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The live finale of this season's The Biggest Loser was perhaps the best finale of any reality television show in a very long time. Of course, I'm biased when I say that because the people that I really hoped wouldn't win, didn't!

The show began with Alison bringing out Roger and Mark. We still had to find out who America voted to be the third finalist. Both of them looked great but you could tell Roger went all out when he arrived home. He looked even slimmer than when he left the campus. Drum roll please! America voted for Roger! He then ran off to go change into his weigh-in gear while Alison talked to a slightly disappointed Mark. I'm surprised he didn't break down and cry. Oops, that was mean of me wasn't it?

When all of the former contestants came out and showed off their new bodies to all of us, my jaw dropped. It was obvious that most of them really kicked some calorie-burning butt when they got back home. There were a few standouts though. Amanda looked absolutely stunning! To say that she worked hard to drop her weight would be an understatement. It was unfortunate that her husband Neill didn't seem to have worked as hard as she did. His laziness must have continued back at home. Mallory and Curtis blew me away as well. They looked like a whole other couple and it was great! Bernie and Brittany looked great as well but whoever picked that dress for Brittany didn't do her any favors. That shirring on the front of her dress made her look like she smuggled a fanny pack turned the wrong way around into the auditorium. The only one missing for the finale was Paul. Alison told us that Paul was ill and couldn't make the trip. That's kind of curious if you ask me.

The first big prize to be handed out would be $100,000 to the person among the booted contestants who dropped the most percentage of weight since the start of the show. Curtis led the charge for a long time with his 39.37% drop but when Dan stepped on the scale, he blew Curtis out of the water. Dan had lost an amazing 43.87% but there were still some big hitters that needed to weigh in. Bernie weighed in a couple of people later and amazingly took over Dan's lead with 45.94%. I was so thrilled for him! Oh please let him win it! Brittany weighed, then Jay, and then Mark and guess what? Mark came one pound shy in his weight loss which meant that Bernie won the hundred grand! I jumped up out of my chair and was so happy for him. I hope there aren't any hidden cameras around that caught me doing that.

Now it was time for the biggest prize of them all -- $250,000 to be given to either Roger, Ali, or Kelly. After Alison talked with all three of them and we watched their homecomings, it was time for them to step on the Biggest Loser scale one more time. Because Ali had dropped the highest percentage of weight up to the point of leaving the campus, she was able to select the order that they would weigh in. Roger would be first up followed by Kelly and then herself.

Roger originally weighed 363 pounds and now weighs 199 pounds. He has lost an amazing 164 pounds which turned out to be 45.18%. Kelly originally weighed 271 pounds and needs to have lost more than 122 pounds to take over Roger's lead. She only lost 109 pounds though and 40.22%. Then it was Ali's turn. She began the season weighing 234 pounds and needs to have lost more than 105 pounds to win it all. She lost 112 pounds! Ali is the first female Biggest Loser winner!!!

All three of them looked so fabulous and I wish there had been a few extra minutes left in the show to watch them all celebrate but we were only able to see the confetti drop and hugging begin taking place when Alison told us the show was over. But I was so thrilled for Ali! Even writing about this now is starting to get me all choked up again so I'll just ask you this one final question, how did you like it?

Want to see a pic of Ali in her "Got Milk?" ad? Click here! Doesn't she look great?

The Biggest Loser tends to get very sappy at the end of its seasons and this week's episode was the sappiest yet. If it didn't cause you to shed a tear or two, I'd be worried about whether you were human or not. More than once, I had to pause the show and grab a tissue to wipe my eyes. Telling myself it was just a silly reality television show couldn't stop the flow either.

With only four players left, there was a ton of reminiscing to be had. Mark misses his wife and children as well as his brother, Jay. Ali misses her mom, Bette-Sue. Kelly and Roger miss their families as well and can't believe that they're still in the running for becoming the next winner of $250,000. There were also some very touching moments when each one of them met and stood next to the cardboard cutout of their former selves. None of them could believe that they were ever that big. They were all so glad to be able to have this experience and felt that they had become healthier and gained the ability to live their lives the way they truly wanted now.

This week's challenge was also emotionally charged. Each of them had to don a fat suit that made their bodies exact replicas of what they looked like when they came on the show. Of course, those fat suits also contained the amount of weight they'd lost so far. With their fat suits on, they had to race to the end of the beach where they could then get out of the fat suit and then grab a flag. With their giant flag in hand, they had to race to the top of a mountain. The first person to reach the top and plant their flag into the stand would win freshly prepared food until the finale and a cool $10,000 in cash.

Now try to guess who won the competition. Why, you are correct! Mark handily beat the others and Roger came in second. Ali planted her flag third and there was good ol' Kelly bringing up the rear yet again. I was just glad that at least Mark didn't win some kind of perk at the weigh-in.

After being without trainers for the week and having to workout on their own, they were happy when Bob and Jillian returned the night before the weigh-in. Alison told the players it had to do with a surprise and when I found out what the surprise was I had to grab another tissue. It was time for each of them to watch a video of their journey so far on campus. Each video began with them at the beginning of the season talking about how they felt about being fat and how it was affected their life. Then then saw some of their own personal highlights and lowlights of the season. I couldn't stop crying again during these segments because they were just so amazing. Seeing how much they've changed and how much more confident they are and how good they feel now was really inspirational.

With their last last chance workout under their belts, it was time for their last weigh-in before the live finale. Roger went first and was hoping he could lose more than 14 pounds to beat Neil's record-breaking weigh loss of 143 pounds in season four. Roger did it! He lost an amazing 15 pounds and another 6.41% of weight. Mark was the next one up on the scale and he lost 12 pounds, or 6.63%, and now weighs 169 pounds.

I was worried for both of the girls now because the guys had put up such huge numbers. Ali needed to lose more than 9 pounds to secure herself a spot in the finale and lose it she did. She lost a shocking 11 pounds (7.53%) for a total of 99 pounds since the beginning of the season. Now weighing 135 pounds, Alison told her that she has lost the most amount of weight of any woman ever on the show.

Kelly needed to lose more than 12 pounds to be in the finale and I really felt she wouldn't be able to do it. She proved me wrong. She lost 13 pounds and everybody was in utter shock. The guys were speechless, the girls were hugging, and Jillian was ecstatic. Her 6.81% weight loss this week kept her above the yellow line causing her and Ali both to be in the finals together. Both of the boys were below the yellow line and Roger felt sure that he'd be going home that evening.

Alison, however, pulled one final surprise out of her hat for them. She told them that this elimination would not be their decision but that it would be America's decision. Ali and Kelly didn't look too excited at this news because they'd been planning on getting rid of Roger. Roger was happy though because he felt like he had another chance to stay in the game. It was time for the boys to now go plead their case to America in the confessional and hope that America makes the right decision for them.

Both of their confessional videos were really nice (you can see them at the Biggest Loser website). Roger took a more humorous route while Mark tried tugging on America's heartstrings. Once that was done, each of them packed up, and then said goodbye to their trainers after meeting their cutouts. They then left the campus in their limos and were thrilled to be on their way home to see their families again.

We'll find out who America chose to be the third finalist in the first five minutes of the live finale and if you haven't already gone to vote, what are you waiting for? We'll also see their emotional homecomings and then the final weigh-in of the season. I can't wait to find out what everybody looks like -- including the people from earlier in the season. I would love to see Kelly win but I think Ali will be the one to pull it out and become the first female winner of the show. Who do you want to see win the big money?

You have to know how thrilled I was at the show's ending this week. I was probably just as excited as most of you were as well. It finally happened and it's permanent! Yay!

Alison informed everybody after last week's elimination ceremony that they'd be traveling to Sydney, Australia. Then she yammered on a little bit about how The Biggest Loser is an international phenomenon and goes on in over 90 countries. Blah blah blah. Now go pack your bags!

They met Bob and Jillian once in Australia and both of the trainers found out that Dan had been eliminated. Jillian was thrilled but Bob was a little disappointed. Too bad Bob! After a traditional aboriginal ceremony led by Uncle Max where Ali got a little too emotional, it was time for them to trek over to Australia's Biggest Loser mansion. I'm not kidding. That place was huge and much nicer than our U.S. version.

After working out, everybody got gussied up for a night of dinner and dancing. Was anybody else tired of hearing Ali go on and on about her arms in that dress? I'm glad that Kelly talked some sense into her. The next day, they all traveled to a local farmers market where Bob and Jillian explained to them that just because they're on vacation doesn't mean they have to be stuck with fatty hotel food. Octopus and raw oyster anyone? The biggest highlight of the day, for me, was meeting Adro from Australia's Biggest Loser season 1. He is hot!!!

For their challenge this week, they all met Alison at the top of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Why I'm not really sure because the challenge involved them being down at ground level. They would be jumping from a boat into the harbor and having to swim 300 meters to shore. Once there, they would be biking along a marked path before running to the Aurora Place building and running up its 44 stories of stairs to the roof. The first person to reach Alison up on the roof would win a sightseeing plane ride, brunch, and a phone call to home.

Ali led throughout the swimming part of the challenge but lost her lead to Mark in the biking portion. Roger was dead last during all of it until he got to climbing those stairs where he overtook Kellly and put her in the final spot. Mark dominated the remainder of the competition but showed a little heart when he reached the top of the building. He actually sat down and waited for Ali to join him (she'd only been a couple of flights of stairs behind him) and he asked her to carry him over the finish line. Because both of them tied for first they would both be enjoying the reward. Jay came in third and Roger came in fourth place and at that point everybody was just waiting on Kelly. They went down to help egg her on and she eventually finished in last place.

The trainers were a little worried about the weigh-in since their teams hadn't got much in in the way of workouts. Bob was rightfully anxious about it because his boys Jay and Mark both gained a pound. Everybody else lost at least one pound (Ali won the weigh-in with 3 pounds) so it put the brothers in blue below the yellow line. One of them would be going home. Yippeee!

Jay fell on the sword for Mark this week and asked everybody to vote him out. After much boo-hooing, Jay was sent packing where he's now lost a total of 100 pounds since starting the show.

One one more show left before the live finale! Who do you want to win the $250,000? How happy were you to see one of the brothers go home this week? I really hope both of the gals can stick it out one more week and make the finale. I'm crossing my fingers that Mark goes home next. And what do you think about America deciding the third and final player in the finale? The contestants were certainly shocked when they were told about it weren't they?

I was thrilled at the turn of events this week in the Biggest Loser house! It was about time one of those cocky blue boys went home. I'll get into that more later but let's talk about some cake first.

At the beginning of the show, Alison asked everybody to report back to the elimination room. She didn't tell them why and all of them were really nervous about it. She wound up giving them a pop quiz and the person that won would receive whatever was on the giant silver tray. Dan was the winner of the calorie quiz and won himself a giant slice of chocolate cake. He was told he could eat it but Alison told him she thought it best if he saved it and brought it to the competition later on.

He saved it all right. He took that platter with the cake on it everywhere he went -- except for one time. Dan went to go do some cardio with the brothers and asked everybody remaining to leave his cake alone. Yeah, right! Roger went out to inform him that the cake was missing and when Dan went back inside the house to try and find it, he instead found a ransom note on his bed with Kelly's name at the bottom of it. He then creepily went into Kelly's room and, while she was showering, asked her if she knew where his cake was and then asked her about ransom note. Of course, it was all a setup. A really hilarious setup at that. Roger was the one behind the ransom note and everybody got a big laugh at Dan's expense.

Dan, his slice of cake, and the other contestants arrived at the challenge which was being held inside of a basketball arena. It was complete with their names and faces being flashed on the screens and snack food vendors. More specifically, there were tables located in the stands around the stadium that had french fries, popcorn, pizza, ice cream, pretzels, hot dogs, peanuts, and cotton candy on them. Each one of them would have 20 minutes to run and grab food from up in the stands and place it on their fellow contestant's tables located in the center of the arena floor. The person who had the least amount of calories on their table at the end would win $10,000. But first, Dan was given the opportunity to place his slice of cake worth 600 calories on somebody's table to pad their calorie count. He chose Kelly's table unsurprisingly.

The boys decided to target the girls, of course, and when it was all said and done Jay wound up being the money winner. Alison presented him with a proposition though. He could either take the money or he could buy a one-pound pass at the next weigh-in with it. I was hoping he'd take the cash but he did choose at the weigh-in to buy the one-pound pass.

The pass made a little bit of a difference in his percentage lost but not much. He was stuck in the middle of the pack this week. The weigh-in belonged to the ladies for once! Kelly lost 7 pounds and 3.52% of her weight and Ali lost 6 pounds and 3.87% of hers. One of the blue boys would be leaving this week and it was between Mark and Dan. Mark had only lost 2.16% and Dan had lost a whopping 0.50%. Gosh, this was great!

At the elimination ceremony, Dan began crying before the first vote was even read. He knew what was in the cards for him. Of course, then all the blue boys began crying together. I swear, they should make them wear pink shirts from now on and put little bows in their hair. Oh, and give them mascara that isn't waterproof so it runs down their faces when they cry. Boo hoo. Yeah, I'm a little excited that Mr. I'm The Smartest Man Of The Show is gone.

He's also gone from home. Soon after arriving back home, he hopped a plane to Los Angeles to begin his music career. Good luck with that.

Next week, the contestants will be going to Australia but it won't be for a vacation. And with only two shows left before the live finale, who do you think will make it to the final four? It's safe to say I hope the brothers are eliminated by then.

This week's episode of The Biggest Loser picked right up from where they left off last week -- immediately before the elimination. I just knew in my heart of hearts that it was Brittany's time to go home but I was wrong and I was thrilled! I never liked Maggie so it was nice to watch her make her exit.

My favorite part of this show had to have been the makeovers. The makeovers are always my favorite part of this show though. After watching these people struggle all this time to lose weight and wear basically nothing but sweats and spandex with their hair pulled back and no makeup on, it was time for some hair cuts and new outfits. It didn't hurt either that the Tim Gunn was there to guide them.

All of them looked fabulous in their new outfits but the two that looked the best to me were Kelli and Brittany. Could you believe that plunging neckline on her dress? The girl definitely had the cleavage to fill it out too. Kelli looked amazing with her new hair cut but what shocked me the most was how she looked with her makeup done like that. I almost didn't even recognize her. She definitely needs to remember what they did so she can go home and do it that way. And somewhere in the back of my mind I kept thinking, "I wonder what Paul would say if he could see her now." Oh to be a fly on the wall in Paul's house last night. And I may be in the minority here but I really couldn't stand Dan's new hair cut. I guess it was better than his old one but I think he would have looked better with a shorter cut.

After the photo shoot (where Ali landed the cover of Prevention magazine), it was time to get back to work. Specifically, it was time for the challenge. And it was an endurance one! Treadmills were suspended 10 feet above a pool and all of them had to walk backwards on them. As time went on, the level of incline would be raised and the speed would be kicked up a notch.

I so wanted one of the girls to win this but it just wasn't in the cards. After 40 minutes, Kelli was the first one off the treadmill followed by Roger and Dan. Then Brittany couldn't go any longer and got off the treadmill 45 minutes into it. It was down to Ali versus the brothers Jay and Mark. Jay kicked the bucket after 56 minutes and after 1 hour and 5 minutes, Ali couldn't go on any longer. Mark wins again. Oh I was cussing my TV so much!

Once everybody returned back to campus, Roger and Mark got into it for Mark apologizing for winning. That whole argument was stupid and I was glad that Bob finally broke in and told them it was a good time to go workout. After the last chance workouts, it was time to weigh-in.

Dan lost the most percentage of weight this week and finally got below 200 pounds. Roger was right below him percentage-wise and has lost a staggering 121 pounds since the show began. Jay and Brittany didn't have such a great weigh-in though. Both of them found themselves below the yellow line and I knew at that point which one of them would be going home.

Before the elimination ceremony, Brittany tried to explain to Dan that it would be best if he voted against Jay because Jay was a bigger threat to him. Dan realized that but it didn't change his vote. Roger, Dan, and then Ali voted for Brittany to go and that was it. The other votes didn't even need to displayed. Back home though, Brittany has continued to work out and has lost another 11 pounds in the three weeks she's been gone. She even went sky-diving and it was so much fun to see her enjoy the experience.

Next week, the teaser said that the silver tray at elimination will change the game and for the two women left there's a big milestone they reach. I wonder what that could be.

So what did you think about this week's episode? How did you think everybody looked after their makeovers? And what did you think about Brittany being eliminated?

It was really nice to see the eliminated contestants return in this week's episode. Even if they were around only long enough to weigh-in, I liked seeing their progress since the season began. We see the little updates on them at the end of the shows when they've been eliminated and we can see how much weight they've lost since they began but you always wonder if they really kept up with their workouts and diets once at home.

Allison revealed to the final six at the beginning of the episode that the eliminated contestant's game hadn't ended yet. For the first time in Biggest Loser history, the ousted would have a chance to rejoin the game. The final six were shocked as the curtain came down and they were revealed to them. Allison explained that the eliminated would weigh-in in two groups: female and male. The person that lost the highest percentage of weight from the time they began the show would win the chance to come back on campus.

Many of the eliminated contestants seem to have been doing a great job in that area. There were a few that you could tell hadn't really done much especially when you take into account how long they've been off the show. Take the father/daughter team of Jenni and Lynn. They were the very first couple eliminated and they've had the longest amount of time to lose some weight. Jenni has only lost 38 pounds since the beginning of the show and Lynn has lost 64 pounds. I think Neill from the newlywed couple should have been able to lose more weight that he has as well. Yeah, he's lost 55 pounds but he was and is a big boy. Big boys (and gals) lose weight quicker than the less obese so he's obviously been slacking. His wife, Amanda, is looking fantastic though!

Bette-Sue's daughter, Ali, looked absolutely fantastic and so did Dan's mom, Jackie. You could just tell by looking at both of them that it would be one of them to come back into the competition. Ali had lost 67 pounds and Jackie had lost 64 pounds but Ali had the highest percentage of weight loss at 28.63% so she was back in the game. The competition between the guys was only between two as well. Bernie, who had left the night before had lost 88 pounds (31.10%) but Mark of the brothers team had lost 90 pounds (31.58%). Mark was back in the house. Ick! I wanted to stop watching right then but I didn't.

Mark got to decide who to train with since he'd lost the highest percentage and it was obvious he was going to choose Bob. So Ali was stuck with Jillian. Later, Jillian joined the other girls up in their room and found them to be depressed about Bernie not being back and upset that there were two more people they'd have to get past to be a finalist. I wanted to scream through the TV at them and tell them to suck it up. Seriously, they're going to have to really get on the ball if they expect to be a finalist. Even though you and I may not like it, it's really become obvious that the guys on the blue team have this game sewed up.

The competition was rather stupid this week. They had to ride stationary bikes and pedal to light up light bulbs. Boring! The final round came down to Mark and Dan and Dan was able to pull through and win. I don't like Dan that much but I was happier to see him win than one of the brothers. Dan's prize for winning the competition was having an extra vote at the elimination ceremony.

The weigh-in didn't go very well for the black team. Besides Jillian and Allison getting into it over Allison's questioning of Brittany (this bit was hilarious!), they just didn't lose the amount of weight that they needed to. While Ali kicked butt and was the biggest loser this week (4.19%), her teammates Maggie and Brittany found themselves below the yellow line. Brittany only lost 2 pounds and Maggie lost an astonishing 0 pounds. Way to lie down and let the guys stomp on you!

The elimination ceremony was surprising in that it wasn't shown last night! Ha! Next week's episode will begin with what was hailed as a ceremony so surprising that it will be worth our wait. And guess what else we'll see next week! Makeovers! And from Tim Gunn! Now that is what I'm excited about.

I really can't stand the guys on the blue team! I don't think I've ever disliked one whole team in any of the previous seasons. All of Jay's crying and carrying on at the beginning of the show was enough to make my stomach turn. I know he misses his brother but come on! Mark just went home. He didn't die! Glad to see Bob help prop Jay up though (NOT!) by volunteering to be a "brother" along with Dan and Roger for him. Ugh, they all just annoy me to no end this season.

I liked the temptation challenge a lot! If you missed it, Alison Sweeney came in and told them all that it was snack time. They then went to a vending machine that was filled with fatty snacks (chocolate candies, peanut butter cups, potato chips, etc), sugar-free gum with cash awards on the back, or a 1-lb pound pass for the next weigh-in. If, when they made their selection, they received junk food they had to eat it before quitting or trying again. If they got the gum, they won the money for it and could quit the challenge or continue on. If they got the 1-lb pound pass, their turn was over.

Every single one of them wound up getting the 1-lb pound pass except for Dan and Kelly. It wasn't for lack of trying though. Dan wound up eating potato chips, chocolate candies, cheese and crackers, Kit Kats, and then got gum. He got gum and gum and more gum for a total of $9,500. He chose to stop after getting his last pack of gum and forget about the 1-lb pound pass. Kelly got a Twinkie, then peanut butter cups, then Oreos, and finally Kit Kats. She decided not to go on because she felt she wouldn't be able to keep all that junk down. Jay and Maggie were the luckiest in that they didn't have to eat anything at all. They both got their 1-lb pound pass on their first try. It sucked for me because I was hoping Jay would have eaten like Dan did.

Because Bernie was the Biggest Loser last week, he had the ability to choose from one of the three envelopes on the hill. He chose the gameplay envelope which had in it the ability for him to give immunity to any player (besides himself) on any time for the week. As soon as I saw that, I knew instantly who he'd give it to and you probably did too. Brittany of course!

After getting checkups and results on their weight loss to date at the hospital, it was time for a challenge. There was this huge ravine they had to zipline across while gathering flags. Each person had five minutes to gather 14 flags and at the end of the competition, the team with the most flags would get the chance to become fighter pilots for a day. Now that is a prize I'd love to win! Bernie did a great job for his blue team and got all 14 of his flags but unfortunately his fellow team members weren't able to do the same. The black team lost yet again.

At the weigh-in, Alison dropped the bomb on them before they all weighed in. No more teams -- they're competiting as individuals for the duration of the show starting right then. Most of them were really happy about being singles now but especially Kelly and Jay. Brittany, the first to hop on the scales because she'd been given immunity by Bernie for the week, lost 5 pounds for a total of 47 pounds. After the others weighed (Roger has lost 100+ now), it was Bernie and Kelly below the yellow line.

Brittany was understandably upset. Her and Bernie were the last "couple" remaining in the house and now he might go home after giving her immunity. By the way, if he hadn't given Brittany immunity it would have been her and Kelly below the yellow line. The former members of the black team voted for Kelly to go home at the elimination ceremony but the blue team stuck together and voted out their biggest threat -- Bernie.

I was so sad to see Bernie go home! I wish weepy washy Kelly would have gone home this week. She probably wasn't even smart enough to see through the bullpoop that Roger/Jay/Dan were feeding her before the ceremony. She's a bigger threat than Bernie? Puh-lease! It was good to see that Bernie has gone on and continued to lose weight. He'd lost a total of 88 pounds on campus and now has lost 108. He's not looking bad at all if I do say so myself!

So what did you think of this week's episode? Next week's sounds really good! I didn't see the preview (was there one?) but some snooping around online led me to this, "It's down to the six final contestants, but not for long. In a shocking twist, all fourteen of the players eliminated so far return to the ranch and surprise the six. At the weigh-in, the scale reveals how the eliminated contestants have done on their own at home, and the man and woman who have lost the most weight get to the return to the game." Very interesting!

Does what happens in Vegas really stay in Vegas? With the blue team, I highly doubt it. Jay was the Biggest Loser last week and got the chance to pull an envelope. The prize he won was not only for himself but for the rest of his team as well: A trip to Vegas! The guys shacked up in a gorgeous suite at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. The showers even had stripper poles! Now that's high class.

Bob wasn't very happy when he found out about his blue team traveling to Sin City. He was worried the lure of the buffets and cheap booze would take hold over them so he told them they had to work out while they were there. Mark and Jay did a great job working out but Roger and Dan slacked off a little. Actually, Dan slacked off a lot. After staying out until 6:00 AM, Roger and Dan were in no shape to make it to the 7:00 workout and overslept. Mark and Jay finally went and woke them up right before 10:00 AM so that they could get their workout for the day in. Roger was ticked off though! He'd asked Mark and Jay to wake him up in the first place and they hadn't. Roger did get up and go workout but Dan? He stayed in the comfy bed until it was time to go get his tattoo.

That's right! I said "tattoo". The guys had come to the decision the previous day to get tattoos of "pride" which was their team motto. Stupid, I know. I couldn't believe Dan actually went through with it. The show's editing made you think he would wuss out at the last moment leaving the other three holding the bag but he didn't. And to prove how much of a man he was, he got his very first tattoo on his forearm. It was huge. I have a feeling Momma Jackie ain't going to be happy. What can you do though? The guy's 21.

The challenge this week was a lame one. It was an obstacle course that consisted of flipping tires, hauling sandbags, rolling medicine balls, and running a half male. Only a half mile! Guess who lost. The amazing black team. I hope you read that in a sarcastic tone by the way. As if Dan's cockiness couldn't get any worse in this episode already, he explained that the reason the black team lost is because they're "obviously a much weaker team." Well thank you Captain Obvious! The best thing about the challenge though was that it had no consequence in the upcoming weigh-in. The blue team did win all-expenses paid trips for two to Puerto Rico though.

The weigh-in was stunning this week. The black team pounded the blue team. Black lost a total of 30 pounds for 3.69% of their weight while the blue team only lost 23 pounds and 2.47% of their weight. Somebody in blue would be going down. Unfortunately for me, there would be no backstabbing and fighting to watch. Mark threw himself on the sword so that he could pay back Roger for sending Trent home. And to see the amount of crying in this episode, you'd think these guys were a bunch of ninnies. Jeez! What am I watching? Oprah?

Next week, we're supposed to see the biggest challenge in the game's history. There's also supposed to be a bigger twist than we've ever seen as well. Oh, and no more teams! What did you think about this episode?

The contestants on The Biggest Loser returned home this week for the first time in 58 days. They didn't have Bob or Jillian by their side or the support of their fellow teammates to keep their eating and workout habits on track. So after spending a week with their friends and family, would they return to campus having kept themselves in check?

Everybody was happy to go home and see their loved ones. Of course, there were the sappy homecoming parties with everybody telling them how they great their smaller selves looked. There was also a lot of food at the gatherings. Mark's son was a little cutie pie snatching the donuts from the table! He couldn't resist that sugary goodness but Dad stepped in and took it away from him. He didn't want his son to grow up and become him. I understand that but Mark should have removed all of that food from the table immediately upon seeing it in the first place.

Paul's second day home didn't go so well for him. While all of the other contestants were going out to eat and ordering healthy food, Paul provided his crew with unlimited hot wings in celebration. He also provided them for himself along with lots of dressing on the side. I was so disappointed in him when he did that. I could understand him having two or three as a splurge but when he didn't stop, I wondered if he'd learned anything at all on The Biggest Loser campus.

Once everybody said goodbye to their loved ones and returned to campus, it was time for them to debrief their trainers concerning how well they "behaved" at home. It would be an understatement if I said Jillian was ticked at Paul. Besides his pigging out, he had completely ignored Jillian's calls. She had called all of them every single morning and every single night to check on them but Paul said that his phone was dead and that's why he didn't talk to her. Then he was cold busted by Jillian because Kelly had told Jillian that she'd spoken to Paul. I think he just felt guilty about falling off the wagon and didn't want to discuss it with Jillian.

Their challenge this week was one of my favorites. They did the giant jump rope beam challenge. You know, the one where they have to jump over the foam bar. If they don't jump high enough it breaks and they're out. Yeah, that one. The winning team would be able to choose two people in the losing team to weigh in that night -- a full 24 hours before the regular weigh-in. So I was thrilled when Brittany was the final person jumping and the black team won. Dan and Roger were chosen to weigh-in early and between them they lost 27 pounds. I began to really wonder if the black team would win the weigh-in at that point.

I had every right to worry too. They wound up losing big time. The blue team pummeled them on the scales with their total weight loss of 56 pounds and 5.67%. The black team only lost a combined 26 pounds and 2.42% of their weight. I knew immediately then who was going home. I didn't even have to watch the elimination ceremony. It was Paul's time to leave the show. Unfortunately for him, he came down with double pneumonia after going home and has gained back 3 of the 67 pounds he'd lost while on the campus. I hope he's able to get back on track in time for the finale because he was one of my favorites.

I don't know about you but I found this week's episode of The Biggest Loser really touching. I even watched it a second time today to see if maybe it was due to the mood I was in when I first watched it. Nope, that wasn't it. I was still just as touched the second time around.

But first, is Kelly getting on anybody else's nerves? I am sick and tired of her always crying. I know some people are more sensitive than others but she really needs to get herself together. Watching her continuously weep during the weigh-in made me want to reach through my TV and give her something to really cry about. Sure she was worried about the possibility of going home but all of them on her team (except for Paul and Maggie at that point) were as well. I didn't notice Bernie and Brittany bawling did you?

Jillian's mom seemed like a really nice lady. It was nice to meet her and very interesting to see the interaction she had with those on the black team when she was helping to counsel them. Personally, I feel that some of the members on the blue team would have reaped some benefit out of talking with her instead of going on their hike -- Dan and Trent especially. (I don't like Jay and Mark so I could have cared less about them!) It was really heart-wrenching when Paul was talking with her. It sounds like he had an absolutely horrible time growing up under his father's care. Not that I mean calling frequent beatings care so please don't mistake me on that. Out of all of the people in the cast this season, Paul is definitely my favorite. I so wanted to just give him a hug when he was talking about his father.

Another person that I really like, I mean liked, was Trent. I think it's a shame that he went home this week but I certainly understood why he wanted to go. He'd done a fabulous job already in losing 87 pounds in just 7 weeks and he must had to have been in awful pain from his hurt knee. He's an ex-football player and must have a high tolerance for pain so when he said that the level of pain he was in was an 8 out of 10, I really felt for him. I admit that I shed a few tears during the elimination ceremony when Roger voted for him to go home. Trent seemed to be doing good back at home though and I can't wait to see him at the finale. I'm thinking he'll probably manage to lose at least another 30 pounds before then which would put him at under 300 pounds. On a big guy like him, that would be huge!

I'm trying to figure out what's up with the remaining contestants being sent home already. It's too early for that so it must be just a short visit. But why do that at this time? It's not making sense to me yet. I'm sure the reason will make itself painfully obvious at the beginning of next week's episode.

So what are your thoughts on this week's episode? And what do you think this "going home" thing is all about?