I think we’re on the last leg of The Biggest Loser with season 16, dubbed Glory Days. It seems to have been sent to die up against CBS football in the same time slot as last year’s absolutely disastrous NBC comedy lineup after having been battered around ever since The Voice came around.
Jillian Michaels quit again, and Bob Harper has been moved (downgraded?) to trainer at Comeback Canyon, where the contestants will be given a second chance. New trainers Jessie Pavelka (Jake’s cousin) and Jennifer Widerstrom join Dolvett Quince at the ranch. You really can’t help but be disappointed seeing this lineup of trainers. The cast of 20 is made up of former athletes, a few possibly very famous but most using the term loosely.
·Andrea Wilamowski (Former high school cheerleader; currently Vice President of Operations, Detroit Pride Cheerleaders), 43, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
·Blake Benge (Former high school soccer, track; currently student), 18, San Clemente, CA
·Chandra Maple (Former high school softball, basketball player; currently optometric technician), 26, Dodge City, KS
·Damien Woody (Two-time Super Bowl champion; currently an ESPN analyst), 36, Mendham, NJ
·Emmy Lou Munoz (Former high school softball, volleyball and track and field; currently teacher), 32, Woodson, TX
·Gina Haddon (Former cheerleader; currently make-up artist/photographer), 41, Rowlett, TX
·Howard “Woody” Carter (Former Arena League football player; currently car salesman), 46, Las Vegas, NV
·Jackie Pierson (Former high school basketball MVP; currently clinical care coordinator), 36, Pacifica, CA
·John “JJ” O’Malley (Former Arizona State University football player; currently bouncer), 22, Scottsdale, AZ
·Jordan Alicandro (Former high school baseball player; currently regional sales manager), 32, Surrey, BC, Canada
·Lori Harrigan-Mack (Three-time Olympic gold medal winning softball player; currently director of security for a Las Vegas hotel), 44, Las Vegas, NV
·Matthew Miller (Former high school football player; currently business entrepreneur), 31, Grove, OK
·Mike Murburg (Former Princeton University football player and wrestler; currently an attorney representing the disabled), 58, Darby, FL
·Rob Guiry (Former rugby player; currently Head Rugby Coach, 26, Western New England University), Springfield, MA
·Rondalee Beardslee (Former high school basketball, football and softball player; currently nursing student), 28, New Lothrop, MI
·Scott Mitchell (12-year NFL veteran quarterback; currently bill collector), 46, Mapleton, UT
·Sonya Jones (Former All American softball player; currently PE teacher/coach), 39, Springfield, IL
·Toma Dobrosavljevic (Former high school soccer, football, volleyball, baseball player; currently senior project manager), 33, Addison, IL
·Vanessa Hayden (Former WNBA basketball player; currently a child welfare specialist), 32, Orlando, FL
·Zina Garrison (Gold medal winning tennis player; currently professional tennis coach), 50, Hyattsville, MD
We kick off with the first weigh in. Kind of. Geez, you have 2 hours. Why are we rushing through this? They’re going too fast for me.
Andrea: 244 pounds
Blake: 251 pounds
Chandra: 341 pounds
Damien: 388 pounds
Emmy Lou: 260 pounds
Gina: 242 pounds
Jackie: 291 pounds
JJ: 392 pounds
Jordan: 323 pounds
Lori: 301 pounds
Matthew: 386 pounds
Mike: 399 pounds
Rob: 483 pounds
Rondalee: 280 pounds
Scott: 366 pounds
Sonya: 283 pounds
Toma: 336 pounds
Vanessa: 366 pounds
Woody: 398 pounds
Zina: 263 pounds
At the first workout, JJ is unable to finish, falling on the ground before it’s over. Lori is extremely emotional during this workout (and after). She later reveals that she has had seven miscarriages.
The two people who finish last in the first challenge will be eliminated. No weigh ins. No second chances. Until they meet Bob. Those who finish will be allowed to choose their trainers when they reach the top of the hill. Their task is to go uphill in the sand while pushing a ball.
Dolvett (Red): Scott, Jordan, Blake, Emmy, Rob, Mike
Jen (White): Rondalee, Toma, Sonya, JJ, Woody, Matt
Jessie (Blue): Lori, Gina, Andrea, Jackie, Damien, Chandra
Collapsing at the finish line, Zina does not complete the challenge. Vanessa also falls further down the hill, and she is likewise eliminated.
They are brought to the middle of the woods, and it’s here they get the best surprise since Jillian came back the first time. They meet Bob for another chance. Each week, he will be training two people. The Biggest Loser each week will stay, but the other person will head home.
Vanessa is coming off a hamstring injury from the last challenge, but Bob knows her problem is mostly mental.
Back at the ranch, Mike is also injured. He’s on crutches following his walk to the gym. Still, he seems to be in relatively high spirits. His son died, but he plans to introduce us to him by being like him.
Then there’s Andrea, who is talking about throwing in the towel. If they lose, she’ll tell them to send her home. At least this attitude does not last long for now.
Damien, the blue team’s lone male member, has exactly the opposite philosophy. He wants to prove that he can’t be broken.
The very first Comeback Canyon weigh in will determine which of these two is going home for good and which is going to stay at the canyon to compete again next week.
Zina: 255 pounds (-8, 3.04%)
Vanessa: 352 pounds (-14, 3.83%)
Despite Zina seeming to have the better attitude, she is not The Biggest Loser.
The weigh in with just Bob and two contestants is a lot more subdued than most, and they can’t drag it out for very long.
At the ranch, we return to voting. Good. That’s how this show should be. I grew tired of the format they tried recently, and the save introduced last year did not help any.
Sonya: 260 pounds (-23, 8.13%)
Matt: 363 pounds (-23, 5.96%)
Rondalee: 266 pounds (-14, 5.00%)
Toma: 316 pounds (-20, 5.95%)
Woody: 388 pounds (-10, 2.51%)
JJ: 378 pounds (-14, 3.57%)
White Total: 1971 pounds (-104, 5.01%)
Emmy: 254 pounds (-6, 2.31%)
Blake: 235 pounds (-16, 6.37%)
Jordan: 301 pouns (-22, 6.81%)
Scott: 343 pounds (-23, 6.28%)
Rob: 450 pounds (-33, 6.83%)
Mike: 361 pounds (-38, 9.52%)
Red Total: 1944 pounds (-138, 6.63%)
Gina: 228 pounds (-14, 5.79%)
Andrea: 230 pounds -14, 5.74%)
Chandra: 334 pounds (-7, 2.05%)
Jackie: 283 pounds (-8, 2.75%)
Lori: 292 pounds (-9, 2.99%)
Damien: 381 pounds (-7, 1.80%)
Blue Total: 1748 pounds (-59, 3.27%)
It seemed like the blue team were the underdogs coming into this, and they fell apart on the scales. As The Biggest Loser for the losing team, Gina is safe.
Votes
Lori: Andrea
Andrea: Damien
Damien: Chandra
Chandra: Andrea
Jackie: Andrea
With 3 votes, Andrea is not The Biggest Loser. She may have put up a big number on the scale (very close to the best on her team), but her earlier talk about wanting to quit has come back to bite her, even if she has since changed her mind.
From her starting weight of 263 pounds, Zina is now down to 223 pounds.
Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another live recap of The Biggest Loser Season 16 Episode 2, which airs Thursday at 8/7c on NBC.