The Biggest Loser: Couples 2 (Courtesy Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

The Biggest Loser: Couples 2 is the seventh season of the NBC reality television series The Biggest Loser. The season premiered on January 6, 2009, with eleven overweight couples competing for a cash prize of $250,000. Alison Sweeney is featured as the host, with trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels. Helen Phillips won the competition with a total weight loss percentage of 54.47%.

Contestants

Contestant			Status	Total Votes
Estella Hayes, 63, Wheaton, IL	White Team		Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 2	5
Gerald "Jerry" Hayes, 63, Wheaton, IL			Eliminated Week 2
Nicole Brewer, Returned Wk 13	Red Team		Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 3	4
Damien Gurganious, 31, Brooklyn, NY			Eliminated Week 3
David Lee, 23, Fuquay-Varina, NC	Orange Team		Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 4	4
			Eliminated Week 4
Carla Triplett, 36, Detroit, MI	Silver Team			4
Joelle Gwynn, 41, Detroit, MI			Eliminated Week 5
Blaine Cotter, 27, Mesa, AZ	Black Team		Eliminated Week 6	4
Shanon Thomas, 29, Center Line, MI	Pink Team		Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 7	4
Gregory "Dane" Patterson, 27, Mesa, AZ	Black Team	Blue Team	Eliminated Week 8	3
Amanda "Mandi" Kramer, 30, Boise, ID	Yellow Team	Blue Team	Eliminated Week 10	3
Cathy Skell, 48, Shiocton, WI	Purple Team	Blue Team		3
Aubrey Cheney, 28, Gooding, ID	Yellow Team	Blue Team	Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 12	4
Nicole Brewer, 37, Brooklyn, NY	Red Team	X	Re-Eliminated Week 13	4
Sione Fa, 28, Mesa, AZ	Blue Team	Black Team	Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 14	1
Laura Denoux, 24, Miami, FL	Green Team	Black Team	Sent Home Week 1, Eliminated Week 15	3
Kristin Steede, 28, Greenville, WI	Purple Team	Blue Team	Eliminated Week 16	2
Filipe Fa, 26, Mesa, AZ	Blue Team	Black Team	Eliminated Week 17	2
Ronald "Ron" Morelli, 54, South Lyon, MI	Brown Team	Blue Team	Eliminated at Finale
Tara Costa, 23, New York, NY	Green Team	Black Team	2nd Runner-Up
	Brown Team	Black Team	Runner-Up
Helen Phillips, 47, Sterling Heights, MI	Pink Team	Black Team	The Biggest Loser

Total Votes counts only votes that are revealed at elimination. The total doesn't count unrevealed votes (if the contestant has already received the require number of votes needed to be eliminated).

Weigh-Ins

Contestants are listed in chronological order of elimination.

Contestant	Age	Height	Starting BMI	Ending BMI	Starting Weight	Week																	Semi- Final	Finale	Weight Lost	Percentage Lost
						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Helen	47	5'6"			257	245	237	231	225	216	211	205	198	193	189	182	177	171	169	162	161	154	147	117	140	54.47%
Mike	18	5'11"			388	366	359	348	339	330	317	307	297	286	278	270	264	253	248	243	235	224	214	181	207	53.35%
Tara	23	5'9"			294	273	272	264	252	240	229	222	211	200	200	198	195	189	186	182	177	169	159	139	155	52.72%
Ron	54	6'0"			430	398	386	377	370	366	361	354	349	343	337	327	317	320	308	302	298	289	279	238	192	44.65%
Filipe	26	5'11"			364	347	338	324	311	308	298	291	283	275	274	267	263	259	252	247	244	234		229	135	37.09%
Kristin	28	5'6"			360	341	331	324	312	301	303	289	279	270	263	264	255	251	245	243	244			193	167	46.39%
Laura	24	5'9"			285	272	X	X	265	252	249	241	233	226	227	220	213	214	205	208				199	86	30.18%
Sione	28	6'0"			372	349	X	X	324	316	305	296	286	283	277	273	266	260	256					226	146	39.25%
Nicole	37	5'6"			269	251	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	182	187						146	123	45.72%
Aubrey	28	5'5"			249	236	X	X	234	224	223	216	211	203	200	195	191							194	55	22.09%
Cathy	48	5'8"			293	281	X	X	273	268	264	263	249	246	242	241								198	95	32.42%
Mandi	30	5'9"			263	251	245	237	227	221	215	210	203	195	197									171	92	34.98%
Dane	27	6'4"			412	392	378	360	345	334	329	325	312											258	154	37.38%
Shanon	29	5'5"			283	270	X	X	255	246	241	238												191	92	32.51%
Blaine	27	6'8"			365	351	335	323	312	303	299													249	116	31.78%
Carla	36	5'8"			379	368	X	X	348	339														251	128	33.77%
Joelle	41	5'8"			309	296	294	288	278	278														229	80	25.89%
Daniel	19	5'8"			454	424	421	406	394															312	142	31.28%
David	23	6'0"			393	377	X	X	X								347							350	43	10.94%
Damien	31	5'11"			381	364	355	351																245	136	35.70%
Jerry	63	6'3"			369	344	343																	192	177	47.97%
Estella	63	5'8"			242	233	X										197							159	83	34.30%

Winners

{{colorbox}} US$250,000 Winner (among the finalists)

{{colorbox}} US$100,000 Winner (among the eliminated contestants)

Standings

{{colorbox}} Week's Biggest Loser

{{colorbox}} Week's Biggest Loser & Immunity

{{colorbox}} Immunity (Challenge or Weigh-In)

{{colorbox}} Last person eliminated before finale (by America voting)

{{colorbox}} Results from "At-Home Players" Weigh-in (Week 5)/Eliminated Players Weigh in (Week 13)

{{colorbox}} Sent Home after first weigh-in for 30 days

BMI

{{colorbox}} Normal (18.5"24.9 BMI)

{{colorbox}} Overweight (25"29.9 BMI)

{{colorbox}} Obese Class I (30"34.9 BMI)

{{colorbox}} Obese Class II (35"39.9 BMI)

{{colorbox}} Obese Class III (greater than 40 BMI)

Weigh-In Notes and Weight Gains

• Kristin weighed 303 pounds after week 6, but her starting weight was displayed as 301 at the week 7 weigh-in.
• From Weeks 8"11, the remaining contestants were divided into a Black and a Blue team.
• Laura weighed 227 pounds after week 10, but her starting weight was displayed as 226 at the week 11 weigh-in.
• Kristin weighed 264 pounds after week 11, but her starting weight was displayed as 263 at the week 12 weigh-in.
• Ron weighed 320 pounds after week 13, but his starting weight was displayed as 317 at the week 14 weigh-in.
• Laura weighed 214 pounds after week 13, but her starting weight was displayed 213 at the week 14 weigh-in.
• Mike's weigh in from week 9 was carried over to episode 10 as a flashback due to broadcasting time.
• In Week 12, the remaining contestants started competing as singles, and were given their original couples color shirts.
• In Week 13, Nicole returned with immunity because she lost the most of those eliminated because their teammate was in weeks 1-3. However, she gained 5 pounds and thus lost her immunity per the rules. She fell below the yellow line with Ron, and re-eliminated.

Weigh-Ins Figures History

Contestant	Week																	Semi- Final	Finale
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Helen	-12	-8	-6	-6	"?9	"?5	"?6	"?7	"?5	"?4	"?7	"?5	"?6	"?2	"?7	"?1	"?7	"?7	"?30
Mike	"?22	"?7	"?11	"?9	"?9	"?13	"?10	"?10	"?11	"?8	"?8	"?6	"?11	"?5	"?5	"?8	"?11	"?10	"?33
Tara	"?21	"?1	"?8	"?12	"?12	"?11	"?7	"?11	"?11	0	"?2	"?3	"?6	"?3	"?4	"?5	"?8	"?10	"?20
Ron	"?32	"?12	"?9	"?7	"?4	"?5	"?7	"?5	"?6	"?6	"?10	"?10	+3	"?9	"?6	"?4	"?9	"?10	-41
Filipe	"?17	"?9	"?14	"?13	"?3	"?10	"?7	"?8	"?8	"?1	-7	"?4	"?4	"?7	"?5	"?3	"?10	-5
Kristin	"?19	"?10	"?7	"?12	"?11	+2	"?12	"?10	"?9	"?7	+1	"?8	"?4	"?6	"?2	+1	-51
Laura	"?13	-7			"?13	"?3	"?8	"?8	"?7	+1	"?6	"?7	+1	"?8	+3	-9
Sione	"?23	-25			"?8	"?11	"?9	"?10	"?3	"?6	"?4	"?7	"?6	"?4	-30
Nicole	"?18	-69											+5	-46
Aubrey	"?13	-2			"?10	"?1	"?7	"?5	"?8	"?3	"?5	"?4	+3
Cathy	"?12	-8			"?5	"?4	"?1	"?14	"?3	"?4	"?1	-43
Mandi	"?12	"?6	"?8	"?10	"?6	"?6	"?5	"?7	"?8	+2	-26
Dane	"?20	"?14	"?18	"?15	"?11	"?5	"?4	"?13	-54
Shannon	"?13	-15			"?9	"?5	"?3	-47
Blaine	"?14	"?16	"?12	"?11	"?9	"?4	-50
Carla	"?11	-20			"?9	-88
Joelle	"?13	"?2	"?6	"?10	0	-49
Daniel	"?30	"?3	"?15	"?12	-82
David	"?16	-30											+3
Damien	"?17	"?9	"?4	-106
Jerry	"?25	"?1	-151
Estella	"?9	-36											-38

Notes

• Kristin's 14 pound weight loss in week 7 was displayed as "?12 due to her weight gain the previous week.
• Laura's 7 pound weight loss in week 11 was displayed as "?6 due to her weight gain the previous week.
• Kristin's 9 pound weight loss in week 12 was displayed as "?8 due to her weight gain the previous week.
• Ron's 12 pound weight loss in week 14 was displayed as "?9 due to his weight gain the previous week.
• Laura's 9 pound weight loss in week 14 was displayed as "?8 due to her weight gain the previous week.

Weigh-Ins Percentage History

Contestant	Week																	Semi- Final	Finale
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Helen	"?4.67%	"?3.27%	"?2.53%	"?2.60%	"?4.00%	"?2.31%	"?2.84%	"?3.41%	"?2.53%	"?2.07%	"?3.70%	"?2.75%	"?3.39%	"?1.17%	"?4.14%	"?0.62%	"?4.35%	"?4.55%	"?20.41%
Mike	"?5.67%	"?1.91%	"?3.06%	"?2.59%	"?2.65%	"?3.94%	"?3.15%	"?3.26%	"?3.70%	"?2.80%	"?2.88%	"?2.22%	"?4.17%	"?1.98%	"?2.02%	"?3.29%	"?4.68%	"?4.46%	"?15.42%
Tara	"?7.14%	"?0.37%	"?2.94%	"?4.55%	"?4.76%	"?4.58%	"?3.06%	"?4.95%	"?5.21%	0.00%	"?1.00%	"?1.52%	"?3.08%	"?1.59%	"?2.15%	"?2.75%	"?4.52%	"?5.92%	"?12.58%
Ron	"?7.44%	"?3.02%	"?2.33%	"?1.86%	"?1.08%	"?1.37%	"?1.94%	"?1.41%	"?1.72%	"?1.75%	"?2.97%	"?3.06%	+0.95%	"?2.84%	"?1.95%	"?1.32%	"?3.02%	"?3.46%	-14.70%
Filipe	"?4.67%	"?2.59%	"?4.14%	"?4.01%	"?0.96%	"?3.25%	"?2.35%	"?2.75%	"?2.83%	"?0.36%	"?2.55%	"?1.50%	"?1.52%	"?2.70%	"?1.98%	"?1.21%	"?4.10%	-2.14%
Kristin	"?5.28%	"?2.93%	"?2.11%	"?3.70%	"?3.53%	+0.66%	"?3.99%	"?3.46%	"?3.23%	"?2.59%	+0.38%	"?3.04%	"?1.57%	"?2.39%	"?0.82%	+0.41%	-20.90%
Laura	"?4.56%	-2.57%			"?4.91%	"?1.19%	"?3.21%	"?3.32%	"?3.00%	+0.44%	"?2.65%	"?3.18%	+0.47%	"?3.76%	+1.46%	-4.33%
Sione	"?6.18%	-7.16%			"?2.47%	"?3.48%	"?2.95%	"?3.38%	"?1.05%	"?2.12%	"?1.44%	"?2.56%	"?2.26%	"?1.54%	-11.72%
Nicole	"?6.69%	-27.49%											+2.75%	-21.93%
Aubrey	"?5.22%	-0.85%			"?4.27%	"?0.45%	"?3.14%	"?2.31%	"?3.79%	"?1.48%	"?2.50%	"?2.05%	+1.57%
Cathy	"?4.10%	-2.85%			"?1.83%	"?1.49%	"?0.38%	"?5.32%	"?1.20%	"?1.63%	"?0.41%	-17.84%
Mandi	"?4.56%	"?2.39%	"?3.27%	"?4.22%	"?2.64%	"?2.71%	"?2.33%	"?3.33%	"?3.94%	+1.03%	-13.20%
Dane	"?4.85%	"?3.57%	"?4.76%	"?4.17%	"?3.19%	"?1.50%	"?1.22%	"?4.00%	-17.31%
Shanon	"?4.59%	-5.56%			"?3.53%	"?2.03%	"?1.24%	-19.75%
Blaine	"?3.84%	"?4.56%	"?3.58%	"?3.41%	"?2.88%	"?1.32%	-16.72%
Carla	"?2.90%	-5.43%			"?2.59%	-25.96%
Joelle	"?4.21%	"?0.68%	"?2.04%	"?3.47%	0.00%	-17.63%
Daniel	"?6.61%	"?0.71%	"?3.56%	"?2.96%	-20.81%
David	"?4.07%	-7.96%											+0.86%
Damien	"?4.46%	"?2.47%	"?1.13%	-30.20%
Jerry	"?6.78%	"?0.29%	-44.02%
Estella	"?3.72%	-15.45%											-19.29%

Notes

• Kristin's 4.62% weight loss in week 7 was counted as 3.99% due to her weight gain the previous week.
• Laura's 3.08% weight loss in week 11 was counted as 2.65% due to her weight gain the previous week.
• Kristin's 3.41% weight loss in week 12 was counted as 3.04% due to her weight gain the previous week.
• Ron's 3.75% weight loss in week 14 was counted as 2.84% due to his weight gain the previous week.
• Laura's 4.21% weight loss in week 14 was counted as 3.76% due to her weight gain the previous week.

• In Week 2, Daniel's weight-loss percentage was "?0.47% with the one pound penalty.
• In Week 13, Sione's weight-loss percentage was "?2.63% with the one pound advantage.
• In Week 17, Tara's weight-loss percentage was "?5.08% with the one pound advantage.

Elimination voting history

Name	Week																	Finale
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
Eliminated	None					Blaine	Shanon	Dane	None	Mandi	Cathy	Aubrey	Nicole	Sione	Laura	Kristin	Filipe	Ron
Helen	Shanon	?	Joelle	bgcolor="orange"		Dane	X	X	S	X	X	Aubrey	Ron	X	Kristin	X	Filipe	Biggest Loser
Mike	X	Jerry	Joelle	X	X	Blaine	Shanon	X	S	X	X	Aubrey	Nicole	X	Laura	Kristin	Filipe	X
Tara	Laura	Jerry	Damien	Mike & Ron	Carla & Joelle	Blaine	Shanon	X	S	X	X	Filipe	Nicole	X	Kristin	Kristin	?	X
Ron	X	Jerry	Joelle	X	X	Blaine	Shanon	Dane	S	Mandi	Cathy	Aubrey	X	X	Laura	Helen	X
Filipe	Sione	Jerry	Joelle	Daniel & David	Carla & Joelle	Blaine	Shanon	X	S	X	X	X	Ron	X	Laura	Helen	X
Kristin	Cathy	Jerry	Joelle	Daniel & David	?	Blaine	Shanon	Dane	S	Mandi	Cathy	Aubrey	Nicole	X	X	X
Laura	X	X	X	Mike & Ron	Carla & Joelle	Blaine	Shanon	X	S	Cathy	X	Filipe	Nicole	Sione	X
Sione	X	X	X	Daniel & David	Carla & Joelle	Blaine	Shanon	X	S	X	X	?	Ron	X
Nicole	X	X	X	Eliminated Week 3, Returned Week 13									X
Aubrey	X	X	X	Mike & Ron	Carla & Joelle	?	?	Kristin	S	Cathy	Cathy	X
Cathy	X	X	X	Daniel & David	?	Blaine	Shanon	Dane	S	Mandi	?	Eliminated Week 11
Mandi	Aubrey	?	Damien	Mike & Ron	Carla & Joelle	?	?	Ron	S	Ron	Eliminated Week 10
Dane	X	?	Damien	Mike & Ron	?	X	?	Ron	Eliminated Week 8
Shanon	X	X	X	Daniel & David	Carla & Joelle	Dane	X	Eliminated Week 7
Blaine	X	?	Damien	Mike & Ron	?	X	Eliminated Week 6
Carla	X	X	X	Daniel & David	X	Eliminated Week 5
Joelle	Carla	?	X	Daniel & David	X	Eliminated Week 5
Daniel	David	X	Damien	X	Eliminated Week 4
David	X	X	X	X	Eliminated Week 4
Damien	Nicole	Jerry	X	Eliminated Week 3
Jerry	Estella	X	Eliminated Week 2
Estella	X	X	Eliminated Week 2

^ No one was eliminated in week 1, but nine teams had to choose one contestant to send home.

^ Because the contestants met the goal of 77 pounds, there was no elimination for week 9.

{{colorbox}} Won immunity (Challenge or Weigh-in)

{{colorbox}} Won immumity, vote not revealed because a majority had already been reached

{{colorbox}} Won immunity, not allowed to vote

{{colorbox}} Below yellow line, not allowed to vote

{{colorbox}} Not in elimination, not allowed to vote

{{colorbox}} Contestant was sent home with the potential to return after 30 days

{{colorbox}} Vote not revealed because a majority had already been reached

{{colorbox}} No one was eliminated in this episode (see note above)

{{colorbox}} Eliminated or not in house

{{colorbox}} Below yellow line, America Votes

{{colorbox}} Last person eliminated before the finale (by America voting)

{{colorbox}} US$250,000 winner (among the finalists)

Episode summaries

Week 1

First aired January 6, 2009

The premiere begins with Jillian and Bob berating and scolding the nation for how fat the population has become, criticizing the home viewers' lazy habits, telling them to change their ways, and telling them that this program will not mean anything if the home viewers are just going to sit on the couch and eat ice cream while watching this show.

Eleven new couples arrive at the ranch. Season 7 featured several new records " the oldest couple (Jerry and Estella, each age 63), the youngest man (Mike, age 18), the heaviest female (Carla, 379 lbs/172 kg), the heaviest male/contestant (Daniel, 454 lbs/206 kg), and the most 400+-pound contestants (three) in American Biggest Loser history. The average age of the contestants is 34; they take a total of 45 different medications, making them both the sickest and the heaviest group of contestants to date.

Before they meet trainers Bob and Jillian, the contestants are told to do the first workout on their own in the gym. Meanwhile, the trainers are watching the contestants on closed-circuit television. During this self-led workout, Jerry (White) passes out and is taken to the hospital. He is later released from the hospital after being told he had a fainting spell caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Bob and Jillian each chose one team to work with, and then each team in turn picks the next team to join them, except for the final unchosen team, Purple, which gets to make its own choice. They choose as follows in this order:

• Jillian: White, Black, Green, Orange, Yellow teams.
• Bob: Silver, Blue, Red, Pink, Brown, Purple teams.

All the contestants are later taken to a hospital to review their previously-conducted medical test results with Dr. Robert Huizenga. The tests reveal the extent obesity has affected all of the contestants' health.

The first challenge takes place at a bridge. Each team must run across the bridge, climbing over a large pile of sand placed in the middle, and then back, climbing again over the sand. The first five teams to finish move on to the second round where they run the bridge again. The first two from the second round run a third time and the winning team from that final race is rewarded with immunity from elimination at the weigh-in.

In the end it comes down to the Yellow team, Mandi and Aubrey, and the Black team, Blaine and Dane. In a close finish, the Black Team won and is awarded immunity.

At the weigh-in, a twist is revealed: technically, none of the contestants would be eliminated from the game, but nine contestants would be sent home this week, one from each of the nine teams that fall below the yellow line. The team that is above the yellow line will be safe from this elimination, while Dane and Blaine are already safe due to winning the immunity challenge.

At the weigh-in, teams are shown to have lost a total 382 pounds, including a 30-pound weight loss by Daniel (Orange) who started out as the heaviest contestant in Biggest Loser history, and a 32 pound weight loss by Ron, which Alison says puts him in the Biggest Loser record books for most weight loss in the first week. As Jerry was not present at the first weigh-in to determine the contestants' starting weights due to his fainting spell, they weighed him in at the hospital, and his starting weight was announced as 369 lbs.

The Brown team is above the yellow line with 6.6% weight loss, while the Green, White, Blue, Orange, Red, Yellow, Purple, Pink, and Silver teams fall below the yellow line. As a result, each team has to pick one member to send home. In another twist, Alison tells the contestants that even though nine of them are being sent home, if, after 30 days (approximately the fifth week of the competition), their teammate is still in the game on the ranch, the contestant that was sent home will return. For example, if Estella (White) is sent home and after 30 days, her teammate Jerry is still in the game, Estella would be able to return.

After an hour given them to deliberate, the decisions are announced, and Shanon, Sione, David, Laura, Cathy, Nicole, Estella, Aubrey, and Carla are sent home for at least the next 30 days.

Week 2

First aired January 13, 2009

The episode begins with a temptation in which the contestants are asked to stand behind a white line. Alison explains that the first contestants to cross the line will receive $5000, but that contestant will also be eliminated from the competition. No one crosses the line and the prize is increased to $10,000 and again to $25,000. None of the contestants accept the offer. Joelle is the only one who admits she was tempted.

Throughout the episode, video clips are shown of the at-home contestants and their progress. Some are well-motivated and working hard, while others are having difficulties, beginning to succumb to old habits.

For this week's challenge, the contestants are taken to the ocean for a "kayak and foot" race. The objective is to kayak for a quarter mile and then climb to the top of a "mountain" near the beach. The winner of the race wins immunity at the weigh-in and the top four finishers win a phone call home. The contestant finishing in last place will receive a one-pound-penalty at the weigh-in. Tara wins immunity, with Blaine coming in second, Mandi in third, and Helen in fourth. All four are rewarded with phone calls. Mike, Damien, Kristin, Joelle, Filipe, and Jerry are the next six to finish, with Dan finishing last. Tara gives her phone call to Filipe because she says it would mean more to someone with a wife and kids at home.

A large portion of this week's episode is focused on the problems of Joelle, who appears to lack motivation and is not putting forth sufficient effort. At the "last chance work-out," Bob becomes frustrated with her as she keeps stopping during 30-second sprints, and he yells at her at some length. Jillian states that she has never seen Bob get this mad. Later, Bob says he was "channeling Jillian Michaels."

At the weigh-in, Tara loses one pound, but since she won the challenge, she was safe from elimination. The Black team (Blaine & Dane) has the largest percentage of weight loss, while Jerry and Dan both fall both below the yellow line. The one-pound penalty Dan earned at the challenge is critical because without the penalty it would have been Joelle up for elimination instead. The other members of Bob's team had stated that had Joelle fallen below the yellow line, they would have voted her out.

The contestants are given an hour to deliberate together. They find it difficult to choose between Jerry and Dan, saying they feel both really need to be at the Ranch. Ultimately they agree that Dan needs it more, as he is a young man who has had a serious problem all his life and has never been thin, while Jerry has the support of his wife at home, and was once at a healthy weight. They feel Jerry has a better chance in the long run of losing weight and keeping it off than Dan will if he went home this early in the game. After deliberation, the contestants unanimously vote to send Jerry home, which eliminates both Jerry and Estella.

At home, Jerry has seen dramatic improvements in his health and energy levels; he no longer suffers from the symptoms of diabetes. He has lost 84 pounds and hopes to lose at least 160 by the finale. Estella is under 200 pounds.

Week 3

First aired January 20, 2009

Everyone is still emotional after eliminating Jerry and the White Team. The contestants still believe that Joelle does not deserve to be there, with animosity against her growing.

In the temptation challenge, each contestant is put in a room with piles of tempting foods for five minutes. Their at-home partners each face a similar temptation. The team that consumes the most calories wins a visit home for the partner on the ranch, with the team's trainer making the trip as well. Mandi eats one slice of pizza (380 calories). Sione (blue, at-home) eats two slices of pizza and one taco (950 calories total) because he wants to see his trainer again. Carla (silver, at-home) eats 3 slices of pizza, 5 chicken nuggets, 1 taco, and 2 cup cakes, for a total of 2710 calories, winning the challenge. None of the other players are shown consuming any food. Filipe says that Joelle does not deserve this, and that Mandi should have won because she wanted to see her sons. The Orange team does not participate in the temptation. While the reason is not mentioned in the episode, it was indicated later that Dan was off campus for additional medical testing at the time.

Joelle appears to be excited at the prospect of going home and getting away from the ranch. Joelle and Bob visit Carla in Southfield, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit), who states that her weight is now down to 335 lbs. When Carla learns that Joelle has been consistently near the yellow line, she screams and rants at her at length, while a shocked Bob looks on.

Several team members visit Dr. Huizenga. Blaine was once taking eight different medications per day, for diabetes, cholesterol, and depression, but now no longer needs any of them. Ron was once taking ten pills per day plus insulin, but he is now down to only one with a reduced level of insulin. Dr. Huizenga informs them that this reduction in medication will save Blaine a projected $733,000 over his lifetime, and Ron over $20,000 per year.

Joelle and Bob return to the ranch and the contestants face a challenge from seasons past: each person must jump over a Styrofoam bar, part of a giant metal jump rope. If they break the Styrofoam, they are out. Joelle, Ron, Daniel, and Helen are out on the first few swings, either mistiming the jump or not being able to jump at all. Damien (57 swings), Filipe (105), Mandi (141), and Dane (701) fare much better. In the end, it comes down to Kristin and Tara, who make it to 1030 jumps (two hours 19 minutes) in 95 degree heat. Ultimately, Kristin succumbs to the heat, giving Tara immunity for the second week in a row.

At the weigh-in, the Black team has the highest percentage of weight loss, while Joelle and Damien (both of whom are being trained by Bob), fall below the yellow line. Bob's team gives Joelle and Damien the opportunity to plead their case, and Tara asks Joelle if she wants to be on the Ranch. Joelle equivocates in her answer. Bob's team makes the unanimous decision to send Joelle home. Jillian's team indicates that they will "respect Bob's team's decision." However, at the vote, Jillian's team votes unanimously for Damien, causing a tie. The rules state that in case of a tie the person with the least weight lost goes home, and that means Damien is out.

At home, Nicole has lost 76 pounds and plans to wear a size 8 dress at the couple's June wedding. Damien has lost 74 pounds and hopes to lose 126 before the finale.

Week 4

First aired January 27, 2009

Tensions between Bob's and Jillian's teams are high as Bob's team reacts with anger to Jillian's team blindsiding them at the previous vote. Jillian's team said they would vote out Joelle, but voted for Damien instead. Jillian's team members explain privately that Joelle will cause the most disruption and weaken Bob's team, while Bob's team is aghast that now Joelle thinks that all of her teammates want her gone.

This week is Super Bowl week and the challenges are related to football. The teams face a reward challenge to guess how many calories are in some football-related snacks. Daniel, Kristin, and Helen are the winners of the first round, and chef Curtis Stone shows them how to make a low-calorie substitute for Buffalo wings. In the second round, the winners of the first round must guess the number of calories in the low-calorie substitute. Daniel of the Orange team wins, and as a reward, receives a two-pound pass for his at-home teammate, David, and David receives an at-home visit for a day from the chef, who shows him how to cook healthy meals.

In the gym, Jillian focuses her attention on Daniel, who achieves beyond what he thought he could do. He confesses he has never been thin and doesn't think it is possible for him ever to be thin. Bob has renewed hope for Joelle, who seems to have had her "fire lit" after the previous week's vote, and begins to work out harder.

For the immunity challenge, the contestants must run back and forth on a football field to retrieve footballs to place in another contestant's bin. When a contestant's bin has five footballs in it, that contestant is eliminated from the challenge. As a strategy, the contestants start by targeting the "strong players" on the opposite training-team, before targeting fellow training-team members. Filipe is eliminated first, followed by Tara, Dane, Kristin, Mandi, Daniel, Mike, and Joelle. The winner is Helen of the Pink team, who is elated that at her age she was able to win such a physical challenge. NFL quarterback Kurt Warner co-hosts the challenge to help inspire the teams.

At the weigh-in, the at-home players are brought back to the ranch, reuniting with their partners. The contestants are told that the at-home players will weigh-in the next day, but only if their team is not eliminated in the vote following that day's weigh-in. Tara wins the weigh-in after losing twelve pounds. Helen, who has immunity, has the second lowest percentage of weight-loss. The Brown team (Ron and Mike) and the Orange team (Daniel) both fall below the yellow line. Both Ron and Mike blame themselves for not losing more weight, while Ron pleads for the other contestants to save his son. Daniel (Orange team) pleads for the right to stay on the ranch, while his partner, David, says his heart really isn't in it and he is not sure he wants to be there. The vote is nearly evenly split, with Jillian's trainees voting to send the Brown team home (trained by Bob), and Bob's trainees voting to send the Orange team home (trained by Jillian). The Orange Team is eliminated, by a vote of four to three.

At home, Daniel can now run for over 19 minutes and no longer needs to take medication for diabetes, while David has reportedly quit smoking. David has lost 48 pounds and hopes to "shock America" at the finale. Daniel has lost 101 pounds and hopes to break a Biggest Loser record for the largest total weight loss.

Week 5

First aired February 3, 2009

The episode begins with the at-home players weighing in. The winner of the weigh-in wins immunity for his/her team at the weigh-in at the end of the week. Sione is the winner, having lost 25 pounds (7.16%) over the past 30 days. Shanon lost 15 pounds, Cathy lost 8, Laura lost 7, and Carla lost 20. In last place is Aubrey, who lost 2 pounds.

At the challenge, each team is tied to the end of a long rope that is wrapped around a pipe. The contestants must work together to unwrap enough rope in order to make it to the finish line. Each team must keep their rope untangled as it is being unwound, as well as estimate its length while climbing over and under the pipe repeatedly. Aubrey and Mandi (Yellow team) win the challenge, just beating Sione and Filipe, and are given the choice between a $5,000 prize or a two-pound advantage at the weigh-in.

The reunited teams work out together. Filipe is shocked that Sione is able to work out even faster than him, despite having been off the ranch. Carla is frustrated that Joelle is slacking off in the gym, a fact that annoys a number of other contestants as well. Shanon complains and cries a lot, but displays strong exercise skills. Laura cries a lot as well, and Jillian yells at her.

At the weigh-in, the Yellow team reveals they have elected to take the two-pound advantage. The Green team (Tara and Laura) has the highest percentage of weight loss for the second week in a row, losing 4.84% and 25 pounds, while the Brown and Silver teams fall below the yellow line. Carla becomes angry because she lost nine pounds while her partner, Joelle, lost nothing. In addition, Joelle went home to Southfield in order to vote in the presidential election during the past week of training, which angered Carla and others. Several of the other contestants are upset to see Carla below the yellow line, because they feel it is due to Joelle's poor performance.

During the deliberations, Aubrey asks Joelle if she honestly wants to be at the ranch. Joelle equivocates and never directly replies to the question. Carla's anger at Joelle escalates into an argument. The Brown team says that they need to be there for Mike's sake. As the votes are revealed, the first four votes are all for the Silver team, which is enough to send them home, and it is not necessary to reveal the votes from the remaining two teams. As each team casts its vote, they make clear that they want Joelle off the ranch, but that they will miss Carla, who they feel worked out very hard.

In the at-home update, it is revealed that Carla and Joelle have not spoken to each other for several months. When they finally meet they get into another argument; Joelle tells Carla she is done and walks out. The final video shows them separately. Joelle has lost 57 pounds and is planning to wear a size 10 dress at the finale. Carla has lost 87 pounds and hopes to break the record for weight lost by a female contestant.

Week 6

First aired February 10, 2009

The contestants on the ranch are subject to the first ever "Pop Challenge." They are all, without warning, summoned to the pool, where they must each stand on a block, on one foot. The person who stands the longest wins a 24 hour visit from a "loved one." Mandi of the yellow team wins after she convinces Blaine, Filipe, and Aubrey to quit because of her great need to see her husband. It is revealed that her husband was not supportive of her trip to the ranch, seeing it as time taken away from her duties to her family. Jillian sees it as an unspoken pact between the spouses"?she will gain weight and he will still love her and in exchange she'll never leave him. Losing weight, therefore, is a breaking of the pact and an implicit threat to the marriage. Jillian cautions Mandi to maintain her strength and keep her eyes on the goal. Her husband arrives and, as an extra treat, her two young sons come to the ranch, too. She shows them all what she has been doing, and gives them a taste of her workouts and her food. As Jillian feared, she does sacrifice some workout time to spend with her family. However, her husband grudgingly says he will be supportive of her goal. Aubrey cries because it's hard to see her sister with her family, while she is apart from her own husband and five children.

Meanwhile, Bob is disappointed and concerned for Mike due to his lack of significant weight loss. He puts him on a higher calorie diet as he believes Mike's low consumption is causing his metabolism to slow down. The immunity challenge involves each team holding a bar above their heads, together, for as long as they can. A red light indicates that the team is out. Some of the strongest teams (Black, Blue) end up failing early on, and the challenge comes down to four women's teams"?Pink, Green, Yellow, and Purple. Eventually, it is just Purple and Green, who last for over four and a half hours together. Purple is determined to win, as Kristin lost to Tara on a previous challenge. Laura eventually fails, and Purple wins immunity.

At the weigh-in, Laura, who was criticized by Jillian as not doing the work, loses only 3 pounds. Mike, after his increase in food consumption, also increases his loss to 13 pounds. Mandi manages to lose 6 pounds despite her family's presence, but Aubrey loses only 1 pound. Black falls below the yellow line for the first time, as their weekly double-digit results falter. This week, only one team falls below the line, with contestants having to choose one of that team to go home. As Bob says goodbye to his team, he whispers to each of them "Dane and no one else." Blaine asks the other contestants to vote to send him home, as he wants to be with his new baby. He also is getting closer to goal weight, and therefore will likely derive less benefit from remaining on the ranch. Bob's team is tempted to vote Dane off, as he is the bigger threat"?he has more weight to lose, he is a key support person for the rest of Jillian's team, and it's what Bob wants. There is also bitterness on Bob's team because several weeks earlier, Jillian's team voted off Damien instead of Joelle, despite Bob's team's request to vote off Joelle. In the end, while the Pink team votes for Dane, all of the other couples on Bob's team vote for Blaine (Blue, Brown and Purple), and Blaine goes home. At home, he is doing well, and is training for an Ironman Triathlon. He has lost 86 pounds so far.

Week 7

First aired February 17, 2009

The contestants are faced with a second Pop Challenge. Alison meets them in front of the gym and tells them that only two teams will have access to the gym for the entire week. The contestants must run up a hill to a board with 130 keys on it, pick a key, and run back down and check if the key fits one of the two locks attached to the gym doors. Shanon finds the first key on her sixth attempt, while Mike finds the second on his ninth attempt. As a result, the Pink and Brown Teams will have the gym to themselves for the week, and the other teams must workout without using the gym.

Bob and Jillian are reunited with their teams. When Jillian sees that Dane is there, she is surprised. She thought the others would get rid of Dane because of how big of a threat he is. She and her team mention how they overheard Bob telling his team to get rid of Dane. Jillian says Bob hates it when his team disobeys him, and when Bob talks to his team and realizes that they didn't listen to him, he is indeed upset. But he quickly became happy again once he heard about the POP Challenge, and that Helen and Shanon & Mike and Ron had the keys to the gym. Jillian was ticked off because she "is not an outdoorsy girl".

Jillian uses the living room for her team to train, and Bob takes the Purple and Blue Teams outside to the "prison yard" to work out with lawn furniture. Sione comments that even though they don't have the gym equipment it's just another day of torture from Bob. Meanwhile, Helen and Shanon are turning Jillian's side of the gym into a lounge, and when Bob comes to check on them, he thinks it's hilarious, but he reminds them that this isn't the time to slack off. Tara is giving Jillian trouble, not wanting to work out due to "stress and missing Blaine." Jillian refuses to let her stop.

At the immunity challenge, each contestant must operate a rowing machine that is attached to a tower of lights. If the light is green, the contestant is rowing fast enough. If the light turns yellow, it is a warning to increase the speed. If a contestant's light turns red, all members of that contestant's team are eliminated from the challenge. After twenty minutes of rowing, only the Black and Green teams are still in the competition. Ultimately, Dane wins the challenge, after Laura's light turns red, and Dane is awarded immunity at this week's weigh-in.

At the weigh-in, Dane loses four pounds, but he has immunity, so he is safe from elimination. The Green team (Laura and Tara) has the highest percentage of weight loss (3.14%), while the Pink team is below the yellow line. After some deliberation, Helen tells the other contestants that the Pink team has decided that they would like to send Shanon home. Aubrey asks if Shanon wants to leave because it's what she wants, or because it's what her mom wants. Shanon says she knows she can do it at home, and thinks her mom needs this more than she does. At the elimination, the contestants honor the Pink team's request to send Shanon home.

At home, Shanon's weight is down to 198 pounds, and she has dropped 10 pant sizes. She is pursuing one of her lifelong dreams by training to compete in a roller derby. Her derby name is "Flower Power."

Week 8

First aired February 24, 2009 (first hour) and February 25, 2009 (second hour) due to the Presidential Address on February 24 at 9:00 pm

The contestants are brought to the third pop challenge; Alison explains that this challenge will change the course of the game. The two-person teams are being dissolved and the game is becoming Black vs. Blue.

For the pop challenge, one player from each team must complete 100 "up-downs" (a "classic" football drill) in the mud. To complete an up-down, the contestant must first lay down flat in the mud, then jump up and hit a disk above his/her head. The contestant to complete 100 up-downs wins the challenge (along with their teammate), and has the privilege of being the first to select their trainer. The team coming in last place is forced to switch trainers (or the team will automatically be split up). The remaining teams are placed on teams at random, as determined by flipping a coin, under the condition that no trainer can have more than six contestants. Tara wins the challenge, and she and Laura elect to keep Jillian as their trainer, joining the Black Team. Helen comes in last place and is forced to switch from Bob to Jillian.

At the end of the selection process, the new teams are as follows:

• Blue: Ron (Brown), Cathy & Kristin (Purple), Aubrey & Mandi (Yellow), and Dane (Black).
• Black: Tara & Laura (Green), Filipe & Sione (Blue), Mike (Brown), and Helen (Pink)

When the trainers find out about the new team set-ups, they are both surprised. Both Bob and Jillian are concerned about the effect this will have on the contestants. Bob is upset about losing Filipe, Sione, Helen, and Mike, and becomes emotional while talking to his former team.

The regular weekly challenge is a biking challenge. The new teams are taken into the gym where they find two bikes, one for each team. Alison explains that the objective of the challenge is to put on as many miles on the bike as possible in 24 hours. Teams can switch out players at any time and the team with the most miles ridden wins. At the end of the challenge, the scores stand at 301.9 to , and the Black Team wins. Each member of the Black team is awarded a custom Trek bike for each member, and the team earns a 3-pound advantage at the upcoming weigh-in. Tara rode the farthest of all the contestants; nearly .

At the weigh-in, the Black Team has the highest percentage of weight-loss (3.65% with the 3 pound advantage). Dane loses 13 pounds, for a total of 100 pounds in eight weeks, which is announced as a new record for the show. Cathy, who loses 14 pounds, is the biggest loser on the Blue team and is granted immunity. At the vote, Ron, Cathy and Kristin vote for Dane, while Dane and Mandi vote for Ron, and Aubrey votes for Kristin; eliminating Dane.

At home, it is reported that Dane trained for and ultimately ran a marathon with his wife, finishing in 3 hours and 53 minutes. This claim was later retracted, and an apology was issued by NBC.

Week 9

First aired March 3, 2009

Rocco DiSpirito visits the ranch and teaches the contestants something about cooking unhealthy foods (cheeseburgers, pizza, and burritos) in a healthier manner. The teams compete to cook those three foods, with the winner being the team that cooks the best-tasting food that is the lowest in calories, all in 30 minutes. The Black team wins, meaning that they get to have a dinner prepared by Rocco (with the losing team having to wash the dishes), and one member of the team gets to have an extra vote. At the dinner, Rocco makes panko breaded chicken and mashed sweet potatoes. When the Blue team arrives to wash the dishes, the two teams end up having a water fight.

Jillian takes Sione aside to talk to: she senses that he and Filipe are not happy about the switch in trainers, so Jillian gives him a pep talk, then takes him for some one-on-one training. During the training, Sione sprains his ankle. Meanwhile, the Blue team is taken to a boxing gym to train with surprise guest Sugar Ray Leonard. Aubrey is excited, since she boxed for three years.

Dr. H comes by to talk to the contestants, and singles out Tara and Mike as two people who have broken records at the ranch for weight loss and muscle growth. The teams are then assembled for a challenge: they have to pack kits at the LA Food Bank, with each kit designated for a family, and the team that packs 150 kits first, wins. The winners get letters from home and each member of the team gets one year of free groceries. The Black team has to sit out one member, and they choose Laura. The Black Team wins, and Aubrey is upset, because she has five children, and she confesses to the camera that when she had her first two kids, she was unmarried and had to go to a food bank in order to feed her children. The next day, Mike (from the Black team) offers Aubrey (from the Blue team) his year of free groceries, since she needs it more. She accepts and tells everyone else about it, and the contestants all share an emotional moment.

Jillian is angered to hear that Laura sat out of the competition, despite the fact that Sione was injured and Helen was older and not as strong. She singles out Laura as someone who is not working to her potential. Jillian asks each team member who is the weakest link, and all in turn (except Tara) say that it is Laura. Jillian says this is the meanest thing she has ever done, but she is desperate to get through to Laura, who she feels has put herself in the role of victim when she's actually a strong woman. Laura runs away crying, but later she and Jillian talk a bit.

At the weigh-in, the contestants are informed that there's a twist: if the 11 contestants lose an average of a pound a day each, then no one will go home. But if they collectively fall below that goal, then one person from each team will go home. They weigh in, but as Mike weighs in, they flash "to be continued...", leaving the last portion of the weigh-in to week 10.

Week 10

First aired March 10, 2009

Mike's weigh in from week 9 is revealed to be 11 pounds. Because the contestants have lost more than 77 pounds combined, they all are safe and no one is eliminated for week 9. However, because there is no elimination, Week 10 begins immediately. As a twist for the week, elimination will be based on contests between two individuals, one from each team. Whoever has the higher percentage weight loss will get one point for their team and the first team to reach three points will be safe from elimination. There is a pop-challenge: contestants have a wall-sit while balancing a medicine ball on their laps " the winner will decide the matchups. Tara wins the challenge and therefore is allowed to choose the match-ups for the upcoming elimination. Because the Black Team has one more member, one person from the team will not have a match-up. Tara's choices are: Mike vs. Cathy, Sione

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