The Biggest Loser 3, Episode 11: Thin Contestants, Bloated Show

Three weeks later, it’s time for results. Kim finds her kids can now run a lap about the track, and they are proud to have done so. She can tell their confidence has increased as well.

Meanwhile, Matt is checking up on his team. He wants them to run ten laps at their own pace. They do it well, and Matt is proud of their accomplishments.

The next scene is a surprise for the kids. It’s interactive video games, where the player moves their body to control the action. Very cool! There’s also $15,000 for the phys ed departments of the schools

Heather is featured in our next recap of a show I used to watch called The Biggest Loser 3. And, buoyed by many commercials, recap clips from every episode retell the story of the entire season and fill up the 15 minutes remaining in the first hour. Perhaps I’m soured by this non-show, but I see nothing here worth retyping.

We’re finally, finally in the part of the show I care about. It begins with everyone working out very hard. In a funny scene, Erik is pushing Bob up a hill in a hand cart. He switches it around to be pulling Bob instead, saying, “I’m tired of looking at you.”

Bob says if Erik goes home, “I’m out of a job.” Well, I’m pretty sure he’d be getting paid anyway, but does he really think they would ban him from the finale because all his charges were eliminated?

In the kitchen, Kim tells her squad she’d like to get in a couple of sprints before they eat. Heather has an ankle/foot injury and balks at participating. We know it’s real, because last week she passed on a challenge that could have won her a visit from a family member. No one would stay out of that challenge if they weren’t really hurting.

Kim accuses Heather of slacking off, and then Heather tells Kai, “Obviously, she (Kim) doesn’t care, and she’s not listening. So, screw it.”

Sure enough, a heated discussion follows between the two. Kim says to Heather that after eleven weeks, Heather still doesn’t trust her. In a cameo, Heather says she doesn’t feel Kim is putting in the time to find alternatives exercises for her. In her own cameo, Kim promises us that when she feels Heather is slacking off, she will “get in her face.”

Off by themselves, Heather explains the motion that hurts her and tells Kim, “You’re so full of ** bleep ** if you think I’m making up this crap.” Obviously, Heather is from the non-Mormon part of Utah. I must say that accusing the trainers of not caring and not working hard enough carries little weight with me.

A frustrated Kim says, “You know what? Do your own thing!” She again questions whether Heather is doing her best, and the response is, “For you, I guess not, Kim!” Walking away, Kim tosses off, “There could be more, Heather,” and Heather again insists she’s doing her best. Now about 20 yards away, Kim ends it with, “If you know that in all your heart, that’s great,” says Kim.

Kim strides into the gym, takes a look at Jaron and decides she needs to unburden – to Kai. Kim tells Kai she could win if she keeps working hard. That makes Kai nervous.

Meanwhile, Bob repeats a hike they did back on day one, where Erik almost didn’t make it and it brought him to his knees. Today – no problem. Bob assures him several times that he can win this game. I’m impressed when Erik holds a push-up position with Bob kneeling on his back for a count of ten!

In the next scene, it’s “Train The Trainers” time. As with previous years, there’s no mercy shown, nor much expected. Erik says their objective is to bring the trainers to exhaustion. After Kim shows she can walk on her hands, Bob shows off by doing some back flips. To his chagrin, Kim does them better – there’s obviously some gymnastic training in her background.

In a cameo, Bob says, “This is more than a competition. It’s about fixing what is broken. It’s not about winning $250,000.” Actually, I think it’s about both.

In the next scene, last season’s winner Matt and finalist Suzy return to the ranch. We see Matt propose to her live on The Today Show (regular readers know they are now married). Today, they have come to inspire this season’s cast. Wylie calls it, “Surreal” to meet them.

Matt informs the contestants his weight started to go up and it was a reminder to him that he’s accountable to himself to get it under control. Suzy tells them that when they get home, they have to transition regular training into their lives. Matt says they look great, but their efforts are not complete until they get home and make those changes. Wylie tells us he’s looking forward to going home and sharing his knowledge with others.

Series hostess Caroline Rhea is on hand for a challenge she calls “The Biggest Loser Triathlon.” She tries to sell it as some sort of reward, but none of the contestants are buying it. Wylie is sure they are trying to kill him. Kai tells us she broke her arm riding a bike as a 12-year-old, so she’s understandingly apprehensive about the bike phase.

Caroline gives us the details of the race – a 200-yard swim, followed by a five-mile bike ride, then a one-and-a-half-mile footrace. Trainers are on site to encourage the participants. There’s no mention of a reward.

Initially, Wylie is struggling mightily in the water, lagging badly and in slight danger of drowning. In an inspirational moment, the others wait for him to catch up. They have decided to complete this final challenge together, as a team!

The trainers join in the bike ride. Kim hangs back to encourage Heather, who tells us they patched things up between them. Again, they all finish together.

Unable to run much, Heather aggressively power-walks the running phase, and she does pretty well. She is last, but she’s hustling all the way. The three guys make sure they finished in a tie, thus there is no clear winner.

Every one of them is proud of their accomplishment, and, sweaty and wet, they group-hug Caroline Rhea. Ick! There’s one outfit you can probably get on eBay!