It may have seemed that Amy Cremen, a 26-year-old purchasing department representative from Auburn Hills, MI, wasn't aware of the potential consequences when she voted to send former Blue team teammate Brady Vilcan home during The Biggest Loser: Families' ninth week elimination.

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However, that wasn't the case, according to Cremen, who says she had not only had thought out her surprising vote, but also had anticipated the negative reaction from Brady's wife Vicky Vilcan, a 37-year-old anesthetist from Houma, LA.

"I knew that she would be very, very upset with me, but I had to take that risk," Cremen told Reality TV World in a media conference call the day after her The Biggest Loser: Families elimination aired on Tuesday night's broadcast. "I knew that I probably would never get that chance again, and probably the next week he would lose a ton of weight. I just had to do it. And I had to think 'well the consequences might be great, but I just have to go with it.'"

However, one week later -- and by then quite aware of Vilcan's animosity towards her -- Cremen didn't take advantage of a similar opportunity to oust Vilcan with her deciding vote, choosing instead to eliminate former Black team member Coleen Skeabeck -- a 23-year-old receptionist from Cleveland, OH who had been one of Cremen's closest friends on the ranch. While regretful of her decision to vote for Skeabeck over Vilcan, Cremen told Reality TV World that her vote had come after a complicated week in which she had been courted by both the Blue and Black teams.

"I was just being pulled in the different directions," Cremen told Reality TV World. "I wanted to stay true to the people I worked out with and my trainer [Bob Harper]. Then I had the Black team who I knew were going to support me. It's just, you don't know unless you're there, it’s just a really different, weird situation."

"If I could do it again I probably would do it a little different," she continued. "But... what’s done is done and I'm just ready to get healthy and live the rest of my life."

Cremen also noted that some of her struggle between voting with her teammates and her friends had been born out of Harper's mantra that the Blue team had to stick together and never vote against each other, even after the teams had officially been dissolved.

"[Harper's team attitude] did have a little bit to do with it, and at the time I just thought it was the best idea to do it that way," she told reporters. "I could see that aspect, and I was just kind of blinded by the whole, you know, team mantra. And so that’s what happened."

Cremen's vote to keep Vilcan on the ranch proved to be a costly one, as Vilcan put aside team loyalties to cast the deciding vote to send Cremen home the following week. Cremen told Reality TV World that aside from the animosity between the two that remained even after the two had attempted to make up (Cremen said that she sensed Vilcan was still "standoffish" towards her and said that she "didn't trust [Vilcan] either"), she felt that Vilcan's vote for her was simply the result of a bad situation.

"[I] was 'The Biggest Loser' in the house so I think she made a very smart move by taking me out, obviously, for her - if she wants to win this game. But we had spoken about it earlier. You know, we had made up. We had apologized to each other and whatnot," Cremen told Reality TV World. "Worst case scenario was that two of the Blue team members would fall below the yellow line and it happened... And [Heba Salama] and Vicky had been close since the beginning. So before we even went into the elimination room I knew I was going home."

Cremen was vague as to whether she liked or disliked the show's recent decision to remove the hour of deliberation time for the show's contestants and head straight to the elimination room. While she admitted having some additional time to contemplate her vote may have helped her avoid making some mistakes, she added that the change could have also led to her being swayed down the wrong paths to vote in ways she didn't want to.

"I think it was a positive change when I voted out Brady, so that nobody could sway the vote either way because at the very last minute I was like 'You know what, I'm not changing. This is what I want to do. I know it’s the right thing. I've got to do it," Cremen told reporters. "And then of course I get pulled in these different directions the next week. I want to stay loyal ... with people I was working out with. And then here’s the Black team who I [would care] for the [deepest]. I think that if we would've had time to deliberate, Coleen could've knocked some sense into me."

"Coleen and I, honestly were the best of friends. She has no grudges against me, [but] if it would've been done differently it would've been a better outcome," she added.

Now at home from the ranch and 100 lbs. lighter since she first stepped foot on The Biggest Loser: Families ranch, Cremen told reporters that in addition to keeping up her workout habits at home, she has also completely changed her diet.  According to Cremen, not only has she committed to staying away from fast food, but she's also cut meat out of her diet and become a vegetarian.

"I've really disciplined myself with that. I'm just eating tofu and a lot of beans, and salad. It’s not hard for me at all," Cremen told reporters."And I'm going to continue. Like, I don't want to eat meat for the rest of my life."

However, she made sure to note that even couldn't bring herself to go all out and become a complete vegan.

"I really like sushi too much." Cremen told reporters. "I would die. I don't think that'll ever taste bad to me."

Cremen also told reporters that while she plans to adhere to her diet during the holidays, she won't completely cut out the holiday treats she loves.

"If I want to have that piece of toffee at Christmas, I'm going to have it, but I know that I'm going to have to work out in order to maintain my goal weight and to keep that weight off," Cremen told reporters. "I mean you can have whatever you want. Just don't have ten pieces of cake or ten things of toffee. Just have it in moderation and then work out and count the calories. Don't eat 10,000 calories for Christmas. You really can."

In anticipation of The Biggest Loser: Families' upcoming finale in which the most successful previously eliminated contestant will take home a $100,000 consolation prize, Cremen told reporters that she and her mother, fellow eliminated contestant Shellay Cremen, 51-year-old stay-at-home mom from Royal Oak, MI, had been competing against each other somewhat as they attempted to drop the most weight. However, she added that they had worked out a deal in advance to make sure the competition didn't get too intense.

"We're both competing for the $100,000. But we had made a pact at the beginning before we even went to California for the show that if we had won anything we would split it 50/50," Cremen told reporters.
About The Author: John Bracchitta

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