From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Biggest Loser: Season 8, Episode 2
In the second week, the contestants were still reeling from having sent their first player home — and were already feeling pressure that they could be eliminated next. Alison Sweeney tried to give them some relief by offering them a very interesting proposition: If they lost a combined total of 150 pounds by the weigh-in, then none of the players would go home that week. However, if they didn't reach that number, then TWO players would be going home. Sounds like a plan, right? Not so fast! Week 2 is tricky; things can be a bit touch and go. In seasons past, the first week's weight losses are typically big, but the second week on campus has notoriously been a weight-loss disaster known as the "Week 2 curse." They'd be lucky to lose a combined 100 pounds! Bob and I had to come up with a game plan to keep everyone safe from elimination. Did it work? Here's what went down.
All Together Now: Remember, Tracey collapsed during the first challenge in week one, and she had been recuperating in the hospital ever since. Lucky for her, Coach Mo was picked to be her partner while she was gone and he lost 19 pounds by himself, which kept him and Tracey on campus. This week, he went to the hospital to lift her spirits and give her the Purple Team shirt. Fortunately, soon after the visit, Tracey rejoined the other contestants back on campus and the remaining 15 players were together again.
Nutrition 101: At the California Health and Longevity Institute, the players joined Ali and the awesome chef from Down Under, Curtis Stone. He spoke to the contestants about healthy eating and nutrition, and they listened carefully. They had to: Ali would be quizzing them after he finished lecturing on everything from using zucchini as a pasta replacement to understanding protein portion size. If they succeeded and soaked in all the healthy info, then the combined team would win a 15-pound advantage at the weigh-in. The individual teams had to answer at least five questions right. They were on a roll with four correct ones until the Green Team guessed the wrong calorie count of the soda and the Red Team chose the wrong dessert that contained 150 calories. Thankfully, the Blue Team knew the two reasons why it's good to add protein to every snack — it makes you feel full and adds fuel for your muscles. Props to them — their correct answer meant the whole group got the 15-pound advantage for the weigh-in and 135 was then the new magic number needed to keep all of them safe for another week.
Balancing Act: For this week's challenge, there was no single winner; it was truly about teamwork. It was all or nothing and they were going to have to walk on water — literally — if they wanted to succeed. Four balance beams, each narrower than the last, had been placed on top of the water in a diamond formation with platforms between each beam. Walking one at a time, they each had to reach the first platform before anyone could start on the next balance beam, then head towards the second platform. If one person fell off at any time, it was game over. There was also a prize incentive for each platform they reached. When the teams made it to the first and second platforms, they received a 5-pound advantage from each to use at the weigh-in, which meant they needed to lose 125 pounds. By making it to the third platform, they earned a more personal prize — they would each get to make a phone call home. Finally, they needed to walk down the narrowest balance beam to get to the fourth platform. The team worked together by being supportive and, even though they were wobbly, no one fell in the water. By making it all the way there, they got a final 10-pound advantage, which brought their total down to 115 pounds that they needed to lose. While they were psyched about the pound advantages, the phone calls home were what really tugged their heartstrings.
Under Pressure: Losing 115 pounds was a better goal, but it still was going to be extremely hard work. I think they were in a little bit of denial. This was their last chance and Bob and I had some major beatings to give out at the gym to get them to that number. We felt the Black Team's Julio was slacking, so Bob went hard after him to get him to do his fair share in the last-chance workout. These times at the gym were also like truth serum — when the contestants have held on to so much and so many pounds, along with the sweat and beatings, their defenses are down, so the truth pours out about what got them to that point in their life. We're there to help them work through the pain to only get stronger, healthier, and happier.
Facing the Scale: It was finally time to prove they could do it. Week 2 or not, they had a goal to reach. The Pink Team kicked off with a low number, losing a combined 10 pounds. It looked like the Week 2 curse was going to continue. Then, the Purple Team came out strong with 19 pounds, including Tracey who had lost 10 pounds straight out of the hospital. The Red, Brown, Green, and Blue Teams also pulled high numbers, so they were doing extremely well and were all ecstatic. In fact, there were only two more pounds that needed to be lost, when Julio, the former slacker, was up. He mentioned he wanted to prove it to himself and lose big — and big he did. He lost 19 pounds himself! Finally, it was the Orange Team's turn up on the scale. They wanted to get to the original goal of 150 pounds lost as a team to prove they could do it. And sure enough, they did! With 23 pounds lost by the Orange Team, the combined total pounds lost was 155. Curse over! That meant no elimination and no one was going home. One more week on the ranch and one more week for Bob and me to kick their butts in Week 3! Tune in to NBC next Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET to find out what happens next!