Last night the seventh season of The Biggest Loser started off with a bang. Eleven couples weighed in at a total of 3.5 tons — making this the heaviest season EVER. It was only the beginning, and I don't think these players quite knew what they were in for...here's what happened when the couples started the first week at the Ranch.

Getting Acquainted: There were some major firsts with the new contestants. The heaviest female and male, the youngest male, and the oldest players in BL history, a pair of 63-year-old grandparents. Each team — from the Blue Team's cousins who centered their family life around food to the Green Team's best friends who were also former models — had its own emotional story and a huge need to make a change. Soon after the players arrived on the Ranch, it was time to get started with their first workout. But that workout was also their first test: The players were asked to do it on their own, without Bob and me...and it didn't exactly go well. They didn't know Bob and I were watching on hidden cameras and witnessing how lost they were. We decided to interrupt their "workout" to greet them. Amidst all the excitement of meeting the new players, there was a giant scare — Jerry, half of the grandparent White Team, became dizzy, lost color in his face, and needed immediate help. He was rushed off to the hospital for testing (it turned out he was okay — he'd had a drop in blood pressure), while the rest of us stayed behind to pick teams for Bob and me to train. I got to pick first, and I immediately asked Jerry's wife Estella if she was ready for this. She said yes, and with confidence I asked her to join me. Bob picked the best friend Silver Team, and then Estella got to pick the next team to be on our side. We went down the line after that, each chosen team picking the next, until I had White, Green, Black, Orange, and Yellow Teams, and Bob got with the Silver, Blue, Pink, Red, and Brown Teams. There was one couple left at the end — the mother-and-daughter Purple Team. They got to choose who to train with, and they chose Bob. The scale then showed us just how many pounds needed to come off these 22 players. My Orange Team was the heaviest, at a combined 847 pounds. These couples needed to be pushed harder than they had ever been pushed before — it was truly do-or-die.

Get Over It: This week's challenge was all about getting over an obstacle to reach a goal. The teams were taken to a bridge in downtown L.A., where 250,000 pounds of sand sat in a huge mound right in the middle of their race course. The couples had to race from one end of the bridge to the other, climbing over the enormous sand pile on their way. At the far end, the half of the couple who was in the lead had to wait for her or her teammate, then they both had to race to back to the start. After the first heat, the top five teams had to do the course again. Then the top two teams from the second heat raced a third time. It came down to the Black Team (cousins Dane and Blaine) and the Yellow Team (sisters Mandi and Aubrey), and it was practically a photo finish. The Black Team won by just a hair at the finish line, and as their prize got immunity at the weigh-in.

All Depends on the Scale: At the weigh-in, Alison announced there would be no elimination this week — that part made me happy, but I knew there was a catch. I was right, and it was a BIG one — nine players would be going home at the end of the night. The Black Team had immunity, and the couple who won the weigh-in by losing the highest percentage of body weight would be safe. That left nine teams to fall below the yellow line, and each would have to choose one player to go home. In the end, The Brown Team, father Mike and son Ron, lost a combined 54 pounds, enough to keep them above the yellow line. After that was announced, Alison finally let us in on another catch: The players who went home would return if their teammates were still on the Ranch after 30 days working their butts off. After the teams discussed who would leave, it was time to say goodbye, which was certainly not easy for anyone. It was then up to the teammates who went home to kick their own butts and keep losing — and it was up to the teammates who stayed to fight to bring them back.

Next Week: So, I have NEVER seen Bob lose it when he's training someone, but he loses it big time next week…you have to see what pushes him over the edge. Tune in next Tuesday to see what I mean!