From LOSING IT! With Jillian Michaels
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
The Biggest Loser: Season 8, Episode 6
When people appear on The Biggest Loser, they know that being eliminated and going back home could mean returning to old habits that made them overweight in the first place. It's up to them to beat the cliché that "old habits die hard" — they learn healthier habits while on campus and ideally can keep up their new lifestyle even without the pressure of that weekly weigh-in. But what if returning home happens when they are in the middle of trying to become The Biggest Loser? That's exactly what happened when a big decision resulted in one team's going home to their families, and one team staying on campus. Which team turned out on top? Here's how the week played out.
Just Keep Digging: Things were done a little differently this week, when the contestants kicked things off by heading to the beach for their challenge. It would also be unlike other weeks, because this time the players didn't know what prize was at stake — Alison Sweeney just told them it was worth it. The Blue Team's Tracey and the Black Team's Abby needed to sit out due to injuries, and to make things even the Black Team's Amanda sat out as well. For the challenge, four members of the Black Team and four members of the Blue Team each faced an individual mound of sand. Each mound of sand had a case buried in it, and each case contained a key. The objective was to dig as fast as they could to get the keys out of the cases; once either team got all four keys they could unlock a designated team box to get their prize. When Alison said Go, everyone started digging in the sand with shovels. Eventually they started using their hands and feet. The Blue Team won and was first to get all four keys to unlock their box. Inside was their prize: they could go home for a visit! They'd get to see their families, but they'd be away from Bob, trying to watch what they ate as best they could, returning for the weigh-in at the end of the week. Here's what made it interesting: they had a choice. They could decide to skip taking the risk and send the Black Team home instead, hoping they would slip up and lose the weigh-in. It was a double-edged sword, so the Blue Team decided to stay focused at the ranch and send my Black Team back home instead.
Good to Be Home? Each member of my Black Team got a heartwarming welcome as they got to see their families. However, after all the tears and hugs, they had to tell their loved ones how important it was for them not to blow it this week. They had to lose weight at home. Of course I called to check in on them to make sure they knew I was there for them, even from afar. Nevertheless, without me to guide them they had to push themselves in their workouts and resist all food temptations by themselves. It was up to them as a team of five, but now spread all across the country, to depend on each other to eat right, count calories, and work out — the weigh-in would prove if the job was done right. On the other hand, Bob was with his team on campus and gave them some major beatings in the form of killer workouts all week. He wanted to make sure the Blue Team realized how lucky they were to still be on campus instead of at home surrounded by old habits.
All Together Now: Saying goodbye to their families (hopefully for a while!), the Black Team rejoined the Blue Team on campus. I had to give my team their ultimate last-chance workout since they'd been away from me all week. Daniel had a breakthrough at the gym where he realized how his family dynamic and environment contributed to his morbid obesity — tears flowed as he had an epiphany about how much he loved his mom. Going home was a good step for him to see that, but stepping on the scale was going to be the pivotal indication of how much weight my Black Team lost while on their own.
The Big Reveal: Did the on-campus advantage work out for the Blue Team? Right off the bat, Allen got up there and showed he lost 8 pounds. The Blue Team ladies also expected to see big numbers, but Rebecca, Tracey, and Liz were disappointed that their effort didn't match the number on the scale. Rudy went last and pulled a 14-pound weight loss, an impressive 87-pound total weight loss in six weeks. As a team, they lost 35 pounds total this week. For the Black Team, Amanda was first up and gave us a 6-pound drop. She was thrilled since she'd been challenged at home to stay focused. Shay went next with a 5-pound loss and Abby, stress fracture and all, lost 4 pounds. Dina lost 5 pounds at home. Then we watched in awe as Danny stepped on the scale to show an outstanding 15 pound loss this week — proud of the incredible job he did away from campus! Daniel was last up, and he needed to lose 10 pounds to keep the Black Team safe. Unfortunately, by being home he had gained a pound. That meant my Black Team went into the elimination room and had to choose which of them would be going back home. Danny was safe, though, thanks to the high number he lost.
In the end, Dina was the one eliminated. As she left campus she talked about her 35-pound weight loss in six weeks, and how she knows she is a new, strong, determined woman. When she started at The Biggest Loser she was 253 pounds. Today she's down to 188 pounds. Her young son is even helping her out at the gym to train her by pushing and supporting her. She got a makeover and looks smokin' hot, and she's even recently completed a half marathon!