Biggest Loser 5: Couples, Episode 1 – Twenty Vie For Coveted Title

Dr. Huizenga tells them that if they don’t address the urgency of their situations, they will be in this room much sooner that the national average. Especially affected are footballer Roger, who thinks of his family, and mother/son team Jackie and Dan.

Some disturbing medical facts follow. We learn that nationally, sleep apnea is present in half of those who are overweight. Dr. Kearns speaks of fertility issues, such as difficulty conceiving, higher percentages of birth defects, and double the chance of miscarriage.

A cardiologist puts a plastic heart into a vat of fat and then shows it’s hard to even find the heart. Bette-Sue says the fat looks like fifty pounds of vanilla pudding. It looks like custard to me, but bottom line – yech! She is skeptical of the demo, but Dr. Huizenga says she has 167 pounds of hydrated fat on her body, and this story is real. A popup tells us that every additional two pounds of body fat increases the chance of coronary heart disease by one percent.

Yellow Team member Kelly relates how she has had trouble conceiving. Reluctant to share, Dr. Kearns prompts her to educate America. Some of her episodes have been life threatening, and at 39, her biological clock is ticking.

A radiologist informs Lynn that all four of the arteries into his heart are showing blockage from calcified plaque. He is told he can reverse the situation, but he needs to treat it now. Both he and his daughter are taking this very seriously. The doctor says this could be a very scary day for you, or it could be your best day, depending on the choices he makes.

Another group is told that if they lose 15 percent of their fat, they will experience a 50 percent improvement in sleep apnea problems.

Those are some disturbing facts, and I’m glad they took the time to educate us.

The next morning, the teams are assembled outside for a challenge. They note huge hot-air balloons in their team colors. The teams need to walk a course while dragging their balloon with them. It’s a windy day, so manipulating the balloons isn’t trivial, and smaller teams could be at a disadvantage.

The prize is a two-pound deduction at the next weigh-in. And… the last-place team must add two pounds to their total! Bette-Sue takes this personally and, sure that she is “dead meat,” is ready to give up before they even start. Daughter Ali knows it will be important for them to get a good start or her mom will give up.

Off to a good start are the brothers and the married Brown Team. Straggling is the father and daughter team, the exes, and last overall, the Purple team. The Pinks are about seventh. At a little after the halfway point, the Brown Team fades and the Blue Team passes them for second. However, despite stepping up their pace to a healthy trot, they cannot catch the brothers. Blue Team’s Bernie is having no fun at all, puking repeatedly near the finish line while partner Brittany tries to get him to keep running.

Bette-Sue’s Pink Team finishes in the middle of the pack. As she busts a move while seated, she tells us, “I’m learning from these youngsters about the Beyoncé victory dance. If I was standing, it would be really good! Mm-mm-mm!” Ha!

At the tail end, the Yellow and Green teams push hard to hold off the plodding young camp workers (Purple Team). Maggie admits she is embarrassed to be last and doesn’t take much solace from the encouragements of the others.

The next scene is late that evening, at a quarter to eleven. Most of the teams are working out. However, missing is Green Team father Lynn, who refuses to work out after earlier promising his daughter Jenni that he would. She finds his refusal frustrating. At about 11:15 PM, she hunts him down and tells him, “I’m very disappointed in you,” but nothing will sway him and she walks out of the kitchen, crying and inconsolable.

However, Lynn wakes up early the next morning and all alone puts in an extra workout session. I’m guessing some Campus dwellers didn’t even know this happened until the show aired.

Meanwhile, Bernie of the Blue Team finds he is unable to keep his food down. He spends the night in the hospital, getting extra tests. He’s worried that he’s letting his Blue teammate Brittany down.

The next scenes show the last-chance workouts. It’s pretty rough for these newbies, but everyone seems to be applying themselves to the best of their abilities. Bernie is cleared to work out, but Bob wants him to take it easy, being sure to drink lots of water, and not to press himself too hard. Teammate Brittany shares Bernie’s concern that he may be putting the team at risk.

It’s time for the weigh-in. Alison tells us that the two teams that have the worst results will be up for elimination. Trainers are on hand.

As Alison polls the group for opinions, she asks the Yellow Team’s Paul and Kelly if they worked this hard together when they were married. Unfortunately Paul responds before thinking and says, “One of us gave up.”

Kelly says they had agreed not to say things to hurt each other while on Campus, and as she’s the one who left the marriage, what Paul said is a shot about that topic. Getting weepy, she insists she hasn’t given up here, nor is she about to. Paul apologizes several times, but the damage is done. Meanwhile, Amanda, Bette-Sue, and Ali all shoot looks that to me, convey both a low opinion of Paul and a hope that they can write his name down on an elimination card real soon.

Alison delivers additional cheerful news – the elimination ceremony will be in one hour, and not the usual 24. Jeepers, how will the trainers be able to manipulate results without a day to wear their charges down and impose their will on them?

Before they get weighed, Orange Team mother Jackie comes to the verge of tears, scared by the excellent numbers of the other teams. So does Pink Team’s Ali, who actually has a damp, hysterical meltdown. Jeepers, Bob’s got his work cut out for him – combined with Bette-Sue earlier, that’s the third time in the episode that one of his people tried to give up before even trying!