'The Biggest Loser' eliminates contestant Cassandra Sturos

The Biggest Loser's thirteenth season eliminated Cassandra Sturos during Tuesday night's broadcast of the NBC reality weight-loss competition's tenth episode.


Cassandra, a 25-year-old in-home senior caregiver from Fowlerville, MI, became the tenth contestant ousted from the competition's thirteenth season after her Black team lost the tenth week's weigh-in by posting a lower total weight-loss percentage than the Red team, and in a twist, the Red team got to vote off one of the Black team's members.

"This has been a dream come true and it's so cheesy and cliche, but it's something that I needed my whole life and wanted my whole life and I didn't really think I would get. I just thought I'd always be a fat girl, just a fat dreamer. And now I feel like yeah, I'm still struggling to come to terms with who I am, but I will always think that this was the thing that started getting my dreams in motion and started it," Cassandra said following her ouster.

The Biggest Loser's tenth thirteenth-season episode began following Isaac "Chism" Cornelison's elimination after the season's previous weigh-in. The Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney then met with the Red team -- who trained with previously new trainer Dolvett Quince, who returned to the show for his second season -- and the Black team, who worked under the guidance of veteran trainer Bob Harper.

Alison told the contestants they'd be switching trainers for the entire week, which meant the Black team would have to train with Dolvett and the Red team would be required to work under Bob's leadership.


Alison then explained that the team to win the upcoming weigh-in would be the only team allowed to cast votes at the next elimination. Those team members would be the ones to decide who would be ousted on the losing team from The Biggest Loser.  As a result, both teams had to try their best to end up with the highest total percentage of weight-loss, because if they lost, they had no control over which of their own members would be sent home.

Afterward, both teams met with their temporary new trainers and worked out with them. Dolvett brought his team to a ballet studio where they could dance their weight off, and later brought them outdoors for a hike. Meanwhile, Bob was utilizing the gym for his team.

Throughout the week, the contestants discussed a lot of strategy. Emily Joy, a 29-year-old teacher from Huntersville, NC, talked to Cassandra about a plan in which they'd hope to join two other women in the Final 4. They got Kim Nielsen, a 38-year-old former professional wrestler from Roswell, GA, to hop onboard and also approached Conda Britt, a 24-year-old nutrition health services technician from Rockford, MI, to see if she'd be interested in joining forces with them.

However, Black team members Emily and Cassandra, along with Red team member Kim, were either forgetting or not taking into account Black team member Conda's close relationship with her brother Jeremy Britt, a 22-year-old banker from Rockford, MI -- who was on the Red team.

Conda decided to tell her brother's alliance -- which consisted of Jeremy, Allen "Buddy" Shuh, a 42-year-old pastor from Wayne, MI, and Mark Cornelison, a 43-year-old youth pastor from Magnolia, TX -- about what the girls' alliance was plotting. Therefore, the three men realized it would be important to get rid of those threats in the house and eventually break up their strong bonds to secure their own positions in the game and potentially in the Final 4.


After training, the contestants then met up with Alison again and learned they'd be competing in the week's challenge. For the challenge, weights of different sizes were hidden inside a mud pit. In a relay-style race, one at a time, the players had to take turns digging in the mud for the weights, and the first team to bring back a total of 40 weights would win the challenge. The heavier the weight, the more difficult it would be for a contestant to retrieve it.

The Red team ended up winning the challenge, and for their prize, they received a two-pound advantage at the weigh-in.

Both teams then participated in their last chance workouts.

Later on, The Biggest Loser's thirteenth-season's tenth elimination weigh-in commenced.

Alison explained to all the contestants and their trainers that the team with the lowest percentage of weight-loss would face elimination, but the team to win the weigh-in must vote to send someone home from the losing team. The person on the losing team to post the highest percentage of weight-loss would receive immunity and be safe from the vote.


Bob's Red team -- whom he was only in charge of for the week -- weighed-in first.

Mark was the first member to step on the scale. He started off the week weighing 215 pounds and dropped to 213 pounds after he lost two pounds, while Buddy fell from 294 pounds to 289 pounds after he shed five pounds.

Kim "Kimmy" Stone, a 48-year-old registered nurse from Dittmer, MO, lost two pounds after dropping from 169 to 167 pounds.

Jeremy then weighed-in on behalf of the Red team and fell from 289 pounds to 282 pounds after he lost seven pounds, while Kim lost a total of four pounds after she dropped from 186 pounds to 182 pounds.  

Bob's Red team lost a total of 22 pounds and posted a 1.91% weight-loss percentage.


It was then time for Dolvett's temporary Black team to weigh-in.

Cassandra lost three pounds after dropping from 175 pounds to 172 pounds, while Christine Pickler, a 42-year-old who is self-employed and from Middlebury, IN, fell from 185 pounds to 184 pounds -- losing only one pound. 

Megan Stone, a 21-year-old student and support staffer for an organization that assists disabled adults from Dittmer, MO, shed one pound after dropping from 205 pounds to 204 pounds, while Emily fell from 199 pounds to 195 pounds after shedding four pounds.

Conda then stepped on the scale and learned she had lost three pounds after she fell from 231 pounds to 228 pounds. 

As a result, the Black team lost the weigh-in and the Red team would be required to vote someone on the opposing team off the ranch. However, Alison revealed the Red team could not vote for Emily because she had lost enough weight to earn immunity for the week.


The teams then deliberated and discussed their options. Cassandra begged the Red team to let her stay longer because she needed to be on the ranch. She admitted she had hated herself for so many years, while Chris also asked for more time because she said she was finally learning to stand on her own two feet without her husband Roy Pickler there to protect her.

Afterward, Megan chimed in and said she was doomed to fail if she got sent home, because she wasn't mentally stable enough to successfully lose weight on her own. She was afraid she'd gain it all back when faced with the temptations that got her into trouble with her weight in the first place. 

Emily and Kim then expressed their support for Cassandra and tried to influence the Red team to avoid voting for her. The girls told everyone they should want to compete against a strong competitor like Cassandra, who was someone who posed a threat and worked really hard on the ranch, in the end.

Both teams then met Alison in the voting room. The vote came down to Chris or Cassandra because Megan was related to Kimmy, Emily was close to Kim and Conda had her brother Jeremy rooting for her. Cassandra and Chris were the only team members who didn't have partners on the opposing team.

Based on the episode's discussions amongst teammates, Cassandra seemed like the obvious choice to be eliminated considering the men knew she had formed an all-female alliance behind their backs and she was a consistent player each week.

The contestants then revealed their votes. Mark, Kimmy and Buddy all voted to oust Cassandra from The Biggest Loser, while Kim and Jeremy voted for Chris. Cassandra cried because she didn't feel like she was ready to leave the ranch yet, but she was unfortunately forced to.


In a post-elimination update, Cassandra said she lost 90 pounds and moved to New York City to pursue a writing and photography career.






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski