The Biggest Loser, Episode 7: Am I Blue?

Last week, Team Red kicked butt in the challenge, won the weigh-in, and served as the deciding factor in Team Blue’s elimination, sending the whiney Kelly Mac packing. It was downright ugly. Before the show gets underway, we have a glimpse at how Dave’s been progressing since his elimination. He’s done all right for a “slacker” (his words, not mine!).

Kelly Mac has also continued to workout at home. We see her running, measuring her food, and jumping rope. She says she is “all lit up inside, and having the best time ever.” Would it be unkind of me to say that I am glad she’s gone? At any rate, both Dave and Kelly look great, and have definitely put what they learned at the ranch to work.

Now, only six contestants remain. What they don’t know is that, this week, the game is going to change. After the catchy opening tune, the show opens at the point of last week’s elimination. Ryan says that it was weird to have to break the tie. He says Team Red is stronger than ever, and that the three of them want to be together. Kelly and Lisa try to talk to Andrea, but she has nothing to say. She questions their integrity, and tells us that now she realizes this is a game about survival and the only one who can help her through is herself.

Trainers Bob and Jillian come jogging up to the house. Jillian greets her team members, who are waiting for her in the kitchen. They tell her all about the elimination. Lisa says that, last night, the Red team was “the king and queen” of the game. Jillian knows that Bob is going to freak out.

And freak out he does. All he can say is, “Wow.” He tells us that Kelly Mac has learned the most of all his team. Bob is at a loss for words and tells them that he hates that he didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to her. His advise is that there has to be a “big ass weight loss.” Bob isn’t going to put up with any crap because he doesn’t want to tell anyone else goodbye. He takes Andrea out for a run and tells her that she hasn’t seen anything yet. He is planning on working Gary and Mo hard as well.

Night falls and it is time for dinner. The table is set and there is a huge selection of food. You name it, there is a temptation for everyone – fried chicken, chocolate cake, candies – it’s all there. Andrea is particularly tempted by the cake. She says that, at this point, if she had to choose between a good-looking guy and that cake, she would chose the cake. My kind of woman!

Maurice admires the Chicken Marsala, but is doing mental calorie counting and selects an unadorned chicken breast instead. Kelly calls it “cruel and crueler,” while Lisa is writing down calorie and fat counts. This really is a test of what it will be like for them in the “real world.”

Ryan points out that the temptations aren’t really tempting anymore, and realizes that now he will be able to pass by the donuts at work and continue his weight-loss program. “Someday I may really have a six-pack,” he tells us. “And it won’t be in my refrigerator!”

After the “temptation dinner,” they are called into the gym. They line up, and Caroline greets them. She reminds them that, despite the fact that they have been playing as teams, encouraging one another, they knew from the start that there would only be one “biggest loser.” Then she drops the bomb that they certainly must have known was coming. “From this moment on, there are no more teams,” she announces. Kelly drops her head. We go to commercial.

To level the playing field, the rules will change, and from now on, their weight loss will be calculated based on the percentage of weight that they have lost since they arrived. Now, after each weigh-in, the two people who have lost the lowest percentage, will be nominated for elimination. The rest of the group will vote for the person who will go home.

There is a graph on the wall, and each person will be listed with his or her weight and percentage. There is a yellow line dividing the chart, and Caroline tells the group that the two people who have the lowest percentage of weight loss will find their names below the yellow line. Those two will be up for elimination.

Caroline shows them their present ranking. Ryan is in first place with a loss of 20.6 percent, Kelly 18.6, Gary 18.1, Andrea 17.2, Lisa 16.9, and Maurice 10.8 percent. Lisa and Maurice are “under the yellow line,” which means if they do not really show some big numbers this week, and face elimination. Caroline reminds them that just a few pounds can make a huge difference and the numbers can shift. Caroline dismisses them and they go off to bicker.