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‘Biggest Loser’: Here’s your final four

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‘You just made the final, buddy.’

That was Ron telling his son, Mike, that their sneaky ways paid off: With Kristin out of the way, Mike was all but assured his spot in the final. Ron denied having any knowledge of the backroom dealing that led to the ouster of one of Bob’s top players. ‘I did not have a hand in this,’ Ron said. A crestfallen Bob knew it too. ‘It really bummed me out...[I’ve] gone through way too much with Ron for him to start being dishonest with me at this point.’ Bob later added: ‘It’s just really disappointing not to see Kristin....’

I thought makeover week was a tearjerker (and I mean that in the best way possible), but this week’s episode required its fair share of Kleenex.

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First, the players watched footage of themselves struggling in their first few days on the ranch, and reflected on just how far they’d come. They had another demented challenge — dragging the weight they lost through an obstacle course built atop a sand and rock quarry, before symbolically throwing it all off a ledge. They tried on their goal clothes. (Yes, I know this is all staged for precisely this reason. But I don’t care! It was great to see them in ‘real’ clothes. And dang, Helen is downright skinny!)

They got to train the trainers — Bob and Jillian got the beat down they deserved, and took it all with a smile. Dr. H gave them all swell medical updates: Helen lost 106 pounds of fat, Filipe’s waist used to be nearly 5 ft. around and came down to 43’, Mike brought his waist down from 65’ to 36’, and Ron got his life back. (He revealed that he’s never been able to successfully lose weight before, and even had his jaws wired shut at one point, and says he’ll never regain the weight again.)

The big news of the night, though, was two-part: The players were sent home, and will return for one more weigh in before the finale.

It was a do-or-die last chance workout, and there were some funny moments too. Like Helen’s hair. (I know Helen has taken a lot of flack for sending her daughter home and staying at the ranch. But I’ve grown to admire her, and respect that she made a decision to put herself first. We don’t like it when women, particularly mothers, do that. As Jillian later said at the weigh in, the world looked at Helen and saw a 48-year-old woman ‘past her prime.’ Helen is making them take a second look at her in her skinny jeans.)

Then came the epic weigh-in of this epic season, and each player outdid the person before. Ron lost nine pounds. Filipe overtook him with a 10-pound loss. Helen overtook Filipe with a seven-pound loss. Mike lost 11 and ended up pushing his father below the yellow line. Then Tara lost eight pounds, pushing Filipe below the yellow line.

‘I never felt so devastated,’ Filipe said. ‘I know for a fact that they are going to come for me.’

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He was right, of course. Mike wasn’t going to eliminate his father, and Helen also voted to keep Ron.

It was sad to see Filipe go. He was this season’s spirit. Here’s hoping he can make a difference in his Tongan community. A party held in Filipe’s honor underscored what he’s up against. In addition to all the love and support gathered there, there were obviously many overweight people, and plates full of unhealthful foods.

So — should Mike just be declared the winner now? Or does anyone else have a chance? Tara and Helen just don’t seem as if they have that much weight to lose. And I doubt that Ron’s injuries will really allow him to compete (not that he would really challenge his son, either).

— Rene Lynch

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