From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Season 9, Episode 5
This week at the Ranch started off with a bang: the Green Team's Miggy was suffering from severe stomach pains and was rushed to the hospital after everyone went to bed. Ali broke the news to the other contestants later that morning and shared some more big news — the Yellow and Blue Teams were headed back to the Ranch! Both had been sent home after the very first challenge. Unbeknownst to the rest of the players, Yellow and Blue had been working at home for 30 days to see which team could earn a spot back in the house. Which team made it? Was Miggy okay? Here's how the drama played out during the fifth week at the Ranch.
Which Team Stays? The four players from the Blue and Yellow Teams went to the gym for a weigh-in, but (surprise!) instead they went straight into a last-chance workout with Bob and me — their first one! Even though they'd been working out hard at home, we pushed them harder — welcome to the Biggest Loser! Finally, it was weigh-in time. The Blue Team, Victoria and her mom, Cherita, stepped on the scales first — they had lost 63 pounds, or 9.92 percent, during their month at home — unbelievable! The Yellow Team, Sunshine and her dad, O'Neal, got on the scales next. They'd lost 76 pounds, or 11.45 percent! Just goes to show, if they can lose weight at home, anyone can. That also meant the Yellow Team would be sticking around for at least two weeks — with immunity! — and the Blue Team was, sadly, headed home again. They were heartbroken, but as Cherita explained, they were heading back to their own "ranch" to continue on their journey there and to compete for the at-home prize at the finale. I wish them the best of luck!
Super Bowl Week: The Challenge this week was about football, to get the contestants in the spirit for Super Bowl Sunday. Each team had a piece of equipment with blocking pads and one member of each team participated in tackling the "dummy." The two blocking pads swung back and forth and they had to hit one pad and then hit the other, and so on. The first person to block the dummy 1,000 times won. The White Team's Michael finished on top and won immunity at the weigh-in. However, the Pink Team's Sherry came in last, so her team received a 2-pound penalty at the weigh-in.
Miggy's Surgery: The Green Team's Miggy returned to the house and told the other contestants that she had undergone surgery. Dr. H feared her pains were appendicitis, so they removed her appendix, a cyst, and a mass. She was sore from the surgery, of course, but no longer felt as tired as she had before. While she recovers, she's under orders from Dr. H to limit her exercise to walking. She claimed she'd "walk from here to Puerto Rico" if that's what it takes to remain in the competition. Early the next morning, she and the White Team's Michael went for a long walk; he confided that he was scared Miggy would fall below the yellow line this week. He said he would feel really alone if she got sent home so soon after both his own mom and Migdalia were eliminated. Dr. H came to check on Miggy two days after her surgery. He let her know that during surgery they poured salt water into her body to fight off any infection, and combined with the inflammation, she probably had about 8 to 9 pounds of excess fluid inside of her. Miggy was concerned that she'd do horribly at the weigh-in.
Emotions and Yoga: As usual, heavy beatings were delivered all around for the contestants during their last-chance workouts. However, the Pink Team's Ashley was not cutting it with her slow pace on the treadmill — she and her mom had a two-pound disadvantage from the challenge and she was not feeling like working out. Well, too bad! I brought her outside to try to break through what was really stopping her. She opened up about the conflicted emotions she still had over her father's death. Her dad had criticized her weight all the time when she was younger. While he was dying, she didn't go home to see him until it was too late. I asked her to tell me what she would have said to him if he were still alive — saying it now was a great breakthrough for her. Back inside the gym, Bob had the contestants do a calming yoga session immediately after their workouts. He said that since their bodies had been beat, it was time to get into their minds with yoga. They appreciated the chance to refocus on why they were on the Ranch.
Stepping on the Scale: It was the Yellow Team's first "real" Ranch weigh-in, and Sunshine and O'Neal lost 10 pounds! They had immunity this week for being the at-home team selected to return to the Ranch, along with the White Team's Michael for his winning the Challenge. Regardless, he lost 13 pounds — an 83-pound loss since being on the Ranch. Next up was the Pink Team, weighing in with a 15-pound loss (they only got credit for 13 pounds after that 2-pound penalty). The Red Team's Melissa was happy she was now below 200 with a 5-pound loss, but was disappointed that her husband, Lance, only lost 4 pounds. The Orange Team lost 15 pounds, with the son Daris losing 12 of that total. The Purple Team's Stephanie lost 5 pounds, the Gray Team's Koli and Sam lost 16 pounds, and the Black Team's Andrea and Darrell lost 13 pounds. The Green Team's Miggy lost 5 pounds — surgery and all. Last, the Brown Team's John hoped to stay above the yellow line with a 7-pound weight loss, but only lost 6 pounds. If a two-person team had fallen below the line, the Yellow Team would have decided which one would go home, but since John was the lone person to fall below the yellow line there was no choice to be made. The teams said their goodbyes and John headed home.
Back at home, John has lost a total of 104 pounds, going from 484 to 380 pounds. At first, he had a tough time going to the gym every day, but he's found an activity he enjoys. He's been doing martial arts and is working toward his Jiu Jitsu belt. He's also been playing basketball back home with James, his twin brother and former Brown Team member. Despite family tragedies in the past, he is looking toward the future with his healthier lifestyle and family.