‘Biggest Loser’: A ‘cruel scenario’ and a record-setting weigh-in

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Are these people voting with their hearts? Or their heads?

Teams black and blue were formally disbanded, with each contestants weighing in as individuals from this moment forward. But that greater control over their own fate came at a price. In what Jillian described as a ‘cruel scenario,’ players had to decide whether they wanted Bob or Jillian as their trainer.

For some this was a no-brainer. Sione and Filipe joined Bob’s team. Some of the others were trickier to predict. Laura, who at one point seemed to consider Jillian her mortal enemy, chose to stay with Jillian. And remember when Helen wept earlier in the season when she learned that she would be separated from Bob? Well, she chose to stick with Jillian.

Once again this season, we got a glimpse behind the facade that none of this bothers the trainers. Bob admitted that Helen’s decision stung: ‘Oh, wow, that one kind of hurt.’

We also gained another valuable insight: While the Season 7 contestants are the most bonded teammates ever on ‘The Biggest Loser’ history, there are some tensions between Tara and Helen, a front-runner and a fierce competitor, respectively, and everyone else. (Did Aubrey actually curse at Helen during the challenge? It was hard to tell with the bleeping.)

The first part of the challenge left Tara in a big puddle of tears, and it took a Jillian-style talking-to from Laura to get Tara back in the game. It worked. Tara went on to tow a car to win immunity. And it was a good thing. Tara only lost 3 pounds this week -- not enough to break the 100-mark, and not enough to keep her above the dreaded yellow line had she not secured a pass for one more week at the ranch. (And we all know that if Tara fell below the yellow line, there would probably be a unanimous vote to send her home.)

Kristin lost 8 pounds, making her the first woman to ever lose 100 pounds while on ‘The Biggest Loser’ ranch. Mike lost a disappointing 6 pounds, which put him in jeopardy. When his father, Ron, took the scale, he said he hoped he’d gained weight this week -- because it could mean saving his son from elimination.

Compete and utter aside: When you think about Cathy’s self-sacrifice last week to protect her daughter, Kristin, and you see that Ron would do anything, anything, to keep his son on the ranch, it just raises more questions about Helen’s decision earlier in the game to allow her daughter to be sent home. On the other hand, Helen is shaping up to be a dark horse, so while that might not have been the most compassionate decision for a mother to make, it might have been the shrewdest.

In the end, Filipe and Aubrey fell below the yellow line. Was it surprising that Aubrey was sent home? Filipe’s dramatic weight loss seems to be slowing. Why not send Filipe home? Not only would it eliminate a possible threat, it could also undermine Sione, who is a definite front-runner in this game.

Was this another shrewd decision? Or one that everyone will regret?

-- Rene Lynch

Photo credit: NBC Universal