The Biggest Loser 9, Episode 8: Go Truck Yourself

This week’s show opens with O’Neal sitting by himself at the dining room table, waiting for the Blue team to return from the Elimination Room. He’s extremely nervous, as he’ll be joining the Blue team upon their return, but he’s primarily concerned with his daughter, Sunshine. He says that if she’s gone, it’s not worth it to him to continue in the competition.

Of course, as well all know, he has nothing to worry about, as Miggy was the one sent home last week. That doesn’t stop the producers from torturing him as every other member of the Blue team enters the house before Sunshine. He pounds the table, first in frustration, then in elation, as his daughter enters.

Sunshine, naturally, is worried about his reaction, and has to reassure him that she’s not going anywhere. She realizes that he didn’t know that she wasn’t even at risk. Michael then tells “Uncle” O’Neal that he can put on his new shirt. He feels like a new man.

Instantly, the man pulls a 180. Instead of being fearful and nervous, now he is determined and focused. He tells the others that he’s sad for Miggy, but they cannot live in the past. He promises to step up and do everything he can for the team, and also expects them all to gel as teammates. As individuals, he says, they are like fingers. Together, they make a fist.

Outside, on what can be assumed is the next day, the teams meet on a landing strip, where two semi-rigs are parked, painted in team colors. Alison announces that this week is “Work Week.” Each day, the players will commute by bus to an eight hour per day shift at a food bank. Any healthy eating and workouts will have to be fit in around their work schedules.

To make sure there are as few distractions as possible from their jobs, the Challenge will be taken care of now. Each team will pull a 33,000 pound semi-rig down the landing strip. At certain points, they will stop and load the truck with puzzle pieces. Once they reach the finish line, they will assemble the pieces to form the prize, a year’s worth of groceries.

The teams must designate one person to load the puzzle pieces while the others pull. Blue picks O’Neal while Black picks Sherry. The Blue team gets a huge jump, but Black is barely able to move their truck. The Blue team has a full length lead before Black gets off the starting line.

O’Neal is struggling to keep pace with the team as they slow down to pick up the pieces, allowing the Black team to catch up. Blue finishes loading first and takes off, letting momentum carry them after they launch. Black has an easier time starting this time, and once again, O’Neal lags behind. At the second stop, O’Neal carries four crates at a time while Sherry takes three. Sunshine tells her father to take one more each trip, so that they can give themselves some more buffer room. O’Neal happily obliges, and Blue maintains their lead as they leave the second checkpoint.

Sunshine encourages her father more and more, and O’Neal lights a fire under himself and actually runs ahead of his team. This motivates the team to try to keep pace with him. Sunshine is screaming to her team to keep going. At the third pit stop, O’Neal picks up his pace yet again, taking six crates per trip.

The Blue team has a huge lead as they reach the finish line and begin unloading the puzzle pieces. Black hits the line and gets a jump on the puzzle and starts to catch up. Blue even gets stymied a bit as they think they’ve solved the puzzle, only to have a piece out of place. They quickly correct their mistake and win. Their celebration is loud and boisterous, which according to Koli, is intentional to demoralize the Black team.

Back at the ranch, the teams explain the situation to Bob and Jillian. The pertinent piece of info that was not mentioned earlier by Alison is that the gym will not be available 24/7 like it normally is. According to Drea, the gym will only be open from 6 am-7:30 pm. Bob is actually okay with this twist, as he appreciates the spirit of it, as everyone needs to balance their lives with their workout programs.

Bob then sends his team to the gym, but holds O’Neal and Sunshine back. I think it’s to get a status update from them, now that they’re back together, but instead it’s just to do a built-in ad for the show’s proprietary protein shakes. Lame.

Inside the gym, Jillian and Bob take different tacks. Jillian takes her team in short spurts, hoping to set the tone for the upcoming week where gym time will be limited. She looks to Sherry and Cheryl to be her dark horses for the week, especially as she still sees the team dynamic as being a David/Goliath situation.

Bob, on the other hand, is treating this workout as if it’s the Last Chance Workout, hoping to get as much of a burn from the Blue team as possible now, so that they have some buffer room the rest of the week. He’s also motivating his team, making them scream to the rafters that they will not lose the Weigh-In this week.

After the workout, Sam takes the Black team into the medic room for a team meeting. Basically, he’s trying to rally the troops. He calls them the small axe that cut down the big tree last week, and they have to do it again. No one expects it of them, but they have to do it. He then compares this week to a football game. Blue is in the lead right now after winning the Challenge, but all that matters is the Weigh-In, and who’s leading at the end of the game.

At 5:30 the next morning, alarms go off all over the house. Everyone gets up so they can hit the gym by 6:00. They workout for an hour, then get ready for work at 7:00. They get on a bus and head to the food bank, where they are issued time cards and literally punch in.

Andrea and O’Neal get desk jobs in the call center, where literally their only responsibility is calling donors and thanking them for said donations. I wonder what kind of calorie burn you get from picking up a phone 100 times a day.

Outside in the distribution center are Koli, Lance, and Sunshine for Blue and Sam, Ashley, and Stephanie for Black. They unload, sort, and hand out all the donation kits that come in. Each crate weighs 30 pounds. Koli thinks it’s a great workout.

Inside the warehouse are Cheryl and Sherry working inventory. They’ve become good friends and enjoy working together. Cheryl calls Sherry the sister she never had. On the other side are Daris and Michael, and Daris especially gets a kick out of the moms’ rapport. He calls it the “Sherry/Cheryl Show.” Sheesh. For their part, the boys are cracking jokes, but they’re also kind of bungling their way through the shift, misreading several labels and shelves.