COMMENTARY | Last week on “The Biggest Loser,” the two Kims put the fate of their Red Team in the hands of poker chips. The bet didn’t pay off, and the team didn’t meet expectations, heading to the elimination room. Mike made a lot of excuses and didn’t reveal his insecurities until it was too late. He finally had an “a-ha moment” when his team unanimously voted against him and sent him packing. Although it was only the third week of competition, tensions ran high on the ranch.
This week, “The Biggest Loser” contestants handled one of the biggest excuses of all failed dieters, “I don’t have time to eat healthy.” Alison greeted them with a table filled with an unhealthy Chinese food buffet; they faced their first temptation of the season. Alison revealed that there are more than 41,000 Chinese restaurants in the United States, more than the number of McDonalds.
Alison said that they were playing to face off one person from each team, with the losing team going to the elimination. The winner of this the challenge also received a two-pound advantage to keep or split with someone else. If no one ate or they consumed the same amount of calories, no one would get the advantage.
Each team spent five minutes in the room. The Red Team didn’t consume any of the food. The Black Team debated about consuming a fortune cookie. Cassandra finally ate two of them (totaling 60 calories), gaining control of the game and the two-pound advantage. She decided the match-ups at the same time.
Black Team member Joe packed his bags and left the show, wanting to be with his family. This happened a week after his brother Mike was eliminated. For the first time in “Biggest Loser” history, someone left the show before the weekly weigh in. It was sad to watch because there were probably a number of people who missed being on the show by a small margin. If they were watching, I’m sure they were upset.
Bob was not a happy camper when the team told him about Joe’s departure. Joe had one of the worst health profiles of any contestants, so he should have stayed on the ranch. He’s a ticking time bomb with diabetes and other health problems. Bob decided to make a call to see what was really going on with him. He couldn’t convince Joe to come back.
Bob had a mini challenge in the workout room. He asked Roy and Emily to face off and work out together. The face off increased the tension in the gym, but it also motivated them to work harder. Dolvett raised the stakes with Conda and Cassandra, saying the loser had to buy lunch for the winner of the mini challenge. Conda accused Cassandra of cheating. Cassandra even said she’d redo the competition. Conda’s a little immature.
Conda bought a Subway sandwich for Cassandra. Dolvett confronted the girls about the tension between them. Cassandra thought Conda was being rude about the situation. Dolvett proposed a rematch at the last-chance workout. Both agreed to it. It was a classic case of Conda being a sore loser and both of them being in their 20’s. When I found out Conda was a mother, I was disappointed at the way she acted. Cassandra won the rematch at the last-chance workout.
Alison met them for a physical challenge. She informed them that, with Joe’s departure, the Red Team gained one point automatically. Bob and Dolvett were to coach their teams for the water relay. They’d have to pump buckets of water, pass them to one another and melt a block of ice with the prize frozen inside. The Red Team retrieved their prize box first and raced for the finish line. The prize was the video chat with family, one of the most coveted prizes on “The Biggest Loser” ranch. Several members of the Red Team gave their prizes away.
Bob surprised the Aqua Team, who is fighting at home to lose 50 pounds to get back on the ranch. He gave the siblings a taste of the workouts they’ll face if they make it on the ranch.
Cassandra gave her two pounds to Megan and Gail, but neither needed them. Cassandra and Conda were the last to weigh in, giving the Black Team the victory at 5-3. Conda rolled her eyes and had an attitude. Dolvett told her that she’s still in the excuse zone. She claimed that she’d prove him wrong.
Roy had the highest percentage of weight loss, so he was immune from elimination. Nancy and Lauren tied in the elimination by the time they got to the last person. Lauren received the last vote and went home. She’s been quiet on the ranch. At home, she lost a total of 73 pounds and signed up for a half marathon.
This week had more excuses at this point in the game during any past season. The low numbers so far says that the contestants have to get their mentalities in the game. Conda acted childish, accusing Cassandra of cheating. She needs to stop talking and start sweating more. We’ll see if the contestants start shedding excuses as well as pounds next week.
Weigh In Statistics:
Nancy (63) 207 lbs. 205 lbs. 5 lbs. .97 percent (Red)
Megan (21) 248 lbs. 240 lbs. 8 lbs. (+1) 3.63 percent (Black)
Buddy (42) 372 lbs. 363 lbs . 9 lbs. 2.42 percent (Red)
Gail (57) 308 lbs. 302 lbs. (+1) 6 lbs. 2.27 percent (Black)
Kim S. (48) 206 lbs. 203 lbs. 3 lbs. 1.46 percent (Red)
Jeremy (22) 369 lbs. 358 lbs. 11 lbs. 2.98 percent (Black)
Lauren (26) 233 lbs. 230 lbs. 3 lbs. 1.29 percent (Red)
Emily (29) 250 lbs. 244 lbs. 6 lbs. 2.40 percent (Black)
Roy (63) 287 lbs. 278 lbs. 9 lbs. 3.14 percent (Red)
Chris (42) 226 lbs. 222 lbs. 4 lbs. 1.77 percent (Black)
Mark (43) 274 lbs. 266 lbs. 8 lbs. 2.92 percent (Red)
Chism (19) 341 lbs. 332 lbs. 9 lbs. 2.64 percent (Black)
Kim N. (38) 236 lbs. 230 lbs. 6 lbs. 2.54 percent (Red)
Cassandra (25) 220 lbs. 212 lbs. 8 lbs. 3.64 percent (Black)
Conda (24) 278 lbs. 275 lbs. 3 lbs. 1.08 percent (Red)