The Biggest Loser 5 Episode 8

For the second week in a row, the blue team lost in The Biggest Loser Couples Episode 7, and rather than keep going with a knee injury, Trent asked to be voted out so that his team would be at its strongest. The good news, or perhaps not so good news, for the teams is that they’re all living at home for the next week. Probably a mental boost, but there’s no doubt it may present a roadblock to weight loss goals.

Jay views the trip home as a way to be reenergized, which he needs since he’s the weakest link on his team and basically the reason they lost last week. Bernie and Brittany are excited to be going home, but they’re being smart about it. They’re taking with them all the foods they know they’ll need while there. Dan wants to see his mom and make sure she’s been sticking with her exercise and diet plan, while Maggie’s looking forward to seeing Jen.

They all have to warn their families, who clearly aren’t watching what they eat and themselves could afford to diet, that they’re on a program and that things will need to change.

Mark goes so far as to throw away desserts that his kids are trying to eat. Harsh perhaps, but a necessary lesson, although moderation certainly makes a lot more sense than cold turkey. His wife has dropped two sizes because she wants to improve herself, too. His kids are reluctant to try a new healthy meal he makes, but they’re surprised to find out they like it.

Brittany goes out with her friends to a bar, where she orders a water on the rocks. Later in the week, she goes with a friend to Subway, which while it’s a paid advertisement, is still a worthwhile message that just because you’re eating fast food doesn’t mean it has to be unhealthy.

Bernie heads to his favorite bakery in Chicago, where he hugs the people who work there upon greeting them. A scary sign. He’s even got a cupcake named after him now.

Paul gets all you can eat wings when he goes out, and he’s not shy of slipping back into his old ways and eating away. He’s also washing that down with some soda.

Maggie goes to meet Jen, and they go to the gym to workout with Jen’s trainer. She manages to get 2 of the 15 miles done that Jillian expected her to.

Roger goes to his favorite restaurant but applies what he’s learned, ordering something healthy.

Jay and his wife manage to find healthy meals for themselves, but the kids kind of get lost in the shuffle. When they see the portion sizes for “kids meals,” they’re shocked, and he says they’ll have to take some of it home. Even still, he’s not happy with the quality of the meals the kids get.

Dan goes to meet with his mom at the family’s youth organization. They decide to play some dodgeball with the kids, a nice change from before when she was sitting at a desk all day and he played for a short amount of time at most.

Mark wants to workout with Jay. They meet one day, but Jay says he’s busy the next day. Mark emphasizes how important it is to make sure he still works out.

Jillian made sure that, even though the contestants were at home, she was their first phone call in the morning and last phone call at night. Bernie tells her they did name a cupcake after him but that he didn’t eat anything. Brittany admits to eating a piece of pizza and a cookie. Maggie had fish and vegetables every single time she went out. Kelly ate out a lot but thinks she made smart choices when she did. Unlike everybody else, not only did Paul pig out, but he also didn’t return any of Jillian’s phone calls. He pretends his phone was broken, but she knows better.

Paul’s reward for being The Biggest Loser player of the week is a lifetime membership to 24 Hour Fitness.

The winning team in the challenge will choose two people who will have to weigh-in 24 hours early, immediately after the challenge. Three people from each team will compete. Paul and Kelly sit out, and Mark sits out for his team. A machine has been created to spin tubes in rotations above and below them. They have to jump over one tube, then duck under the next. If they break the tube, they’re out. Roger is first out at 6 minutes. Bernie’s out at 15 minutes, saying the challenge is more mental than physical. Roger makes an offer at 28 minutes: just call it a draw. Bernie seems interested, and the blue team members that are still in it are as well. However, Brittany’s not budging. Dan seems to be losing focus and is out at 36 minutes. Maggie is out next at 39 minutes, and Jay follows closely behind her. Brittany wins the challenge for the black team, making the gamble she took pay off. They choose Dan and Roger to weigh-in early because they’re the biggest threats, giving them one day less this week… but one day more next week, which potentially makes them even more dangerous than normal then.

Dan: 226 pounds (-11)
Roger: 276 pounds (-16)

Amazing numbers considering they had one less day and also went home for the week. This is a pretty typical number for Dan and Roger’s best week since week one. They decide they would rather surprise the other team with these numbers. The big question is how Jay did, as well as just how bad Paul did (Jillian expects tragedy).

Mark: 202 pounds (-13)
Jay: 228 pounds (-16)
Total: -56 pounds, 5.67%

Maggie: 198 pounds (-6)
Bernie: 211 pounds (-5)
Brittany: 185 pounds (-3)
Kelly: 218 pounds (-7)
Paul: 236 pounds (-5)
Total: -26 pounds, 2.42%

Holy blowout, Batman. Blue team showed exceptional strength despite the trip home. Black team actually did not do that much worse than they typically have done, and despite Paul’s lack of focus, he actually pulled an okay number, just not enough to keep himself safe. Jay is The Biggest Loser player of the week. Kelly is the biggest loser on her team and has immunity. Paul’s excited about this, although, despite the fact that he’s an asset to the team, the three amigos are likely to vote him out as a block. Paul wears a yellow team T-shirt to the weigh-in.

Votes
Bernie: Paul
Brittany: Paul
Paul: Bernie
Kelly: Bernie
Maggie: Paul

The other players were quick to jump on Paul for wearing a yellow shirt, but it’s pretty obvious he was right. This isn’t about the team. It’s about an alliance. Which is fine, but there’s no need to jump down his throat for pointing out the truth that everybody knows. Paul is now off his blood pressure medicine. He lost 67 pounds on the show but has been in the hospital for two weeks with pneumonia, where he gained 6 pounds, but he’s now down a total of 64 pounds.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Biggest Loser: Couples episode 9, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.