31 December, 2011

Jeffrey Scott’s – Best of his Blogs 2011

As some of you are probably aware, I run not one, not two, but three blogs. Back in the day I only had one blog, but suddenly felt it was getting confusing with all my Health and Fitness posts mixed with my Science Fiction post. So I decided to launch a separate blog dedicated solely to Fitness. This left the other blog for everything else. However during the next few months I started to do more Doctor Who episode reviews. Because of that, any blog postings of my photography, poetry or other writings quickly got buried. So, I decided to split my blog once more. But I digress - As I did last year I've decided to create a cross-over blog. This will post on all three sites and highlight various postings of each. If you like what you see, please leave a comment.

January
Tegan - V - A reboot.... or something else? (Part 1)
Earlier in the year, my thoughts on the now cancelled series.
Carrot Sticks – Biggest Loser Rewind - S11E01
I start blogging recaps of Biggest Loser Season 11

February
Tegan – Jeffrey Scott's Coffee Klatch
I try my hand at writing a variety blog series.
Carrot Sticks – Fitness Product Review
I review one of the Weight Watchers 'Smart Ones' meals.

March
Tegan - The Adventures of Quisp
Just to do something different, I did a cereal review.
Carrot Sticks
– A-Z Fitness - Zeal
The year before I started a fitness series. This was the final one.

April
Tegan – L.I.N.D.A. spots the Doctor at the Royal Wedding
The Doctor attends the Royal Wedding.
Carrot Sticks - Why Did Rulon Walk Off The Show?
A Biggest Loser Tirade
Jeffrey Scott - And Then…
I attempt a less comical poem.

May
Tegan – Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 33 "The Third Doctor In Review"
Having concluded my reviews of the 3rd Doctor, I give an over-view.
Carrot Sticks – When Jillian Leaves
A poem I wrote dedicated to Jillian
Jeffrey Scott - Bond Live at the Royal Albert Hall
I review the Live DVD.

June
Tegan - Doctor Who Graduation
My niece has a graduation with a Doctor Who theme.
Carrot Sticks – Top 15 Ways To Tell You've Joined A Bad Gym
A few reasons to hate fitness gyms.
Jeffrey Scott - Mitchell Park Domes - Tropical Domes
A photographic set I did of flowers and such.

July
Tegan – Dr. Who (The Early Years) - "And Now A Word From Our Sponsor"
Back in the 70's they were giving away Dr. Who themed prizes in cereal.
Jeffrey Scott - Bristol Renaissance Faire
Photos from my trip back in time.

August
Carrot Sticks - Reasons I'm Disappointed in My Fitness Gym
Another article on the state of gyms. My personal dislikes.
Jeffrey Scott - My Toys As A Writer
Photos of my personal writing devices.

September
Tegan – The Omega Men – Part 1 of 4
A short story I wrote based on Dr.Who and a podcast.
Carrot Sticks – Biggest Loser 12 - Battle of the Ages
A new season of Biggest Loser, here are the contestants.
Jeffrey Scott - Procrastination
A Song Parody I wrote.

October
Tegan – Dr. Who (The Early Years) - Part 51 "The Fourth Doctor In Review"
Having finished 4th Doctor reviews, here's a quick recap.
Jeffrey Scott - Martha Berner: Recording of Brew City Bands

November
Tegan – Sun Boy Explores the 21st Century
I turn a few screenshots from DC Universe Online into a short story.
Carrot Sticks – Biggest Loser S12E09 - What Kind of School Do You Teach?
One of my reviews from Biggest Loser

December
Tegan - Chicago Tardis - Costume Collection (The Companions)
Chicago Tardis Photos
Carrot Sticks – Biggest Loser S12E13 - And the Biggest Loser Is....
A review of the final episode of Biggest Loser Season 13.
Jeffrey Scott - CD Review: Diana Krall - "Steppin Out"
Hoping this'll be a new monthly, musical series.

Keep in mind, this isn't everything from all three blogs, rather, just a sampling. If you enjoy each, why not subscribe and follow? You’re bound to find something you like sooner or later. ;)
Jeffrey Scott

13 December, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E13 - And the Biggest Loser Is....

Once again, the live finale has arrived. But there is only so much to tell. However, Alison does promise a few changes, surprises and a sneak peak into next season. The first surprise is a live performance by Trane, as they do their theme song live. After that, we get a quick recap of the past season and the journeys many of the contestants have been on. Once concluded we are given another surprise. All the former contestants will not be weighing in for the $100,000 at home prize, only the top three.

First, Alison invites out four of the former contestants; Johnny, Becky, Jessica and Vinny.
Johnny

Only top three weigh in.
Johnny Current Weight 231 - 97 Pound Loss "Go for it. I'm 66, I feel 40."
Becky Current Weight 150 - 88 Pound Loss "We have to take care of ourselves."
Jessica Current Weight 174 - 80 Pound Loss "I hate the phrase, 'You have such a pretty face.' Because I know what that means."
Vinny is declared the first of the final three to weigh in.

Alison asks Jessica how her relationship with Ramon is going, to which Jessica says it's going great but there is NOT going to be a wedding or engagement just yet. They are loving life for now.

The next four invited out are Courtney, Bonnie, Sunny & Patrick.
Bonnie Current Weight - 177 - 77 Pound Loss "I'm determined to live a long life for my grand-kids."
Courtney Current Weight 183 - 87 Pound Loss "So much thanks and gratitude for Dolvett."
Sunny Current Weight 171 - 106 Pound Loss "The best gift I could give my family is a long life."
It comes to less than 1% difference between the two, but between Sunny and Patrick, Patrick is the second person to weigh in later for the at home prize.

The next four invited out are Debbie, Mike, Joe and Jennifer. Debbie and Mike are immediately told they are not going to be one of the three.
Debbie Current Weight 206 - 33 Pound Loss "I want to give a special shout out to a friend of mine."
Mike Current Weight 223 - 86 Pound Loss "Age is not a factor. 62 years of age and finished a marathon."
Joe Current Weight 215 - 133 Pound Loss "I'm excited for our {his family} new life together"
Jennifer is selected as the final person in the three who will be weighing in for the secondary prize.

The top 3 for the at-home prize, Patrick, Vinny and Jennifer are brought in to do their weigh in. Patrick is selected to weigh in first.
Patrick Starting Weight 387 - Current Weight 236 - Total Loss 151 - 39.02%
Jennifer Starting Weight 330 - Current Weight 185 - Total Loss 145 - 43.94%
Vinny Starting Weight 426 - Current Weight 242 - Total Loss 184 - 43.19%

Finally it's time to decide who the Biggest Loser is going to be. John gets to decide the order of weigh in and he chooses Ramon first, followed by Antone then himself.

Ramon Beginning Weight 355 - Current Weight 201 -Total Loss 154 - 43.38%

Antone Beginning Weight 447 - Current Weight 245 - Total Loss 202 - 45.19%

John Beginning Weight 445 - Current Weight 225 - Total Loss 220 - 49.44%

John has wanted to win something in his life and he's finally done it. He is officially this seasons Biggest Loser.

Finally, Alison gives a sneak peak at next season and informs us there is going to be an interesting new twist.

Thanks for following my blog this season. Hope to see you all for Season 13!

What did you think of the season finale and the changes they made? Make sure to leave a comment, and check out the preview of next season, and learn what the twist is.

Next Season Of Biggest Loser Starts January 3, 2012
Season Theme - NO EXCUSES

06 December, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E12 - The Marathon

For the most part, this episode of the Biggest Loser was a fluff bit, before next weeks big finale. However there were some interesting things taking place, including a marathon. But before all that, the show begins with each of the contestants returning home. Becky is back in Benton, Antone is in Knoxville, Mesa welcomes back John and Vinny is back home in Nashville. Each are warmly welcomed by friends and family. While working out and visiting with family they get a chance to view a video from themselves as they were before they arrived at the Biggest Loser ranch. The video seems to refocus all their attentions back on their weight loss journey.

Each of the four contestants reunited with the 11 formerly eliminated contestants for the Biggest Loser Marathon. The winner of which will automatically win a spot in the final three, despite being voted out already or not. But there are other prizes. 5th place finisher receives $2,500, 4th place gets $5,000, 3rd place $7,500, 2nd place is good for $10,000. In addition to winning a spot in the finals, the first person to finish takes home $25,000.

However, with knee surgery on the horizon, Bonnie must drop out of the marathon before it begins. About half way into the marathon, Dr. Huizenga makes a medical decision to pull both Vinny at mile 20 and Joe just five miles from the finish. Neither are too pleased to be pulled as they each have the 'heart' to continue. The battle for first place is between Ramon and Courtney, though Ramon ultimatley pulls ahead. He finished the race a few minutes over five hours. Courtney is right behind by a few minutes. Third place goes to John at 5 hours and 15 minutes. Fourth place winner is Jessica at 5:17 and the final prize is awarded to Patrick who finishes in 6 hours and 24 minutes. Next to arrive are Sunny at 6:45 followed by Jennifer. Antone and Becky finish together at 7:15. At 62 years of age, Mike finishes in 10th place running. The final two, Johnny and Debbie are met by Anna one mile from the finish. She walks both of them in, having finished the marathon in 10:41. Everyone celebrates their accomplishment, but Alison reminds them there is still a weigh in.

For the final weigh in, there is a red line instead of a yellow line. The two people who fall below the red line will be automatically eliminated. The two above will be with Ramon in the final three.

Becky - 10 - 5.81%
Vinny - 28 - 8.92%
John - 29 - 9.8%
Antone - 30 - 9.29%

Because of their percentages, John and Antone will be joining Ramon in the final three. The next event is the live finale. Who will win? Who do you want to win? Once again, it's an all male final. Also, who is going to win the 'at home' prize?

15 November, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E09 - What Kind of School Do You Teach?

Alison Sweeney greets the contestants and informs them they are finally going to singles and the yellow line will be greeting them at the weigh in this week. But that isn't what's going to make the week so hard. This week will be five times as hard as they will be competing in a pentathlon. There is going to be five challenges during the week at which point they will all score points. At the end of the week, whoever scores the most points wins immunity, and the person with the least points will have a one pound disadvantage on the scale.

Challenge One - Merit
Each contestants goes into a 'voting booth' and chooses who they think deserves to be the biggest loser, from the most deserving to the least deserving. However, the results of this first challenge are going to be hidden till the end of the week. John realizes this event is more like a popularity contest, just like High School, and he was never popular in High School.

Challenge Two - Survival
For the second challenge, the contestants are brought out to the tennis courts. But there is no net or balls in sight. Instead, at one end of the court each contestant has three pegs sitting on a stand, at the far end are peg covers. When Alison gives the word, they will each run over and grab a cover, run back and cover one of the others pegs. Once all three pegs are covered, the corresponding contestant is out of the competition. The last person with a peg bare, will win the challenge and the most points. Points will the be awarded in order of who was last standing.
The results are: Sunny-7, Becky-6, Antone-5, Bonnie-4, Vinny-3, John-2, Ramon-1,

Challenge Three - Knowledge
7 trivia questions are going to be asked the contestants. If they can answer all 7 correctly, they will win 7 points. If they answer none of the questions right, they will win 0. Becky, being a math teacher hopes there is a question involving math as she'll have an advantage. Bonnie is confident as she's much older and should have more knowledge than the rest. One of the questions is "How many calories must a person cut out daily to lose 1 pound a week?" As the average person knows, one pound equals 3500 calories. So essentially the question is, "What is 3500 divided by 7?" The answer of course is 500 calories. Just about everyone has the correct answer to this math problem, but Becky. Right away Alison asks Becky what kind of school she teaches. Becky admits she's lost her mind.
Results: Antone-6, Vinny-4, Ramon-3, Bonnie-3, Becky-3, John-2, Sunny-1
Total: Antone-11, Becky-9, Sunny-8, Bonnie-7, Vinny-7, John-4, Ramon-4

Challenge Four - Strength & Balance
The next challenge takes place in the pool. Ropes are strung across the length of the pool and the contestants must use the ropes to pull themselves along as quickly as possible while trying to balance on a floatation device. Winner is the quickest person to do so, those who fall off will be judged by how far they go. Bonnie barely gets situated before she immediately falls off.
Results: Sunny 1:24(7), Joe 2:01(6), Vinny 2:08(5), Antone 2:09(4), Becky 2:10 (3), Ramon 2:29(2), Bonnie 2.1m(1)
Total: Antone-15, Sunny-15, Becky-12, Vinny-12, John-10, Bonnie-8, Ramon-6

Challenge Five - Speed
For the final challenge, they will be running another mile, as they did the first day. This time, they are more fit and able to do so without much difficulty, with the exception of Bonnie who only makes half way before the rest finish. To show their support for her, the rest of the contestants run out and walk her in the rest of the way. Points will be awarded according when they finish the mile.
Results: Ramon-7, John-6, Sunny-5, Antone-4, Becky-3, Vinny-2, Bonnie-1
Total: Sunny-20, Antone-19, John-16, Becky-15, Vinny-14, Ramon-13, Bonnie-9

With 20 points, Sunny is currently in first place. But the results of the first challenge have yet to be awarded, and will be done at the weigh in.

Weigh In
First Challenge Results:
Antone-7, Becky-7, Sunny-5, Bonnie-4, Ramon-4, Vinny-4, John-1
Final Results: Antone-26 (immunity), Sunny-25, Becky-22, Vinny-18, John-17, Ramon-17, Bonnie-13 (one pound weight disadvantage).

Antone -9 - "I feel fantastic about 9 pounds"
Sunny - 9 4.17% - "You know I was worried about the Pentathlon"
Vinny - 10 2.9% - "That's three weeks in a row in double digits."
John - 9 2.82% - "Nine is fine."
Ramon - 7 2.5% - "That's what I want, right there."
*YELLOW LINE*
Becky - 4 2.15% - "Four pounds is really not a bad number."
Bonnie -5 (4) - 1.88% - "I just want to say to every body. If you believe you can achieve."

The choice for the night is between Becky and Bonnie, but Bonnie makes things easier when she essentially falls on the sword for Becky. She wouldn't feel right staying on the Biggest Loser ranch, knowing Becky was sent home. She asks for everyone to vote for her and they all comply. By the finale, Bonnie's goal is to weigh 160 pounds.

08 November, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E08 - It's Never Good When You're Here, Alison

Ramon is heartbroken and upset his team helped vote out Jessica. John tries to explain how she was a threat and needed to go. Right away, Vinny comes to Ramon's side and says he hates Johns thinking. Bonnie looks bewildered knowing it was her who 'should' have gone home. Joe add his two cents, but it just makes Ramon madder. He asks to talk to Ramon later, but Ramon is not having it. Joe suddenly realizes they are in a divided house. Ramon realizes this also and knows he can't trust Joe any more. Vinny and Ramon then discuss how Joe may have made the biggest mistake of his game.

Before the trainers go in to talk to their teams, Alison meets them to discuss how things are going to operate for the week. This week each team is going to have only one person represent them at the weigh in. Only their weight is going to count. And the decision of who is going to represent each team will be decided on by the trainers. Bob, who loves the show but hates the game, hates this new twist.

Dolvett is worried because if his team doesn't win, the person he has picked is going to automatically go home. He's torn between picking John or Bonnie. He knows John puts up big numbers on the scale, so he's worried this could be a plateau week. As he ponders who he's going to choose he has a chat with Bonnie. He reminds her the best wegiht lost she's had so far is seven pounds. He challenges her to do better this week. He inspires her by letting her know no one (including herself) expects her to pass that number and he wants her to prove them wrong.

Anna focuses her attention on Sunny who instead of being happy after a big weight loss, isn't very happy. Sunny mentions how tired she is, so Anna hopes she can push her to have another weight loss this week. As she's doing that, Bob is talking with Becky and trying to figure out what driving her. She blames a lot of her weight gain on her father, even though she knows it's truly her own fault. Bob has Becky tell him all the good points about herself. When she's finished, he tells her how glad he is she's on his team.

Another interesting thing takes place at the next challenge, the trainers are going to be able to help their teams. The teams will be playing a sort of 'Top Chef' type game where they are given a set of ingredients and must make a healthy and tasty meal. There will be two guest judges for the contest, Olivia (@BL11Olivia) - the winner of last season's Biggest Loser and Chef Devin Alexander (@ChefDevin), the author of every Biggest Loser cook-book. The prize for winning will be several things. Olivia will sit down with the group, giving them the opportunity to question a former winner. Chef Devin will include the winning teams recipe in her newest Biggest Loser cookbook. The final thing teams win, will be a one pound weight advantage.

Before the challenge begins, the teams are given five minutes to discus what they are going to work on. After which, the teams set out immediately, given 30 minutes to come up with a winning dish. Bob helps the team as they go 'shopping' for the ingredients they are going to use. Antone is excited, as this is a great challenge for him. He's been in the restaurant business for the past five years so he thinks this is going to be an easy task. All being from the South, their dish is going to be a 'Slimmer, Summer Slaw'.

The blue team are worried, as none of them are great at cooking. They ultimately decide to work on a 'No mess, Tex Mex lettuce fajitas with chicken'. Sunny is happy to help work on a low calorie version of a Tex Mex they would normally make with beef with no trimmed fat.

Dolvett and his team are making a 'London Bridge' with asparagus tips. Dolvett explains the name, it's a dish "bridging the gap between bad eating and good eating". Having worked in the kitchen since he was five years old, Dolvett is very excited. After the last ten minutes start to tick away, he's worried they may not have cooked the meat long enough. Bonnie isn't so certain either but knows her son and grandson likes to eat their meat as raw as theirs are.

Once the time has drawn out, Alison takes the food out to the judges. There is a monitor in the kitchen which will allow the teams to see the reaction of the judges as they try each dish. They start with the 'London Bridge' and Olivia loves the colors but Devin is unimpressed with how rare it is. Olivia takes a closer listen to the plaste and thinks she can hear the meat still moving. From the kitchen, Vinny exclaims "♫London Bridge is Falling Down.♪" In the end, Olivia thinks the sweet potatoes with ginger are the star of the plate.
Calories - 440 / Fat - 9g

Judges take a look at the Tex Mex next. Devin likes how they seasoned the chicken directly, before cooking. Something some people fail to do. She also likes the grilled tortilla chips, giving them extra points. Both judges are wowed by the size of the plate for the limited calories.
Calories - 300 / Fat - 11g

The final entrée is the black teams Slimmer Summer Slaw with Pork Medallions. Olivia likes how it looks right away, thinking it does not look like diet food. Devin thinks they cooked the pork perfectly, but does not like the cranberry chutney and thinks it does not compliment the 'Asian Slaw' well enough.
Calories -210 / Fat - 7g

Taking into account, the taste, the calories and the effectiveness as a Biggest Loser themed dish, the judges unanimously decide on a winner. Olivia says it was a hard decision, but declares the Slimmer Summer Slaw the winner, Bob's black team wins again. The next day Olivia sits down for lunch with the black team and has a special prize for them. She's contacted their family and they each have a special scrap-book prepared for them to help encourage them.

A few of the contestants next meet with Dr. Huizenga who has brought in David Linden, a brain scientist from 'John Hopkins'. He studies and has a video prepared which explains how food affects the pleasure center of the brain. The video illustrates how a lean person when seeing or smelling food has a nominal release of a neurotransmitter Dopamine, triggering a slight desire for the food item. But an obese person has a much bigger release, triggering a larger craving for the food. But when the lean person eats the food item, the pleasure center gets a strong response from Dopamine and the obese person gets a smaller reaction, which drives him to eat more of the food.

Weigh in.
Earlier in the episode, Alison gave the trainers the job of picking only one person to represent each team. Now has come the time for each of them to do so. Bob chooses Becky,
Anna chooses Joe and Dolvett goes with John.

Red Team
Bonnie - 8 - 3.62% - "Becky, I'm in the teens!"
John - 10 - 3.04% - "I'm not happy at all. I completely let the red team down. In my eyes, I have failed."
Total - 3.04%

Black Team
Antone - 5 - 1.42% - "Who get's a five when you're six pounds away from 100?"
Vinny - 10 - 2.82% - "That's huge, I feel great."
Becky - 6 - 3.65% - "It kinda seemed like a 'Mission Impossible' for the black team but you know the black team has a few good men and one good woman."
Total - 3.65%* With the one pound advantage won earlier in the episode.

Blue Team
Sunny - 2 - .92% - "I'm glad Anna didn't choose me."
Ramon - 6 - 2.10% - "I'm glad she didn't pick me."
Joe - 2 - .74% - "I don't know what happened. I was doing my exercises and getting my burn."
Total - .74%

Vinny - Joe - Reason: Had to write down Joe's name.
Bonnie - Joe - Reason: Close to Sunny and "Us girls are trying to stick together".
Antone - Joe - Reason: Question of loyalty. Joe being leader of blue team deserves to go home.

Joe is floored by Antone's vote and hurt Vinny voted for him, despite their friendship. Since beginning the Biggest Loser, Joe has gone from 348 to 230 pounds. He can now ride the rollar coaster with his daughter at Dollywood.

"I don't go home a different man, I go home a better man."

01 November, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E07 - Would You Like Cheese With Your Whine?

Piggy-backing from last weeks episode, Alison tells the contestants to wear the same shirts they did the first week, before the teams were chosen. The contestants are freaking out expecting a team shake up. Meeting Alison the next day, the group are surprised to see three flags representing the three trainers. Immediately Alison has everyone line up according to age. She has the three on the far left step aside and the three on the far right step aside. Contestants are giddy to realize the teams have not been broken up that much, till Alison drops the bomb these are NOT the new teams. They will be grouped this way for the next challenge only, which will determine the makeup of the new teams. Each new group is given three dishes, a favorite dish of each individual. The person who comes the closes to guessing the calories in all three dishes gets to chose which trainer they want. The next person then picks one of the two remaining trainers and the person furthest off, gets whatever trainer is left. None of the contestants are very happy about the teams being mixed up.

The first group is Ramon, Jessica and Vinny. Jessica's dinner is revealed to be Chicken Caesar Salad with extra Caesar dressing and lots of bread. Ramon's meal is 12 tacos and 2 burritos. Vinny's meal of choice is a country breakfast consisting of eggs, bacon, hash-browns and featuring chocolate gravy and biscuits. Ramon has 1747 calories in his meal, Jessica's meal has 2249 calories and Vinny a total of 3100; for a grand total of 7096. Jessica guesses 6200 for all three, Ramon 2570 and Vinny 9000. With Jessica guessing the closest, she picks Dolvett. Vinny is next and chooses Bob, leaving Anna for Ramon. Ramon is less than pleased. He says he doesn't want to be with Anna, he doesn't even want to speak to her, and now he has to.

The next group is Antone, Sunny and John. Antone's meal is a large cheeseburger and fries. John has three double patty cheeseburger, though slightly altered because he never wanted the fast food cashier to realize they were all for him. Sunny's meal is salsa and chips followed by two cheese enchiladas with Spanish rice and refried beans. Antone's meal contains 2165 calories, John's has 2512 and Sunny a whopping 4162 for a total on the table of 8839 calories. Antone guesses 7000 for the table, Sunny figures 6500 and John comes up with 5720. Antone comes the closest and picks Bob, Sunny is second closest and decides to go with Anna, despite knowing Dolvett is a great guy and knows how to motivate his team. But Sunny realizes Anna has "a great body" and must definitely know how to keep it that way. No say in the matter, John is now on Dolvett's team.

The last group is starts off with a reveal of a large pepperoni pizza as Becky's favorite meal. She says never having another piece of pizza is unrealistic but she now knows more about portion control and eating an entire pizza is now out of the question. Bonnie has two veal cutlets with baked mac-n-cheese. Joe has an Italian sampler meal complete with spaghetti, meatballs, lasagna Caesar salad and garlic bread. John admits this feast was at some times consumed on a weekly basis. Bonnie's meal totals 1793, Becky 2640 and Joe 2975. The grand total of calories for the older team is 7408. Joe guesses 8580 for the total calories, Becky goes with 6850 and Bonnie decides on 9114. Becky comes the closest and decides to start training with Bob. Joe is next and decides to try Anna, leaving Bonnie to train with Dolvett. Though she's received her trainer last, she seems to be the happiest with her new trainer. Everyone else is busy complaining.

The new teams:
Bob (Black) Vinny, Antone, Becky
Dolvett (Red) Jessica, John, Bonnie
Anna (Blue) Ramon, Sunny, Joe

Anna decides to visit her new blue team. Ramon is upset with her for calling him out while still on the scale. He thinks she should have taken him aside if she had something to say. Anna explains herself but Ramon still feels she handled the situation wrong and assures her he's focused on his own health and not solely on Jessica. Joe talks about how upset he is he's no longer with Bob and Anna is shocked they are so hung up on the new situation. She tries to explain to her new team they need to be less reliant on the trainers and more focused on what they can do, as the trainers are only giving them direction, they are doing the work. Before coming to the ranch, they were addicted to food and now they seem to be addicted to their favorite trainer. Joe is still moping so Anna says it's like someone took his favorite toy away and needs to start acting like a man and get tough and stop crying. Joe does not take kindly to the comparison. Anna finally leaves and tensions couldn't be higher.

While that's going on, Bob is in the gym with his new team, already training. As the red team enters, John breaks down and hugs Bob telling him he's going to miss him. Bob reassures him things are going to be fine. Finally the blue team show up, each discussing how much they actually hate tennis. They see Anna is already waiting for them outside the gym.

In-between workouts with the trainers, Alison has a challenge for all three new teams. In the "Slip N Slide" challenge, teams send one person at a time down a giant lawn, water slide. At the end of the slide they pick up a cube with lettering on it. The lettering from all cubes spell out one of three prizes. The first team to slide down, pick up a letter and run back uphill and correctly spell out whichever prize they are shooting for, will win that prize. The prizes are immunity for one team member, a weight advantage or money. The blue team immediately notice the word 'immunity' is forming one on side of the cubes and start shooting for that prize. The red team notice a dollar sign and opt to shoot for the money prize. It's a close race at the end as the blue team are trying to unscramble the immunity prize as Antone is running back up with the last piece for their prize. But the blue team finally solve the problem and win the prize. But the immunity prize is good for only one person on the team. They decide the easiest way to decide who to give the prize to is by playing 'Rock / Paper / Scissors'. Joe beats Ramon and Sunny and now has immunity at this weeks weigh-in.

Weigh-In:
Red Team
Bonnie - 7 "I'm happy world, I'm thrilled to death."
Jessica - 8 "I feel pretty good about losing eight pounds."
John - 15 "Very happy with that, very happy. Even happy enough for a little silent dance party." Does a dance.
Total 30 - 3.84%

Black Team
Vinny - 12 "It's the highest number I've got since the first week."
Becky - 11 "I'm almost speechless. I have made it to wonderland."
Antone - 16 "It feels good, it feels real good."
Total 39 - 4.15%



Blue Team
Sunny - 9 "Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. It's my destiny to be with Anna."
Ramon - 16 "Anna, little Miss Blondie kicking my butt. I love it."
Joe - 15 "I've gotta thank Anna. She absolutely killed us this week in the gym."
Total 40 - 4.91%

The lowest percentage of weight loss is the red team and John is the biggest loser on his team so the targets this week will be either Jessica or Bonnie. Ramon is very worried as he doesn't want to lose the love of his life.

Voting:
Ramon - Bonnie - Reason: Not voting for the woman he's going to pend the rest of his life with.
Becky - Jessica - Reason: Bonnie did not vote for Becky when she could have.
Vinny - Bonnie - Reason: Knows she's strong enough to do it at home.
Antone - Jessica - Reason: Look at what he sees and has seen Bonnie open up.
Sunny - Jessica - Reason: Come marathon time, Jessica will take it. Bonnie is just starting her journey.
Joe - Jessica - Reason: Bonnie has blossomed this week, but voting whats best for the team.

Ramon hates what has happened, but Jessica says she holds no hard feelings and she'll see everyone in a few week. Since her journey began at the ranch she's gone from weighing 254 pounds to 185. She is determined to win the marathon and earn a spot as a finalist.

26 October, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E06 - Triangle of Death

The most recent episode of Biggest Loser begins with a horrifically transformed kitchen and Alison dressed as the bride of Frankenstein (Or rather Frankenstein's monster, but I'm splitting hairs here). She relates some interesting facts; there are 20 million pounds of candy corn sold every year and the average person eats about 24 pounds of candy a year. Of course these facts are related to a challenge / temptation for the week. If all three teams can lose a combined total of a 100 pounds, everyone will be guaranteed immunity for one more week. However, the trick to this challenge is a pot of candy hanging in the kitchen weighing 10 pounds. For each pound of candy eaten, they will receive a one pound advantage at weight in; up to ten pounds. Essentially, all teams are working as one. The trainers will still be available, and will be working with whomever they wish.

The red team explains to Dolvett how the week is going to work. Dolvett is excited and claims he's been waiting for this. There are a few people he wants to get his hands on.

Back in the kitchen, Joe and Sunny are looking at the candy in the pot. Joe explains him and Candy have recently 'broken up' but they've had some good times. Sunny decides to weigh a pound of the candy just to see how much it is. Joe proposes she eat one pound of candy and he can eat the other nine. She admits they don't need it and begins walking away slyly as Joe notices the pound of candy she weighed out is now missing. Of course, she's just messing with him.

Cue the gym, and the trainers are taking the opportunity to work with new people. Dolvett works with Antone, John and Joe as Bob works on Bonnie, Becky, Vinny and Ramon. Bob thinks Bonnie has been coddled and really wants to challenge her. Unlike Anna, she seems to take well to his approach. Finally, Anna is working with Sunny, Jessica and Jennifer. As they are working out by lying on the ground and using ankle weights, Anna detects Jennifer is too attached to Bob and hopes she will work as hard with the other trainers. As the day goes on, others begin to notice Jennifer is also pinning after Bob's attention.

As Dolvett works with John, he tries to get him to open up. Despite having his wife and two adopted children, he talks about the rough times he's had in recent years. They lost their house and had a failed adoption. What happened was after giving all their money to an adoption agency, it went bankrupt. On top of that, his father recently died. How did John deal with all this? Instead of expressing his emotions, he's bottled them up and turned to food. Dolvett then shares a few similarities between the both of them. Like John, he's a middle child and always felt like a peace maker, much like John. Also, Dolvett was adopted along with three others. So he can relate to most of what John's feeling. Dolvett encourages him to deal with problems and not hold everything in. Holding things in just creates more problems.

During a product placement moment for Jennie-O Turkey Sausage, Jessica, Ramon and Vinny are in the kitchen. Jessica gives Vinny a few links and he decides to eat them while being tempted. He sits in front of the pot of candy and does sit ups as he eats. Everyone has a big laugh about this, especially Ramon and Jessica who are showing signs up a budding relationship.

The challenge for the week can result in a 5 or 10 pound advantage. Outside is a maze filled with apples. In order to get a 5 pound weight advantage they need to collect 150 pounds worth of apples. If they can collect 200 pounds of apples they will get the 10 pound advantage. The trick is, there is a time limit and if anyone is still in the maze after the time has run out, they will receive a 5 pound disadvantage. Jennifer compares the collection of apples to an Easter Egg hunt. Within a few minutes of the challenge, they win the 5 pound advantage. Everyone opts to keep searching for more apple. With one minute left, they have still not made the 200 pounds, but very close. Instead of waiting, they decide to go back in and see if they can finish collecting the 200 pounds. The clock ticks down to 10 seconds and there are still a few people in the maze trying to collect apples. Everyone but Joe are finally out of the maze as the last few seconds tick down. Editing certainly makes it look as if they are going to lose the challenge but returning from commercial break shows Alison counts down to one as Joe runs out, just in time. The apples weigh over 200 pounds so they have won the 10 pound weight advantage at the weigh in.

When Bob stops by, the teams decide to play a dirty trick on Bob. They hide all the candy from the pot and tell him the 10 pound advantage they have is from eating all the candy. Joe realizes this is probably a bad idea stating "This is going to end ugly", but the group decide to do it anyway. After they tell Bob, he seriously looses it. He tells them that's pathetic and he hates 'that way of thinking' (eating candy to gain the weight advantage), and finds it disgusting. They finally tell him the truth, but he's still not amused.

As the group works in the gym once more, only Bob is there to train everyone. He is about to put them through one of his circuits, but tells them after his workout they will be moving to the tennis court where Anna is going to put them through her cardio tennis training. Once she's through with the group, they will move on to Dolvett. While Bob works the teams, he concentrates on Bonnie once again and has her both crying and laughing; she seems to be really drawn to his personality. Sunny realizes working with all three trainers is not going to be easy and calls them the 'Triangle of Death'. As Anna takes the court she has the contestants continually moving their feet as they smack tennis balls around as the sun beats down on them. Dolvett is last but not least and has designed a circuit he calls 'Pure Energy'. He's jazzed to give the best work out they've ever received. He wants the opportunity to touch the people he hasn't touched yet. Meanwhile, Jennifer claims she's 'spent', and others perceive she's not trying her hardest with any of the trainers outside of Bob. Vinny especially notices this, but opts not to say anything. Once the workout is done, Dolvett encourages them to hug themselves and think about what motivates each of them as it will fuel them. He yells out "Hard Work" and the group shout back, "Dedication". As he shouts "Dedication", they yell back "Hard Work". Most of the group do so loud and proud, but again Vinny thinks Jennifer is not as dedicated as the rest are; in fact she's actually crying.

Just before the last chance workout, Bob decides to have his own fun with candy. He brings Vinny, Sunny and Joe outside to show them just how funny candy can be. In a wheelbarrow full of candy, he has Sunny sitting while Joe and Vinny struggle to push her up a hill to where Bob is waiting.

It's time for the last chance workout, but before moving to the gym, Bob, Dolvett & Anna show up dressed as the Three Musketeers. As the theme for the week has been all for one and one for all, they decided to dress the part. As they are about to move to the gym, Bob tells everyone to grab buckets of candy as they will be part of their work out. Sure enough, Anna has the groups using the buckets of candy as dumbbells. As that's going on Bob has Antone climb on Jessica's back as Joe climbs on Becky's back. Antone is afraid of hurting Jessica but the girls agree they shouldn't be treated any differently. Once Bob is finished with Jessica, Anna decides to spend some time with her. She has Jessica explain how she gained her weight and Jessica admits she was in a six year relationship where she 'lost herself'. Because of this she began to feel ugly and fat. Suddenly Anna changes the topic and asks Jessica about her relationship with Ramon. This shocks Jessica, especially when Anna continues to warn her of not letting the relationship distract her from her fitness goals.



Weigh-In

Black Team

John -10 - "I didn't come to make or break records...I came to get healthy."
Antone -8 - "I feel like I fell short...but eight pounds is respectable."
Joe -8 - "I want to be biggest loser because I want immunity."
Sunny +5 - "No more feeling safe. I have to give everything I've got if I want to stay in this house."
Jennifer -4 - "I know everyone thinks I'm dependent on Bob, but at this point I am. He knows how to push me and I haven't really been with him in a couple weeks."

Blue Team
Bonnie -1 - "One? That's a real shocker."
Becky -1 - "It's incredibly disappointing."

Red Team
Vinny -5 - "I wonder if it's got something to do with the full moon."
Jessica -4 - "I'm happy."
Ramon -2 - "It seems like something new.... is happening with my body... I feel like I can come in here and do everything all day long."

Not having lost the 90 pounds needed to keep everyone safe. Someone will be sent home. Before they leave to deliberate who it'll be, Anna has some advice for Ramon and Jessica. She reminds the love birds it's not only in the gym they have to focus, they also have to keep attentive to what they do in the house, how much sleep they are getting and what they are eating. Jessica is upset with the advice and says just because they've been 'outed' as a couple, it doesn't mean the small weight loss between her and Ramon is a reflection of the relationship. Ramon see's Anna's point but still disagrees with how she brought it up while he's still on the scale. Alison finally sends everyone away, reminding them John in the biggest loser of the week and therefore immune from being voted out.

While everyone is apologizing for doing bad at this weigh in and promising to do better, Jennifer decides to speak to the group and apologizes for putting up 'walls'. She realizes she has a lot to work on. Vinny finally speaks up and says maybe she's not working well with the other trainers because she's not letting them help her, only Bob. He's also upset she had a silent look on her face when Dolvett was trying to motivate them earlier. She claims she was but Vinny storms out and calls her a liar. When Jennifer asks the others how they feel, everyone is silent. Joe thinks Jennifer's attitude was not 'one for all' and she's only brought tension to the group.

The Vote:
Vinny - Jennifer - Reason: She needs to discover her demons at home.
Jessica - Jennifer - Reason: I've come to change my life and not let other peopoe affect me.
Ramon - Jennifer - Reason: It's time to clean up the atmosphere, clean up the house. I can not be surrounded by negativity any more.
Jennifer - Ramon - Reason: He can pull big numbers.
John - Ramon - Reason: I know this person can do anything.
Joe - Jennifer - Reason: I need to base this decision on what's best for me.
Antone - Jennifer - Reason: Wants a clean conscious and surprised she told Bob she was an outsider. She's become a major distraction.
Sunny - Jennifer - Reason: In order to have a more cohesive team and less stressful house.
Bonnie and Becky's votes unrevealed.

Despite being voted out, Jennifer knows she can do this, even with her knee injury. But she admits there are things about herself that didn't mesh with others contestants.
Starting Weight: 330 - Current Weight: 228

21 October, 2011

"The Biggest Loser" Tweets of the Week, Season 12 Week 5 edition

This is going to be an interesting blog entry for several reasons.
1.) I'm back dating this to October.
2.) This was originally posted to someone else's blog.
3.) I only contributed to this post, I didn't write it.
4.) I have O.C.D.
Essentially what happened is I was invited by a twitter pal of mine (@theblblog - a.k.a Jennifer Wielgus) to guest blog an entry. I, of course, jumped at the chance. What can I say? More exposure is more exposure. And I can use all the exposure I can get. So that's the back story. Following is the article as it appeared on Phillyburbs.com.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

On this week's episode of "The Biggest Loser," Sunny enjoyed a luxury usually reserved for celebrities and other richie-rich brats: an at-home trainer.

Honestly, even if I had bank, I don't think I'd ever want my trainer coming over, because then he'd see all the pictures of himself in the giant collage on my wall. (Just call me Crazy Jen Davola.)

Bob wasn't exactly a delightful house guest. Or dinner guest, for that matter. In fact, after I pointed out his poo-pooing of the menu selections at Rudy's Country Store & BBQ, where Sunny's family took him to eat, the restaurant contacted me to say, "We do have lean meat, y'all!"

I of all people can dig that. Lean + meat = sweet Paleo dreams.

But back to the whole Guest From Hell bit. I invited Twitter pal and fellow blogger Jeffrey Scott to come into my house this week and dissect some #BL12 tweets. His (mostly unedited) contribution appears (in italics) below my usual shenanigans, because I think you should always make visitors sleep in the basement. Or the barn. Where they can only sleep after they shovel some sh*& and lose 14 pounds!

deekcampbell: #BL12. I actually want Bonnie to stay so I can see her flip out on Anna. Or, even better, one of the male trainers should have a go at her. Editor's note: Something tells me she's not their type.

garthygurl: #BL12 best part of watching BL at the gym -- didn't have to hear Bonnie whine -- YAY ME! Editor's note: Gloat much?

amandatyson: True story: Bonnie from #BL12 walked in on me in the bathroom by accident at our sleep test during finals week hahahaha oh bon bon. Editor's note: OMG, you totally should have blown the whistle on that bathroom creeper! We might have had Dimples this season instead of Blanche Du-Blah!

Amanda would want me to Be Kind. So I'll take that comment back. ...At least until Tuesday.

HealthyLGalJail: Whoa...now @Antoine_Dove ... you know that is not your best. You should have done the farm last chance workout! ; ) #BL12 Editor's note: I adore you and your genius Twitter-Jail, Plan-B account, but I have to tack some extra time onto your sentence for the name fail. I believe you wanted...

JayneTransforms: Don't bob your head in faux disappointment, @Antone_Davis...we know sandbagging when we see it. #BL12 Editor's note: Well well. It looks like Bonnie's got company on the shiz list! A lot of it...

Tradledee85: You all suck. #BiggestLoser #BL12 Editor's note: All right! A little levity, someone, please?

its_gail: @TheBLblog Bob farting would be cute -- admit it. #BL12 Editor's note: I hereby place you on Official Fart Watch. Or should I say, Listen?

HealthyLoserGal: "The girls" lol RT @TheBLblog: Has anyone named a body part? let's all share, in the spirit of @BIGGVINNYMACK! #dolvettcanttakeourfunny #BL12 Editor's note: Somebody got bored (and lonely?) in the clink! That's OK. Your girls, your biz.

anitx: Riding @MyTrainerBob is on my bucket list....I mean a mechanical bull! #BL12 Editor's note: Um, we're going to turn this over to Jeffrey before things get too wet and wild.

(Walks down to the basement). You're on, Jeffrey! ...HEY! I didn't tell you you could play with my Superjock toy! And why is a picture missing from my trainer collage?

Just kidding. We're cool! So, I understand you want to open with a "Price is Right" joke?

@FosterFitness: I can’t wait for them to spin the Big Wheel! #BL12 Jeffrey's Note: And don’t forget to have your pets spayed or neutered.

@biggestloserlvr: 60+ women seem immune to blonde Russian’s charms. #BL12

@Erinxlovelove: "Bonnie, are you trying to resist me?" "Anna, are you trying to seduce me?" #BL12 Jeffrey’s Note: Anna WAS pretty close to Bonnie, but that’s part of her charm. (see @biggestloserlvr's comment)

@RunonAwesome: People are watching you because Bob Harper is standing right frickin' there with a bunch of cameras. #justsayin #BL12 Jeffrey's Note: Maybe Sunny thinks the world revolves around her.

@Mama_Angelou: So...can #Cecil be counted as a member of the #RedTeam and get kicked out for the week so the other members can stay? #BL12 Jeffrey's Note: Now THAT would be a twist. And wouldn’t it be awesome to watch Cecil run the marathon at the end?

Of course what would any Biggest Loser Tweet recap be without a few ridiculously obvious statements?

@TheBLBlog: Anna has assumed Cara's overstate-the-obvious role this season. #BL12 Jeffrey’s Note: You thought you'd slip by unscathed? But your comment about the obvious is far from the most obvious. I give you the first runner-up…

@kimberrymuffin: Bonnie, please. Anna is doing what she’s there to do! #BL12 Jeffrey’s Note: Or more likely, Anna is ‘trying’ to do what she's there to do. So who wins first prize for the most obvious statement made thus far?

@aubreykrol: Honestly, it doesn’t surprise me that Bob's team is winning. He’s been there the longest and knows how life on the ranch works. #BL12 Jeffrey's Note: Fair enough.

But who would I choose as TOTW?

@stacigway: She's fallen and she can’t get up. #BL12 Jeffrey’s Note: Not only do I love a good 80s reference and a Bonnie pun, but I was thinking the same thing before I saw this tweet. And besides, us cheese-heads have to stick together.

Well, I must say, it's been fun visiting. Thanks to Jennifer for having me visit this week, but it’s time to return back from whence I came. au revoir! PS – Pardon my French.

Whew! O.K., it's Jen again, and I'm trying REALLY hard not to make a comment about some OTHER things Jeffrey needs to be pardoned for. But you're supposed to be kind to your guests -- right, Amanda?

Next time one of you comes in to help with Tweets of the Week, maybe I'll offer you a cot in the kitchen. And let you eat some of my...ummmm, no. No. My meat is all mine!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Once again, my thanks to Jen for including me. I'll be sure to repay the favor some day. (Though I'm uncertain if she'd consider that a threat).

Originally Posted: Friday, October 21, 2011 7:00 am |
By Jen Wielgus - PhillyBurbs

18 October, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E05 - Cheerleaders Living In Your House

Things start off quickly this episode as Alison brings everyone outside for a game which is going to determine who is going to go home for the entire week. It's not an elimination, but a prize. The winner of the game will get to go home, and bring their trainer with them. Additionally, they will win immunity for the week but only their weight loss will count this week for the entire team. Outside is a giant 'Plinko' board with slots at the bottom for each contestant to put their name. All contestants chosen a slot in turn order determined by total weight loss percentage so far on the ranch. John goes first and thinks the prize isn't so much of one. He'd hate to go home and be distracted by his family. Bonnie is the last to go. Alison releases the chip and it lands in Sunny's slot. Bob is surprised to see how excited Sunny is. He then tells her she's not going on a vacation and if he had his way she wouldn't see any of her family.

Before Sunny leaves, Bob has a chat with the black team and discovers some of the team are uneasy about Sunny going home. John and Jennifer are visibly upset. Bob determines John's more upset by Sunny having all the power this week and he's understandably upset.

With Bob gone, trainers Anna and Dolvett take control of the gym. Anna does her best to encourage both Becky and Bonnie. Meanwhile, Dolvett is upset they have never won a single weigh-in and is determined to win this week. He pushes, yells and encourages each contestant. This week he focuses on Vinny and tells him his weight loss is not enough and could be better. He thinks Vinny is spending too much time joking around and not getting serious. Back with Anna, she's having resistance from Bonnie who seems to resent her. Anna tries to get 'inside' her head and figure out why she's not motivated but Bonnie is offended by her approach. Bonnie's motivation couldn't be lower.

With Sunny home, Bob has not received his wish because she's spending much time with family. However, she's not laying back and is no longer holding herself back. She apologizes to her family for the countless number of times, despite their pressure to join in on family activities, she's declined. Bob is surprised to find how much support she actually has at home. He likens her family to cheerleaders in her own house. He then takes Sunny to the gym and pushes her more than he's ever done before. Exhausted and fallen to the ground, Bob reminds Sunny how much she was dancing and jumping around when she won the prize - and this is her prize.

The red team is determined to win the next challenge. Alison reminds the teams how some people at home feel the same way they did when they first came to the ranch, overweight and overwhelmed. Which is what the next challenge is going to be like. At one end of the course, each team has a trough filled with orange soda. Each person on the team dips two awkward glasses in the trough and must navigate through a maze of 'bungee cords' to a cylinder at the far end of the course. The first team to fill the cylinder past a line wins the prize; the ability to send one loved one from home to the Biggest Loser Fitness Ridge. The game begins, but it's not long before Bonnie falls to the ground as she cries and moans. Everyone is concerned for her but she finally gets up and claims to be determined to help Becky win. Unfortunately, despite only having to fill half their cylinder, it's neck and neck between Black and Blue teams. In the end, red team comes together and finally wins their first challenge.

Before heading back to the ranch, Sunny's family takes vegetarian Bob to a BBQ. He finds it difficult to find anything for himself to eat, but does take the opportunity to order for the entire family. He shows how they can go to a BBQ, (providing it's not every night), and choose lean meats. He does however allow an order of ribs for the family to enjoy as he munches on his corn on the cob. After dinner, Sunny has a surprise for Bob. Bob admits he doesn't like surprises from his contestants especially when he finds out the surprise is a turn on a mechanical bull. Of course Bob rides it like a pro.

Back at the ranch, the black team continues to feel splintered and concern is high for how well Sunny is going to do. Without Bob helping them, they feel lost and Red team thinks they are going to win because Sunny is a push-over and will make poor choices with her family.

Red team is excited to tell Dolvett of their first win. He's excited but still thinks they are playing around too much and not serious. He's then shocked and very offended to find out Vinny has nicknamed his stomach 'Cecil' and is continuing to joke around about it. Dolvett once more says how much he thinks Vinny isn't taking things seriously. He says people with cancer don't name and joke around about their cancer, and Vinny's weight could be just as deadly. In the gym, Dolvett pushes Vinny as hard as he can and tells him the joking around is over and he needs to finally get serious. He pushes Vinny to his max, but still doesn't ignore the rest of the red team.

In the pool, Anna is trying to train the blue team. However, Bonnie is resisting all her attempts. Anna continues to work with Bonnie and encourage her, but Bonnie claims there is something about Anna she just doesn't like. As much as Anna tries to concentrate and help Bonnie, it's to no avail. Bonnie just won't have it. Bonnie thinks Anna praises Becky to much.

Red Team
Vinny -10 "I am done with the jokes and Cecil."
Jessica -6
Ramon -7
Courtney -6
Total 29 - 2.52%

Blue Team
Bonnie -4 "This is good, this is good."
Becky -8 "I worked hard for those eight pounds, I deserve those eight pounds, and by the grace of God I am worthy of those eight pounds."
Total 12 - 2.70%

Black Team
John -12
Jennifer -8
Joe -7
Antone -4
Sunny -14 "Are you kidding me?"
Total 45 (14)- 5.81%

Jessica votes for Courtney - Reason: Medical standpoint.
Courtney votes for Vinny - Reason: Lowest weight loss percentage.
Vinny votes for Courtney - Reason: Ramon is best friend.
Ramon votes for Courtney - Reason: Voted out best friend Patrick and won't vote out another.

Courtney has gone from 270 lbs to 205 currently. She hopes to travel the world and inspire others.

11 October, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E04 - Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

Having just lost Patrick, Dolvett starts the show off consoling the red group. Most are crying and complaining they should have done more to save Patrick. Dolvett take the opportunity to remind everyone they did good and should not feel bad for their respective weight losses. "Be proud of your weight loss", he tells them.

Bob is next to talk to his team, but its on a much happier note. Hannah from the previous season of Biggest Loser is stopping by to help encourage the black team. When the black team realizes how much she has lost, they almost wonder how she could have ever gotten as big as she was. "I was comfortable being in that 'fat suit'", she tells them. This helps them realize once she got tired of the 'fat suit', she was able to lose all her weight, and they can too.

The black team isn't the only one who has motivation stopping over for a visit. Adam from season 10 comes to visit Dolvett's red team. With his encouragement they are now ready to tackle a hike, with a twist. Dolvett wants to teach them how far they have come and how to be team players. The hike is five miles and as they are going they must bring along a 50 pound weight. Ramon decides to take the weight first stating, "I am a team player to the max, but I also want to be a team leader." To try and stress his ability to be team leader, he opts to take the weight the entire time, despite being unable to set it down. But as optimistic as he is, Courtney is anything but. She relates to Dolvett she doesn't want to hate herself. It's words he picks up on immediately and he helps her to realize the importance of never saying anything so negative. He does his bit to encourage her, but it's a battle likely to take some time to resolve.

Still hanging with the black team, Hannah decides to do a bit of product placement and introduces a recipe for Jennie-O Turkey Stuffed Peppers. The recipe can be found on the NBC site by clicking the link above.

The final guest of this episode is Marci from season 11. She's here for the blue team and before working out with them encourages them by saying "I don't care what they say, we are not old." The rest of the team agree and begin their workout on the beach with Marci and Anna leading them alone. What's Marci's encouragement for the older blue team? "I want them to think, 'why are they here today', why did they come to the biggest loser ranch in the first place. And what are they looking for?" The work out on the beach is exhausting, but the entire team is happier for it.

Once again, focus is shifted back to the black team, and Hannah is still with them working out. She's impressed by the gym and honored to know her poster is hanging on the wall motivating them each day. As Bob continues to motivate his team he decides to give them information he feels will come in handy. "I don't want you to think that your going to live this life that you can't have. All that food that you love, whatever it is; ice cream, pizza, whatever. Because you can have them. Here's the thing, that food that got you in this house is not taboo anymore. You don't have to eat it in secret. But there's a time and a place for it. When you take the mystery out of food, that food no longer has the power." Truer words were never spoken. It's all about knowing your limitations and eating in moderation.

After the little chat from before, Dolvett decides to spend a little time with Courtney. He has learned she loves sports so he tries to kick-start her love for playing the sports that she loves, by taking her to the basketball court. She admits she used to love playing basketball but was ashamed she as always the biggest on the team and that she finally gave up. Once again, Dolvett is shocked by her choice of words. "I hate that you gave up and I hate that you used those words." Giving her a basketball, he encourages her to make a few baskets. After a few air-balls, she finally hits her stride and suddenly she's practically playing one-on-one with Dolvett. It seems she's finally found her mojo.

Challenge time comes and the teams must form a line and pass a box between from one end of the course to the other, through all sorts of crazy weather including wind, rain and snow. But what's in the box? Letters from home! The winning team of this line box challenge gets to read letters from home. Jennifer is still on crutches because of her knee so is unable to compete, but will get to read her letter from home if her team wins. As soon as the race begins, it's clear the winner will be either the red or black teams. Being older and only three members, the blue team is quickly left in the dust. The red team is first to the snow area but the black team is right behind them. By the time the teams make it to the wind and rain sections, the black team has passed the red. The last leg of the course is a steep climb which slows the black team, but not enough for red team to catch them. The red team is right behind them but the blue team is still on the course, still a few sections back. Cue the cheesy music and montage of the blue team finally making it to the end. They are tired, exhausted and crying over the fact they will not receive letters from home. It's then Alison admits the winner gets to read letters from home, but so does everyone else. The real prize for the black team will be a video call from home.

Focus is finally diverted from the black team to the blue team where Anna has a surprise. They will be doing last chance workout on a newly built tennis court. Anna feels at home here, so hope is she'll be a more effective trainer. She does a hard-core cardio work including 'happy feet' and continuous tennis volleys. By the time they are finished, everyone but Anna is exhausted. Anna asks Bonnie, "You gonna sleep with a racket today?" to which Bonnie replies, "No, I"ll let you do that."

Fade to black and Bob has his team in the pool since Jennifer is still limited in what she can do. But Joe has a problem with water as a result of having almost drown twice in his life. That excuse isn't working for Bob, "We're going to over come this fear, and we're going to do it today." Flash forward a few minutes and Joe is working out in the pool along with everyone else.

Last chance work out for the red team has a diversity again. Dolvett is again trying to motivate Courtney. She claims she's doing the best she can but Dolvett says he doesn't believe here. She replied, "I don't know what you want. I'm doing it". Dolvett replies he wants to see more from her, more focus or she should just give up. She tells him NO and pushes on, more determined than ever. Meanwhile Ramon is asked to do 10 pushups, but he decides to do 50 to impress Dolvett.

Weigh In
Blue Team
Mike -5
Becky -2
Bonnie -7 "I climbed Mt. Everest this week".
Total 14 - 1.93%

Black Team
Joe -6
Sunny -4
Antone -8
John -9
Jennifer -7 "I'm a Bob stalker"
Total 34 - 2.12%

Red Team
Courtney -3
Jessica -2
Vinny -8
Ramon -11
Total 24 - 2.05%

Despite the hard work, blue team falls below once again. Alison reminds the blue team that Bonnie is the biggest loser so Mike and Becky's vote won't matter since they can't vote for Bonnie. Bonnie will be the one to chose who's going home. Bonnie claims her reason for voting was determined by who needs the ranch more. She believes Becky needs the ranch more and chooses Mike to go home. He obviously disagrees with her decision, but it's out of his hands now. "You don't get rid of the guy leading you all the way." - Mike
Since he started his Biggest Loser journey, Mike has lost 70 pounds.

04 October, 2011

Biggest Loser S12E03 - The One Where Antone Cries

NFL WEEK
The episode begins right after last weeks elimination. Anna is upset to see another person from her team go, but the rest of the contestants let her know she was spending too much time with him, and now she can concentrate on everyone.

Alison introduces the first challenge of the week. It's an NFL themed challenge where large cut-outs of each contestant is placed on a football field with a large round hole in it. Each contestant must try and pass a football through the hole in the cut-out from 5 yards away. But they won't be playing alone, Alison brings in three NFL greats to compete against; OLB Clay Matthews from the Green Bay Packers, TE Tony Gonzalez from the Atlanta Falcons and QB Drew Brees from the New Orleans Saints. Each has the same cut-out on the field and will be playing to knock out the contestants. But Alison gives Tony a handicap of throwing from the 10 yard line and Drew assigned to throw from the 15 yard line. At stake for the game is a $5,000 cash prize. Unfortunately, Jennifer has not been cleared to play because of her knee and must sit out the challenge. Then before the challenge begins, Alison also informs everyone that whoever has the highest weight-loss percentage for the week will win a VIP trip to the Superbowl. With visions of cash and Superbowls dancing in their heads, the game is started.

Being a Packers fan, Patrick is immediately targeted by Tony. Meanwhile, Clay Matthews from the Packers targets Bonnie for supporting 'Da Bears'. He then works on eliminating Jessica for her Steelers love, but he's knocked out by her instead. Jessica is also successful in getting rid of Tony. Drew is the last of the NFL'ers and targets Johnny before being ousted by Mike. After Patrick knocks out Antone and the dust has settled, Ramon, Courtney, Patrick Vinny and Jessica are all that's left, and ironically all from the younger red team. To win the cash prize, they must now target each other. Patrick knocks out Jessica, but is knocked out by Courtney who also knocks out Ramon and Vinny.

Later, Antone is having a chat with Bob. He's embarrassed and upset that during the challenge, not only did he not knock anyone out, he also wasn't recognized as an NFL player. Having played for the Eagles at one time, he's ashamed of what he's become. Bob asks him to bear his soul and Antone tells him about growing up in a poor family where they always had to fight for food. He recalls several times he went out collecting bottles, just to earn enough money to buy something, anything to eat. When he was 14 he started working and was able to help provide for his family. It was then he began gorging himself with food, having the mindset you eat whatever food you can get. He now realizes, he must change this thought process.

Another NFL themed challenge promises the winning team a spa day. The gym has been rearranged and each team has their own 'locker room'. There will be 4 quarters of 15 minutes each where each team must strive to loose as many calories as they can. Each team has help from their trainers and after each quarter are allowed to rest briefly. At "half time" they meet with their trainers and discuss how things are going. Before starting the second half, the scores so far are revealed. The older blue team has lost an average of 385 calories, the younger red team has lost an average of 475 calories and the middle aged black team has an average of 570 calories. As time ticks away during the second half, the trainers are doing their best to motivate their team. Bob is shouting "Come on, Pound it!", Dolvet is screaming "Let's go, Right here! Right now! FASTER, LET'S GO!" and Anna is telling her team to 'go faster'. The final results are the blue team averaging 764 calories, red team 952 calories and black team 1171 calories. They win the spa day but Bob politely refuses it and declares that's not why they are on the ranch.

Time has finally come for the last chance workout, and each team receives a surprise visitor. The black team has Shawne "Lights Out" Merriman from the Buffalo Bills to help motivate them along with Bob. The blue team has a Hall of Fame celebrity Eric Dickerson to help get them motivated. In his career he's played for the Rams and the Colts. He helps remind the older team that 'Age is only a number'. The red team is visited by Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos.

During the last chance workout, Dolvett tries to get inside the mind of Vinny, who relates the sad tale of his youth. He's certain his weight gain was triggered by traumatic family events. When he was around 9 his step father began beating him with extension cords and wrenches. Only after talking to his friends at school did he finally realize his home life was much different than others. His mother, whom he still holds love for, typically looked the other way as the beatings went on. Instead of coming to his aide, she'd usually ask Vinny what HE DID to upset his step-father. Through tears, Vinny went on to explain he's never forgiven his mother for not sticking for him. As a result of his insecurities, Vinny was over 230 pounds by age 11 and reached 300 pounds during 8th grade. This all added to him not only gaining weight, but 'made to feel like crap'.

During weigh in, Alison reminds everyone what's at stake for the person who has the highest percentage of weight loss, VIP Superbowl tickets. First to weigh in is the red team.

Red Team
Courtney -7
Vinnny -10
Ramon -7
Patrick -11
jessica -11
Total 46 - 2.93%

Black Team
Antone -16
Sunny -10
Joe -17
Jennifer -16
John -18
Total 77 4.58%

Blue Team
Bonnie -7
Becky -9
Mike -17 5.86%
Total 33 - 4.34%

With a total of 4.34% weight loss, Mike wins the Super Bowl VIP tickets and keeps his team safe. Red is now faced with the decision of who to vote out. This time it's Patrick who offers himself up to save his fellow team-mate Jessica. Even so, it's a close vote with Patrick and Vinny throwing votes on Courtney. As this weeks show comes to a conclusion, Patrick is at home and has lost 91 pounds so far. He's well on his way to making a comeback during the season finale marathon.

"Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work that hard."