Last week, the Aqua Team, Adrian and Daphne, having achieved their goal of 50 pounds lost between them, rejoined the game. Life on the Ranch proved to be a huge change in almost every way, and both of them put up very disappointing numbers in their initial weigh-ins. Even worse, Adrian’s outgoing personality immediately got him on the bad side of drama queens Conda and Kim, who proceeded to bad-mouth him behind his back to everyone else in the house, to such an extent that even Dolvett couldn’t stem the tide. Anyway, the Red Team lost, and it was granny Nancy, the sole voice of reason wearing a red shirt, who was sent home. Fourteen remain.
This week’s excuse du jour: “I can’t lose weight on my own.” The challenge always seems to be a reflection of the episode’s chosen excuse, and this was no exception. Bob and Dolvett were set up on platforms suspended above a freezing-cold swimming pool, and it was up to their teams to keep them from submerging. The prize for losing was a brutal one: no trainer for the entire week. With most of the men being on the Red Team, one would think that would favor them. But unbelievably, it was the women and young men of the Black Team that won, meaning Dolvett was exiled from the Ranch up to the point of the last-chance workout.
I’ll level with all of you… if I want drama on a reality competition, I’ll watch Survivor, where they have it in spades. If there is any drama to be had on The Biggest Loser, I would prefer it to be the good kind – and believe me, there is a difference – where the contestants overcome their personal demons or obstacles or whatever to achieve their goals. The amount of time spent on gossip, game-play and arguments has been escalated, and I do… not… like it. The first ten minutes of the show was devoted to this drama, and that’s such a waste of air.
As much as I hate Conda, I must admit that Adrian’s plight is largely of his own making. I can’t fault him for his outgoing personality, but once he sensed that Conda had put a target on his back, he responded by going off on everybody, Black Team and Red Team alike. By this point, pretty much everyone in the House was tired of him save his sister Daphne. Which doesn’t excuse Conda’s horrible behavior one bit, but it seems clear that Adrian’s fate is sealed regardless. And that’s the double-edged sword: you send someone home and tell them that all they have to do to get back on the Ranch is prove that you don’t need to be ON the Ranch to lose weight. It’s hard to imagine anyone getting a truly fair shake under such circumstances.
Thankfully, there WAS some time devoted to some actual breakthroughs. We learned that Megan is full of self-loathing, who sees herself as “fat and ugly”, which disturbed Bob greatly. I do like Megan, and I think that she has a very pretty face, and I am willing to bet that she will be a knockout by season’s end. She’s only 21-years-old, and I’m hoping that her self-esteem is something Bob will help build up as her weight goes down.
In Dolvett’s absence, Kim took up the leadership mantle in directing her team through their workouts. Which still doesn’t put her on my good side, but I thought I’d mention it. Meanwhile, Dolvett did get the priviledge of watching his team work out on his TV from home, and he got a front-row seat of Conda complaining… and complaining… and complaining some more. Even he seems buffaloed as to what to do about this girl.
Here’s how the weigh-in went:
Black Team (Bob)
Chism - lost 13 pounds (-56 total), -4.09%, now stands at 305.
Jeremy - lost 12 pounds (-63 total), -3.55%, now stands at 326.
Daphne - lost 8 pounds (-35 total), -3.28%, now stands at 236.
Emily - lost 7 pounds (-41 total), -3.04%, now stands at 223.
Megan - lost 6 pounds (-36 total), -2.62%, now stands at 223.
Cassandra - lost 5 pounds (-44 total), -2.50%, now stands at 195.
Christine - lost 5 pounds (-34 total), -2.37%, now stands at 206.
Total - 56 pounds lost (-3.16%).
Red Team (Dolvett)
Conda - lost 8 pounds (-39 total), -3.04%, now stands at 255.
Kim - lost 6 pounds (-48 total), -2.79%, now stands at 209.
Mark - lost 7 pounds (-47 total), -2.79%, now stands at 244.
Adrian - lost 9 pounds (-45 total), -2.69%, now stands at 325.
Roy - lost 7 pounds (-45 total), -2.61%, now stands at 261.
Buddy - lost 9 pounds (-67 total), -2.61%, now stands at 336.
Kimmy - lost 5 pounds (-31 total), -2.69%, now stands at 188.
Total - 51 pounds lost (-2.73%).
To pretty much everyone’s credit, they were able to lose more weight than the previous week (or close to it), and it’s cool that every single person lost at least five pounds. Across the board, these were the best numbers since Week One.
Kudos. To youngsters Chism and Jeremy, for stepping up and leading their team to victory with monster weeks. The same could be said for Daphne and Adrian, who seem to have adjusted to life on the Ranch quite well. Which makes what happened at the end of the show all the more sad.
Elimination. With Conda getting Immunity, the result was predictable. Adrian voted for Mark because the two had had words on several occasions, and Roy cast his vote for Mark as well, rationalizing that Mark has proven he can lose weight anywhere. Everyone else, of course, voted for Adrian, and I am not sure whether I should be more upset or not. He didn’t deserve his horrible treatment at the hands of Conda and Kim, but then, he could have handled himself much better than he did.
Standings. Cassandra retains her lead with now 18.41% lost. Kim is now in second place with 17.06% lost, followed by Buddy (16.63%), Jeremy (16.20%) and Mark (16.15%).
Update. Despite leaving the Ranch under a cloud of black smoke, Adrian relishes the opportunity to continue his weight loss journey at home, where he already knows he can succeed. His weight has dropped to 320 pounds, which is a full 100 pounds below where he was when he started that journey. I hope that as his weight continues to come off, he somehow develops a filter between his mouth and his brain, because that will take him a long way in life.
Next week: Daphne goes nose to nose with Conda. Will she finally get the come-uppance she so richly deserves? Well, regrettably, I may not be able to write that recap, as I will be vacationing in Vegas with my better half next week. I’ll talk about it in two weeks when I return.
