'The Biggest Loser' eliminates returning contestant Adrian Dortch

The Biggest Loser's thirteenth season eliminated Adrian Dortch during Tuesday night's broadcast of the NBC reality weight-loss competition's sixth episode.


Adrian, a 34-year-old music producer and community activist from Evanston, IL, became the seventh contestant ousted from the competition's thirteenth season after his Red team lost the sixth week's weigh-in by posting a lower total weight-loss percentage than the Black team -- which then forced the Red team's remaining contestants to vote off one of their own members.

"For me, the struggle of being on the ranch was uncomfortable. I thought going onto the ranch, that I would have this miraculous weight-loss in the time of being there, and I didn't know that I would come home so soon. The excuse for the last week that I was there was 'I can't lose weight on my own,' and it was ironic because I have lost weight on my own," Adrian said following his ouster, referencing how the current The Biggest Loser season is one of "no excuses."

The Biggest Loser's sixth thirteenth-season episode began immediately following Nancy Rajala's elimination. Adrian -- who, with his sister and fellow former Aqua teammate Daphne Dortch, got eliminated during the premiere episode but were able to return to the ranch and rejoin the competition after accomplishing their goal of losing a combined total of 50 pounds in one month while at home -- was getting on his Red team members' nerves and most of them wanted him out.

Adrian had received immunity last week and was safe at the weigh-in as a reward for getting back on the show. However, he had only lost two pounds throughout the week upon his return and some of his teammates believed he had thrown the weigh-in so he could have a great following week and post a big number.


Whether the Red team was frustrated with Adrian's attitude, work ethic or weight-loss numbers, mostly all its members seemed to have a problem with him and he wasn't accepted into the group.

The next day, the Black team, who worked under the guidance of veteran trainer Bob Harper, and the Red team -- who trained with previously new trainer Dolvett Quince, who returned to the show for his second season -- met with The Biggest Loser host Alison Sweeney and learned they'd be competing in the week's challenge. Alison told the contestants that the team to lose the challenge would lose its trainer for the entire week, meaning no campus visits, emails or texts from that trainer.

However, the losing team would get its trainer back for the last chance workout only. Alison then explained the rules to the challenge which resembled the typical "dunk tank" game.

Each team's trainer was suspended above a pool, and as a team, the contestants had to keep their trainer out of the water by holding onto a rope. Each team's rope was attached to a 241-and-a-half pound weight, which was the average amount of weight-loss between the two teams. If any player took his or her hands off the rope at any point, he or she would be out of the game and the rest of the team must pick up the slack. If the entire team let go of the rope, the weight would hit the target and the trainer would fall 12 feet into the water.

The first team to let their trainer fall into the water would lose the challenge.


The competition wasn't even close in the end, as Dolvett's Red team members slowly lost grip of the rope and dropped out one by one. As a result, Bob's Black team won, so Dolvett hit the water and Bob remained happily dry. The Red team was disappointed they'd have to survive the week and workout with Dolvett pushing them along the way.

After losing the challenge, Red team member Kim Nielsen, a 38-year-old former professional wrestler from Roswell, GA, decided that as a former training athlete, she should step up into a leadership position and design the week's workout schedule and regiments for her team.

Dolvett watched the action proudly from home and was impressed with the work his team was putting in, but he admitted his absence from the gym was driving him crazy because he was on The Biggest Loser to train, not watch.

Meanwhile, the Black team took a hike with Bob and utilized large medicine balls in the process. Bob wanted to take the intensity level of his workouts up a notch for the week.

Afterwards, The Biggest Loser's nutritionist Rachel Beller took the Black team out to a restaurant for lunch and taught them to analyze the menu and discover its healthier options by asking questions or making requests of how they wanted the food to be prepared. She said she was ultimately impressed with the contestants' meal choices and felt they had learned a valuable life lesson.


Before it became time for the teams to participate in their last chance workouts, Dolvett returned to the campus and addressed his Red team about the drama he had noticed between some of the contestants while watching from home.

Dolvett had written up a checklist of things that bothered him and needed to change, and the rocky relationship between Adrian and Conda Britt, a 24-year-old nutrition health services technician from Rockford, MI -- who was often caught talking behind Adrian's back -- was a prime example. He wanted the cohesiveness amongst his team members to improve and he insisted they should work better together.

Later on, after the team's last chance workouts were complete, The Biggest Loser's thirteenth-season's sixth elimination weigh-in commenced.

Alison explained the team with the lowest weight-loss percentage would lose the weigh-in and be put up for elimination. She said the person who achieved the highest weight-loss percentage on the losing team would receive immunity, but all the team's contestants must then vote off one of its other members.

Unlike last week, Adrian and Daphne, a 37-year-old paralegal and kids activity team member from Evanston, IL, no longer had immunity.


Dolvett's Red team weighed-in first.

Conda was the first member to step on the scale. She started off the week weighing 263 pounds and dropped to 255 pounds after she lost eight pounds.

Kim fell from 215 pounds to 209 pounds after she shed six pounds, while Roy Pickler, a 63-year-old self-employed Santa Claus from Middlebury, IN, lost seven pounds after dropping from 268 to 261 pounds.

Kim "Kimmy" Stone, a 48-year-old registered nurse from Dittmer, MO, then weighed-in on behalf of Dolvett's Red team and fell from 193 pounds to 188 pounds after she lost five pounds. Mark Cornelison, a 43-year-old youth pastor from Magnolia, TX, lost a total of seven pounds after he dropped from 251 pounds to 244 pounds.

Allen "Buddy" Shuh, a 42-year-old pastor from Wayne, MI, shed nine pounds after falling from 345 to 336 pounds, while Adrian dropped from 334 to 325 pounds after losing only nine pounds.


Dolvett's Red team lost a total of 51 pounds and posted a 2.73% weight-loss percentage.

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

Daphne lost eight pounds after dropping from 244 pounds to 236 pounds, while Cassandra, a 25-year-old in-home senior caregiver from Fowlerville, MI, fell from 200 pounds to 195 pounds, losing five pounds since the beginning of the week.

Christine Pickler, a 42-year-old who is self-employed and from Middlebury, IN, shed five pounds after dropping from 211 pounds to 206 pounds, while Megan Stone, a 21-year-old student and support staffer for an organization that assists disabled adults from Dittmer, MO, fell from 229 pounds to 223 pounds after shedding six pounds.

Emily Joy, a 29-year-old teacher from Huntersville, NC, lost seven pounds after she fell from 230 pounds to 223 pounds. Jeremy Britt, a 22-year-old banker from Rockford, MI, started off the week weighing 338 pounds and fell to 326 pounds after he lost 12 pounds.

Isaac "Chism" Cornelison, a 19-year-old student from Magnolia, TX, then weighed-in and learned he lost 13 pounds after he dropped from 318 pounds to 305 pounds.


Bob's Black team lost a total of 56 pounds and posted a 3.16% weight-loss percentage, winning the weigh-in. 

Alison then announced the Red team would face elimination but the contestants could not vote for Conda, who had received immunity for posting the highest weight-loss percentage on her team.

The contestants then took their seats in the voting room and revealed their votes. Kim, Conda, Mark, and Buddy all voted to oust Adrian from The Biggest Loser, while Roy and Adrian both voted for Mark. Kimmy didn't have to reveal her vote because four votes were enough to constitute for Adrian's elimination.

Adrian was clearly upset and frustrated about getting voted off because he believed his teammates had never really given him a chance and treated him badly throughout his short time on the ranch.

Mark and Adrian's relationship especially ended on bad terms because Mark had allegedly congratulated Adrian on his weight-loss success at the weigh-in and seemed supportive of the work he had put in for the week but then turned around and voted for him, saying Adrian's effort was not enough and it showed in his poor number for a guy of his size.

After bickering in the voting room, Mark asked to speak with Adrian on his way out, but Adrian refused and also asked all the contestants except for Roy not to embrace his sister after his exit out of respect for him. Adrian then stormed out of the room.


In a post-elimination update, Adrian, who started The Biggest Loser weighing 420 pounds and lost mostly all of his weight at home, said he currently weighs 320 pounds. Adrian said he really wants to become the at-home winner of the $100,000 consolation prize. He explained how he has finally found a flow about him that didn't exist before his weight-loss journey began and is "mastering his life."






About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski