COMMENTARY | Last week on “The Biggest Loser,” Conda and Daphne went home with their trainers and their weights had to count for their entire team. Dolvett used his time alone with Conda to get inside her and see why she’s confrontational and can’t play well with others. He learned that she build a wall after the end of her parents marriage. Despite her best efforts at home and a two-pound advantage, Conda and the Red Team still ended up in the elimination room. Almost everyone voted to send Roy home. This week, the contestants tackle the excuse, “I lack self-control.”
This episode of “The Biggest Loser” started with the teams sitting at the kitchen table. Alison comes in with a birthday cake for Buddy, their first test of self-control. She mentioned daily temptations that people face as they try losing weight. Alison told them that they could control themselves or control the game. She led them to their temptation, a huge Lazy Susan filled with their favorite foods. There was even venison for Kimmy. The person who ate food could make team changes, but the winner would remain unanimous. Each contestant had three minutes alone in the room.
Mark ate venison without hesitation, but it only added to little over 300 calories. Chris ate more than 1,000 calories. Nobody ate anything until Cassandra came in and ate pizza and peanut butter cups. Jeremy predicted that Daphne would eat a lot of food, and she ate peanut butter cups like she was in a food-eating contest. Daphne consumed more than 1,800 calories. Five people in all ate. Daphne won and changed the game. She moved Jeremy to the Red Team and Conda to the Black Team completely out of spite. There was tension at the kitchen table.
I actually think I what she did was a good thing for the wrong reason. Conda needed to get out of her comfort zone and learn to play with others. Conda cried when she had her first workout with Bob, and she told Dolvett of her concerns. Jeremy and Conda both complained that they were not accustomed to the training they had to do. Bob knew that he had to earn Conda’s trust and get her head in the games. The entire atmosphere in the gym was quiet and somber. Basically, everyone knew who made the changes.
The teams arrived at the challenge, a giant puzzle with 200-pound pieces. They had to put the pieces in place. Only one team member was able to see the big picture through a camera. The winning team earned two weeks at the Biggest Loser Resort, getting trained by past “Biggest Loser” contestants. Daphne and Chris sat out on the Black Team. Mark manned the camera for the Red Team, and Chism, Mark’s son, did it for the Black Team. The Red Team won yet another challenge.
Kim told Dolvett that she was upset not to be home with her six-year-old daughter. Dolvett talked to her in private because he knew there something more than just missing her child. He learned that she was adopted, and he told her that he was also adopted and always wondering if his real parents ever think of him. She got to call her little girl.
Bob tried talking to Daphne, hoping to convince her that she needed to come clean with the others and stop lying to them. He really wanted her to take ownership with the other contestants and get along with them and stop isolated herself. He told her not to worry about the other people and worry about her children and the reason she’s there. She finally owned up to the switch and admitted that it was an emotional decision. Bob added that this was going to hold the team back. He wanted to unite the team, but they had a target on Daphne’s back.
The Black Team sabotaged their weight loss by consuming a lot of food to throw their weights to vote Daphne off. She knew what they were doing and exercised every opportunity she could. At the weigh in, the Black Team were not good actors and not good at pretending to be surprised with their low numbers. Emily admitted to herself that she should have not played along. The Black Team lost the weigh in decisively and headed to the elimination room.
Daphne went home like everyone wanted. I wished that Conda would have just kept her mouth closed. At home, Daphne found the peace that she couldn’t find on the ranch and lost 71 pounds in total. She was able to move her and her children into a new home and get off some of her medications.
This week, a lot of people lost self-control on “The Biggest Loser.” Daphne, who hasn’t made any personal connections on the ranch, lost self-control by consuming lots of food to control the game. She allowed her emotions to dictate her decisions, further alienating herself from everyone on the ranch. The Red Team displayed a lack of self-control by eating too much food to sabotage their weights. For a season about not making excuses, everyone blamed the addition of Daphne and Adrian for the problems. Now that they are gone, you can almost guarantee that Conda will find a new target and create tension in the house.
Weigh In Statistics:
Red Team (Dolvett)
Jeremy (22) 320 lbs. 309 lbs. 11 lbs.
Kim N. (38) 200 lbs. 193 lbs. 7 lbs.
Mark (43) 234 lbs. 226 lbs. 8 lbs.
Kimmy (48) 184 lbs. 179 lbs. 5 lbs.
Buddy (42) 329 lbs. 317 lbs. 12 lbs.
Total weight loss/percentage 43 lbs./3.39 percent
Black Team (Bob)
Chris (42) 201 lbs. 196 lbs. 5 lbs.
Megan (21) 219 lbs. 217 lbs. 2 lbs.
Chism (19) 298 lbs. 293 lbs. 5 lbs.
Cassandra (25) 189 lbs. 188 lbs. 1 lb.
Emily (29) 218 lbs. 216 lbs. 2 lbs.
Conda (24) 245 lbs. 246 lbs. +1 lbs.
Daphne (36) 224 lbs. 226 lbs. +2 lbs.
Total weight loss/percentage 12 lbs./0.75 percent