Biggest Loser S13E05 - Listen & Keep Your Mouth Closed

The elimination from last week has just taken place, but Alison doesn't release the contestants. Instead she calls both the Black and Red teams to the gym. It's finally time to see if the Aqua Team has lost enough weight to make it back to the ranch. Happily, Daphne and Adrian enter. Right from the start, Conda seems very irritated they have a chance to come back and sneers as they walk in. Alison reminds them if they have lost a combination of 50 pounds they will rejoin the other contestants. Conda's partner in crime, Kim, thinks it's disgraceful they are being given another chance. She wonders if she fails the next challenge, will she be given another chance? The thought is put on hold as the Brother and Sister team weigh in.
Daphne 271 245 -26 "One month, 26 pounds, that is amazing."
Adrian 370 336 -34 "Boom baby!"
Aqua team is ecstatic they are coming back, but Alison delivers the bad news for them. Like the other teams, they will be separated. They each decide they want Bob but neither is willing to relent. Alison tells them they have two minutes to decide and they opt to use the rock-paper-scissors method. Daphne wins and chooses to train with Bob. They will remain on campus for at least a week because during the next weigh-in they will each have immunity as long as they don't gain weight.

Before Adrian can attempt to integrate himself into his new team, they have a little chat with him. They want to make sure he's aware how much they have worked for each and every challenge / weigh-in. Trying to show how dedicated he is, Adrian tells the group he's fully prepared to work hard. According to him, he'd been working out 14 hours a day back in Chicago. He also says he's been running on the treadmill at a speed of 9.0 and incline of 6.1. However instead of inspiring them, he seems to have driven a wedge between himself and the rest of the team, Kim and Conda in particular. They tell him he needs to stop talking and listen more. Tension starts to rise, but Bob comes in to see how his Black Team is doing and is not surprised to see Gail has been eliminated. What does confuse him is it wasn't a unanimous decision. Chism admits he voted for Chris, mostly because she was talking about leaving of her own accord earlier in the week.

During a workout, we're given one of Bob's special WOD's (Workout Of the Day). He calls this workout Fran and it consists of three sets. The first set requires 21 squat thrusts and 21 pull ups. The second set require 15 squat thrusts and 15 pull ups. The final set require nine squat thrust and nine pull ups. The hard part is to complete all three sets in under ten minutes. Daphne is impressed because she's able to keep up with everyone who's been in the gym for the past month. Bob is impressed with Chris, who once claimed she was not strong enough.

Dolvett has his team working on a set of monkey bars. Try as they might, each contestant has a problem hanging on, let alone crossing them. Until Adrian gives it a try, he surprises everyone by working his way across the set of bars. Mark begins to realize Adrian may be a bigger asset to the team than he might have thought. Conda isn't so impressed. Once the workout is done, he exclaims it was one of Dolvett's easier workout sessions and Adrian is still in for a shock. Later, Dolvett is trying to learn more about Adrian and finds out he lost his daughter as a baby soon after she was born. He tells Dolvett the experience has made him stronger because after having to deal with the loss, he feels he can endure any experience. However, it was the loss of his daughter that turned him to food, and gaining weight. It finally came to a head when he passed out in a movie theater after enjoying a large soda and candy bar.

The Black Team is doing homework when Bob is gone when suddenly they notice Daphne has left. Emily is concerned and Jeremy thinks it's going to be her demise. The rest of the Black team hope she's doing all she can to lose weight and help her team.

Just before a beach competition, Conda and Kim are getting increasingly annoyed with Adrian. They each hope the next contest involves drowning their new team-mate. When Adrian walks behind Conda, she tells Kim she wanted to do a back-kick. Finally, Alison arrives to describe the next challenge. Instead of drowning team-mates, it involves the use of medicine balls. Their is a wall in the sand with a trampoline on one side and a net on the other. Each team must have one person bounce a ball to the other side of the wall where the ball must be caught in the net. If the ball falls to the ground, it is out. Each ball has different point values. The first team to 100 points wins. The winner of this challenge will get to choose one person from each team who's weight will not count at the weigh in. The Black Team take an early lead, current score is 40 to 32. But Red Team quickly pulls it together once the Black Team has a string of dropped balls. They come from behind and beat the Black team 100 to 78.

Later, it's mealtime and as Adrian is about to sit and eat, Conda refuses to have him sit next to her. Nancy wonders if they are actually eighth graders because they are acting like it. She tells them she's getting tired of all the complaints about Adrian from her. Adrian is still clueless as to why she hates him so much. She tells him earlier he told her she needed to step up her game. Listening to all this, Mark thinks the disagreement is petty. He also tells the group if they don't fix the tension, it's exactly what's going to destroy them as a team.

Weigh-In:
Before the group is weighed in, the Red Team must choose one member from each team who's loss will not count. From the Black Team they choose Megan and Nancy from their own team. Despite their weight not counting, Megan and Nancy are weighed in.
Nancy 200 196 -4
Megan 238 229 -9 "I am so happy with a 9."

Black Team:
Daphne 245 244 -1 "No way, this has to be a joke."
Bob is shocked and Emily thinks she should be pissed off."
Chism 320 318 -2 "I wish I had an explanation."
Emily 235 230 -5 "That's okay."
Chris 215 211 -4 "Like Emily, I was shooting for a 5."
Cassandra 206 200 -6 "That's a good number, but it's so close. I just want to kick it."
Jeremy 347 338 -9 "From what I've seen tonight, I can't be upset with 9."
Total Loss - 1.72%

Red Team:
Adrian 336 334 -2 "Well that's okay."
Kim 220 215 -5
Kimmy 197 193 -4
Roy 272 268 -4 "I know I did my best."
Mark 255 251 -4 "I would want to be excited about that. But I wanted to help my team more than that."
Buddy 353 345 -8 "8 for me is a great number."
Conda 265 263 -2 "That is not accurate."
Total Loss - 1.53% (Kim is Biggest Loser, so she is also immune.)

Having lost, the Red Team spends an hour (not episode time) deciding who's going to be next. Adrian has immunity so they can't eliminate him. In turn, each member says why they need and want to stay. Adrian says he's willing to work for the team and has been trying his hardest, but thinks the change in diet is what affected him this week. He asks if anyone sees anything better he can do. Mark tells Adrian he's playing the 'game', and only losing two pounds is suspicious, considering he has immunity. Adrian says he wants to know more about the 'game' people think he's playing. Conda tells him it's not the time to discuss 'the game'. Buddy tries to defuse things by suggesting they make their way to the elimination room.
Kimmy - Nancy
Nancy - Mark
Mark - Nancy
Adrian - Mark
Buddy - Nancy
Kim - Nancy
Conda - Nancy

Once the voting has been done, and Conda has cast the last deciding vote, Adrian addresses the group. He thinks Nancy is as sweet as pie and surprised they would vote her out. He considers voting for Nancy is just 'playing the game'. Conda tells him he has no idea how hard it was for her to vote. Kim says there is a right time and a place for everything, and this isn't the time for him to complain about Nancy going home. She suggests he listens and keeps his mouth closed, as they have told him before. Nancy speaks up to calm the moment and tells Adrian the discussion needs to end. Adrian complies.

Nancy started her Biggest Loser journey at 217 pounds. Currently she weighs 178. For her final moment, she shows off her family, consisting of 13 children 55 grand-kids and 3 great-grand-kids. she then begins naming each one. Like the others eliminated, Nancy wants to win the at home prize, buy a motorcycle and travel across the U.S.

Biggest Loser S13E04 - Putting on the MacGyver Hat

Being only an hour long episode, the episode begins right into a challenge. The two teams meet outside in a 'battering ram' obstacle course. But Red Team is minus Buddy, who has gone home for the week as his wife is expecting. Alison informs them he will be back for the weigh-in. For this challenge, both teams will be given a battering ram. As they start out, they will be given a question they must answer with two choices. Before them are two doors for each team. Whichever question they feel is right, they will use the battering ram to bust through the door. If they get the question right, they will be able to move to the next question with ease, guess wrong and they need to wade through thick mud. The first team through all doors win the prize, access to the gym. The team that comes in last will be denied access to the gym. Black Team is first to answer, but get the question wrong and must wade through the mud. The Red Team is on a roll and makes it through most of the doors without having to wade through the mud. The black team is not so lucky and wades through mud for pretty much the entire episode. Red team wins with Black Team still a few doors back. Roy celebrates his victory with glee, but his wife Chris says he's a 'sore winner'.

With one week to go, Dolvett visits the Aqua team in Chicago. He hopes to help them through the last week by having a training day with them. He also does a quick infomercial for the Biggest Loser Slim Coach. Aqua team is certain they will lose the 50 pounds needed to make it back to the Biggest Loser Ranch.

Back at the resort, Chris is upset and demands the cameras leave her alone. When they remain she barricades herself in the bathroom. Roy goes to check on her as Bob shows up trying to figure out what's going on. Chris tells Roy she doesn't want to be there anymore. Roy tells her she can't quit, but she decides she's going to do what she wants to do. She continues to cry in the bathroom. Conda thinks Chris is doing it for the attention. The rest of the teams fears she's going to go home, just like Joe. Finally, Bob goes to talk to her and she says there too much going on in the house. For so long she's felt invisible and in the house it's impossible to feel that way. Bob tells her what she's feeling is normal, and she can work through her feelings. Chris is willing to try once more, and Bob reminds her not to give up on herself.

Cue the montage music and we get Bob Harper outside with his Black Team working out with whatever they can find. Though unhappy, Bob is willing to put on his MacGyver hat and get the job done. Chism says they don't need the gym because they are making their own gym. For the most part, they are working out using chairs. Lifting them over their head, stretching alongside them or simply walking and running. His training outside is working as best it can, but he's still having problems with Gail. She continues to move slow and cry about something. Bob jokes she'll cry about her shoes becoming unlaced.

While this is going on, Dolvett is in the gym having his own problems. Nancy is giving him lip, and Conda is doing her best to resist Dolvett's training. Despite his best intentions, she mutters under her breath and rolls her eyes at him. Finally he's had enough and kicks her out of the gym. He tells her to come back when she's ready to work out. Outside, she starts talking to the Producer and says Dolvett is just pushing her buttons. But Dolvett finally comes out to talk to her and he explains his position. He tells her it's difficult for him to train her while she continues to roll her eyes at him and has a 'smart comment' for everything he tells her. Finally he tells her she needs to figure out why she's there, and when she does, she can come back in. She thinks things over for a while and reluctantly goes back in and apologizes to Dolvett.

It's time for the weigh-in and Buddy joins his Red Team. He announces the birth of his son Levi.

At The Weigh-In:
Black team
Emily 244 / 235 / -9 "I didn't want to think that high, and I got it."
Chsim 332 / 320 / -12
Cassandra 212 / 206 / -6
Jeremy 358 / 347 / -11 "The whole season I can keep getting 11, I'll be happy."
Alison: "Gail, you seem very nervous."
Gail: "I'm a big gal, and I just want a big number."
Gail 302 / 297 / -5
Bob: "That sucks. You are a big gal. And a big gal has to pull big numbers."
Chris 222 / 215 / -7 "That was my goal number."
Megan 240 / 238 / -2 "I feel very disappointed."
Total 52 Pounds - 2.72%

Red Team
Buddy 363 / 353 / -10 "More than my son weighed."
Roy 278 / 272 / -6
Kimmy 203 / 197 / -6
Mark 266 / 255 / -11 "How about that, baby?"
Kim 230 / 220 / -10
Nancy 205 / 200 / -5
Conda: "The pressure is all on me."
Conda 275 / 265 / -10 "I definitely give Dolvet a hard time."
Alison: "Dolvett, it sounds like Conda does not make this easy for you."
Dolvet: "Not even a little bit."
58 pounds 3.19%


Voting:
As the black team decides who is going home, the consensus seems to be for who is not working as hard as could be, versus the one who wanted to go home.
Megan - Gail
Chism - Chris
Cassandra - Gail
Chsim - Chris
Chris - Gail
Gail - Chris
Emily - Gail

Gail's Success So Far:

Biggest Loser S13E03 - Heaving & Sobbing

The episode begins this week with Joe complaining about missing his family. He says he misses them, especially since Mike (his brother), left last week. His team-member Jeremy tries to comfort him, but Joe doesn't look very comforted when the discussion is over, despite Jeremy's best attempts.

The food temptation challenge for the week is a Chinese Buffet. Alison explains one of the biggest excuses for gaining weight is not having enough time to eat healthy, thus spending more time dining out. Before the challenge begins, she continues by mentioning it's going to be 'Face-Off' week. Each contestant is going to face off on the scale. Which ever person wins the weigh-in between the two, will earn a point for their team. Whichever team earns the most points, wins, and will be spared having to vote someone off.

But how will the face-off's be determined? That's going to be the point of the food temptation. Both teams, one at a time will have access to the Chinese food. Whoever eats the most for their team will win a two pound advantage which they can keep or divide up. Also, they will be the sole person deciding what the Match-ups are going to be. However, if no one eats, or the teams in calories they eat. There will be no weight pound advantage and teams will be paired up automatically with their previous team-mate.

The red team is given the first chance. They are discussing the possibilities about what to eat when Kimmy essentially forbids it. She explains it's like alcoholism, and once they start in it'll be hard to resist further. Roy thought it would be a good idea, but deferred to Kimmy's way of thinking, considering she may be smarter in her decision. Next, the black team is given a chance. Jeremy is discussing doing it and suggests eating a fortune cookie. The team seems in agreement, they will eat. Emily suggest a girl not eating it, as it'll be harder for them to burn it off. When Chism is suggested, he refuses saying, "But Bob will be mad." Finally Cassandra decides she'll bite the bullet, errr fortune cookie. Then when she does, it's suggest another one is consumed in case the other team has the same strategy. As per the rules, the Black team wins the challenge. Conda from the Red team thinks it was just a sign of weakness. Cassandra assigns the teams following:

Black - Emily 5.30% (Weight Loss So Far) "Sorry kids, Santa's going down."
Red - Roy 6.21% (Weight Loss So Far)

Black - Jeremy 5.14%
Red - Lauren 5.28%

Black - Joe 6.44% "I feel bad, I don't want to take an old lady out.
Red - Nancy 4.61% (Cassandra's Mother) "I'm going to put extra cheese in your food all week."

Black - Chism 5.54%
Red - Kim 6.35% "I know how to compete. Chism's definitely going down."

Black - Chris 5.84%
Red - Mark 5.83% "I hope that I can beat her, I think it's going to be fun."

Black - Megan 4.25%
Red - Buddy 7.69% "I think she's [Cassandra] not pairing us up for Megan to win."

Black - Gail 4.35%
Red - Kimmy 5.94%

Black - Cassandra 7.95% "I feel better under fierce competition. And she's fierce competition."
Red - Conda 5.44% "My advise to her is to bring it, because I'm going to."

Later in the evening, Joe is seen packing a bag. He tells his team he's leaving. He says he misses his family too much and he needs them. He says it's getting harder and harder every day. Everyone on the ranch is shocked and confused, especially his team. Some feel he could have waited at least till after the weigh-in. When Bob finds out he's just as confused, he thinks his team is joking at first. Bob thinks he's using the biggest excuse of "My family needs me". Upset and dismayed, Bob decides to give Joe a call and have the last word. During the conversation Joe says he left for his kids, Bob replies "I thought you were here for your kids. I don't think you gave yourself enough of a chance. I mean, you were going to be a competitor in this house." Joe replies he felt it was the right thing to do, but Bob disagrees. Bob thinks Joe hasn't learned anything and that Joe's excuse is a 'crock'.

During the week's workout, Bob is once again getting frustrated with Gail. As he continues to encourage and motivate her she suddenly starts crying. For the moment, Bob gives up on her and moves on to Cassandra and Emily. Then Bob has a great idea of pitting the two teams against each other in the gym, since it's face-off week. First he has Emily and Roy racing to see who can get 500m on a rowing machine first. Roy gives it all he can, but Emily just beats him. Dolvett then puts Conda and Cassandra against each other, and sweetens the deal with a little bet. The loser has to buy the winner lunch. The contest is a variation of burpies and Cassandra wins. However Conda claims Cassandra cheated, but no one saw her doing this, Dolvett declares Cassandra the winner. Later, Conda upholds her part of the bet and brings in a Subway sandwich for Cassandra.
Conda: "Cassandra, I brought your lunch."
Cassandra: "Awww, aren't you sweat." Replied sarcastically.
Conda: "I was gonna get a cheeseburger, but a bets a bet."
Cassandra: "Shocking that you followed through."
Conda: "Killing me that I have to do this."
Cassandra: Gleefully biting into the sandwich, "Mmmmmmmmm"
Dolvett walks in: "I see you lived up to your bet."
Conda: "Always."
Dolvett: "How does it taste?"
Cassandra: "Victory never tasted so good."
Sensing the hostility between the two, Dolvett decides to offer a rematch. Conda reluctantly agrees.

For the next challenge, Bob and Dolvett are invited in to coach and support their teams. The challenge is a water relay, each team must take a pail of water through an obstacle course. At the end of the course is block of ice with a prize inside. The goal is to melt the ice enough to take the prize out. The teams race to pump water into a bucket, pour them into a circular bucket spin, over a ten foot wall, and down a water shoot. Whatever water is left after the shoot is to be used to pour on the ice, to help melt it. The red team starts off strong but suddenly begins to lose the edge. Black team can suddenly see the prize inside the ice, but the red team has suddenly picked things up again. The red team pulls the prize out, but all the team members must get past the finish line for them to officially win. Suddenly it's a sprint to the finish as the black team is now struggling to pull the prize out. Bob calls his black team in to start for the finish, but it's too late. Red team wins the prize - videos from home. The prize is a double-edged sword for most of the team members. The red team knowing they have won, means their companions on the other side won't be getting their videos. Chris breaks down crying, because she wanted to see her kids. But Roy is kind enough to give his prize to her. Lauren and Mark follow suite, and give their prizes to Gail and Chism.

Later, it's Bob's turn to visit the Aqua team in Chicago. He's hoping to encourage and inspire them so they'll be ready for the challenge of making it back to the Biggest Loser ranch.

Before the face-off, there is a rematch that needs addressing. During the last chance workout all eyes are fixed on the next competition. Conda assures Cassandra she is going to be beat now that she can't 'cheat'. But once again, Cassandra is the clear winner.

Weigh In
As the winner of the temptation challenge, Cassandra won a two pound weight advantage which she can keep for herself or distribute among two other team-mates. She opts to give one pound to Gail and one to Megan. However, with Joe having left, the Black team forfeits the first point to the Red team. Because of this, Nancy is first to weigh in.

Joe - forfeit
Nancy - 207 205 -2
Red Team Point

Megan 248 240 -8
Buddy 372 363 -9
Black Team Point

Gail 308 302 -6
Kimmy 206 203 -3
Black Team Point

Jeremy 369 358 -11
Lauren 233 230 -3
Black Team Point

Roy 287 278 -9
Emily 250 244 -6
Red Team Point

Mark 274 266 -8
Chris 226 222 -4
Red Team Point

Kim 236 230 -6
Chism 341 332 -9
Black Team Point

Cassandra 220 212 -8
Conda 278 275 -3
Black Team Point

The Black team wins 5-3 so the Red team must vote someone off. There seems to be some animosity between Nancy and Kim and when their votes are revealed, they have voted for each other. Nancy does get one more vote, but the rest go shockingly to Lauren. The reason given is she has no distractions at home and it's assumed she'll have an easier time taking the weight off.

Nancy - Kim
Kim - Nancy
Lauren - Nancy
Conda - Lauren
Buddy - Lauren
Mark - Lauren
Roy - Nancy
Kimmy - Lauren

Lauren started on the Biggest Loser ranch at 246 pounds. Since then she's lost 53 and has run a half-marathon. Her next plans are to run a full marathon and to weigh 130 pounds by the finale.

Biggest Loser S13E02 - Too Much Vandalism, Not Enough Working Out

After a quick review of the first week, Alison greets the contestants and gives them information on what is going to take place during the week. First she informs them, the Biggest Loser on the winning team can assign immunity to only one person on the losing team. Most seasons this would seem ridiculous, but in this season it gives players an opportunity to give immunity to their former partner. But Alison is not done with the teams, she asks for two team leaders from each team to follow her. Emily of the Black team and Kim of the Red team immediately raise their hands. Reluctantly Joe of the Black team and Kimmy of the Red team raise their hands with no deliberation within the teams.

The four contestants follow Alison to a room with a table with poker chips on it. She says, "If you thought the stakes of this game were high, we're about to up the anti." With a five pound advantage on the line, each team will bet how much they can lose during the week. The team who bets the most, has the opportunity to win the advantage. But if they lose, the other team will receive the advantage. As a little help, Alison says the previous week the Black team lost 3.64% and the Red team lost 3.98%. With Red team having won the last weigh in they are given the option to bet first. Red team starts off strong with a 3.8% bet, this equates to 94 pounds, roughly 10 pounds per person. Knowing how hard it is to lose weigh the second week, the Black team opts not to challenge the bet, they call the Red teams bluff (if that's what it indeed was). Joe says he's going to let the Red team beat themselves, to which Kim laughs. She informs Joe they are going to beat the Black team, her attitude suggests Joe is weak for not betting more, but Joe knows better. When Red team ends up having to bet someone out, he's going to relax back with a cup of coffee.

The team leaders go back to inform their teams what transpired. Joe explains what has happened. Kim informs her team of their bid, stunning them. She's still very cocky and laughs at how easily Black Team folded. The rest of the Black team fully support Joe and Emily for folding. Kim thinks Dolvett is going to be excited by them winning the bet, but he's rather distressed. He knows losing 94 pounds week two is a difficult challenge at best.

During the workout in the gym, Bob refuses to lose another challenge, but finds Gail resting and Cassandra crying in a corner. To make matters worse, Dolvett annoys Bob by using a lot of his techniques. Then when Dolvett spray paints "94 lbs", Bob just about loses it. He ultimately leaves the gym's 'Toxic Atmosphere'.

Later, Rachel, the Biggest Loser Nutritionist stops by, Jeremy is immediately smitten with her. She's claims most Americans don't know how to eat healthy, so her job for the day is to show them how to eat healthy. Jeremy says he will listen to WHATEVER she tells him. Kimmy (of the former purple team) thinks it's a bad idea turning the teams into a grocery store, filled with cookies and chips. Rachel teaches the Red team some great substitutions and a few good recipes.

The next challenge promises the winning team six months of the Biggest Loser Meal Plan. For this challenge, they will be outside on the docks. Each team must spin a wheel which will bring in puzzles pieces hanging over the water. Once collected, the teams must solve the puzzle, then raise it up before the other team. It's a close race, but the Black Team narrowly wins. Kim from the Red Team is upset, but she's been taught if she doesn't have anything nice to say, to not say anything at all. Frustrated, she zips her lips.

Having concluded her assignment on the ranch, Rachel the nutritionist visits the Aqua Team in Chicago. She wants to help and encourage them, so they can make it back to the fitness ranch. Like she did with the Black and Red teams, she gives them pointers and tips using Jenni-O products.

On The Scale:
Red Team
Kim 239 236 -3 "I'm not happy at all."
Kimmy 210 206 -4 "Not what I wanted but I"m still going in the right direction."
Roy 292 287 -5 "I was shooting for 15."
Lauren 237 234 -4 "Four pounds lighter than I was last week."
Nancy 212 207 -5
Conda 285 278 -7
Mike 345 338 -7
Makr 282 274 -8
Buddy 381 372 -9
2.09% - They lose the bet and Black team wins a 5 pound advantage.

Black Team
Gail 313 308 -5 "I'll take a five pound weight loss."
Megan 252 248 -4 "Four pounds is not enough for me."
Cassandra 225 220 -5
Emily 254 250 -4 "I wanted 7, a pound a day. I'm not happy."
Chris 232 226 -6 "That feels really good."
Joe 342 334 -8 "I was pretty satisfied."
Jeremy 376 369 -7 "I'm now the heaviest guy on my team now that Ben's gone."
Chism 349 341 -8 "We don't have to go to that room again."
52 - 2.22%

The Red team has lost, but there will be two people safe. One is Mark who is the Biggest Loser of his team, and with Black team winning the weigh in, Chris (Biggest Loser of that team) chooses Roy to be immune as well.

As the Red team is deciding who is going home, Mike raises the question of sending someone home who hasn't been doing a lot of work. Conda immediately smirks and informs Mike he's the one not working hard enough. She says while everyone else is sweating, he's not. It's obvious she has a problem with Mike, and she shows it when they are in the room with Alison.

When making her decision, Kim claims Mike "...slacked and went back to bad habits." Mike challenges this comment and says the nutritionist informed him it was in his best interest to stop half way in a workout and have a snack. Conda tries to argue the point and things begin to get heated till Alison finally urges everyone to 'move on'.
Roy is next to vote for Mike and more heated words arise from both Mike and Conda. Once again, Alison encourages them to continue to which Mike & Conda quickly reveal their votes, each for the other. The rest of the teams votes go towards Mike. He's upset by Conda judging him and claims he's suffering from abandonment issues. She claims had she know this in advance, perhaps her vote would have been different. With the majority of the votes, Mike leaves the Biggest Loser Ranch. Since his adventure began, he has lost 56 pounds and by the Finale, hopes to be 120 pounds lighter and nicotine free.

Biggest Loser S13E01 - No Excuse Zone

A new season of Biggest Loser has begun and this time things are going to be slightly different. But I'll get into that in a bit. The show begins and we are given a quick preview of what to expect this season, as well as a bit of foreshadowing to a rivalry between Bob and Dolvett.

This year the teams are:
Purple: Kimmy, 48 / Megan, 21 (Mother & Daughter)
Gray: Chism, 19 / Mark, 43 (Son and Father)
Red: Christin, 42 / Roy, 62 (Married)
Blue: Joe, 38 / Mike, 40 (Brothers)
Brown: Buddy, 41 / Ben, 34 (Brothers)
Aqua: Daphne, 36 / Adrian, 34 (Sister & Brother)
Orange: Nancy, 63 / Cassandra, 25 (Grandmother & Granddaughter)
Green: Jeremy, 22 / Conda, 23 (Brother & Sister)
Pink: Kim, 38 / Emily, 29 (Strangers and Former Athletes)
Yellow: Gail, 57 / Lauren, 26 (Mother & Daughter)

Alison greets the teams and they discus what has been their biggest excuse for gaining so much weight. Mark from the Gray team says he's just gotten lazy. Jeremy from the Green team says his family has always been heavy and it's just easy to go along with that. Emily from the Pink team says her excuse is no time. Time seems to be a factor for almost everyone as everyone agrees, including Ben from the Brown team, who has nine kids (with one on the way) and Orange team member Nancy who has 13 kids and 54 grand-kids. Kimmy from the Purple team says life was always hard on the farm and Chism's (Gray Team) excuse is an accident he had when he was ten. Mike of the Blue team claims he's a food addict and Christine from the Red team says she's an emotional eater. Buddy of the Brown team is always put things off for tomorrow. He says his daughter passed away 5 years ago, and he wants to start living again. No more waiting for tomorrow.

When the introductions are over and excuses have been aired, Alison announces a challenge before they even get into the Biggest Loser ranch. The team to finish last, will be sent home. Alison explains they will be pushed like never before and now have no excuses. Its going to take strength, smarts and sheer determination to become the Biggest Loser; and that's what the first challenge is about. The first part of the challenge is a sprint. One member from each team is going to run a 40 yard sprint. The first four to cross will automatically move into the gym. The remaining six teams will have to compete again. The race begins, but Mark from the Gray team pulls a hamstring and falls over. The race is won by the Blue, Orange, Brown and Yellow teams.

The next heat is also a 40 yard dash, with a twist. They will have to solve a puzzle before they can continue. When complete, the wood puzzle will look like a key. Four of the remaining six teams move on, the final two will have to challenge each other. The next four to move on are the Gray, Red, Purple and Green teams.

The final challenge will be between the Pink and Aqua teams. It's almost a 'Survivor' themed challenge. Both team members will participate, standing on a platform. The last team standing on the platform will move into the Biggest Loser Ranch. Being strangers, Kim and Emily are worried the Aqua, brother and sister team, will beat them. Determination sets in and the Pink team are able to outlast the Aqua team.

Alison welcomes the teams into the ranch with the exception of the Aqua team. However, she informs them they will be welcome back to the ranch in one month if they are able to lose 50 pounds as a team. If they really want to be on the Biggest Loser Ranch, they are going to have to earn it.

In the morning, Alison greets the teams and tells them it's time to meet their trainers. Cue the helicopter and motorcycle. Dolvett repels onto the ranch via a helicopter as Bob speeds onto the ranch via motorcycle. Bob thinks it's funny how excited all the contestants are to see him, he's hoping to put them through hell. For the next two hours, the teams will get to work with both Dolvett and Bob, then they will get to pick their trainers.

The contestants spend the next two hours with the trainer till some start puking (and fake puking), Roy from the Red team collapses and Ben from the Brown team starts suffering from fatigue, not remembering his or Bobs name. During this time, we also get to see more of the other contestants, sometimes even more than we really want to see. Finally, Alison arrives to announce a special twist. Each couple will now choose which trainer they want to work with. That is to say, each person on the team must choose a different trainer. This is going to be a season of no excuses and no partners.

Each team is given time to decide which one will work with what trainer. They use various methods; Rock-Paper-Scissors and flipping a coin (weight) are two methods used. Finally each team must decide. Teams are decided like so:

Green Team: Jeremy, Bob - Conda, Dolvett
Pink Team: Kim, Bob - Emily, Dolvett
Blue Team: Joe, Bob - Mike, Dolvett
Red Team: Chris, Bob - Roy, Dolvett
Orange Team: Cassandra, Bob - Nancy, Dolvett
Brown Team: Buddy, Bob - Ben, Dolvett
Purple Team: Megan, Bob - Kimmy, Dolvett
Gray Team: Chism, Bob - Mark, Dolvett
Yellow Team: Gail, Bob - Lauren, Dolvett

Divided, the teams work with their trainers once more before the weigh in. During this time we get to know the contestants a little better. For example Emily tells Dolvett how she broke her back professional wrestling, and still finished the match because she hates losing. Later, when Dolvett doesn't think his team is working as hard as they could be, i.e. stopping to rest or take potty breaks, he gives them a motivational speech. Dolvett refuses to be the 'Bad News Bears' this year.

On The Scale:
Gail 322 / 313 -9 "I worked harder this week than I ever have my entire life."
Chism 361 / 349 -12
Megan 259 / 252 - 7 "Seven pounds, I mean that's awesome."
Chris 240 / 232 -8
Jeremy 389 / 376 -13 "I'm one of the biggest guys on the team, so there is a huge responsibility on me to put up a huge number this week. So to put up 13 pounds sucks."
Joe 357 / 342 -15
Ben 396 / 381 -15 "I'll take 15, it's a step in the right direction... But I'm missing my wife and kids."
Emily 264 / 254 -10 "A week and ten pounds, that's good."
Cassandra 239 / 225 -14
Black Team Total 103 3.64%

Roy 306 / 292 -14 "Ho ho ho, that made me happy."
Conda 294 / 285 -9
Mike 358 / 345 -13
Kimmy 219 / 210 -9 "I want to say thank you to Dolvett"
Lauren 246 / 237 -9
Mark 291 / 282 -9 "I don't think I was much help this week with the injury."
Nancy 217 / 212 -5 "That's crazy. I think they did something." (referring to the scale)
Kim 252 / 239 -13 "I'm really happy to see this number."
Buddy 403 / 381 -22 Gives Alison a fist bump.
Red Team Total 103 3.98%

With Dolvett's first win, he's ecstatic, but Bob says he's going to be damned if he lets it happen again. Black team must now decide who to send home, with the exception of Cassandra who is the Biggest Loser of the week. As the black team is deliberating, Megan pleads to stay, stating how much she hates herself more each day. Meanwhile Gail says she has nothing to go home for and needs to be on the ranch. Ben says he does have something to go home for, his wife and kids are his life. He misses them too much. He asks the others to send him home. Some of the contestants don't agree and consider sending Megan home instead, but when the team meets with Alison, they honor Ben's request and send him home.

At home:
Ben 396 / 346 -50 "Ben wants to prove his dedication by losing 150 pounds by the Finale despite being sent home Week One.

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

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

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?

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.

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."

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.