The Biggest Loser 3, Episode 10: There's No 'I' in 'Team,' But There Is One in 'Erik'

Welcome to the tenth episode of The Biggest Loser 3! This series focuses on two trainers that help overweight contestants in their struggles to lose weight and, in the process, regain control of their lives. Challenges and temptations bar the way to a $250,000 cash prize for the contestant who loses the greatest percentage of their original body weight.

Last week, the network tossed us a curveball, substituting a Madonna special for our show. That was a shock, wasn’t it – are we the same target audience? Anyway, as a reference point, here’s a chart of our six remaining contestants and where they stand on the season, as of the end of the previous episode of two weeks ago:

NAME	PERCENT
Jaron	28.48
Adrian	28.19
Erik	24.57
Kai	24.43
Wylie	23.13
Heather	19.73

The episode begins the morning after Marty’s elimination. This is the beginning of week ten for our contestants, and Heather tells us that with only two weeks remaining on the ranch, everyone’s feeling the stress to keep losing weight at a high level. Erik, however, is more nervous about telling trainer Bob that he was the deciding vote in sending his former teammate Marty home.

Sure enough, the next shot is of trainers Bob and Kim striding up to hear the results of last night’s vote. Kim is surprised to see Wylie is still there. I think Kim is not realizing the level of gameplay going on this season. When she asks Bob, “Does this surprise you?” he responds, “Nothing surprises me.” However, in a voiceover he admits his true feelings, saying, “When I heard how the vote went, I was so mad, I couldn’t even see straight.”

When they are alone, Erik explains to Bob that although his initial concerns were only about losing weight but now, he’s thinking about the game. Well done, Erik!

This next section cuts frequently between a Bob and Erik discussion and a cameo where Bob further expresses his thoughts. Kicking it off, Bob just doesn’t understand Erik’s logic and tells him that he’s upset to have worked so hard to build a team, and it’s fallen all apart. To us he says, “All these people were playing a game,” like that is news to him somehow. He concludes that cameo with, “I hope the hell you know what you (Erik) are doing because you are the only one left on the Blue Team. Huh! Are you kidding me?”

Back with Erik again, Bob bemoans that, “The competition could have been a great and fierce competition, having your competitor beside you like that. Having Marty and you in the finals would have been… fantastic.” Erik responds by outlining a possible sequence of events that we know from last episode’s conclusion are true – that Marty could lose enough weight to win the title.

In his own cameo, Erik understands that Bob has forgotten that these events are all taking place within the confines of a game. Wake up, Bob – there’s a quarter-million dollars on the line! Why would Erik throw away his shot at that for a guy he didn’t even know existed two months ago?

Bob takes Erik to work out. Bob says to Erik, “You’re the only one I have to focus on. This is what you wanted, this is your dream.” Erik tersely replies, “Don’t tell me what my dreams are. It’s not my dream.” Bob tells us, “Not only is Erik fighting to keep himself on the ranch, he’s fighting to keep me on the ranch.” I’m guessing that Erik isn’t seriously concerned about Bob’s face time in the next episode or two.

Commenting on the hard workout he’s getting, Erik tells us he knew he’d be alone with Bob and says, “That was part of my decision, I have to live with that.”

Meanwhile, trainer Kim assembles her group in the kitchen for some holiday cooking advice. It’s good to see all five of her charges are present this time. Here’s what Kim taught us all:

• Use a pre-prepared turkey, stuffed the proper way
• Yams replace potatoes (four times the fiber and 72% more Vitamin C)
• Replace sugar with Splenda and egg yolks with whites in the pumpkin pie
• Fill up on salad first to help you with portion control
• Walking after the meal aids digestion

Everyone thinks the meal is quite tasty. There’s more holiday diet tips on the show’s NBC website.

The scene shifts to the Santa Anita Racetrack, when series hostess Caroline Rhea is on hand for a challenge she calls “The Biggest Loser Derby.” The contestants will have a mile-long race, with each carrying weight equal to the weight they’ve lost so far this season. That number ranges from Heather’s 44 pounds up to Erik’s one hundred pounds. We see that this total is divided up into separate weights corresponding to the amounts of weight each contestant lost each week.

We’ve seen a similar challenge in earlier seasons, except previously it was a lap around a high-school track. This time, there are nine barrels located along the way and the players drop a weight onto each. The weight dropped at the first barrel is the weight corresponding to their weight loss in the first week, and so on. Their load progressively lightens until the sprint to the finish is performed without any weights.

The prize is a one-day visit from someone from home. Nice! Unfortunately for Heather, she has bursitis issues with her knees and cannot compete. As everyone else loads up with their weight, they can’t believe they used to be so heavy.

The start is funny, as they line up in the starter gates used for racehorses. There’s also a track announcer, and on-screen graphics showing those currently in the win-place-show positions. After all those weeks re-establishing self-esteem, our players are being treated like beasts of burden this week!

Wylie takes a big lead, and lengthens it when Adrian’s weight doesn’t stay atop the second barrel. However, he loses the lead to Jaron when Wylie’s own weight falls off the third barrel. Apparently neither can hear the track announcer and I wonder if that feature was added later on.

At any rate, Adrian soon passes Wylie as well. Kai and Erik walk part of the course, though they run out the last yards to finish last together.

At the end, Jaron holds on and wins a visit from his wife, Tara. Too bad Adrian lost time at the second barrel or it might have been really close. That was quite the challenge.

In Wylie’s confessional, the symbolic nature of dropping their “baggage” as they progressed along their path is not lost on him.

The next scenes are of Jaron’s wife Tara’s visit. She says she can tell the difference in Jaron after three weeks. When everyone else in the house meets Tara, they share a meal together. Nice!