Ryan Rodriguez picked an inopportune time to have one of his worst weeks on the scale, and as a result, the 29-year-old from Jackson Heights, NY became the ninth contestant cut from The Biggest Loser's fourth season during last night's broadcast of the NBC reality weight-loss competition series.

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"I think the Ryan that came here was fearful, and the new Ryan has a little bit more fight and a little bit less fear," said Ryan after his elimination.  "I've also pushed myself to do things I didn't think I could do.  I've worked harder than I've ever worked in my life, and I realized you can't stop when it gets a little bit hard."

The Biggest Loser 4's ninth episode began following the previous elimination of David Griffin, with the 10 remaining contestants learning they'd be abandoning their trios and forming duos.

Host Alison Sweeney presented the 10 contestants with a large meat pizza and a 32-once soda and asked them each to guess how many calories the meal contained.  Nicole Michalik, a 26-year-old from Philadelphia, PA, guessed the meal contained 3,240 calories, coming the closest to its actual 3,253 calorie count.

As her reward, Nicole was able to pick her partner.  She chose Neil Tejwani, a 25-year-old from Marblehead, MA, and together they decided that Ryan and Isabeau Miller, a 21-year-old from Franklin, TN, would form the next duo. 

Ryan and Isabeau then chose the duo of Bill Germanakos, a 40-year-old from Long Island, NY, and Julie Hadden, a 34-year-old from Jacksonville, FL.  Bill and Julie then paired Hollie Self, a 28-year-old from Phoenix, AZ, and Bryan Washington, a 29-year-old from Riverdale, GA.  Hollie and Bryan's pairing meant that the only two contestants still without new partners were Kae Whang, a 27-year-old from Clark, NJ, and Amy Zimmer, a 28-year-old from Rochester, NY, so they were automatically paired together.

Because it was an eco-friendly week at The Biggest Loser campus, the Week 9 reward challenge focused on recycling.  Each duo would have 30 minutes to transport as many aluminum cans as they could to a deposit bin that was 100-yards away from the pile and at the top of a steep ramp.  Each member of the winning duo would receive a 2008 Ford Hybrid SUV.

Bill and Julie were the leaders at the half-way point of the challenge and were the eventual winners, recycling a total of 98.4 pounds of cans.  They defeated the next closest duo of Kae and Amy by more than 22 pounds.

The contestants then participated in their last-chance workouts before The Biggest Loser 4's ninth weigh-in then commenced.  The duo with the lowest percentage of weight-loss would be up for elimination.

Kae started at 168 and lost three pounds while Amy began at 254 and lost nine pounds, for a combined weight-loss total of 14 pounds or a 3.32% weight-loss percentage.

Hollie started at 218 and lost six pounds while Bryan began at 289 and lost 11 pounds, for a combined weight-loss total of 17 pounds or a 3.35% weight-loss percentage.

Nicole started at 235 and lost six pounds while Neil began at 339 and shed 18 pounds, for a combined weight-loss total of 24 pounds or a 4.18% weight-loss percentage.  In addition, Neil became only the fifth The Biggest Loser contestant in the show's history to lose at least 100 pounds before returning home.

Isabeau began at 255 and lost nine pounds while Ryan started at 308 and shed six pounds, for a combined weight-loss total of 15 pounds or a 2.66% weight-loss percentage.

Bill began at 251 and lost nine pounds while Julie started at 186 and shed six pounds, for a combined weight-loss total of 15 pounds or a 3.43% weight-loss percentage.

While all five duos were close -- except for Nicole and Neil, with Neil losing more weight than each of the other duos -- Isabeau and Ryan came out on the bottom of the chart, meaning that their duo would be the one facing elimination. 

The contestants then gathered for the elimination ceremony, with each duo casting a singular vote for either Ryan or Isabeau.  Amy and Kae; Hollie and Ryan; and Neil and Nicole all voted to oust Ryan, making Bill and Julie's vote inconsequential.

"This has been a fantastic experience for me," said Ryan after his ouster was revealed.  "I've met lots of really great people, some I think I'll be friends with for a long time.  I've had the privilege of having [Blue Team trainer Bob Harper] as a part of my life.  I think his impact is profound.  I'm a better person for having been here.  I had a pretty good idea coming in here that this very well may be my last day on campus.  I'm okay with it. I get to go home and play with my daughter and hug my wife."

The Biggest Loser 4's next episode will air Tuesday, November 13 at 8PM ET/PT.
About The Author: Christopher Rocchio

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