Last week, a new gaggle of 22 thin-people-in-the-making were dropped off at The Ranch, and almost immediately, a new twist was thrown into the game. After a treadmill challenge, most of the teams were given a choice: stick with the tried-and-true ministrations of the world-famous Bob and Jillian and risk elimination, or take a flyer with two unseen, unknown trainers and receive immunity for four weeks.
Five teams (Brown, Gray, Yellow, Red, and Pink) decided that four weeks of safety was too good to pass up, so they opted for the mystery trainers (who we still haven’t seen). And the good news didn’t stop there… those five teams combined for 238 pounds of weight lost, compared to the 207 pounds lost by the SIX teams that stayed on The Ranch (although, to be fair, the ten actually outweigh the twelve). One player, the Gray Team’s Moses, even broke the one-week record by dropping an incredible 41 pounds. That should put any doubts as to the new trainers’ capabilities to rest early, huh? Anyway, it was the mother/daughter Orange Team of Ana and Irene who ended up falling below the Yellow Line, and by a 3-1 margin, Ana was sent home. Twenty-one remain.
Because of the disparity between the Ranch group (who I’m calling the Ranchers) and the Fitness Ridge group (who dubbed themselves the Unknowns), the eleven Ranchers were given an ultimatum: if they lost a higher percentage of weight than the Unknowns, none of them would be going home after all. Which is a great incentive, especially when you consider that the more weight a person drops in Week One, the greater the chance that that person will put up a small number in the infamous Week Two, which is notorious for having contestants plateau as their bodies get used to the new routine. Additional incentive: the winning group gets to split $10,000 among them. Cool!
We got more camera-time with the Unknowns this week, though not really enough to get to know most of them better, and we still aren’t shown the identity of the new trainers (that will come next week, I believe), though the camera crew had fun showing them from every conceivable angle but the front. There was also a funny moment when the Unknowns sent a care package to the Ranchers as a kind of throw-down: namely, two dozen donuts. You can imagine how that went over. (They ended up taking the boxes outside and stomping on them. Will donut abuse never end?) Arthur was especially tempted, even after the stomping, but he thankfully abstained.
This week’s challenge also pitted the Ranchers vs. the Unknowns. Each group had to work together to build a bridge across a lake by hitching together portable heavy rafts to create a path. The Unknowns formulated a plan and executed it faultlessly, whereas the Ranchers were a hot mess from the go. As a result, the Unknowns got a three pound advantage.
This week’s breakthroughs:
Pink Team (Deni and Sarah) - This week, we learned about Deni’s daddy issues: specifically, how her own father demeaned her for not being as academically gifted as her siblings. Boo, hiss, Deni’s dad.
Green Team (Jay and Jennifer) - Jennifer revealed this week that she feels especially close to her father, and their weight problems have become symbiotic. Jillian worked her over, and convinced her that she needs to worry about her, and let her father work out his own problems.
Black Team (Dan and Don) - Black Team’s best moment this week during their consultation with Dr. H. Using “cop-speak”, Dr. H basically told Don that Dan had roughly ten years left to live, being “murdered” by sugar, starch and tobacco. I love Dr. H, he sure has a flair for the dramatic. This hits Dan hard, because that would mean he won’t live long enough to see his daughter go to college and have a family of her own.
Aqua Team (Marci and Courtney) - Marci expounded this week about how guilty she feels about being overweight, as well as having a daughter that is extremely overweight, despite being in the “fitness industry”. I have to wonder… how does one run a gym AND a restaurant? That seems like it would be counterproductive.
Blue Team (Jesse and Arthur) - Every season, Bob seems to pick one contestant and makes him/her his own personal project, and Arthur is it this season. Arthur spent this week lamenting the loss of his youth and his athletic prowess, and how the guilt of that loss caused him to balloon to over 600 pounds. Bob is convinced that Arthur can beat his guilt, and that Arthur will be around at the end of the season. Blue Team also got a special treat at Dr. H’s office, when they were paid a surprise visit by Jesse’s daughter/Arthur’s sister Jessica and her infant daughter Aria.
And now, this week’s numbers:
The Unknowns
Rulon (Yellow) - lost 17 pounds (49 total), 3.84%, now stands at 425.
Justin (Yellow) - lost 12 pounds (39 total), 3.55%, now stands at 326.
Larialmy (Red) - lost 6 pounds (18 total), 2.07%, now stands at 283.
Q (Red) - lost 6 pounds (17 total), 1.41%, now stands at 420.
Ken (Brown) - lost 7 pounds, 1.92%, now stands at 364.
Austin (Brown) - lost 7 pounds, 1.89%, now stands at 362.
Deni (Pink) - lost 4 pounds, 1.68%, now stands at 233.
Sarah (Pink) - lost 4 pounds, 1.61%, now stands at 243.
Moses (Gray) - lost 12 pounds, 3.00%, now stands at 387.
Kaylee (Gray) - lost 4 pounds, 1.83%, now stands at 214.
So despite all their bluster, the Week Two curse hits the Unknowns full force. After dropping 238 pounds collectively the week before, the tenfold group can only muster 79 this week, which, with the three-pound penalty added in, is 82 pounds, or 2.46%. That means that the Ranchers would need to also lose 79 pounds in order to beat the Unknowns and avoid elimination for all of its members. Let’s see how they did.
The Ranchers
Irene (Orange) - lost 10 pounds, 4.13%, now stands at 232.
Dan (Black) - lost 5 pounds, 1.87%, now stands at 263.
Don (Black) - lost 8 pounds, 2.87%, now stands at 280.
Olivia (Purple) - lost 6 pounds, 2.45%, now stands at 239.
Hannah (Purple) - lost 6 pounds, 2.59%, now stands at 226.
Jay (Green) - lost 10 pounds, 2.67%, now stands at 364.
Jennifer (Green) - lost 8 pounds, 3.10%, now stands at 250.
Marci (Aqua) - lost 6 pounds, 2.68%, now stands at 218.
Courtney (Aqua) lost 10 pounds, 3.25%, now stands at 298.
Jesse (Blue) - lost 8 pounds, 2.80%, now stands at 278.
Arthur (Blue) - lost 13 pounds, 2.73%, now stands at 463.
If you’re doing the math up in your head, don’t strain yourself. The Ranchers lost 90 pounds as a unit, or 2.81%. So the underdog Ranchers win, and everyone gets to stay put for one more week. They also split ten grand among them, or $909.09 each, which ain’t too shabby.
Special kudos go to: Irene, for dropping ten and having the highest percentage of the week despite being the only one in the game without a partner; Jesse, for actually losing more this week than last week, and Courtney, for dropping below that 300 barrier.
The ones with the highest percentage of weight lost after two weeks are Moses (12%), Justin (10.7%), Rulon (10.3%), Jennifer (10.1%) and Deni (9%).
Next week: the new trainers finally get names and faces. No foolin’.
