The Biggest Loser 8, Episode 9: Across the Ages

Your regular recapper is away this week on special assignment so the editors called in the “B” Team to take care of watching The Biggest Loser just for you. I’ll try to live up to his high standards for you. Enjoy!

Last week, the gang visited Washington, D.C., and in a tribute to the anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, we sang “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” as Tracy was sent home.

The contestants are amazed as they realize they have been at the ranch for nine weeks already. It’s the first time I can see how much different they are looking. Most are showing cheekbones and a fire in their eyes. Each wants to be at the end and the winner of the show.

The show starts off quickly with Allie meeting the cast at a challenge where she tells them that two players will be eliminated from the game. A collective gasp goes through. She continues to tell them that there will not only be a yellow line this week, but a red line as well. The person with the lowest weight loss is below the red line and will automatically go home. The other person will be voted out as usual. Wow, this could be an ugly week.

This week’s pop challenge wins a one-pound advantage, which in this case, is huge. The challenge involves each person having a board that has 50 tennis balls on it. The balls are set up on it so that they’re proportional to each person’s height. The challenge is for each person to jump up, collect the balls one at a time, and run them to a bucket nearby. It appears to be simple.

I do like Shay and am amazed at how far she’s come, but she starts into a bit of a pout to the cameras that she’s 60 to 200 pounds heavier than everyone else in the challenge. It frustrates me to hear her moan like this every week, because when she sets her mind to something, she does it. Liz and Amanda can’t compete for unspoken medical conditions.

Alan fights hard and is in the lead quickly. Shay struggles to jump to get the balls, but continues. It’s interesting to see the strategy of how people are picking the balls off. The smart ones are pulling the higher balls as much as they can early since they are tiring quickly. Rebecca, Rudy, and Daniel are close on Alan’s heels, but will he win? Alan misses his last ball, but he’s able to snag it just a few seconds ahead of Rebecca, winning the one pound advantage at the weigh-in. He astutely tells the cameras that it’s an advantage, but not a guarantee of him staying on the ranch.

Rebecca and Amanda strategize the numbers remaining at the ranch as they walk together. They realize that there are four young ones and four of the older ones left in the game. They think that Liz will be below the red line and be out automatically. Then they start debating who might be below the yellow line to be voted out. If Liz is out, that leaves the young ones with an advantage in the vote.

Little do they know, but Liz and Danny are contemplating the same odds as well while they walk. They also realize that the red line is a loss of a vote. Liz needs to work through the pain in her knee she has and just stay above the red line. Danny is encouraging her to stay motivated and strong.

Jillian and Bob meet the cast in the living room to see who was sent home. Most have tiny smirks on their faces as the trainers realize that Tracy is no longer there. Jillian laughs at the irony that she finally broke through with Tracy only to find out she’s gone.

Allen explains the latest twist in the game to our trainers and you can see their faces drop in frustration as they find out that two players are going home. They’re stunned. It’s a change in the game they haven’t seen before. Bob and Jillian need a few minutes without the cast and are pissed at the producers for making this more of a reality show rather than one about the people needing to lose weight.

As he says this, I scroll back up to the top of this page. Yep, it’s been eight seasons, Bob. I hate to break the news, but you’re on a reality show.

Jillian continues to talk with Bob. She’s visibly upset that they have no control over who will end up on the bottom this week. She tells us that there are some contestants who could go home at this point and be fine. But if Shay ends up being the one under the red line, Jillian knows that she’s still not yet ready to make it on her own. Bob has a special place for Amanda as well. They both are struggling about how to work the cast this week most based on who they think might be able to make it at home.

Jillian tells Bob that he has to make a choice and has to “play God” in deciding who needs to stay rather than who can make it at home. He listens and agrees, but it doesn’t make them feel any better about the way they have to play the game presented to them in order to make it the best for one person. It becomes not about the contestant’s game as much as it is about a single contestant’s chance at a life. It’s an interesting dilemma to this twist that the trainers have to take a stand. Bob isn’t happy, but he agrees to the plan at hand. Wow!

The tension in Bob is apparent. He chews on Rudy and wants him to push hard this week, risking injury to Rudy’s knee. Bob just wants to hear that everything is going to be fine and that they’ll push to stay above both lines.

Meanwhile, Jillian is pushing her troops on the treadmill. Shay is falling behind, but she encourages her. Danny is feeling pain in his hip so she tells him to just do a fast walk instead. You can see the pressure and tension on everyone’s faces and in their comments to the camera. It feels as if all the workouts are last-chance and people are falling like flies as they overwork themselves.