The Biggest Loser: No Reward For Laziness

The Biggest Loser began with a little surprise twist this week. For the first time ever, the show awarded the team that lost the biggest percentage of weight in the previous week with the title "Team of the Week". Also, that team was given the chance to earn a reward for themselves. Dan & Jackie loved hearing that news from Alison Sweeney. What would they have to do to earn it though? They would have to hike to the top of the big hill on campus and choose one of three envelopes labeled Luxury, Family, or Gameplay. After completing the hike, they ultimately chose the Gameplay envelope which gave their team the ability to cast two votes at the next elimination.

When they returned back to the campus, they told the other teams what they received. Then everybody began working out like maniacs. Bob was especially pushing Bette-Sue (in a good way) by making her walk a mile with 20-pound weights after an already extensive workout in the gym. She didn't think she'd be able to do it but do it she did. Bette-Sue collapsed on the grass afterward but was really proud of herself -- especially when she realized that those 20 pounds she carried on the track equaled weight that she'd already lost.

While Neil was barely working out, Jillian took Ali (Bette-Sue's daughter) aside and talked to her about why she was fat. Ali broken down telling Jillian that she uses the weight as a way to protect herself. See, her parents divorced when she was little and it seems her mom wasn't around a whole lot for her sister and herself. Ali uses the weight as the excuse to give herself when people would leave her in her life. Jillian thought it would be a good thing if Ali tried to gather the strength to talk to her mom about it at some point so that she could get past this crutch and keep the weight off permanently instead of gaining it back again for protection.

At the challenge, Alison told the teams that it would test alliances between the teams and did it ever! One member from each team would have to race through a huge pit of water, grab a medicine ball, and then race back through the water and put the ball in another team's rack. Teams could choose to gang up on other teams or spread the balls around. Once one team's rack was filled, that team would be eliminated. The last team whose rack hadn't been filled wins. Winning would be huge in this one because that team would win immunity at the next weigh-in. The black team (brothers) were really worried about being eliminated since they had won the two previous challenges so they aligned with the pink (mother/daughter) and gray (football players) teams.

Once the challenge started, it was quickly apparent that many of the teams were going after the orange (mother/son) team first because they had two votes in the next elimination. The orange team was indeed the first team eliminated with the white (newlyweds) team and black team right behind them. Mark & Jay (black team) got into a heated argument after being eliminated because Mark told Bernie (blue) to go ahead and put the ball in their rack and eliminate them. Jay didn't appreciate that Mark would purposefully get them eliminated and, even though Mark tried to explain to Jay that it didn't matter because the next person was going to fill their rack, Jay blew up at Mark. The competition continued with the yellow (divorced couple) team and pink team being eliminated next. It was now down to the gray, purple (friends), and blue teams. The purple took out the blue, the gray took out the purple, and the gray team won immunity!

Back at the campus, Amanda tried to talk to Neill about how he's being perceived as lazy by the other teams. She's worried about them being voted out and asks him to step it up but he was barely even acknowledging her existence. The orange team went to work out right after the challenge while the others were lounging around and talking. While that was going on, Jay told his brother that the other teams were talking about their fight they had at the challenge. Mark became ticked that the other teams didn't understand their brotherly relationship and later apologized to everybody after everybody had been gathered up. Jackie (orange team) thought this whole situation smacked of gameplay and began getting into it with Mark. Then Bette-Sue inserted herself in all of it and it became a big argument concerning hurt feelings about being ganged up on in the challenge. The whole thing was pretty stupid if you ask me.

Later, the teams were back in the gym and working out. Neil was being his "hardly doing anything" self as usual and Jillian called him out on it. She told him if he touched the handle on the treadmill again that she'd make the other teams work out for five more minutes. Of course, he couldn't do it and leaned on the treadmill several more times which began to really aggravate the other teams. One of the brothers even said something about going over there and smacking him. That was hilarious!

After the workout, Jillian talked to Bette-Sue about the conversation she'd had with her daughter earlier. She told Bette-Sue that Ali felt that she couldn't go to her and talk to her and think it would be best if they tried to talk and get over some of the things in their past. Jillian went to get Ali and stayed with them (at Ali's request) as they talked. Ali told her mother that she doesn't want to be unhappy anymore and wants to have somebody there for her. Bette-Sue told Ali that she had no idea that she felt so alone and admitted to her behavior in the past (leaving the girls alone as kids). Eventually, both were crying and apologizing and hugging. I even shed a tear or two here myself.

At the weigh-in, the gray team went first since they won immunity in the challenge. Roger & Trent lost 22 pounds (2.97%) and then were promptly removed from the board because of their immunity leaving the remaining seven teams to duke it out. Dan & Jackie (orange) lost 19 pounds (3.80%), Maggie & Jenn (purple) lost 10 pounds (2.14%), Jay & Mark (black) lost 19 pounds (3.54%), and Bette-Sue and Ali (orange) lost 14 pounds (3.10%). Bernie & Brittany (blue) lost 20 pounds (4.25%), Neill & Amanda (white) lost 11 pounds (2.25%), and Paul & Kelly (yellow) lost 23 pounds (4.26%). Yay! I'm so happy for the yellow team. Now they'll be next week's Biggest Loser Team of the Week. These results also put the white and purple teams below the yellow line so it'll be one of them going home.

After the weigh-in, the purple told everybody that they've been working hard the whole time. Amanda (white) basically begged everybody to not vote them off just because of her husband. You know, I couldn't stand the way she tried to appeal to everybody. Girl, this is a competition and if your husband is a lazy ass then too bad. Yeah, you're working hard but you surely can't expect everybody to keep you around because they feel sorry you're stuck with a bum. Anyway....

The votes were quick and swift at the elimination ceremony. Try to guess who was voted out? Yep, the white team. It's about time! I loved how Neill told everybody that his wife could turn on the tears better than him and that's why she did all of the begging before. Just wow. Then he turned around and said that he hated being seen as a slacker. Well hello! You are! So off they walked into the sunset.

Before the other teams left though, Alison told them that they'd be entering a new phase and would have to make an important decision: If they could vote off one more team right now, who would it be? And that was our cliffhanger. Yeah, tell me about it.

Back at home, Neill & Amanda have continued to lose weight. She's obviously been working harder than he has as she's lost one more pound (24) than he has (23) since they've been home. I just can't stand that guy. I feel for her.

Next week, a shocking twist pits six teams against one team (yellow perhaps?). And to continue on their weight loss journey, they'll have to depend on each other.

It looks to be an interesting show next week and I can't wait. What did you think about this week's episode? Were you happy like I was that Neill went home? What did you make of Bette-Sue and Ali mending their relationship? What do you think goes on next week?