Last week, the seven remaining contestants returned to The Ranch and were greeted by former popular contestants Ali and Sam. They also had a car-pulling challenge that featured a guest appearance by NASCAR racer Clint Bowyer as well as another former contestant, the indomitable Tara, who just barely edged out Rulon over the half-mile course for the win. But the biggest surprise came right before the weigh-in, when Rulon, who had decided that he was back on track physically and the time had come to deal with his other personal issues, announced his departure and left with scarcely another word. But that didn’t stop the festivities, and Irene and Kaylee fell below the Yellow Line. With more allies than not, Irene was saved and Kaylee was sent home.
So five remain: Irene, Austin, Jay and sisters Olivia and Hannah. Considering how tightly-knit the remaining girls are, it’s safe to say that the only way Jay and Austin will survive tonight’s vote is if they both finish above the Yellow Line. Which is entirely possible: Olivia is now 162 pounds, Hannah is 156 and Irene is 154, and I can’t imagine that they really have that much more weight to lose. Furthermore, Olivia’s and Hannah’s current BMI (Body Mass Index) puts them in the “normal” category, and Irene is very close to that. Both Austin and Jay are still technically “obese”, which means they still have the weight to lose.
If the format from past seasons holds, after tonight there will be four players left, and next week, two players will make it to the Final Three, while the other two will be subject to a nationwide vote, with the winner joining the other two and the loser competing for the at-home prize with the other ousted contestants.
We join the gang as they are exiting the house on their way to the gym, when they behold a most curious sight coming up the road; a majestic horse-drawn carriage, pulled by two very majestic-looking horses. Now, if this is a shout-out to the recent royal wedding, then bravo to NBC for their impeccable timing. But no, it’s just fashion guru and all-around swell guy Tim Gunn, who I have not seen since last season’s Biggest Loser makeover episode. Come on, Bravo network! Bring on the next season of Project Runway! I need my Tim Gunn fix!
Anyway, Tim explains that it is indeed Makeover Week, and Tim will be the contestants’ “fairy godfather”. Tim promises them all three gifts, the first being the makeover, and the other two will be revealed in due course. I love Makeover Week, firstly because, let’s face it, after four months of nothing but workouts, they deserve it, and secondly, well, Tim Gunn (you were paying attention, right?). Plus, Austin desperately needs to trim his ugly ‘do and lose that horrific facial hair.
So Tim leads the group into a room (must be one of those non-specific buildings on The Ranch that we only see from above), which is decked out as a regal-looking showroom, filled with the most fabulous and elegant clothes. Hannah looks like she’s going to fall over, she’s so giddy with the prospect of not only wearing these clothes, but totally rocking them. But before they all get accoutered up, it’s off to celebrity stylist Ken Paves’ salon. After a quick montage of snips, clips and whatnot, we flash over to…
…a fairy-tale castle. Wow, Tim wasn’t kidding. The first carriage pulls up, and Hannah steps out. Her hair has been dyed dark blonde and she is wearing a green dress that makes her figure look slinky. Tim tells her her second “gift” is up a nearby flight of stairs, and it’s her dad, Keith. He is totally blown away by the transformation. After a tearful reunion, a very elegant-looking Alison directs them inside the castle.
Olivia is up next. Her hair has been cut short, like Liza Minelli-short, and she looks fabulous in a gray evening gown. (Forgive me for not being more descriptive on the exact hue of the clothes.) She says the days of being the “fat opera lady” are gone forever, and her husband Ben (who, by the way, has lost 99 pounds himself) couldn’t agree more. Wow, that’s amazing… both of them have lost exactly the same amount of weight in presumably the same amount of time. Olivia’s dad Keith gets his second huge surprise in a row.
Austin steps out, and while he didn’t lose all of his beard, it looks a lot better now (think: more Lane Staley, less Ted Kaczynski). And his hair has gone from frizzy and scraggly to curly and awesome. He is wearing an immaculate tuxedo with a tulip in his lapel, and I bet he wishes he could dial the clock back a few years and attend his high school prom again. He has a gleam in his eye that he didn’t have before. He is greeted by his mother Lori, and she gets very verklempt when she sees him.
Irene is stunning, folks. Her hair has been dyed a light brown, and the pink gown she chose makes her look amazing. She says that she was always a “girly-girl” growing up, and that the fairy-tale treatment makes her recapture some of that magic. She’s 26 years old, but she looks like she’s heading for her own Quinceañera. At the top of the stairs is her mother and partner Ana, who was the first contestant sent home this season. She’s lost 75 pounds on her own, which is terrific.
I fully expected Jay to look the least different, given that he had more hair on his chin than on his head. But that’s changed: the chin stubble is gone, and he looks great in a black three-piece suit and bowtie, as well as shoes as shiny as they come. Jay’s son (and Jen’s brother) Matthew is amazed by the transformation, and confesses that this is something he’s wanted for his dad for a long time, and now it’s come true.
After all are assembled, the group are treated to a private concert by One Republic, which Tim explains is part of their “second gift”. They play over a montage of before/after images of all the contestants, along with voice overs of how happy they all are. Truly a Kleenex moment. But what is Tim’s third gift?
Challenge. On a California beach, Alison compliments the contestants on their new look, even though they are now back in their colored sweats. Then she announces that the winner of today’s challenge wins a brand new Mazda 5. The challenge, to dig a key out of one of fifty Mazda-shaped sand-castles, and then run a quarter-mile down an old wooden pier to see if the key turns the ignition. And then Alison adds another twist: there are two cars being given away, not one. So that’s a half-mile to run between each attempt. Choosing the right key is all luck, of course, but at least three people are going to be dog-tired at the end of this and have nothing to show for it.
All five come up empty on the first attempt, but Irene lucks out on her second key. She is ecstatic, because this is the first big prize she’s won for herself, and looks forward to making her mom give up her old ’93 POS. Good for her. The second car, however, will be well-earned, because each half-mile is run just a little slower than the one before it. An hour in, and half the keys still remain, and exhaustion is setting in. Then the key countdown starts: twenty left. Fifteen. Ten. Five. (?!) Austin misses. Jay misses. Hannah misses. Two left. Austin runs down and grabs the last key, so it’s between him and Olivia. And Olivia… wins. On the second-to-last key. Wow, that went down to the wire.
Last-chance workout time. Bob confesses that while he appreciates how much Makeover Week means to the contestants, he hates that it cuts into their workout time, because after all, someone is still going home, and now on the cusp of Final Four, it’s more important than ever. Gee, Bob, you decry Makeover Week, and yet you show up for work in a Payne Stewart hat? And, just like that, it’s weigh-in time. Still waiting on Tim’s third gift…
Austin - lost 7 pounds, -2.88%, now stands at 236 (-160 overall).
Olivia - lost 4 pounds, -2.47%, now stands at 158 (-103 overall).
Irene - lost 2 pounds, -1.30%, now stands at 152 (-103 overall).
Below the Yellow Line: Hannah - lost 2 pounds, -1.28%, now stands at 154 (-94 overall).
Jay - lost 3 pounds, -1.16%, now stands at 255 (-145 overall).
Kudos. Well, given this was Makeover week, I wasn’t expecting huge numbers, but for Olivia to top the group again is just amazing. At this rate, she and Hannah are going to end up UNDERweight! And Olivia crosses the 100-pounds-lost mark, which is just incredible, and she celebrated the event by singing a brief aria on the scale. (She’s amazing. And the acoustics in the gym are just right, wouldn’t you know!)
Elimination. Well, just as the group prepares for another vote, Tim appears on the weight-monitor screen and announces what his third gift to everyone is: no elimination. This makes everyone very happy, particularly Jay, who was convinced that he was going home for the second time.
Next week: The beginning of the end, as the final five bear down to make it to the Finals.
Personal Journey. Because of an ankle injury, April was a very up-and-down month for me. I went through periods when I just couldn’t seem to lose any weight at all, and then in one week I lose three pounds. I started the month at 237, and finished it at 233, which brings my total weight lost this year to 29 pounds. Here’s hoping I can get down to the 220’s by the time the finale airs!
