Biggest Loser 5: Couples, Episode 8 – Home Sweet Home

Last time: We spent a week examining the potential long-term benefits of therapy, compared to the sure short-term benefits of walking up a steep hill. The Blue Team had to go to elimination for the second time in a row, where an injured Trent threw himself on his sword.

As a bonus, here are the remaining players listed in order of percentage weight loss, as of the start of this episode:

Action begins shortly after the last vote, when series host Alison Sweeney told the teams they would be going home this week. It’s been 58 days since they left home. Alison warns them that returning to the place where they got heavy is both a blessing and a curse. Bob and Jillian will not be making home visits, so the contestants are on their own. And when the players return, there will be the usual weigh-in and ensuing elimination.

The next few scenes show us the players packing and expressing various concerns. Brother Jay is still taking it hard that he’s losing less than the other guys. Brittany and Bernice’s packing includes a lot of the healthy food they need to stay on track.

The former spouses will be going their own separate ways, and they are worried about being without the support of a partner. I should point out that of the remaining players, only the brothers live close enough to help each other out.

Former-Orange Team son Dan is looking forward to checking up on his mom and making sure she is still working out. Maggie is discouraged to find snow on the ground in New Jersey, which will make it difficult for her to do her workout out of doors. Roger is concerned he will fall back into old, bad habits.

The next scenes are of the various contestants arriving home to many happy and screaming relatives and friends. It’s all very nice for everyone concerned. It’s notable that every reception contains a lot of foods that are not on their diets! To their credit, no one seems tempted.

The biggest surprise of all is Paul. On the show, Paul pines heavily for partner and ex-wife Kelly. Well, Paul has a girlfriend at home! More on that later.

Over at Mark’s house, Mark has a tough time keeping sticky buns from his very young son. Daddy is only home for a week, so I’m not sure this party is the right time to be instilling new rules of the house.

Otherwise, it’s the same scene eight times over, lots of happy people hugging and celebrating. So let’s move along.

Mark tells his wife that he did the cooking at the ranch, and she wonders hopefully if he’ll be taking over in the kitchen at home. She has been dieting on her own and has dropped two dress sizes. I can also see the difference in her face.

Brittany’s friends take her to a local pub. It’s frustrating for her, because she cannot partake of the offerings. In fact, she has water! Jillian calls her on the phone to check in, and Brittany is happy to report that she’s drinking water and eating halibut.

Bernie visits his favorite bakery. They even have a Boston crème-pie cupcake labeled with his name! Bernie tortures himself by taking in all the terrific aromas.

Meanwhile, Roger relates that he is hearing Bob’s voice over his shoulder while at the gym. A funny insert of Bob lets us see it, too.

Paul, however, is not doing as well. We see him scarfing down a huge plate of wings, plus a massive cola. Some of his friends are eating a piece of cake that’s about as big as a rabbit, and Paul looks it up in his calorie counter to see if he can have any. Paul, I doubt a book that small can display a number that big!

Maggie has been invited by Jenn to work out together with her trainer. He has mounted a picture of Jillian on a punching bag for her! Maggie recognizes she’s not getting her homework done. Meanwhile, we cut back to Paul, who is “suffering” in a Jacuzzi.