Season 6, Episode 12
The Biggest Loser Recap: The Final Four
During their last week on the Ranch, it was time for the four remaining players — Ed, Heba, Vicky, and my girl Michelle — to look back at just how far they'd come, and they'd come a LONG way. But in the end, only three of them were going to stay in the running for the top prize at the finale, and they still had a lot of work to do. Here's what went down in the final week.
Closing a Chapter: The beginning of the week was rough for Michelle, who found herself on her own after her mother Renee was voted off last week. She felt the pressure of being the only Black Team member left, but I explained to her that even though she had to finish this by herself, she was NOT alone in this world. Meanwhile, the Blue Team was literally jumping for joy that they were three strong going into the last week. But Bob was a little worried that Vicky, the Ranch's biggest game player, might have had her eyes so focused on the prize that she never took a look inward to tackle the demons that got her to her starting weight in the first place. She and everyone else got a reality check when Alison dropped by with a package marked "Special Delivery." The only clue Ali gave about its contents was the thought, "You have to know where you've been to know where you're going." When the players summoned the courage to open the box, they found old clothes that they wore before they came to the Ranch. No one could believe how big those clothes were on them now...and no one ever wanted to fit into them again! Upon Heba's suggestion, they took all those clothes outside and burned them, taking away their safety net and vowing to each other that they would never let themselves get back to that place.
Shedding the Burden: For their last challenge, the players met Ali on a large racetrack, where she explained that they would be racing for a $10,000 prize. But before starting, each player had to strap on weights equivalent to what they'd lost so far. That meant they all had to shoulder quite a burden: Vicky had to add 70 pounds, Michelle strapped on 71, Heba got 77, and Ed carried a whopping 85. Along the track stood 11 pit stops representing the 11 weeks the players had spent on the Ranch, and at each stop, the players shed the amount of weight they lost that week. All four players struggled from the start, but as they reached the pit stops and were able to shed weight, their pace picked up. Ed took an early lead, and even though Michelle gave him a run for his money, he took the prize. But I think it's safe to say that everyone was psyched just to finish such a symbolic challenge and really feel the amazing progress they've made over the season.
America Decides: Going into the weigh-in, things did not look good for Michelle. Ed and Vicky had both achieved only minor losses the week before, so they were due for big ones, and Heba had consistently dropped big numbers all season. With the odds stacked against us, you can bet I didn't show one ounce of mercy to my girl during that final last-chance workout. At the weigh-in, I could hear my heart pounding in my chest as I waited to see if it was enough. Vicky went first, dropping six pounds, and Heba followed up with seven. Then Ed shocked everyone by gaining two (hmm, think he might have done a little self-sabotage to send his beloved wife to the finale?). Finally, Michelle got up there and pulled an AWESOME nine pounds! With that, she and Vicky were headed for the final three, and Ed and Heba fell below the yellow line. Of course, there was a twist — Alison announced that the top two players wouldn't get to decide who makes it to the finale — America would. Voting is open until 9 p.m. ET (6 p.m. PT) tonight, so if you want a say, you can call 866-613-0001 to vote Heba into the final three or 866-613-0002 to vote for Ed.
Next Week: It's the episode we've all been waiting for — the LIVE finale! The third contestant for the grand prize will be announced in the first five minutes of the broadcast, so tune in to NBC next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET!