Nicole Brewer experienced both the high of returning to The Biggest Loser ranch as well as the low of being booted off of it, as the 37-year-old wardrobe stylist from Brooklyn, NY became the fifteenth contestant eliminated from The Biggest Loser: Couples during last night's broadcast on NBC. 

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"I have to say when I got to the ranch and I'd pass a mirror I didn't know that it was me because I don't think I realized how much weight I've actually lost until I got here," said Nicole, who shed 87 pounds at home after being sent home after the first week of the competition.

"Maybe that's why I was here, to find out what I've really done so I can go home and be proud of what I've done. It's not about winning the title of 'The Biggest Loser,' it's not about winning a weigh-in, it's not about who gets eliminated in that elimination room. It's about how I feel about myself, what I know I'm capable of doing, and the woman that I've become, and I really love her."

The Biggest Loser: Couples' twelfth episode began with Filipe Fam, a 26-year-old lube technician from Mesa, AZ, assuming his alliance with Ron Morelli, a 54-year-old city councilman and retired food distributor and his son Mike Morelli, an 18-year-old student, who are from South Lyon, MI, was over after their push to eliminate Filipe over Aubrey Cheney following the previous week's weigh-in.

"I'm grateful for the people that voted for me to be here, but at the same time finding out how the deliberation went, Ron and Mike kinda wanted to get rid of me last night," he said.

When talking with Kristin Steede, a 28-year-old business owner from Greenville, WI, Filipe was warned that with the competition entering its final weeks, everyone was adjusting their mentality and would not necessarily follow their previous alliances under certain circumstances.

The contestants then gathered in the gym where they were surprised by frist-season The Biggest Loser: Couples champion Ali Vincent, who told them that she was filling in The Biggest Loser host Allison Sweeney since she had gone into labor and had a baby girl.

Ali also told the contestants that -- similar the way she had earned the right to return to The Biggest Loser ranch and then went on to win the competition -- a selected group of contestants would be returning to the ranch and weighing-in and the former contestant with the highest percentage of weight loss would be allowed to return to the competition. 

In addition, the returning contestant would also receive immunity at the upcoming weigh-in as long as they did not gain weight over the course of the week.

The contestants selected to compete for the open spot on the ranch were the three contestants who were eliminated from the competition because their partners had not previously received a chance to return to the competition because their teammate was eliminated from the competition during the initial 30-day period where one member of each team had to return home and work out on their own: Brewer; David Lee, a 23-year-old student from Fuquay-Varina, NC; and Estella Hayes, a 63-year-old retired nurse from Wheaton, IL.

After the three entered the gym and reconnected with the contestants still on the ranch, Ali began the weigh-in to see who would get to return to the competition.

Estella weighed in and had lost 45 pounds from her original weight of 242 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 18.6%.

David followed Estella on the scale. Despite not thinking that he had not done as well at home as he had wanted to, he had still lost 46 pounds from his original weight of 393 pounds for a percentage loss of 11.7%.

However Nicole easily beat David and Estella's numbers and won her way back onto the ranch with a weight loss percentage of 32.34% after her weigh-in revealed that she had shed 87 pounds from her original 269 pounds weight.

"The moment I realized I was back in the game was the moment I realized 'I did it. I did exactly what I said I would do,' and that was I was gonna be the one to show America that I could do it at home," an excited Nicole said following the weigh-in.

While initially impressed with her weigh-in, the contestants quickly put their guards up after Ali revealed that Nicole had managed a weight-loss percentage that was second only to that of Tara Costa despite working out at home without the help of the ranch.

After retiring from the gym and getting to reconnect with the other contestants a little more, Nicole reiterated that she was unsure of what to make of the attention that the contestants were giving her because of her exceptional weight-loss.

"Today was absolutely overwhelming because everyone was talking with me," she said later. "I have no idea what's going on. There's some crazy stuff going on here and I've got to watch my back."

While she was initially excited by the idea that Nicole would take some of the attention taken off of her, Tara, a 23-year-old finance manager and former model from New York, NY, eventually had to meet with trainer Jillian Michaels to calm down after feeling threatened by Nicole's success and wondering if she would be able to continue her own weight-loss once she went home.

"I think [Tara] keeps herself busy and she got all this nervous energy an she gets caught up in all these activity traps and all this drama and she's never really focusing on the feelings that are bubbling up inside of her," Jillian said later.

The ranch also suffered another medical scare after Ron began complaining of chest pains and had to be taken to a hospital to meet with Dr. Robert Huizenga for tests. After determining that his chest pains had been caused by low blood pressure that was the result of some bleeding from one of his prior gastric bypass surgeries, Ron was eventually cleared to return to the ranch three days later.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the rest of the contestants met with The Biggest Loser: Families winner Michelle Aguilar for their challenge. After arriving at a complicated ropes course, Michelle told the contestants that they would each have to stand on platforms that were supported by 35 ropes and continue to balance on them as the ropes were individually loosened and the platform became less stable.

Michelle added that the winner of the challenge would receive a one pound advantage at the upcoming weigh-in.

After all but three of the 35 ropes supporting the platforms had been loosened, only Filipe, Kristin and Sione Fa, a 28-year-old landscape company owner from  Maricopa, AZ, remained in the challenge. However, once the challenge was whittled down to one final rope, both Kristin and Filipe fell, giving the challenge to Sione.

"This challenge, definitely I went in there the old Sione and out came out the new Sione," he said of the concentration he drew on to win the competition.

Both teams then met with their trainers for their last chance workouts, with Bob bringing his team to Muscle Beach for their aerobic exercises while Jillian kept her team at the gym. Perhaps sensing that Nicole was worried about her workouts, Bob worried that she could struggle at weigh-in the if her body had shutdown down because of the stress.

Prior to the weigh-in, Ron finally returned to the ranch as well but warned Mike that, given he had been given nine bags of salt water and two pints of blood during his hospital stay, he was expecting to struggle at the weigh-in and likely fall into the bottom two.

The contestants them met in the gym where they were greeted by Allison, who returned to the ranch following her daughter's birth. After receiving congratulations from the contestants, Allison had Nicole weigh-in first and reminded her that she had immunity unless she gained weight.

However, Nicole was unable to fulfill the requirements for her immunity as she and the contestants were shocked to learn that she had gained five pounds for a weight-gain percentage of 2.75%.

Mike came in first for the week at the weigh-in, losing 11 pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 4.17%. Helen Phillips, 47-year-old retired retail manager from Sterling Heights, MI, came in second place, losing 6 pounds for a percentage of 3.39%, while Tara followed in third place after dropping six pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 3.08%.

Sione followed, losing six pounds for a weight-loss percentage of 2.63%, including his one pound advantage from the challenge. Kristin came in fifth place, losing four pounds for a weight loss percentage of 1.57% while Filipe came in sixth place after losing four pounds for a percentage of 1.52%.

While Laura was shocked after learning that she had gained one pound for a weight-gain percentage of .47%, she was saved by Ron, who, as he had guessed, fell below the yellow line with Nicole after gaining three pounds for a weight gain percentage of 0.95%.

Allison told the contestants they would have an hour to decide whether to eliminate Ron or Nicole. Upon meeting together following the weigh-in, both contestants plead their cases to stay on the ranch.

"I want a chance and I'm trying really hard right now to be strong an not break down, because being strong is what got me the chance to get back on the ranch. So I'm not gonna go into theatrics," a calm Nicole said to the contestants about her desire to stay on the ranch.

"In Week 4 I asked you to save my son, and now I'm gonna ask you to save me, that's all I have to say," ron said. "My fate's in your hands."

After Ron and Nicole left the room, Mike came to his father's defense, saying that it would be unfair to eliminate him because he had been in the hospital the last several days.

After deliberations, the contestants met with Allison to reveal their choice for elimination. While Filipe, Sione and Helen cast their votes for Ron's ouster, they were outweighed by Mike, Laura, Tara and Kristen, who voted for Nicole and had her eliminated from the competition.

In her post show update, it was revealed that Nicole had dropped 105 pounds to get her weight down to 164 pounds and a size 12 wedding dress size. It added that she hoped to drop down to a size 8 dress size by next month's live finale show.


About The Author: John Bracchitta

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