After a strong performance throughout the remainder of his time on the ranch, Allen fell below the yellow line in The Biggest Loser Season 8 Episode 11, and the others took the opportunity to get rid of him.
The final four contestants are told they’re going home for 60 days. No trainers, no Biggest Loser gym, and surrounded by temptations. Then they will come back to face the scale one more time.
When they go home, they use the time to confront the things that got them there.
Liz has an additional problem to overcome. She’s had marriage problems for a long time because she has been so bitter.
Of course, they’re not going home without hearing from the producers. A video is delivered to their homes with a message from Bob and Jillian. Bob tells Liz to ask for help. Jillian tells Rudy to take the opportunity to practice how he’s going to live the rest of his life. Bob has packed Amanda an Extra gum commercial and tells her she’s got it, whatever it is. Then, Bob tells Danny’s kids their father is a hero.
Wait a minute. Is that it? That can’t be it. Phones start ringing. By the way, the final four will be running a marathon. Surely this is not a surprise to them.
Since Danny was the biggest loser last week, he gets a visit from Curtis Stone. They prepare turkey chili with fresh vegetables, which is then put into a baked potato with nonfat yogurt. This is a drop from a standard 850 calorie baked potato down to 290 for the revised version.
After a few weeks, Bob and Jillian pay a visit to the contestants. Liz is out in the sticks. Her husband comes home on the weekends. She seems isolated. How’s she going to solve her problems like that? Liz wants make sure that she’s leaving something on the table for herself so that she doesn’t end up the same as she was before.
Amanda finds it exhausting and frustrating. It’s too easy to lapse without noticing it.
Jillian suggests that Danny bring his family into the fold more, rather than trying to do his own thing. His wife is getting insecure about their relationship.
Rudy says he doesn’t have time. Combining the 12 hour work day, commute, and time with his family, he’s barely getting six hours of sleep a day. Lack of sleep is counterproductive to weight loss. He feels uncomfortable going to the gym when his daughter asks him why he’s going. He’ll just have to find some way to get her past that and stop using it as an excuse because a dad without a lot of time beats a dead one.
Liz plans to train by running from the front door to her mailbox. That’s 1 mile each way.
Following two months of training, the day of the marathon has arrived. They will run 26.2 miles through farmland, mountains, hiking trails, and the Pacific Ocean coastline. Each person who crosses the finish line will get $10,000 toward the charity of their choice. Rudy and Amanda quickly separate from the pack, as brown team partners Liz and Danny run together in the rear. Rudy’s goal for the race is to keep running (or at least jogging) the whole way. At the 3 mile mark, Tara from season 7 joins Liz and Danny. Rudy’s opened up the gap on the rest of the field, and he meets up with his old partner Dina at the 13 mile mark. Amanda’s greeted by her best friend Brian at 13 miles. At 6 miles, Danny starts struggling with his hip, leading Liz to wonder whether she may have to do this on her own. At mile 17, Amanda breaks down and finally decides to start walking. Liz and Danny meet up with their spouses at mile 13. At 22 miles, Rudy’s still jogging. Danny approaches mile 15, but he’s still having trouble with his hip. With the assistance of Brian and Tara, Amanda is picking spots throughout the race to run. Bob joins Rudy at 25 miles. He’s still jogging.
Rudy’s the first one to reach the finish line, as he completes the race in 5 hours and 12 minutes. Amanda is the next across, finishing the race in 5 hours and 28 minutes. Not too far behind Rudy. Certainly not as dramatic as it was painted with the crying and whatnot. At mile 16, Danny looks over at Liz and tells her he’s hit his wall. After he and Liz ice up their knees and grab a bite, they head back to the road. They both complete the journey, crossing the finish line together at 6 hours and 55 minutes.
It’s time to see how they did at home during the course of 60 days. The two people with the highest percentage of weight loss automatically advance to the finale. The two others will be competing for America’s vote.
Liz: 182 pounds (-16, 8.08%)
Season Total: 85 pounds (31.84%)
Amanda: 170 pounds (-16, 8.60%)
Season Total: 80 pounds (32.00%)
Danny: 229 pounds (-59, 20.49%)
Season Total: 201 pounds (46.74%)
Rudy: 253 pounds (-43, 14.53%)
Season Total: 189 pounds (42.76%)
Given the success Rudy and Danny have had, that leaves Amanda and Liz below the yellow line. Whoever America picks, it doesn’t seem like it will matter. The men will be difficult to catch and have proven they can lose substantial weight at home. Liz hopes to be the oldest contestant to make it to the final three. Amanda hopes for a repeat performance of her previous vote win over whoever it was she competed against in last season’s finale.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Biggest Loser 8 Episode 13, where we will find out who The Biggest Loser 8 winner is, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.