The Biggest Loser 3, Episode 1: American Beauty

The Red Team has better news for Kim, though they initially fake her out by saying they had too many girls on their team to win. Kim says she was going to give them a brief workout to burn off the adrenaline high, but lets them go to sleep instead. One wonders if Jillian would have been so kind, as it’s the weight comparisons and not the challenges that decide who will be going home.

It’s actually humorous to see Kim and her group hugs juxtaposed with Bob’s one-minute rotating workouts, the sweating, grunting Blue people versus the stir-frying, bed-snuggling Red Team members. Last year it would probably have been the other way around!

It’s the next morning now, and time for the traditional “last chance training sessions.” Trainer Bob is surprised to find that Eric, Brian, and especially Bobby are homesick for their daughters. Bob tells Bobby that his daughters want him here, doing what he’s doing, and he needs to make his family and his co-workers proud. After a brief talk, Bobby agrees it’s time to work out.

In a cameo, Kim tells us she really respects Bob as a trainer but still thinks it would be cool for the new girl to beat the veteran in the first week. We’ll see.

Both teams are shown working out as hard as they can. One can only note the energy level is a little low in a couple of them – some walk very slowly on the treadmill, others glide through a jogging exercise. We can understand that, we can tell they are all dog tired and doing the best that they can despite the exhaustion.

The sun is down, and that means it is time for the Elimination Weigh-In. Pam says, “If I only lose two pounds this week after the week we’ve had, I’m going to shoot myself in the head.”

Carolyn calls upon the Red Team to claim their reward by naming the persons they wish to swap teams for this weigh-in. They choose to take Amy’s loss for their team and trade off Jennifer’s loss in return. Physically, Amy and Jen trade sides. Both stand out like sore thumbs as they stand slightly apart from those in the differently-colored jerseys.

The weigh-in begins with the Red Team, though it’s actually the Blue Team’s Amy who mounts the scale first. Here’s how it goes:

The asterisks indicate the two who are on the other team’s chart this week. Amy, who had the second best week of anyone, was a good choice, but had they chosen Brian, the Red Team would have won. After being readily swapped to the other team and indeed having the worst numbers, one has to think it’s not looking great for Jennifer. As the biggest loser on the losing team, Ken is exempt from elimination this week.

Back in the mansion, when the Blue Team tells Bob that they won, you can see how proud Bob is of his charges. It’s not so cheery in the Red Team’s side of the house, though. A nervous Kim immediately senses they didn’t win, but after asking, is impressed that they lost 98 pounds. She tries to buoy her team by saying that 98 pounds is a significant number, but I don’t think she’s making serious headway.

Heather identifies Jennifer as the one not working hard enough, and her percentage is indeed the lowest. However, Heather was, as Kai says, “crazy-mad” as she screeches at Jen, chewing her out over her perceived lack of effort. Even Kim was caught off-guard by this tirade, but then she confides to us that several times this week, she had to implore Jen to “step it up.”

One wonders, has Heather never seen a reality TV show before? Is she familiar with the phrase, “Put a target on your back?” Even if she survives this week, she’s not making any friends by screaming the obvious and making her teammates feel uncomfortable.

Caroline welcomes the Red Team to their first elimination. The votes are written on cards hidden in classy silver serving dishes with lids, and are revealed in turn as Caroline calls upon them.

Ken, who has immunity, votes first, for. Wylie votes the same way, because she’s disruptive. Kai agrees as well, calling Jen “a drama queen, not a beauty queen.” Jen votes for Heather, saying it’s to praise her because she’s done a good job, and Carolyn calls this vote “gracious.” Heather’s vote for Jen completes Jen’s ouster, and we never do see the votes of Nelson and Pam. It seems very likely they were also voting against Jen.

Jen seems to already know how the voting was going to turn out and isn’t upset at all. She leaves with little fanfare and mostly remains mute. I doubt she’ll be sending many of them Christmas cards, the venom seems a little ramped up for what was probably a unanimous vote.

In her funeral video Jennifer tells us she came to the show intimidated to tackle obesity, but she’s leaving feeling confident, saying, “I will no longer have to settle for being the fat girl.” She vows to continue to work hard and warns attendees of the Minnesota State Fair that when it comes to cheese curds, “Cut back, or cut them out!”

In more current video, we learn that former plus-size model Jennifer has lost an additional 58 pounds toward her goal weight of 132. I hope she gets there, even if she has to change jobs. She likes her more active family life and tells people who ask, “The secret is, there is no secret. Just close your mouth and move your body.”

Next week, The Biggest Loser 3 has another two-hour episode on Wednesday, 8PM ET/PT. Join me here each Thursday 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!

Brian lives in Toronto where he 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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