The Biggest Loser 4, October 30: Losing Focus?

Last week, the teams were disbanded, and Jez won the right to reform the players into groups of three. That completely backfired for him, as Neil took on an astronomical amount of weight, and Jez was sent home. Tonight, the website promises us “the season’s most emotional elimination round, yet.” Given the tears we’ve seen already this season, I shudder to think what’s in store, both tonight and as subtly implied, in the weeks to come.

The show begins with the players filing out of the Elimination Room. No one is talking to anyone. In a later cameo, Neil says, “I’m not a bad guy; I’m not a malicious person. I did what I had to do to help myself in this game. If you don’t see this as a game you are being naïve, and that’s how you end up going home.”

My response/rant to Neil is short and simple, and I will try not to go down this rat-hole again after this. But here goes: Neil, I understand exactly what you are saying. I write about Survivor and other shows where such behavior is applauded. I do not believe I am naive. But, it was an inappropriate behavior in this setting.

Neil, you may not even have been at risk last week. It was gamesmanship for the purpose of gamesmanship only. It disrespected the game, and it disrespected all who are associated with it.

To that end, I have proposed you for inclusion in the Reality TV Hall Of Shame for your senseless and deplorable behavior. No matter how that process works out, I will always feel that you belong there for these actions. The money is not the big prize for you on this show – your life is. I don’t know, why don’t you see that?

Okay, rant over… let’s get back to the show.

Everyone walks away from Neil, and he soon sits alone. David tells the camera, “I think Neil really learned a hard lesson. I’m sure he feels kind of alienated from the majority of people in the house. Bout right now, he needs to know he did something wrong.” Does David need to be reminded that his vote was critical in condoning Neil’s actions?

As they walk off together, Julie asks David if he knew of Neil’s plan. He says he did not, and had he; it would have changed his vote. Julie seems to accept that reply. Her own feelings are that when she gets to vote against Neil she will write “for Jez” on the card, and do so without remorse. She tells David that she hopes Neil gets what’s coming to him.

Neil, shown alone but speaking in cameo, insists he liked Jez and it was not a personal thing to have him voted out. Instead, he saw a game play opportunity and took advantage of it.

The original Black Team ladies meet to discuss things. Isabeau tells Hollie that Neil ought to steer clear of her, while Hollie can’t believe Kae sacrificed her integrity for Neil when she doubts he would do the same for her. Isabeau decides that Neil can lose the weight for the team this week, while she takes it easy and heals her hip. Great, more game play in lieu of improving one’s lot in life. At least Isabeau isn’t hiding what she’s doing, though.

We next meet up with Kae, also talking to a camera. She says that she’s not sure she wants to be here anymore. In fact, as Amy watches, Kae tears down all her pictures, packs her gear, and walks out, ready to leave the game As we go to the first commercial, it’s safe to say the general mood at Campus is not good!

Bob has his first-after-the-vote talk with the Blue Team. Boy, I do not envy Bob right now – because the message he’s been sending out over the last couple of months has apparently fallen on a few deaf ears. Bob says to the team that he was fully prepared not to see Neil today, and both he and Neil say they didn’t think it was going to be Jez going home. Um, okay. But I think Neil knew exactly who was getting the votes.

In a rare cameo, Nicole confirms for us that although she thinks Neil made a bad decision, she still voted pro-Blue when it counted. She confirms that “it was a little ugly in the house” last night, and that the others were giving the whole Blue Team the cold shoulder.

Kae (whose presence belies her earlier threat) confesses she almost went home, because she could not handle the game play and lost her focus. In a cameo, Bob tells us he has to get his team to focus on moving ahead. In yet another cameo (wow, tons of these tonight!) Neil knows he messed up and wants to try and redeem himself.

The scene shifts, and Neil tries to talk to his partner and former Red Team member Isabeau about how he sees things in the game, in an attempt to smooth things over with her. Isabeau is not buying what he’s selling. She says she understands it’s a game, but adds that what he said is easy to say when you’re not the one who’s been hurt. She faux-limps out and tells him she hopes he can lose a lot of weight, because, “I can’t move.”

It’s a few seconds later, and as Isabeau strolls sprightly past, Kim preaches that she hopes her team can avoid the drama and focus on losing weight. Gawd, I’d like ANYONE to do that about now! Seriously, show me a low-sodium Shreddie!

At any rate, Kim seems to have missed the point that, had David opted to vote against Neil last time, Neil and the associated stress would be gone and we’d all be talking about the correct way to perform a crunch, the benefits of granola, and other such healthy stuff.

To cement the issue, in a cameo Kim’s Red Team member David says, “It’s not about game play or alliances. It’s about staying here as long as he can by doing the right thing. If I have to get to that point at some stage of the game, then I have to. But up to this point, I haven’t done that…”