Category: reality tv

After Stacey & Adam and Ed & Heba fell below the yellow line, Stacey & Adam were voted out in The Biggest Loser Families Episode 1, although I couldn’t quite figure out why.

Ed and Heba tell LT they’ll save him if they have the chance since he used his extra vote in their favor.

Bob expects week two to suck since it usually does. Jillian is also hoping against hope that things go not horribly.

Jillian discusses the divorce with Michelle. She tells her that, for once in her life, she needs to put herself first.

Bob hates the yellow line down the middle of the gym, so he rips it up and throws it out.

Alison warns the teams that the average weight loss for the second week is 2%, way down from the 4-8% they put up last week. Because the week is so difficult, she wants to offer a reward. One team will win $10,000. But there is a catch. The highest bidder will win $10k if they achieve their goal. However, if someone fails to achieve their goal, they will instead automatically be below the yellow line.

Phil & Amy bid 1%, hoping to kickstart the auction. Tom & LT bid 1.1%, as LT’s just thinking about the money. Shellay & Amy bid 1.2%. Ed & Heba aren’t taking any chances and won’t bid. Phil & Amy go 1.3%. Coleen & Jerry bid 1.4%. Phil & Amy bid 1.5%. LT & Tom go 1.6%. Coleen & Jerry go 1.7%. LT’s back again with 1.8%. Shellay ups it again to 1.9%. LT hits 2.0%. Coleen bids 2.1%. Amy P tries egging on everybody else. Amy C stops her mom from going any higher. LT goes to 2.2%. Shellay bids 2.3% (apparently). Coleen goes 2.4%, praying someone else will outbid her. Nobody does, though, so either they lose more than 13 pounds and get $10,000, or they don’t and go below the yellow line, where I’d assume they’re safe regardless. Jillian thinks they’ve lost their minds.

The second challenge involves huge waterslides. They must slide and then run up the hill. If they are unable to complete the course within 2 minutes, they will be eliminated. The reward is a phone call home, still a bit silly considering it’s so early in the season. Once again, Tom and Jerry are sitting out, so Coleen and LT are on their own. The other teams will rotate on and off. Not sure whether this is an advantage for the solo people or not. It should certainly make the first couple laps easier for them, though.

Everybody returns in time on the first leg, except for Brady, who appears to have injured his knee. Vicky suggests he threw the challenge. Everybody also completes the second leg, except for Amy P, who got stuck on the slide on the way down. The clock for the next legs is down to 1:30. LT is the next one eliminated. On the fourth round, everybody is okay. The time remains the same, but they have less chance to rest. They’re all going strong round after round. Renee and Coleen are both finally eliminated. That leaves Shellay & Amy against Ed & Heba. Shellay’s ready to give up, but Amy wants her to at least try and finish. She’s eliminated by just seconds, so Ed & Heba win the challenge after 18 rounds. In addition to the phone call, they must pick one other team to get a call. They decide to give it to Amy & Phil so they can have a call home to their kids. Ed gives his 10 minutes to Heba so she can talk to her dad for twice the time.

Rocco Dispirito is back. He wants to show them how to cook healthy and inexpensively. He has the teams divide. The best cooks from the teams stand up. It’s a trick. The less good cooks will be the ones actually doing the shopping and cooking, while the others stay behind and wait to be served. The winner of this will get a year’s worth of groceries. At the store, Rocco hands out the recipes at random, then gives them guidance as to how to choose the best food. Amy C hopes to learn to boil water, among other things. Then it’s a group effort to turn on the oven. This is followed by a Ziploc commercial. Once the food’s all done, it’s time to bring it out to the tasters.

They must taste each dish and judge them all, without knowing who has cooked what. Vicky refuses to eat any part of anything that has cauliflower in it, but most others are up for the challenge. Amy C manages to win, despite the fact that she had no clue what she was doing.

It’s time for the second weigh-in.

Vicky: 223 (-4)
Brady: 306 (-7)
Total: 529 pounds (-11, 2.04%)

Amy: 219 (-3)
Shellay: 201 (-3)
Total: 420 pounds (-6, 1.41%)

Michelle: 223 (-2)
Renee: 248 (-5)
Total: 471 pounds (-7, 1.46%)

Despite the low weight loss, Michelle is in good spirits and proud of what she’s done.

Amy: 209 (-4)
Phil: 300 (-8)
Total: 509 pounds (-12, 2.30%)

Heba: 280 (-2)
Ed: 309 (-9)
Total: 589 pounds (-11, 1.83%)

All three of Bob’s teams are safe. They can decide the outcome of who goes or who stays.

LT: 342 (+3)
Tom: 287 (-3)
Total: 629 pounds (no change)

Coleen: 202 (-6)
Jerry: 358 (-5)
Total: 560 pounds (-11, 1.93%)

Dumb risk, and it didn’t pay off. Coleen put up some good numbers, though. With that, Coleen & Jerry are below the yellow line alongside LT & Tom. Whoever ends up going home, one of them will be among the ones that has to sit out each week for medical reasons. LT hopes orange will have his back after last week, and Heba considers Coleen a big threat to win anyway, so Ed says they are planning to vote her and Jerry out.

Votes
Shellay & Amy: Tom & LT
Ed & Heba: Tom & LT
Amy & Phil: Tom & LT

With three votes, Tom & LT are not The Biggest Loser. Alison tells the rest of them they’re going to pack their bags and head on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Tom’s down from his 9 pills to none. LT has dropped 81 pounds, while his dad has dropped 65.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Biggest Loser Families episode 3, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.

The Biggest Loser is back for season 6, and this time it’s all about families. Husbands, wives, mothers, daughters, fathers, and sons, all competing together to lose weight and get healthy (in between the product sponsorship). Check out the full The Biggest Loser Families cast.

Amy P says she used to be a normal weight, but since her son was diagnosed with autism, she’s done a lot of stress eating. She’s got a good chance since this hasn’t been a lifelong problem for her.

Tom and little Tom, however, have had a lifelong struggle with weight. Not only are they overweight, but so is the entire rest of their family.

Ed and Heba hope to have children, but they know they can’t do it like they are now.

Vicky and Brady are a fast food family, and they’re already spreading their bad habits to their 4-year-old daughter.

Mother/daughter Renee and Michelle have been estranged for six years. Oh no. I’ve seen this storyline before. Let’s hope it turns out better than the last time I saw it.

Coleen is afraid her father won’t be around to see her get married.

Oh, and all the wacky team colors are back. Not that they much mattered last time. Also back as usual are host Alison Sweeney and trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels.

Big Tom, at age 42, says he’s never been in a gym. He picked a good one to start at. The new gym is double the size because it’s divided down the middle. It’s parents and children on one side competing against husbands and wives.

Before they start working out, though, it’s time for the first weigh-in.

Michelle: 242 pounds
Renee: 267 pounds
Total: 509 pounds

Coleen: 218 pounds
Jerry: 380 pounds (heaviest man)
Total: 598 pounds

Amy: 239 pounds
Shellay: 216 pounds
Total: 455 pounds

Amy: 229 pounds
Phil: 331 pounds
Total: 560 pounds

Stacey: 221 pounds
Adam: 340 pounds
Total: 561 pounds

Vicky: 246 pounds
Brady: 341 pounds
Total: 587 pounds

Heba: 294 pounds (heaviest woman)
Ed: 335 pounds
Total: 629 pounds

LT: 357 pounds
Tom: 314 pounds
Total: 671 pounds (heaviest team)

Bob gets the husbands and wives, while Jillian gets the parents and children. Jillian warns them they doen’t want to freak her out, and she’s pissed off that she thinks she’s become the nice one. Jerry’s already in severe pain after 7-10 minutes on the treadmill, but he doesn’t quit until he falls off it. Amy C’s crying her eyes out within 5 minutes. Vicky fears she’ll be the weakest link on Bob’s side. Ed’s doing his share of whining, but Heba’s there to kick his butt.

After Jerry falls off the treadmill, Jillian has him get back up and start walking again because he hasn’t fainted, puked, or died. Jerry heads to meet with the doctor, who tells him he’s the sickest person in the history of The Biggest Loser. The doctor tells Jillian he’s only allowed to do 30 minutes of exercise a day.

The contestants arrive at the challenge in nice cool 110 degree weather. They’re probably going to have to climb that big hill. The rewards range from a visit home (uh, it’s been like… a day) to immunity. The bad news is that one of the rewards is a 2 pound penalty. They must grab the banner of their choice that’s been dropped by a crop duster. Jerry and Tom will not participate due to medical reasons, so LT and Coleen will represent their teams, which I’d argue is an unfair advantage.

Vicky’s trailing behind the pack, and this presents an opportunity for some drama. Eventually, she’s not alone, as some others end up struggling as well. Phil and Shellay particularly have difficulty.

Coleen: Immunity
Stacey & Adam: Luxury
Ed & Heba: $5,000
LT: Extra Vote
Michelle & Renee: Phone call home
Amy & Phil: Visit home
Shellay & Amy: Whatever it is, it’s not last
Brady & Vicky: 2 pound penalty

Next, everybody goes to the doctor for the bad news. Amy C is shown the fatty build up and smoking in her lungs. Her biological age is 47 based on her health issues, well above her actual age of 26. Michelle’s got the same build up around her heart, and her biological age is 41, not 26. Vicky has acid reflux, breathing issues, and thin bones. Her biological age is 48, compared to her chronological age of 37. Ed has a type of liver disease, pre-diabetes, and high blood pressure. LT is also a smoker, and his biological age is 49, more than double his age of 23. Jerry has nearly 200 pounds of hydrated fat in his body. His ability to exercise is roughly that of a 95 year old. His real age is 51; his internal age is 76. This biological age thing is a pretty good wake up call.

Adam and Stacey don’t seem like they have a care in the world during the last chance workout. Vicky’s unimpressed and says this pushes her to try harder. Amy C says she’s though of quitting.

The weigh-in to see how much they’ve lost in their first week is up next. The bottom two teams will be up for elimination.

Coleen: 208 (-10)
Jerry: 363 (-17)
Total: 571 pounds (-27, 4.51%)

Heba: 282 (-12)
Ed: 318 (-17)
Total: 600 pounds (-29, 4.61%)

Michelle: 225 (-17)
Renee: 253 (-14)
Total: 478 pounds (-31, 6.09%)

LT: 339 (-18)
Tom: 290 (-24)
Total: 629 pounds (-42, 6.26%)

Amy: 213 (-16)
Phil: 308 (-23)
Total: 521 pounds (-39, 6.96%)

Stacey: 212 (-9)
Adam: 321 (-19)
Total: 533 pounds (-28, 4.99%)

Amy: 222 (-17)
Shellay: 204 (-12)
Total: 426 pounds (-29, 6.37%)

Vicky: 227 (-19)
Brady: 313 (-28)
Total: 540 pounds (-47, +2, 7.67%)

I almost thought they would get through an entire weigh-in without a commercial break, but alas, it was not to be. Vicky & Brady make the most unlikely first place finishers. Ed & Heba and Stacey & Adam have fallen below the yellow line. Stacey blames herself and gets upset. Ed just gets angry, and he doesn’t want to talk to anyone even to plead his case. Coleen says she thinks both teams are hard working.

Votes
Brady & Vicky: Stacey & Adam
Amy & Phil: Stacey & Adam
LT & Tom: Stacey & Adam

I don’t get it. At 600 pounds, Heba and Ed are the second heaviest team, making them the bigger threat (Ed’s attitude looks like it has the potential to be problematic as well). Nonetheless, Stacey & Adam have been eliminated. Stacey is now down from her original weight of 221 pounds to 175 pounds. Adam is down from his original weight of 340 pounds to 286 pounds.

Stay tuned to dingoRUE for another recap of The Biggest Loser Families episode 2, which airs Tuesday at 8/7c on NBC.