The Biggest Loser: Special Edition – Engaged Couples, Episode 1: Let Them Eat Cake?

And sure enough, Sarah insists she can’t use the walker without holding on. Jillian tells her not to hold on on a couple of times, but Sarah keeps making small grabs of the supports. Jillian knows that Sarah needs someone to be tough with her, and she says that if Sarah grabs the handles again, her partner Steve is going to have to do some serious treadmill running.

Sarah doesn’t deal with that well at all, and sure enough, after about twenty seconds of hyperventilating to, “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t,” she grabs the bar. Jillian is true to her word, and sure enough, Steve’s soon a-sprinting. Sarah is now very upset and starts emitting high-pitched non-word syllables that Season 2’s Suzy would be proud to call her own. As an aid, Jillian holds Sarah’s hands so she can’t grab the bar, and you know what – she’s doing just fine. I just wonder if she’s too emotional right now to realize it. Steve can’t watch and has to leave.

My opinion? That’s what Sarah needed, tough love. Her ineffective little grabs of the supports were not actually holding her up, there was more going on and it was inside Sarah. Jillian needed to push Sarah past those barriers, and I hope she did.

OK, enough drama; for it’s time for another challenge. Both teams are limo’d to a location where there are lots of other limos waiting for them. It’s all set up to resemble a wedding chapel. Caroline tells them they have a chance to win $5,000, plus use of a personal chef (cooking only the right foods in the right ways, of course) for a week back home. Nice prize!

Each limo has $500 hidden somewhere in it. The teams need to find $5,000 in total. And since they’re about to tie the knot, they are tied together with rope. Steve recognizes he’ll need this money to buy the wedding band he promised Sarah in the last challenge. Ha!

Despite being bigger, Sarah and Steve are leading all the way. However, both have trouble in the last vehicle and the race is essentially tied. Red Team (Sarah and Steve) locates the money a few seconds sooner, and they win the prize!

It’s almost time for the final weigh-ins for this first week, but first we have the last-chance workouts. All four are going at it pretty hard. As they go to the weigh-in, everyone is both nervous and hopeful. Remember, a honeymoon in Jamaica is on the line. The following chart (enhanced with some of my own calcs) shows how they did.

When their turn comes up, the Red team has to lose more than 49 pounds. When Caroline says that, it sure seems daunting.

After his numbers are announced, the cute look of pride on Edwin’s face is priceless. At last, a goal obtained! And Steve’s appreciation of Sarah is wonderful, though I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that by a small margin, of the four of them it is Steve himself who has the highest percentage loss of weight.

As Team Blue stands by stoically, Caroline tells them all that this is just a start and the big prize is still ahead. We wind down with a series of optimistic and hopeful statements from all four, accompanied by a less intense section of the inspirational theme song (Heather Small’s “Make Me Feel Proud”).

Next Week – part two of “Engaged Couples.” We’ll see people sweating like crazy in their own living rooms. We’ll learn how to motivate your fiancée into working harder without getting the wedding called off. And, after a ton of flashbacks of what we saw this week, we’ll see the final weigh-in. Be here!

My Own Thoughts:

I felt that was some pretty riveting TV. Both teams featured an assertive female and initially, a more docile and enabling male… but it looks like that’s going to change. Gals, the boys have done really well so far, you better kick it up!

I don’t have a favorite, or a prediction. But so far, the second team onto the scale has won every weigh-in. What an incredible coincidence!

Well, that’s it. Join me here each Thursday for a recap of all the action, sprinkled with my own reactions and opinions. Let me know what you think at the address below!

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

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