The Biggest Loser 2, Episode 11: Say Goodbye to the Old Them

On the chart where results are posted, there’s room for the names of two competitors on each side of the dreaded yellow line. As we all know, only the ones above the line are guaranteed to be safe.

Matt is the last one on the scale and he needs to lose more than seven pounds to be safe. After he hears his number, he kisses the scale. He is desperately trying not to celebrate too much in front of Suzy and Andrea, but it’s tough. Eventually even Andrea laughs with him. His total loss is 109 pounds! A word I don’t like to use too often is amazing, but that is amazing!

Note, the number in the “Weight” column is their starting weight, just like on Caroline’s big board. So here’s how they did:

So, Suzy and Andrea are the ones on the bubble. Suzy is pretty subdued as she notes that had she lost one more pound, she’d have beaten Seth.

Already it’s time to vote, and all file somberly into the Elimination Room. Suzy looks very nice in a gold-on-white dress.

Matt votes first and says you have to take out the biggest threat. However, even more important to him is to be pushed in this final stage, so he votes against Andrea. That’s B.S., he doesn’t ever see Suzy during this upcoming time period. Seth says to be in the final three is an honor, and he also votes against Andrea.

The girls get quite weepy as they hug. Me too. Andrea says, “Go and kick their ass,” and Suzy replies, “Don’t even worry!” No hugs for the boys – she was listening to those comments, which I would also take as a slight if I were in her shoes. They basically called her “undeserving.”

Caroline congratulates the players and tells them that after three months, they will return home. They return for the finale “in several months.”

In an incredibly cheesy move, there’s no “funeral video” for Andrea, no homecoming moment, and no update on her current status… you have to go to the website for that. What, after all the maudlin stuff I’ve waded through tonight (much of which wasn’t worth recapping) they can’t spare her thirty seconds?

It figures that the site was down for several hours, but eventually I learned that she now weighs 160 pounds and wants to lose another twenty. That’s a total loss of a further thirteen pounds, and an overall loss of 60 pounds. “In the real world,” those are pretty darn exciting numbers, even if in this group she’s not a numerical superstar. Also, she looks active, svelte, and sexy!

One at a time, the final three are sent in to say goodbye to their trainers. Single-gal Suzy is first, and she gets a big hug from an emotional Bob. He says, “I want to introduce you to someone you used to know,” and shows her a life-sized cutout of the old Suzy. She can’t bear to look at it. “Sick!” she says, punching old-Suzy in her ample belly. Suzy has lost 66 pounds and now has a very feminine shape.

Next up is Seth, with trainer Jillian. She shows him the cutout of old Seth, and he laughs uproariously at himself. He’s incredulous, actually. Seth says he’s grown emotionally throughout the process. He tells Jillian, “You have taught me how to be myself again. I did the work, you paved the way. Thank you for being there for me.” He lost 87 pounds in all. Jillian doesn’t think Seth needs her any more, but if he does, she’ll be there.

Finally, Matt and Jillian meet. The cutout is revealed and Matt is overcome and cannot look at his picture. “I think I should have popped!” he exclaims, and admits that he had fooled himself into thinking that he didn’t look that bad. He kisses the Matt cutout goodbye.

All three get to ride limos home (OK, to the airport). And the episode ends as all three arrive at their homes.

Next Week – It’s the live finale, two hours of fun starting at SEVEN PM. Got that… 7 PM. All the cast members will be back. The big prize of $250,000 will be awarded to the remaining individual who has lost the most weight from the first day at the ranch until the finale. Last season there was also a factor based on the percentage of body fat lost. I assume that continues this season, but I’m not sure.

A second prize of $100,000 will be awarded to the individual who has lost the most weight between the time they left the ranch and the finale. It seems all contestants are eligible for that one.

My Own Thoughts: Only one more show? Boo!! But as I’d revealed earlier, the show has been renewed for another season. You can sign up at the NBC website now… if it’s up. Although the ratings are off slightly from season one, they are still very respectable and the show usually racks up second place numbers in its time slot.

It has also been announced that some “self-contained” episodes (meaning it’s all resolved in one show) are planned for later (unscheduled) release. I’m not sure how that would work, we’ll see.

Well, that’s the show. Join me here next Wednesday for a recap of the finale, sprinkled with my own reactions and opinions. Thank you again to those readers who gave me feedback last week. I’m still very interested in your opinions, so let me know what you think at the eAddress below, and I’ll respond with my own spoiler-free opinions!

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Brian lives in Toronto where he can be reached at uncle_bto@rogers.com. He’d like to hear your opinions and promises to respond to all serious email.

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