The Biggest Loser 3, Episode 5: Blindsided!

And now, it’s time for the weigh-ins. Both sides are nervous about how it may play out. Ken knows he needs to do well or he’s in BIG trouble. Listed alphabetically as usual, here’s how the weigh-in went.

NAME	PREVIOUS	CURRENT	LOSS	PERCENT
RED TEAM
Heather	193	196	3	1.53
Kai	223	223	5	2.19
Ken	301	301	6	1.95
Pam	218	221	3	1.36
Wylie	255	264	9	3.41
(Total)	1190	1216	26	2.14

So, the Red Team wins the weigh-in! This surprises me, but perhaps the Blue Team is building healthy-but-heavier muscle with all that lifting of furniture? Maybe they should focus on boring, repetitive cardio next week?

As the biggest percentage loser on the losing Blue Team, Brian is again exempt from elimination. Caroline Rhea announced that Erik has lost 56 pounds so far and even the Red Team applauds. Perhaps I am in error but this is the first time I remember seeing them offer support to a Blue Team member.

This prompted me to check my seasonal statistics. I note that both Marty and Red Team’s Ken have lost 57 pounds so far! For the ladies, Amy leads the way with total losses of 41 pounds, followed closely by Kai with losses totaling 39 pounds. Brian leads all with a percentage of 17.11%, and Pam trails at 11.74%. But really, all the numbers are pretty close, and certainly, very impressive

Alone in the kitchen, Bobby and Amy discuss how they are going to vote. Bobby wants to eliminate the threat that is Marty while Amy thinks dumping big Erik is better for the team. I can tell you that over the season, Erik has the lowest percentage loss on the team by more than a full percent, so it’s a valid viewpoint. Bobby says, “The game has started,” and Amy agrees, “The game is here.”

A little later, the entire team meets to discuss the upcoming vote. Erik and Marty both make tearfully emotional appeals. Bobby confesses he now has a knot in his gut and isn’t sure how he’s going to vote.

The Blue Team sadly files into the Elimination Room to a waiting Caroline Rhea. Marty votes first, and Erik gets his vote because his overall loss percentage is lowest. Amy concurs, and that’s two votes against Erik.

Erik votes next for someone he thinks is young enough to continue losing weight outside of the ranch… Amy! She admits to being “very surprised.” Is this a good time to point out that Marty is two years younger than Amy?

Bobby is next, and admits he’s voting for someone who doesn’t deserve to go home and that his decision was a last-minute change made to best suit his own needs… to Amy. Amy whispers to Caroline, “Blindsided!”

This brings us to Brian. Caroline points out the unpleasant possibility that if he votes for Bobby or Marty, it’s a 2-2-1 tie and then the Red Team will cast the deciding vote – and we all know how unpleasant that can be. Brian agrees with what the others have said and has decided that his chances are improved if Amy is the one who goes home. So, Amy is sent back to Maryland.

After prompting from Caroline Rhea, Amy admits she didn’t see this coming “from a million miles away.” She doesn’t understand why it happened and after some fuzzy arithmetical analysis, ends off a little bitter. She says that the vote makes no sense and she hopes they don’t regret it. She reminds everyone that she lost the most of any of the women.

As she leaves she has hugs for all the guys. But she’s still pissed off.

Caroline Rhea says, “I have to say, I didn’t believe any of you guys when you were telling Amy why you were voting her off. Is that really why?” Brian says, “Absolutely. She lost 41 pounds and that is an amazing sprint. But she has less of an area to go, and we have to put up big percentages. She kills herself in the gym, kills herself for that four. If it becomes a three, a two…”

My own opinion is – I don’t know but I think Caroline caught them. Perhaps the vote was gender or alliance based? Or, I wonder if the guys are just confusing raw tonnage with percentages? At this stage, by less than 0.05%, five pounds on Amy is the same as seven on Marty or eight on Erik.

However, Amy’s thinking that having light people on the team is an advantage makes no sense either. Percentages, and who can maintain or increase them – that’s the correct criteria. I also think that at this stage it’s a tough call to decide who is closest to their goal weight and therefore likely to stop losing big numbers in the near future. It seems to me that all five have a way to go yet.

Over the last couple of weeks, the percentage difference between the two is trivial, but it does slightly favor Amy. Can Erik realize his as-yet untapped potential for big losses? Was Amy far enough from her goal weight that she could resume posting good numbers, or had she hit a wall after two average weeks? (God, did I just belittle a pair of four-pound weight losses? I’m getting jaded!) We’ll have to wait and see.

In her funeral video, Amy reiterates that she didn’t expect any votes tonight. She says, “I think I’m ready for the real world,” and is proud of herself for getting off her couch and taking charge of her life.

In more current video, we learn that Amy has dropped another 47 pounds, for a total of 88 since her first day on the ranch. She has a very nice shape and enjoys the diet-and-exercise lifestyle and has gone from a size-22 dress to a ten! She is running and kayaking, and has competed in two triathlons. Good for you, Amy!

Some final words… not only does 88 pounds represent an impressive 34%, but it backs up the argument that she could have continued contributing good numbers to the team for several weeks yet. We’ll have to see if Erik can put up some equally-solid numbers in the weeks to come.

Other Items:

Here’s my early-season poll! There are three small screens of questions, plus start and end pages and a chance to enter your own feedback. Give it a try, I’m always interested how readers view the series. Why, it could be the most exciting web poll ever! Click here to take poll!

Join me here next week for a recap of all the action, sprinkled as usual with my own reactions and opinions. Can the Blue Team turn things around? Not only are they losing challenges but they’ve also lost three of the last four weigh-ins!

And don’t be shy about dropping me a line 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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