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You can't deny that, season after season, one of the best finales out there almost always belongs to The Biggest Loser. The reason for that is it's a couple of hours of "feel good" time. No matter what you weigh, who doesn't like seeing what people look like after losing a bunch of weight? And for big money at that!

Alison Sweeney had a couple of misfires last night, but overall I thought she did a pretty good job. She also looked really pretty. Her dress was gorgeous!

The first 14 contestants eliminated would be competing amongst themselves for $100,000 and they were the ones reintroduced first. All of them looked amazing but I thought Kae (what a dress!), Jez (barely recognized him), Phil (he's quite a hottie!), Amy, and Neil's changes were the most impressive. Yes, Jim's weight loss was huge too but I guess because I've been so used to seeing Bill as one of the finalists it wasn't really amazing to me.

Alison then asked a few questions after they were all seated onstage. Was Amy still happy about her decision to switch trainers (yes she was), how Jim kept up his weight loss without his twin brother Bill being there to help him (the rest of their family gave him support), and what about Neil and his 17-lb weight gain (not his proudest moment)? Those were just a few of the questions asked before we were shown homecoming video footage from the four finalists (Julie, Hollie, Isabeau, and Bill). It was sweet but still kinda boring. I guess there's not really anything you can do about that.

After bringing out Bob, Kim, and Jillian it was time for the first 14 to step up on the scales and see who would win the $100,000. Their results (in the order of elimination): Amber went from 295 pounds to 211 (84 lbs lost for 28.47%); Lezlye from 255 to 200 pounds (55 lbs lost for 21.57%); Jerry from 297 to 187 pounds (110 lbs lost for 37.04%); Patty from 280 to 216 pounds (64 lbs lost for 22.86%); Jim from 361 to 175 pounds (186 lbs lost for 51.52%); and Phil from 403 to 258 pounds (145 lbs lost for 35.98%).

Jez went from 345 to 195 pounds (150 lbs lost for 43.48%); David from 368 to 228 pounds (140 lbs lost for 38.04%); Ryan from 374 to 241 pounds (133 lbs lost for 35.56%); Amy from 297 to 171 pounds (126 lbs lost for 42.42%); Kae from 225 to 128 pounds (97 lbs lost for 43.11%); Bryan from 346 to 224 pounds (122 lbs lost for 35.26%); Nicole from 279 to 174 pounds (105 lbs lost for 37.63%); and Neil from 421 to 210 pounds (211 lbs lost for 50.12%).

Neil came close but it was Jim that would be going home with the $100,000. I just knew that was going to happen when I saw Jim's weight. To have lost 51.52% of his body weight in that time period is just insane! I was happy for Neil though and I was especially happy for Jerry. For a man of almost 62 years of age to lose such a drastic amount of weight is amazing.

After watching a couple of segments of the final four working out back at home and discussing their struggles with food in the present, it was time to finally see them again. They came busting through a paper door with their "before" pictures on them. All I could say as I saw each one of them was, "Oh my God!" Julie came out first and I was stunned. She looked amazing! She told Alison she'd even been picked to speak in front of Congress next month on nutrition. She also added that she was missing her husband's Christmas party. That really bites because you just know she wanted to be there for that.

Hollie came out next followed by Isabeau and Bill. Hollie said she's now living a healthy lifestyle because she wants to keep her weight off. Isabeau is a personal trainer! Bill was just wow. Seriously, I was speechless so many times during the show. If you had been sitting next to me at home while watching them, we would have just kept looking at each other open-mouthed.

Because Bill was the biggest loser before they went home, he was given the chance to choose the order of their weigh-ins. He decided to have everybody weigh-in based on age -- youngest to oldest. Isabeau would be the first one on the scale.

Isabeau started at 298 pounds and now weighs 185 pounds (113 lbs lost for 37.92%). Hollie weighed in at the start of the season at 255 pounds and now weighs 150 pounds (105 lbs lost for 41.18%). Isabeau won't be the biggest loser. Julie (I still can't get over how good she looks!) began the season at 218 pounds and now weighs 121 pounds (97 lbs lost for 44.50%). She is now in the lead but Bill still has to weigh-in. Bill started at 334 pounds and now weighs 170 pounds (164 lbs lost for 49.10%)! Bill is the winner of The Biggest Loser and rakes in the cool $250,000 in cash. That wasn't a bad pull for their family tonight was it? I bet they will be partying something fierce this week.

As the confetti rained down (and landed in Alison's mouth), we were reminded that The Biggest Loser's fifth season would be starting up on January 1st. By the way, you can check out the couples that will be competing at the link above if you're interested.

What'd you think about this season's finale? And what about how everybody looked! Wowza!

This week's The Biggest Loser was a refreshing one in that it was only an hour long! I've seriously had it with shows stretching what should fit into one hour into two. So to say that I appreciated this episode being only one hour long is an understatement!

Because the finale is next week, this episode was filled with a bunch of emotional who-ha. It started with Bob talking to Neil who is his last remaining blue team member. Then Jillian's black team members went through their spiels.

At their last challenge, each person must drag a gigantic scale behind them through their specified lane. Their lane was marked in intervals corresponding to a specific week in the competition. At each interval, they had to put the amount of weight that they had lost onto their scale and continue to the next stop. Once they were dragging all of their lost weight behind them on the scale, they had to turn around and drag it back to the finish line. When they got there they had to dump their weight and the scale into a pit and raise their flag. After that, a huge load of dirt would be dropped into the pit "burying" their weight. The winner would receive a cool $10,000 to help them ease the transition of returning home until the live finale.

The challenge wasn't that much of a challenge at all -- at least not for Isabeau. She handily whooped the others and Bill literally ate her dust. I was glad to see the others continue on though to finish it out.

After their last chance workouts, it was time for their final weigh-in before the live finale. Neil lost another 11 pounds (3.47%), Hollie lost 5 pounds (2.55%), Bill lost 9 pounds (4.23%), Julie lost 8 pounds (4.76%), and Isabeau lost 8 pounds (3.56%). Over the course of the competition so far, Neil has managed to lose a whopping 143 pounds. Bill has lost a total of 130 pounds so far and Isabeau has shed 81 pounds. At this point in the competition out of all of the seasons, Isabeau has become the woman to lose the most weight.

Unfortunately for Hollie and Neil, one of them would be eliminated. Once I knew that Neil was below the yellow line, I knew it would be him going home. After all, he was the last blue team member left standing. For the first time in the show's history, the final members remaining belong to all of one team -- Jillian's black team. Neil was gracious in leaving though. He said he was so glad to have made it this far and that he was ready to start the next chapter of his life with a special girl. He also said that it was an honor and a privilege to be there with everybody and wished them good luck. Upon leaving though, he grabbed an ice cream cone from his food locker and handed it to Bill! LOL! On Neil's follow-up back at home, we saw that he now weighs 257 pounds. He has now lost 165 pounds since the start of the show. Wow.

To close out the show, Jillian met with each member of her team. They were introduced to a life-sized cardboard cutout of them "before" and all of them had a hard time believing that they were that big. Jillian gave each of them some kind words and it was then time for them to leave the campus and continue their weight loss back at home.

Next week on the finale, we'll get to see their emotional homecomings and the live weigh-ins. Who will take home the $250,000? Who do you want it to be?

There were six people left at the start of this week's The Biggest Loser and a combined weight loss of 1,064 pounds to date. Who would be going home?

This week the contestants had to work. I mean really work and they had to do it at a pizzeria. It was one of those resisting temptation life lessons. After being woken up early by their trainers for a morning cardio session, it was time for them to pack a healthy lunch and head to the Stone Fire Pizza Company to provide the restaurant some free labor.

Temptation was all around them as they washed dishes, cleaned the restrooms, chopped pizza toppings, and delivered pizzas to the waiting customers in the dining area. I don't know how busy they were actually kept during the day, but they didn't seem to have a problem with avoiding the yummy-looking pizzas. I did find it odd that they didn't take lunch until late in the afternoon and then left almost immediately after to go back to the campus. Wouldn't you normally take a lunch about halfway through your shift?

Back at the campus, the contestants get at their pre-challenge workouts. Neil said he really wants to win the challenge because he doesn't want to be the only person to have never one won at this stage of the game. I guess we'll see about that won't we Neil?

The challenge looked like an interesting but exhausting one. They each had to jump on a trampoline and bounce up high enough to hit a boxing speed bag over them. Each round would last for three minutes and the person that hit their bag the fewest times would be "knocked out". After each round, the bags would be raised higher increasing the level of difficulty. The person that hit their bag the most in the final round would win a one pound pass at the weigh-in.

Unfortunately for Neil, he didn't win the challenge. He was the second one out after his blue team partner, Nicole leaving somebody on the black team to win the one pound advantage. Bill was the next one eliminated from the challenge and ultimately Hollie won the whole tamale. She was happy about winning it because she felt that she'd probably need that one pound loss at the weigh-in to stay above the yellow line this week.

At the weigh-in, Bill lost a staggering 4.05% of his weight for the week making him the winner at the weigh-in. Neil was right below him with a 3.36% loss (and now 133 pounds total lost for a new show record). Hollie's advantage did indeed help her as she lost 2.99%. Isabeau lost 2.17%, Julie lost 1.75%, and Nicole lost only a shocking 0.47%. Everybody was shocked that Nicole had only lost one pound during the week because she's a hard worker and always one of the biggest losers at the weigh-in each week. Both Julie and Nicole are up for elimination and it should be no surprise who was voted out.

As one of only two remaining blue team members and the black team members holding the majority, Nicole was indeed eliminated. She said she had the best time of her life on the show though and made some really good friends. Back at home, she has continued her weight loss and now weighs 188 pounds (down from 279 at the show's start and 211 pounds at her elimination). She's looking really great and has tons of confidence now.

Along with the emotional filler in this week's episode (which I usually can't stand and usually leave out), the producers showed us who the top ten biggest losers have been among all of the completed seasons so far. The list from #10 to #1 is: Kelly from Season 1 (79 lbs lost), Jen from Season 3 (100 lbs lost), Shannon from Season 2 (149 lbs lost), Drea from Season 1 (156 lbs lost), Suzy from Season 2 (95 lbs lost), Brian from Season 3 (156 lbs lost), Matt from Season 2 (157 lbs lost), Pete from Season 2 (185 lbs lost), Poppi from Season 3 (117 lbs lost), and finally Erik from Season 3 (214 lbs lost). I liked seeing their dramatic transformations again because it really made me look at how well the contestants have been doing so far in this season.

I still have no idea who's going to win it all this season. I wouldn't mind Bill, Julie, or even Neil winning it. I was sad to see Nicole go though. I can't wait to see all of them at the live finale in two weeks. Next week though, they told us that one more record would be broken and that it would be the most emotional weigh-in ever. I take that word "ever" with a grain of salt so you should too.

What did you think about this week's episode? Who do you think will take home the money in two weeks?

This week's The Biggest Loser began with Alison informing the remaining contestants that their fates fell in the hands of America. That's scary if you really think about it. But as is usually the case in this show, it was grossly exaggerated. She told them that viewers had voted online for their favorite challenge from the seasons so far. The challenges the viewers could choose from were: the 74 flights of stairs challenge from the first season, the never-ending jump rope challenge from the second season, the poles over the pool challenge from the second season, and the endless escalator challenge from last season. They wouldn't find out which one they'd be doing though until the next day.

While all of the teams were working out back on the campus, Bryan spent some quality time with his trainer Kim. I'm sure he would have rather spent his time in a different manner though. She got onto him for not eating right. And when she found out that he had been marinating his food in soy sauce, she really hit the roof. Don't you know that sodium makes you retain water? No more soy sauce!

At the challenge, they found out that America had voted for them to compete in "Poles Over Water". Each of them would be suspended over a swimming pool and left hugging a large metal pole. There was a tiny lip at the bottom of the pole but if you were one of the big-footed variety it really wouldn't help much. Via video, Andre Agassi (he's so cute!) congratulated them on their weight loss so far and told them that the winner of this challenge would win a vacation for four at the Tamarack Resort in Idaho. That looks like a really nice place to vacation.

After the challenge started, it didn't take long before they began dropping like flies. Isabeau fell first followed by Neil, Nicole, Bryan, and then Hollie. It was down to Bill and Julie (both black team members) and Julie really wanted to win it. Besides, Bill has won enough right? Not just yet obviously because he managed to last longer than Julie. Bill was excited to win the vacation and even more excited that he would be able to actually ski with his family when they went.

So you've figured out where the "poles" and the "water" parts come in concerning the title of this post. But what about the "troubled" part? Well, after the challenge some of the contestants decided to take a dip in the pool and Hollie dove right in. Unfortunately for her, she dove into the shallow end and hit her mouth on the bottom of the pool. Do you get the "troubled" part now? She chipped her two front teeth pretty badly and had to go to the dentist to get them taken care of which cut into her last chance workout time. When she returned though, she was ready to go and never complained at all about anything.

After they all met with the doctor who evaluated them before they began their weight loss regimen and received his good news on their current physical conditions, it was time for the weigh-in. All week long we have been previewed to death about an entire team leaving the show but anybody who could read between the lines knew what was going to happen here. Julie lost the most percentage of weight (2.84%) while Bryan (1.48%) and Hollie (1.47%) were the bottom two and, as a result, up for elimination.

Bryan was the one voted out and would be leaving the campus this week. No more red team members are left so there is no need for a red team trainer either. I don't mind that because I've never really liked Kim much. Bryan's exit was a gentle one and there were no hard feelings held by him. It was refreshing to see another contestant leave with such class. After showing his homecoming, we were updated on his progress as of now. Bryan started The Biggest Loser weighing 347 pounds, he weighed 266 pounds when he left the show, and now he weighs 228 pounds. He is looking pretty good!

Next week, the remaining contestants leave the campus and test their willpower at a pizzeria. At the challenge, someone will punch their way to a one-pound advantage in the weigh-in.

What did you think about this episode? How about that diving blunder by Nicole? Do you think it was Bryan's time to go or would you have rather seen Hollie go home?

Live from the set of Access Hollywood, this is The Biggest Loser! OK, that just doesn't sound right. It didn't look right either last night. It was awkward and, how shall I put this, Alison Sweeney should not do live shows. After a couple of flubs, Alison told us that at the end of the night, there would be a live weigh-in with the person booted off the show this evening and that we would really be shocked.

This week's The Biggest Loser picked up where last week's left off - after elimination. Alison told the remaining contestants that they would receive a reward the next day. She gave them a little tease about what it might be by handing them an envelope that contained a picture of them at the start of their weight loss journey and told them to rest up. The next day, they were rewarded with a visit to the Days Of Our Lives set and an ultimate makeover courtesy of Prevention magazine. Liz, its editor-in-chief, then told them that after their makeovers one of them would be chosen to be on the cover. Not a bad prize at all!

After their makeovers, they were surprised yet again when they were told to go check out their new selves in a three-way mirror. While checking themselves out, the mirror in front of them would slide to the side and one of their loved ones would be behind it. All of them were super shocked to see them and their loved ones were thrilled too. It had been three months since they'd seen each other and the changes they'd undergone (weight loss and makeover) made for very dramatic and emotional reunions. I think the sweetest moment was when Kae's husband was revealed to her. He started crying, she started crying, and then I started crying! She said it was the best day of her life -- even better than her wedding day. Kae was also chosen for the cover! She's on your newsstands now if you want to check it out.

Unfortunately for the contestants, it was time to say goodbye to their loved ones and venture back to campus for their next challenge. Fittingly, their challenge was to keep themselves suspended above the yellow line. They were placed in harnesses, hung on a rope, and had to use some kind of crank to keep themselves suspended up on the rope that was perpetually moving and trying to drop them down. Hollie, Isabeau, Julie, Neal, and Nicole went out fairly quickly leaving Bryan, Kae, and Bill still competing. Bryan went out next and then Bill. Kae won her first challenge!

After their last chance workouts, it was time for the weigh-in. Hollie lost the biggest percentage of weight (3.77%) and Isabeau lost the next biggest percentage (2.90%). The two who lost the least biggest percentage were Kae (1.89%) and Nicole (1.80%) and would be in jeopardy of being eliminated. With Kae being in the bottom two, it was pretty much a given that she would be voted out and indeed she was by a vote of 4-1. Alison told Kae that she had the largest percentage of weight loss than any other female that has ever been on the show and more than even some of the men. Kae was sad to go but said she felt ready to complete her journey back at home.

And now, the moment Alison had been teasing us all night, the live weigh-in with the booted contestant. Kae came out and hugged Alison and said she feels like a different person. She looks amazing by the way! Then Bob came running out and hugged her. He was shocked at how awesome she looked. Kae weighed 225 pounds at the start of The Biggest Loser and now weighs 137 pounds. She has lost 88 pounds and 39% of her body weight. I wonder how much more she'll be able to lose in time for the season finale in four weeks.

What did you think about this week's show? Were you sad to see Kae go? Do you wish it had been Nicole instead? Did you see the previews for next week where they said it would be the closest weigh-in ever? I can't wait to watch!

Nine weeks have passed and nine contestants remain in The Biggest Loser. Which one of them will move one step closer to the $250,000 grand prize?

The contestants were told at the beginning of this week's episode that the game would be changing again. The duos are out the window and they'll now be competing as singles from here on out. After Bob confronted Neil about voting out Ryan, we got to see Amy in all of her bitchy glory. Amy said she had to have closure with Kim. I thought she was going to make amends with Kim. I was wrong. She brought her red team t-shirt to Kim and told Kim she could have it back. Rightfully so, Kim was insulted and told Amy to keep the shirt because it should mean something to her. Then Amy presented herself to Jillian in her newly acquired black t-shirt. Very nice Amy.

At the temptation challenge, there were mounds and mounds of donuts in the room and only one of them contained a token for $5,000 inside. The contestants would have to find the token to collect the reward but the catch was that for each round of "looking" they would have to eat a donut. Kae sat out the entire time not wanting to sacrifice her diet. The rest of them played in the first round (they had one minute) and didn't find the token. In the second round, Nicole sat out with Kae while the rest of them tore at the donuts. After still not finding it, they were given the chance again to search the donuts except this time there would be no time limit. Only Bill, Bryan, Amy, Isabeau, and Neil played this time around and Bill was the lucky one that found it.

After an obligatory "working out" segment, it was time for the immunity challenge. The players were to compete in a 24K triathlon. All would begin the bike segment and the first six players to cycle 20K would move on to the second part of the triathlon. Kae finished first and Nicole, Bill, Hollie, Bryan, and Neil joined her on the treadmills for the second round -- running 3K. The first three players to complete the running segment would move on to the final swimming segment. Kae finished first again with Bill and Hollie hot on her heels so they moved to the swimming pool. The first person to swim 1K (40 lengths of the pool) would win immunity at the elimination and receive a 24-hour trip home to spend a day with their families and would get to pick another person to also have a trip and immunity. There was really no competition here as Hollie won the swimming segment hands down (she's a swim coach in real life). She decided to give a trip and immunity to Julie as a strategic game move. Forgive me but I fail to see any strategy in this.

While the others are working out and Amy's crying about not being chosen for a home visit, Hollie and Julie are back at home with their friends/families. Hollie is with a friend (I think that's their relationship) who also has a weight problem and would go to take her to work out. Hollie hopes that she can motivate her to also lose weight. Julie joins husband and son at home and they go out to eat at Subway and she takes him to the beach to work out. Honestly, could these "home" segments be any cheesier?

After everybody's last chance workouts, it's time for this week's weigh-in. Julie, who has immunity, weighed first and lost zero pounds. Hollie, who also has immunity, weighed next and lost zero pounds. Imagine that. Bill lost 8 pounds (3.31%) bringing his total weight loss since the start of the show to 100 pounds. Nicole lost 7 pounds (3.06%), Neil lost 10 pounds (3.12%), Amy lost 3 pounds (1.22%), Isabeau lost 5 pounds (2.03%), Bryan lost 2 pounds (.72%), and Kae lost 4 pounds (2.45%). Amy and Bryan are the two (besides Julie and Hollie) who lost the lowest percentage of weight and are up for elimination.

Thankfully for Bryan and myself, some members of the black team turned on Amy and she was voted off the campus. She was upset about being turned on and told them that karma's a bitch. Well so are you Amy. After Amy leaves, Alison tells the remaining eight players that she has a surprise for them and hands each of them a big manila envelope.

In Amy's follow-up, we find that she's now lost a total of 100 pounds (she weighed 297 when she began). It's good that she's keeping up her weight loss but I still don't like her.

Next week, the players will get makeovers and have reunions with their families. Perhaps on a cruise ship with their families like they've done before? And for the first time ever, there will be a live weigh-in with the eliminated player.

What did you think about Amy being sent home? And what about how she behaved to Kim? Gah, I'm so glad she's gone.

In NBC's bid to change the world, The Biggest Loser unplugged their treadmills and stepped up recycling. That's funny when you think about it. How many mountains of food have they used in their setups over the seasons? Yes, I know food isn't harmful to the environment like styrofoam is but you don't think they dumped those piles of cheesburgers and pizza on a banquet table at the local homeless shelter for the hungry to dive into do you? Wasteful? Yes. A two hour show? Also wasteful. I'm just sayin'.

In honor of "green week", the contestants received new green t-shirts to wear with a recycling logo on the back and then had to guess the amount of calories in a meat pizza and 32-oz soda placed in front of them. (Why wasn't that soda in a glass instead of the evil paper container?) The person closest to the actual number of calories in that "meal" will receive the honor of dissolving the trios and create duos instead. Combined, the pizza and soda contained 3,253 calories and Nicole won the challenge by guessing 3,240. Wow, she was close!

Nicole chose Neil to be her partner and then they got to choose the next duo. They paired up Ryan & Isabeau. R&I paired up Julie & Bill. J&B chose Hollie & Bryan as a team leaving Kae & Amy as the last people paired up. Kae was disappointed but Amy was happy. Of course she would be -- Kae does more work than she does.

After the new duos were introduced to the trainers (poor Kim only has one more red person left -- Bryan), it was time for their challenge. Piles of waste from all of the food they would have eaten in a year were on campus for them to see: styrofoam, pizza boxes, coffee cups, ice cream containers, and then a lifetime's use of 148,000 aluminum cans (or 2.6 tons). Each duo had 30 minutes to fill their containers with as many cans as possible. The pair that had the most cans would win 2008 Ford Escape hybrid SUVs. Oh my!

Each of the pairs got to work running back and forth between the mound of metal and their ramps that led to their containers. It was painfully obvious that some cared more than others about winning those SUVs. As a group, they gathered 336 pounds of cans. The top two pairs were Kae & Amy and Bill & Julie. Both teams really wanted those SUVs (that's all we kept hearing about -- especially Julie) so thankfully Bill & Julie won so we could stop listening to her cry about how she had to give up her car to raise her kids.

After the last chance workout, it was that time again. Hello Mr. Giant Scale. Kae & Amy lost a total of 14 pounds, Hollie & Bryan lost a total of 17 pounds, Nicole & Neil lost a total of 24 pounds, Isabeau & Ryan lost 15 pounds, and Julie & Bill lost 15 pounds. Nicole & Neil easily won the weigh-in (even though I don't like that guy I must admit he's a machine). The team that lost the least percentage of weight though was Isabeau & Ryan. One of them would be leaving the BL campus.

Well, Ryan wound up being voted out by a unanimous vote. He wished them the best and left. Back home, he got to reunite with his four-month-old daughter and wife who were throwing him the obligatory welcome back party. Ryan weighed in at 374 pounds when he began the show and now weighs 265 pounds. He's lost 109 pounds to date and feels more in control of his life. I must say -- he's looking pretty good. It would have been nice to see him make it further. Even more so because I don't really like Isabeau that much.

Who are you ready to have kicked off the campus? Would you like this show to be shorter than two hours? What do you think about NBC going green? How many aluminum cans do you think you use in a year?

You remember Neil's subterfuge last week right? Of course you do. On Tuesday evening, The Biggest Loser spent a great deal of time focusing on the fallout of that while including tons of clips of Neil's subsequent alienation. We also saw a lot of him saying, "This is a game."

Neil, everybody participating in TBL and watching at home knows it's a game. Besides better health, there are 250,000 buckaroos at stake and you can buy a lot of donuts running shoes with that kind of cash. So Neil, you're not the only one that wants to win the "game".

Besides Neil sabotaging Jez last week, Amy revealed to Jillian that she too purposefully didn't lose weight last week. Why? Because Neil pressured her to do so. Since when did Neil become the Godfather?

The Biggest Loser has been basically a "feel good" show since its inception but this season has a different feel to it. With all of the shenanigans going on, it's becoming more like Big Brother or Survivor as the weeks go by. Perhaps I'm getting softer in my old age or maybe I'm still upset over another certain show but I just don't like this kind of behavior on TBL.

We could debate back and forth how manufactured the show is and how unrealistic it is until the cows come home but I still would like a few of my shows to be "nice" and not quite so cutthroat. I was upset that David was voted out last night and I appreciated his final words to his former competitors even if they didn't. Just put your head down, do your job, and lose your weight. Stop all of the over-the-top gameplay.

I just hope that Neil and Isabeau actually paid attention to what he said. And hopefully Amy will find a backbone and do what she wants instead of what others want her to do.

The best part of the show however last night was during Bill's and Kae's weigh-ins. Bill has lost an amazing 83 pounds since he started the show (two months) and Kae has lost 57 pounds. You could just see the pride they were gaining in themselves shining through and its moments like those that keep me watching.

Next week, the campus is going green. In other words, the machines in the gym are being unplugged and they'll have to find other methods to work out. Also next week, it seems Neil will have some kind of incredible weight loss. Perhaps he got his dirty little hands on a colon cleansing kit to help him accomplish that.

*smirk*

The Biggest Loser began last night with a little card game of high/low. There were no poker chips being used in this temptation competition though; they bet using cookies and crackers. Another little twist in this competition was that they had to eat what they wagered. The ultimate reward? The winner got to split what had been three teams (black, red, blue) into four trios. Definitely high stakes.

The only person that didn't want to play at all was Kae so she sat and watched as the others bet and ate. Ultimately, Jez won with his wagering and his ace of hearts. All of the power was in his hands. He received one hour to decide how to split the teams up and I thought he did a pretty good job. The four trios are: Kae, David, and Holly; Amy, Julie, and Bill; Bryan, Nicole, and Ryan; and finally Neil, Isabeau, and Jez.

The new trios weren't assigned a specific trainer so each member of each trio was able to pick who they wanted to train them. As is usually the case with Amy, she had to have drama. Still holding a grudge from last week against her trainer Kim, she decided she wanted Jillian to train her. Kim got upset about that but Amy refused to change back. She didn't trust Kim anymore. Whatever!

At their first competition as teams of three, one team member at a time from each team had to push a huge metal arm (which had their fellow two team members on a platform) around so that it made 75 revolutions. Each member of the winning team would win a Bowflex home gym. It was frustrating as all get out watching this competition because I couldn't figure out what team was doing what because they all had on their old team t-shirts. TBL should have given each team their own color; it sure would have been a lot easier to keep track of who was who. Anyway, the team that won was Bill, Amy, and Julie.

After their last chance workout, it was weigh-in time on the show. This time the trainers wouldn't be there to watch. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps they were out jello-wrestling.

BAJ (Bill, Amy, and Julie) lost a combined 10 pounds and 1.37% of their weight. BRN (Bryan, Ryan, Nicole) lost a combined 10 also but for a lower 1.15% of weight loss. KHD (Kae, Hollie, David) lost a combined 14 pounds and 1.93% of their weight. It was time for the last team of JIN (Jez, Isabeau, and Neil) to weigh in. It started off as icing on the cake for them because Jez lost 6 pounds and Isabeau lost 4 pounds. Neil's turn to step on the scales. Were the scales wrong? He gained 17 pounds! WTF? So the team of JIN wound up gaining 7 pounds overall and gaining .77% of their weight back. One of them will be going home.

After the weigh-in, they all went back and let me tell you something. When Bob found out what Neil had done to sabotage his team (he drank two gallons of water before the weigh-in) he was pissed! Jillian was pissed as well at Neil's manipulation to save the members of the blue team. Neil thought the whole thing was funny. While he was laughing, Jez was getting depressed and was afraid he'd be the one going home.

At the elimination ceremony, each trio got to cast a vote for who would leave Team JIN. BAJ voted Neil. BRN voted Jez. KHD voted Jez. Whoa. Jez is dumbstruck.

Talk about low down and dirty play on Neil's part! What an ass! I sure hope he gets what's coming to him sooner rather than later. According to the previews, It looks like next week he might.

Jez's update was a fantastic one. He has continued to lose weight and is now down to 242 pounds for a total weight loss of 103 pounds. Keep up the great job Jez!

What did you think about the show? And how about Neil's dirty play. Wow.

Last night's The Biggest Loser was a very emotional one. I cried four times and I'm not even known for crying!

The show opened with (besides the recaps) all three teams back on campus and working out. Bam! It's time for their challenge. On the beach, each team has a "frame" that their members must pick up and carry down the beach. The team that carries their frame the furthest down the beach wins a special reward - videos from friends and family. This challenge had to have taken forever and a day to film but at the end of it, Kim's red team won. Mucho thanks to Phil.

So the red team went to watch their videos and cry (my cry #1). Everybody's videos were so wonderful. Phil's girls were so precious. You could tell they all miss their family very much.

Enough crying! It's time to work out. Cowboy (David) was taking it a little too slow on the treadmill (walking at 2.5 mph) and Kim let him know she wasn't happy with that speed. He told her that's all he can do at the moment. She still wasn't happy. Oh my! Kim let the "F-word" fly. Well that really ticked Cowboy off and he quit the treadmill. Ain't nobody talking to him like that. Puh-lease. He needs to get over himself. Meanwhile, the black team is working with a vengeance on the treadmills (running at 10 mph). Then Jillian has to break some bad news.

Holly, on Jillian's black team, is told that her mom has relapsed with her leukemia (my cry #2) and is in the hospital. Holly left the campus to go be with her mom and then we're told at the beginning of the weigh-in that Holly's mom passed away (my cry #3). Oh man.

At the weigh-in:

Blue team - 31 lbs total lost - 2.75%

• Nicole - 252 to 248 - 4 lbs lost
• Neil - 365 to 355 - 10 lbs lost
• Kae - 184 to 178 - 6 lbs lost
• Ryan - 331 to 320 - 11 lbs lost

Red team - 16 lbs total lost - 1.28%

• Amy - 268 to 265 - 3 lbs lost
• David - 328 to 323 - 5 lbs lost
• Bryan - 308 to 304 - 4 lbs lost
• Phil - 346 to 342 - 4 lbs lost

Black team - 30 lbs total lost - 2.36%

• Holly weighed in before she left - 3 lbs lost
• Isabeau - 264 to 259 - 5 lbs lost
• Julie - 199 to 195 - 4 lbs lost
• Jez - 302 to 295 - 7 lbs lost
• Bill - 279 to 268 - 11 lbs lost

So, the blue team (yay!) won the weigh-in because they lost the biggest percentage of weight and the red team will have to choose one of their team members to go home. David lost the most weight on the red team so they won't be able to vote for him. During the red team meeting, Kim tells them she doesn't want them to vote so that there's a tie. Foreshadowing much?

At the elimination ceremony David voted for Amy, Amy voted for Phil, Phil voted for Amy, and Bryan voted for Phil. Yup. It's a tie. Because of that, the blue team (because they won the weigh-in) gets to choose the fate of the red team and send one of them home. The blue team decided to send Phil home for strategy reasons. He's crying and I'm crying (my cry #4). Bye bye Phil.

In his "after" piece, thankfully Phil has continued his weight loss. He weighed 403 pounds when he first went to The Biggest loser campus and now weighs 295 pounds. He's lost a total of 108 pounds and is looking much better. Way to go Phil!

Next week, we have the most shocking weigh-in in history. Hmmm, I wonder if that means somebody lost a huge amount of weight or somebody gained? Can't wait to find out!