‘The Biggest Loser’: Makeovers, L-O-V-E, mom was always right and more

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You know I have been looking forward to makeover week all season. That’s because I wanted to see what an expert would do with Daris’ springy curls. Well, an ‘expert’ -- Jonathan ‘I’m the go-to hair guy’ Antin -- decided to shear Daris like a sheep. Actually, that might have worked. Instead, he turned Daris’ hair into a pompadour that had Bob -- Bob! Who only says nice things! -- comparing Daris’ new look to Lyle Lovett. At least Daris got to share his hair with Locks of Love.

That aside, the makeovers were lovely, but seemed a bit abbreviated. Sunshine looked like, well, sunshine in her dress, Sam is a hot hood rat, Koli is too-cool-for-school and Ashley is a blond bombshell. Michael looked great too, but the night served as a reminder that he still has so far to go. A private concert by Ashanti capped it all off.

They were getting used to their new looks when they were on to a grueling challenge that just might be the toughest ever in ‘Biggest Loser’ history. Climbing Jacob’s Ladder while suspended over a pool. Well, it was grueling if you decided to hang on: Koli and Daris did so for well over two hours, a time that astonished Bob and Jillian. But then Daris gave up, realizing that Koli would have clung on all night. When he confessed as much to B&J, they flipped. Although Bob was praising Daris’ staying power just seconds earlier, he said Daris had shown mental weakness. At first I was thinking, ‘Bob, he was on there for two plus hours! You just hate that haircut!’ But Bob was right. Daris gave up, and he was sorely disappointed in himself, and relished the opportunity to sharpen that mental prowess in the gym. (You know what Daris was thinking through that whole workout: ‘I should have stayed on Jacob’s Ladder until I won or died, whichever came first.’)

Onto the weigh-in. Everyone posted impressive numbers except Sam, who lost only 2 pounds. But that is enough: Bob said there has never been another contestant leaving the show in such great shape. That was a prophetic statement. Sam would go on to fall below the yellow line with Michael. And, once again, the competitors did not use this as an opportunity for game play. The smart thing, of course, would have been to bounce Michael, who still has close to 100 pounds to lose. Sam, even if he managed to stick
around for the finale, is unlikely to be a threat to win the game. Such a maneuver would give the final three players a better shot at the title.

But in a moving plea for survival, Michael argued that he needs to stick around for at least one more week. He also portrayed himself as someone who won’t be a threat to win -- he just hasn’t lost enough weight -- but noted that he still has so far to go and wanted to get as much weight loss in as possible before his eventual departure.

As expected, Koli and Sunshine voted to keep Sam. Ashley and Daris voted to keep Michael. Given the tie, the person with the least percentage of weight loss went home. That was Sam.

And Sam was all right with that. He’s since moved to L.A. and is playing house with Stephanie. ‘I come home to my at-home prize every day,’ Sam said, referring to his sweetie.

Hmmm. I wonder if we will see another proposal at the finale.

My favorite moment of the episode was a flashback: Ashley and her mother, so obese the camera can hardly capture both of them, as Ashley wonders aloud: ‘What if I go in there and I can’t do it?’ she asks. ‘But what if you go in there and you can?’ her mother responds. Mom was right. To date, Ashley has lost 136 pounds, more weight than any other woman has ever lost while on campus.

-- Rene Lynch