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‘Biggest Loser’ recap: A captain goes home and a brat gets to stay

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Moses, I need you to turn away for a sec. ‘Cause I am about to rip into your daughter.

As we near the end of Season 11 of ‘The Biggest Loser’ we can look back at plenty of game-playing maneuvers over the years. But this week’s game playing hit a new low with a petulent Kaylee’s jaw-droppingly inept attempt to manipulate the scales. The result: Justin, one of the most beloved players in the show’s history -- and a true leader if there ever was one -- got sent packing. Sniff, sniff. And Kaylee got rewarded for bratty behavior.

Here’s what I want to know: What. Was. Kaylee. Thinking?

This all started when Kaylee claimed she had ‘a moment’ this week, an epiphany where the clouds parted and a shaft of light shone down on her and she decided she was all better, she found herself, she discovered her inner voice, I am woman hear me roar, blah blah blah. And she decided she no longer needed ‘The Biggest Loser Ranch.’ In fact, she needed to bail. Pronto.

Let’s just assume, for a second, all this was true. And let’s just forget, for a second, that it was just a few weeks ago that Kaylee did get to go home ... and immediately fell off the diet-and-exercise bandwagon, failing to lose much weight upon her return to the ranch. Why didn’t all-grown-up Kaylee put on her big-girl pants, claim what she wanted and quit the game? Isn’t that what a self-confident adult would do?

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Instead, she decided to get what she wanted by sneaking around and manipulating the game -- very childlike and immature if you ask me. The problem with that, as we discovered last night, is that it puts everyone else at risk. Because there is simply no way to guarantee that everyone else will fall at the weigh-in.

Even worse: She did not take even the most basic steps toward trying to guarantee that she would fall below the yellow line. (We’ve learned from past contestants that all you have to do is down a gallon of water before stepping on the scale and that will do the trick.) Instead, she stepped on the scale and pulled a zero: neither gaining nor losing any weight. By not doing what it takes to guarantee a spot on the chopping block, Kaylee threw everyone else under the bus. She stripped the rest of the teams of their ‘captain,’ as Justin had come to be known to his teammates because of his encouragement and strength. He’s been almost like a fifth trainer, and volunteered to be sent home rather than Courtney. And Kaylee’s maneuverings also stripped Rulon of his rock and best friend in the house.

I just don’t get it. Kaylee is not at her goal weight. Why is she so eager to go home? And why was she so willing to (blank) over Cara? Surely Kaylee cannot be completely insensitive to Cara’s tenuous position as a new trainer trying to prove herself. Couldn’t Kaylee give it a few more weeks on the ranch out of deference to Cara, who has put so much time, dedication and effort into her? What a disrespectful smack in the face.

And if Kaylee could be so easily swayed into staying at the ranch -- her father basically mumbled something about her mom and told Kaylee to stay and Kaylee turned tail -- what was this whole thing really about? Lots of unanswered questions here about this bratty behavior.

The single best moment of the night came when Alison set the record straight: ‘The Biggest Loser’ is not a prison (even though the workouts might seem like hard labor). If Kaylee wants to leave, she is free to walk out the door. But for all her claims that ‘I’m a big girl now and I can stand on my own two feet,’ she couldn’t muster the courage to do just that. Some epiphany, Kaylee.

What do you think? Do I just have my knickers in a twist? Am I being too hard on Kaylee? I am looking forward to Wednesday’s media conference call with Justin to get his take on it all. Any questions for him?

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And despite all the shenanigans, does anyone think Kaylee is really ready to go home? (Although at this point, as you might have guessed, I don’t wish her ill, but I really don’t care what happens to her post show.)

-- Rene Lynch
Twitter / renelynch

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