The Biggest Loser 4 Finale: Who Is The Biggest Loser?

Last week we saw Isabeau win the final reward. Blue Team’s trainer Bob was “Kim’d” (meaning all his players were eliminated) when Neil was sent home. The episode ended with Campus closed and the players about to arrive back at their homes.

Predictably, the episode opens with previously presented material. In any two-hour finale, one must expect a lot of repeated material. Fair enough, not all viewers saw the show every week and they deserve to experience all the highs and lows they might have missed. But I’m skipping past previously-aired material in this article. Soon enough, series hostess Alison Sweeney comes onscreen to introduce the 14 eliminated players. Accompanied by a brief video clip, each is wildly cheered by the live audience as they arrive by breaking through a life-sized picture of themselves on day one. It’s clear that no one’s as big as they once were, and I know we all celebrate that.

I note that although most of the women have opted for black dresses, some contestants wear an article of clothing that reminds us of their team alliance. For example, I see Bryan’s red tie, Eric’s red shirt, and Jerry’s blue blazer. There’s no red on Amy, though!

It’s time for Alison (adorable in a shiny, soft magenta dress, since you asked) to ask the assembled some questions. She asks Amy about switching trainers. Amy replies that she’s very happy she made the move and that Jillian taught her the difference between “I can’t” and “I can.” The crowd applauds. Ouch, Kim!

Bill’s brother Jim is asked about competing against his brother, only to be sent home early in the game. He relates that it spurred him on.

Alison reminds us of Neil’s unprecedented 17-pound weight gain and asks if his family was “high-fiving you for your strategy, or were they starting to question your moral integrity.” Wow, that’s no softball question, way to go Alison! After admitting it’s not his proudest moment, Neil says, “The best strategy you can have is to beat the scale every week.” That, I buy.

Alison then reminds Bryan he was the last Red Team member standing and asks if that made it harder for him at home. “B” was the last Red Team member standing? Dang, I wish that had come up sometime this season! Who knew? And why it would be it harder for him than any other eliminated player I don’t know, but Bryan responds that he did his best to stay on track.

Alison then segues to the point where we left off last episode, with our four remaining players about to arrive home. Rapidly interchanging shots between their limos shows us the players are too nervous and anxious to be enjoying the ride. In fact, all lament the sacrifices they’ve made to participate in this show. Yet amid all this angst, Bill observes, “This is what I had to do, for myself.” Very true! On the other hand, a melodramatic Julie bemoans that she missed her child’s kindergarten graduation and says, “I left a child that I barely even recognize any more.” Really? Maybe his dad will think of that and dress the kid in a sweater that has his name on it.

Isabeau’s arrival home is shown first. The first order of business is a big hug from mom, while her boyfriend John is reduced to an emotional puddle. Isabeau knows the next three months won’t be easy. Well, I guess that sets the timeframe for us.

The scene shifts to Julie’s house, which has a gigantic banner hanging off of it that has pictures of Alison and Jillian, and the NBC logo. No picture of Julie, though! Her young son and her husband greet Julie at the door. I’m pleased to report that she recognizes her son right away. It turns out several dozen family members and friends have been assembled in their large back yard. Highly relieved, she tells them, “It feels so good to be home!”

Following our third contestant takes us to the southwest. Hollie is met by a large group of boisterous friends, including her proud and supportive grandma Eva and Hollie’s cheerleading squad. Similar to the other sites, response is enthusiastic.

Finally, Bill returns home. What, did an early boot from Amazing Race make his flight bookings? He asks his family, “What do you think, do I look a little different?” His young son Luke is cute when he says to the camera, “I didn’t think he would lose too much (weight), but I was amazed how much he lost.” A more formal reception has been prepared a local hall, where the first hug comes from his twin brother and fellow competitor, Jim.

Skipping ahead to current time, Alison promotes a feature from the next season, called the “Million Pound Match-Up,” wherein America is challenged to register with them online and then combine to lose a million pounds as a group. This is an extension of their current feature, “The Biggest Losers Club.” I think it’s a wonderful concept, but honestly, it won’t have a featured role in my recaps. But I promise, when Alison announces the million pounds have been lost, I won’t let it pass by unreported.

Alison, shouting to be heard over the rabid crowd, brings out the three trainers from the audience. There are many hugs between trainers and their charges. Alison does a nice job of getting them to break it off so we can get on with the show.

The time has come for the eliminated contestants to have their final weigh-ins. The one with the best loss percentage wins a cool $100,000! As the weigh-in proceeds, when each competitor is announced, we first see a short video clip of their back-story, perhaps to remind us who these folks are. There are some good memories, but not new stuff, so let’s move on. In order of appearance (which is also order of elimination), here’s how they did:

NAME	DAY 1 WEIGHT	CURRENT	TOTAL LOSS	PERCENTAGE
Amber	295	211	84	28.47
Lezlye	255	200	55	21.57
Jerry	297	187	110	37.04
Patty	280	216	64	22.86
Jim	361	175	186	51.52
Phil	403	258	145	35.98
Jez	345	195	150	43.48
David	368	228	140	38.04
Ryan	374	241	133	35.56
Amy	297	171	126	42.42
Kae	225	128	97	43.11
Bryan	346	224	122	35.26
Nicole	279	174	105	37.63
Neil	421	210	211	50.12

Those are some highly impressive numbers! Neil falls six pounds short, and all the way back from Week 5, Jim the twin wins the $100,000 and keeps the Black Team’s winning streak intact.

The scene shifts back to visiting the final four on video. Bill confesses that his old body was built by baklava and the food his office brings in is still a terrible temptation to him. However, he’s used his brother Jim as inspiration to stay strong.

In a video diary entry from Isabeau shortly after a workout, she says, “This never gets easy. Never, never, never!” We see her working out hard, but some doubts are creeping into her mind.

Julie’s video is similar. Aided by her husband we see her working out, she also confesses that it’s been a struggle since she came home to stay on track.

In the desert, Hollie decided that to regain her focus, she needed to move to L.A. So she has done so. However, although she feels she is working has hard as ever, she is frustrated to find that she is not achieving the results she had become used to.