Last week, the Unknowns began their final week of immunity, and the Green Team, as the result of being on the short end of a temptation challenge, was sent to join the Unknowns for the week. However, because of the State of the Union address, the normal two-hour run-time was shortened to one hour, which meant no weigh-in, no elimination, and very little drama except for that surrounding Don, who continues to insist that the nine-pound weight-gain he and his now-departed brother Dan incurred was a mere aberration.
So this week, we will presumably have the weigh-in that we were denied last week, along with the ceremony of having the Unknowns join the Ranchers for the first time. Bob and Jillian will also get to meet the two new trainers, Brett and Cara, for the first time, and I’m quite looking forward to seeing all four of them in simultaneous ass-kicking action. My apologies in advance for the length of this recap; keep in mind this show is all about number, and two weigh-ins means a LOT of numbers today.
We start this episode with two days to go before the next weigh-in, and Brett and Cara are getting the Unknowns ready for their impending move from the all-meals-provided, bed-turndown-service lifestyle of Fitness Ridge to the more self-reliant atmosphere of the Ranch. Some tensions flare between Q and everyone else when he decides to bag on the rest of the group because he wasn’t getting the workout he wanted from a boxing-related exercise. His reasoning comes off pretty much as a lame excuse, and Rulon, Ken and Cara seem to think that Q is the weakest link on their squad.
After that, we go right into with the first of two weigh-ins today, and here’s how it went:
The Ranchers (in order of %)
Courtney (Aqua) lost 10 pounds, now stands at 282 (-41 overall).
Marci (Aqua) - lost 3 pounds, now stands at 208 (-30 overall).
Team %: 2.58
Jay (Green) - lost 9 pounds, now stands at 341 (-59 overall).
Jennifer (Green) - lost 6 pounds, now stands at 236 (-42 overall).
Team %: 2.53
Olivia (Purple) - lost 5 pounds, now stands at 228 (-33 overall).
Hannah (Purple) - lost 3 pounds, now stands at 217 (-31 overall).
Team %: 1.77
Arthur (Blue) - lost 9 pounds, now stands at 450 (-57 overall).
Jesse (Blue) - lost 3 pounds, now stands at 266 (-27 overall).
Team %: 1.65
Below the Yellow Line:
Don (Black) - gained 6 pounds, now stands at 286 (-23 overall).
Irene (Orange) - gained 6 pounds, now stands at 230 (-25 overall).
Team %: +2.38
At first, I was confused. I thought that Don’s starting weight was 289, which is what it was after the last weigh-in, and yet they put his SW at 280. It wasn’t until the second weigh-in that this new rule was explained: if a contestant gains weight, then the next weigh-in will put their SW at whatever weight they were BEFORE the weight gain. This, presumably, is to discourage people from sandbagging, since they would have to lose not only what they put on, but additional weight in order to stay on The Ranch. So, in reality, Don actually did lose three pounds this week, but, when combined with his nine-pound gain, meant a net gain of six pounds. So at least that explains that.
Anyway, after everyone picks their jaws up off the floor, both Don and Irene basically admit to throwing the weigh-in so that Don can go home and the Blue Team could be safe. Which, as you can imagine, is not an explanation that satisfies anyone. However, Bob puts forth that losing weight on TV, at the Ranch, is just not a process that works for everyone, and sincerely hopes that Don can turn his life around on his own. For, in fact, it seems so crystal clear that Don wants to leave, that the whole Elimination process is waived then and there. Allison asks for a show of hands as to who would vote to send Don home, and it is indeed unanimous.
Anyway, lost in all this are a few other points: hats off to both members of the Green Team, who continued their winning ways despite what they called a “180-degree difference” in lifestyles and techniques at Fitness Ridge. Good for them. And while I feel for Don, I can’t help but wonder if Irene just cost herself whatever respect points she had earned from being the highest-percentage loser only two weigh-ins ago.
The next morning, Allison has the Ranchers welcome the Unknowns back into the fold. As each team walks up individually, we are given their progress from the past month, and from that, I am able to interpolate how they all did in their fourth week:
Justin (Yellow) - lost 8 pounds, now stands at 308 (-57 overall).
Rulon (Yellow) - lost 5 pounds, now stands at 410 (-64 overall).
Austin (Brown) - lost 5 pounds, now stands at 342 (-54 overall).
Ken (Brown) - lost 9 pounds, now stands at 335 (-42 overall).
Deni (Pink) - lost 3 pounds, now stands at 221 (-35 overall).
Sarah (Pink) - lost 4 pounds, now stands at 231 (-30 overall).
Q (Red) - lost 3 pounds, now stands at 398 (-39 overall).
Larialmy (Red) - lost 10 pounds, now stands at 270 (-31 overall).
Moses (Gray) - lost 11 pounds, now stands at 365 (-75 overall).
Kaylee (Gray) - lost 5 pounds, now stands at 204 (-29 overall).
Because the former Unknowns outnumber the Ranchers ten to nine, Allison drops a challenge on the Ranchers in order to possibly even the score: namely, if the nine of them can surpass their total weight loss from the last weigh in (48 pounds), they will earn all earn immunity. Consequently, if they don’t, one of them will definitely go home. One of the Unknowns will be going home regardless.
The next workout starts with a rehash of Cara and Brett’s introductory tapes. They seem very humbled by the fact that they are on The Ranch, and even more so by the fact that they’ll get to work alongside Bob and Jillian. The Ranchers finally get to see first-hand what the new trainers are about, and, perhaps not unexpectedly, whatever boxing gear is present at the BL Gym gets used a lot.
Since Allison gave the Ranchers their own Immunity Challenge this week, it’s only fitting that the Unknowns get a separate IC just for them, and what do you know, it sets them against each other. Each team must carry weights and place them on scales belonging to the other teams; once a team’s scale reaches 500 pounds, they’re out. And since recapping these challenges is a lot like the ones on Survivor in that there’s very little I can do to make reading about it as exciting as watching it, so I’ll just skip to the end and state that the Yellow Team ends up with immunity for the fifth straight week, beating the Gray team by a hair’s breadth. About the only other thing worth mentioning is that the other four teams all ganged up on the Red Team to get them out first, which pissed Q off, but come on, you’re surprised? And as for his wife, Larialmy (pronounced “Laramie”, like the city in Wyoming), well, she seems to be one who doesn’t like talking much.
Here’s what we learned about some of the teams this week:
Purple Team (Hannah and Olivia) - Jillian worked with Hannah this week, and we learn that Hannah has a big problem with fear. After a tragic fall cut short her athletic career, her fear of never regaining her health and vitality has taken over her life. However, Jillian puts her through some stretching exercises that prove to Hannah that her current mobility and agility is better than it has been since the accident.
Gray Team (Moses and Kaylee) Moses lets us know that his family is biggest motivation. In fact, while working out, he has made a habit of reciting his wife and daughters’ names as a mantra. There is even a cool moment when Cara gets him to add his own name to the litany.
I was actually looking forward to the two new trainers meeting Bob and Jillian, but for some reason, it didn’t happen this week. The “last chance workout” footage did not feature any of the Unknowns, and it also turns out that none of the four trainers were allowed to accompany the contestants to the first collective weigh-in. Hmm. Not for the first time this episode, I wonder what the deal is.
Speaking of the weigh-in, here’s how it went:
The Ranchers
Irene (Orange) - lost 14 pounds (8 net), now stands at 216 (-39 overall).
Jay (Green) - lost 10 pounds, now stands at 341 (-69 overall).
Jennifer (Green) - lost 4 pounds, now stands at 232 (-46 overall).
Olivia (Purple) - lost 4 pounds, now stands at 224 (-37 overall).
Hannah (Purple) - lost 7 pounds, now stands at 210 (-38 overall).
Courtney (Aqua) lost 7 pounds, now stands at 275 (-48 overall).
Marci (Aqua) - lost 8 pounds, now stands at 200 (-38 overall).
Arthur (Blue) - lost 6 pounds, now stands at 444 (-63 overall).
Jesse (Blue) - lost 9 pounds, now stands at 257 (-36 overall).
Remember, all they had to do was break 48 pounds lost, and they would all be safe… and they not only broke that barrier, they shattered it, with 63 pounds lost. So it would seem that the groups will be even going into next week, nine apiece. So it falls to the Unknowns, who will face the Yellow Line for the first time.
The Unknowns (in order of %)
Justin (Yellow) - lost 16 pounds, 5.19%, now stands at 292 (-80 overall).
Rulon (Yellow) - lost 17 pounds, 3.90%, now stands at 394 (-73 overall).
(Immunity)
Austin (Brown) - lost 16 pounds, 4.61%, now stands at 326 (-70 overall).
Ken (Brown) - lost 14 pounds, 4.07%, now stands at 321 (-56 overall).
Team %: 4.43
Deni (Pink) - lost 11 pounds, 4.91%, now stands at 210 (-46 overall).
Sarah (Pink) - lost 9 pounds, 3.83%, now stands at 222 (-39 overall).
Team %: 4.42
Moses (Gray) - lost 14 pounds, 3.72%, now stands at 362 (-89 overall).
Kaylee (Gray) - lost 9 pounds, 4.41%, now stands at 195 (-38 overall).
Team %: 4.04
Below the Yellow Line:
Q (Red) - lost 13 pounds, 3.24%, now stands at 385 (-52 overall).
Larialmy (Red) - lost 11 pounds, 4.00%, now stands at 259 (-42 overall).
Team %: 3.59
First, the kudos: To Rulon and Q, for dropping into the 300’s; to Justin, for dropping into the 200’s; and to Kaylee, who is the first on campus to break into the 100’s; to Ken and Austin, for being the highest percentage losers this week; and to Irene, for dropping 14 pounds when she absolutely had to in order to get the stink from the last weigh-in off of her.
Elimination. One would expect that Q would be the unanimous choice to go home from the Red Team after the dustup earlier in the episode, and at the vote, the Pink, Gray and Yellow teams all admit to wanting to do just that; however, Larialmy makes a plea to the voters that she is confident that she can continue to lose her weight at home, something Q has not shown he can do yet. Skeptical, Justin makes Q promise his wife that he will improve, and he obliges. And since the voters seem to truly respect Larialmy, they vote unanimously to send her home.
Update. Since leaving the Ranch, Larialmy has dropped an additional 32 pounds and now stands at 227, and says she feels a lot more confident now. She’s even helping her two sisters lose weight as well, and hopes to one day open her own wellness center. You go, girl! Don, you’ll be happy to know, hit his groove as soon as he got home, and is now down to a svelte 222 pounds, a full 87 below his original starting weight. He has also begun mending fences with his son. I can’t tell you how relieved and happy that makes me.
I would also like to take this opportunity to mention that I, at 41 years old, have decided to finally get my asthmatic ass in better shape. Recapping this show coincided with my New Year’s resolution, and I have endeavored to change my ways. I have cut out 90% of the fast food and soda from my diet and hit the gym for 2-3 hours every other day. In the just-completed month of January, I dropped a full 10 pounds and now stand at 246. I hope to be down to the low 230’s before this season of Biggest Loser ends. Wish me luck!
Next week: forget the Ranchers and the Unknowns, because both groups will commingle and become Black vs. Red, with Bob and Jillian on one side and Cara and Brett on the other. Should be awesome!
