The Biggest Loser 4, October 16: Beach Party!

In a move I suspect she now regrets, Kim has a meeting with her team to discuss the upcoming vote. She says, “Phil, when it comes to weight loss percentage, you are second to Kae in this game. And I’ll be honest with you right now – Phil and B are carrying this team, and without them, I am afraid that we are going to go to elimination after elimination after elimination.” Realizing David is immune, Amy angrily responds, “You just threw me under the bus. Why did you do that?”

To me, that was unprofessional and inappropriate behavior by Kim, and Amy showed a lot more restraint than I might have.

Kim concludes with, “So help me God, if you go to a tie, I’m going to come in here SO angry. This is our team’s decision, and you guys better make it!”

One more little goodie – after this last weigh-in, Bill (not Phil) is the leading Loser at this time, with Kae second, then Neil, and then Phil is fourth. She needs to check her spreadsheets!

But let’s get back to the game. As the Red Team assembles in the Elimination Room, body language experts would have a field day with Amy. She looks like she’s about to bite someone… someone named Kim.

Voting proceeds with David. David feels they still need Phil, so he votes for Amy. Amy votes for Phil. Phil returns the favor, making it two-to-one, Amy leading Phil.

Then to the surprise of many, Bryan votes for Phil. Huh?

This means that the power to make the elimination falls to the Blue Team. They file in with their own voting tray, and making the only logical choice, Neil cuts the legs from under the Red Team and reveals that Phil is the one going home.

Shocker! Phil says he’s honored that they consider him a threat, but melts into tears over being sabotaged. He has hugs for all, even Bryan.

In his funeral video, Phil says the show is one of the best experiences he’s ever had. He’s confident he can now attain his goals on his own. Current video shows us he is now a mere 295 pounds, having lost a further 46 pounds for a whopping total of 108 pounds of total weight lost! He trains five days a week and his whole family has lost weight.

My Opinion: I think they voted incorrectly again this week. Phil is very strong in challenges and second best in percent of weight lost, yet still has a large amount of weight he can lose. Conversely, Amy’s low percentage leads only Julie.

I fear the team dynamic of the Red Team is severely damaged. Kim will be upset that they let the Blue Team make the decision for them. Amy will surely have lessened respect for Kim. Although David’s numbers are the same as B’s, he heard that he is also not seen as a main force on the team. If they lose the next weigh-in, will there be two votes to eliminate Kim?

On The CBS Website: After seeing Dr. Jen Kerns on camera last week, I decided to read her blog entries on the CBS website. They are interesting. Among the things I learned is that Neil has what she calls “a pre-stress fracture” in his foot and they are monitoring the activities he takes part in very carefully. I also read about other regular monitoring they perform, currently focusing on hydration and uric acid levels. Initial Body Fat percentages are also listed as the players are eliminated – excluding Jerry, it’s been pretty consistent around the 50% point so far.

She also confirms for us that the second weigh-ins were not held seven days after the initial ones – it was more like ten days. Those extra couple of days may have helped contestants achieve those record-breaking losses – not that I belittle their impressive efforts in any way! Dr. Jen writes, “A more realistic number for the typical viewer at home (if you cut your caloric intake by about 500 calories a day and exercise vigorously for about an hour a day)” is to lose “1% of your body weight per week.”

You might want to check the blogs out. Alison’s offers an interesting view to the show as well, and she tells us of some of her off-camera interactions with the contestants.

Next Time: My current information is that 90-minute episodes of The Biggest Loser return next week, airing again at 8:30. Or, maybe not. For a preview, drag your cursor across the area between the square brackets below. Don't do that if you prefer to remain spoiler-free! [ A variation of the game of poker changes the future of the competition! (Yes, that’s a bit hyperbolic for me; I’m just paraphrasing. ]

Join me here for a recap of all the action, sprinkled with my own reactions and opinions. And let me know what you think about it all at the eAddress below!

Born and raised in Toronto, Brian 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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