ve heard this tip before.   How about roasting the cauliflower (or potatoes) with a spritz of olive oil, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and minced garlic?   Yummy!

OFF CAMPUS

The players really struggle while ordering their takeout meals.   They make painstaking selections only to discover their food isn’t quite the way they ordered.  Are they eating more calories than they thought?  But the process does get them talking about at-home food strategies that will help them stay on track.

Bob and Jillian decide to take the players out for dinner so that they coach them on ordering the healthiest restaurant options.  The fare?  Mexican!  The restaurant has plenty of high calorie options, fried and loaded with cheese.   And did anyone bring The Biggest Loser Calorie Counter as Jillian reminded them?  NO!  Of course not.  (Personally, I prefer this one because it fits into your purse, especially helpful if you can’t look up the item online before you go to the restaurant.)  Jillian reminds the team that they need to focus on their goals in order to stay in control and bypass unhealthy temptations.  Bob says that he and Jillian have to make these decisions every day.   Staying mindful can be difficult, but the end result is looking and feeling great.   The trainers then help the team order food, which turns out to be managed chaos.   Steaming, roasting, sugar, protein, healthy fats!  Bob and Jillian analyze every option, calling out calories and subsitutions.   Some plates are sent back to the kitchen.   The waitstaff is amazingly patient.  All in all, a dining success.

FOOD TIP
Bob says that you can eat out with a little planning.  Look at the menu online before you go.  Pick grilled, steamed, baked, broiled or poached.  Sauces on the side, if at all and don’t be afraid to send it back!

CHALLENGE
Another water challenge!  Do the producers realize how much the contestants dread the aquatic events?  I guess they do, since they keep the water and height challenges in constant rotation.  The players have to grab a handlebar on a platform.  The platform will gradually shift until it ends up vertical above the water.  Last contestant hanging on wins immunity.  Alison, queen of understatement, calls it a tough challenge.  These contestants are carrying hundreds of extra pounds.  I’ve got 10 lbs to go and I know  I could never do it, that’s for sure.  First, I prefer to be in the water, not out of it, so I would immediately let go.   Plus, I know one hand would start itching, I’d loosen my grip and then BLAM!  My feet would succumb to the gravitational pull in about two second flat.   So in my imaginary BL game, I’d make sure the other Alison, sassy workout girl from Foster Fitness, was on my team.  Because she could definitely do it!!!

Daniel is focused on this challenge.  He was eliminated in week 4 last time and winning immunity is the best way to ensure another week on campus.  Abby and Tracey both sit out due to injury.   The platform moves about 45 degrees and Liz is the first one to let go.  She’s followed in rapid succession by Danny.   Amanda’s next with Rudy close behind her.  Pink is eliminated as Rebecca loses her grip.   The platform continues to rotate, claiming Dina.  Orange has two in the final four as Daniel and Shay hang on,  joined by Allen and Julio.   Shay’s next to fall into the water, amazing considering she is the heaviest player.   Julio can’t hang on any longer, leaving Daniel and Allen.  Battle of wills!  I thought Allen would pull it out, but he drops – Daniel wins!   He and Shay are on to week 5.

LAST CHANCE WORKOUT

It’s all business at the Last Chance Workout.  Bob orders Julio to get on the treadmill while Jillian pounces on Rudy.   Given that the team’s been eating takeout all week,  Bob and Jillian proceed to “beat out some of the crappy food.”   Jillian puts Rudy in his place when he complains, telling him that she doesn’t give a crap and he has to “either drop dead or make it happen.”   Made me laugh, especially when Rudy decides to push through.   He’s not fooling Jillian one bit!  She knows he’s a machine, one of the “big ole boys,”  like former college football players Roger Shultz and Trent Patterson from Season 5.

As Julio points out, it’s a mind game at this point.  Everyone’s asking themselves if they’ve done enough.  Liz is worrying that she might have gained weight.  Tracey says she desperately wants to be in the gym.  Coach Mo is working like a maniac in the gym and ends up straining his back.   He immediately panics, thinking he’s done.  Bob tells him to stop freaking out, that he’s making it worse.   After relaxing outside for a while, Coach Mo returns to the gym.

WEIGH-IN

As the weigh-in begins, Alison says that results aren’t just about the weight lost but how much knowledge the players have gained.  The players aren’t so sure.  Danny thinks it’s a crap shot and Liz agrees, “One word…it sucks!”

Orange Team has immunity, so they step on the scale first.   Jillian and Bob immediately suspect game play, as Daniel doesn’t lose a pound!

Results are:

• Daniel: 0 lbs, Shay: 5 lbs
• Allen: 7 lbs, Abby: 3 lbs
• Rudy: 11 lbs, Dina: 3 lbs
• Danny: 3 lbs, Liz: 8 lbs
• Tracey: 4 lbs, Coach Mo: 8 lbs
• Julio: 4 lbs
• Amanda: 5 lbs, Rebecca: 4 lbs

This week could have been a disaster and yet everyone except Daniel lost weight!  Rudy peeled off double digits,  Coach Mo and Liz both shed 8 lbs and we got a sincerely happy dance from the Pink Team.  For all her crocodile tears, Tracey still managed 4 lbs.   But the standard is percentage of weight loss – Brown Team and Julio are below the yellow line, heading for elimination.

Deliberations start and the trainers words take me back full circle.  You have to fight to stay on the ranch.  No one needs to throw a punch, but the contestants have to at least mount a strong defense.   Liz, Danny and Julio have formed a sincere friendship.  They like each other.  Everyone likes them.   It really is the worst-case scenario for these three.  Liz, Danny and Julio refuse to throw anyone under the bus.  I admire that.  But it infuriates me that they won’t make the case for themselves and why they need to stay.

My aggravation only gets worse.  The Purple Team is at odds because Coach Mo has cut a deal with Julio not to vote him off and Tracey has the same arrangement with Liz.    Everything else being even, Coach Mo should win out on this one.  As amyshy reminded us on the live Twitter stream, he’s teamed up with a partner who has made every single decision so far, including selling out Bob and Jillian for a lousy two lbs!

The teams head to the elimination room.  Orange chooses Julio, Blue picks Liz and Danny, Green picks Julio and Purple casts the third vote for Julio, sending him home.   So Tracey wins out again.  Coach Mo better start putting his foot down – and I mean in a big old STOMP.  He has a big opportunity next week to start playing the game for himself!   Until then amyshy and I are coming clean.  We’re holding a serious grudge.  Tracey.  Off.  NOW!!!

HOW THE ELIMINATED PLAYER LOOKS NOW

Leaving the ranch, Julio said he was a whole different guy, no longer afraid.  And boy, does he look fearless!

NEXT WEEK
It’s on baby!  Blue vs. Black and a golden ticket winner gets to pick the trainer and the teams.  Is this Mo’s opportunity to jump off the Tracey Crazy train?