The Biggest Loser, Episode 5: Tower of Power

As is customary, the show opens with a brief overview of last week’s episode. Bob was shocked when he found out that Aaron was eliminated. Then he pushed the Blue team to the edge. We get to witness Lisa’s collapse, and Kelly Mac and Andrea’s great finish. Maurice (Mo) was the week’s biggest loser, and the Red team had to eliminate one player. Matt didn’t want to quit, but that didn’t save him from elimination. His refrigerator light went out and that was the end of Matt.

This week, two of the eliminated players are featured. We watch as a slimmer Dana goes clothes shopping. She is thrilled to have lost more weight and is enjoying being able to buy clothes. Aaron, who looks really fabulous, tells us that, if you put your mind to it, you can do anything. His girlfriend likes the “skinny” Aaron. He is grateful that she met him when he was heavier and loved him anyway.

Eight contestants remain. Who will be this week’s biggest loser? The credits roll and we are off and running. We open right after Matt’s elimination. The group gathers for a meal and Ryan comments on how small the group is getting. Mo tells us that he thinks Team Blue is more united, and we have a little snippet of some of Team Red’s more disagreeable players. Lisa tells us that she thinks the game has intensified and it’s “going to get nasty now.”

Ryan confronts Dave about his lying to the girls. Ryan wants to ally with the girls, but Dave thinks that he is the one has it made with them. It’s a game, Dave says, and he has checked his integrity at the door. He thinks the girls are true to him and that Ryan’s dead. I am betting that Dave better watch his butt tonight.

Trainer Bob thinks that the Blue team is very strong. He starts out their day with some yoga stretching. Gary tells us that he hasn’t had to take any of his asthma medicine since he’s been there. Andrea sees the changes in herself and this motivates her further. Mo is proud that he was the biggest loser last week. Kelly Mac says, “I take my breath away.”

Jillian reminds them that every time they lose, she loses someone. She respects their decision to get rid of Matt, but points out to Dave that he has to trust her more. She is going to fight him to the death to get him to do what she wants him to do. Dave continues his argument, though, and Ryan can’t help but comment. This one is a no-brainer. If Team Red loses tonight, Dave is going home.

in an effort to create a “team mentality,” Jillian ties them all together with a rope. They go for a group hike, tied together. Of course, Dave’s ankle kicks up and he drops off the line. As he hobbles away, Kelly says he’s abandoned them. Ryan points out how negative Dave is and how great it is not to have him around! More foreshadowing.

Lisa, Kelly, and Ryan have a great time and get a super workout in the process. They end up falling down, laughing, and as a result, bonding a little bit more. Good idea, Jillian. Lisa says that this was the first time she felt the Red team was united. Ryan gets emotional and they share a group hug. It was a great day.

Team Blue is in the gym. Bob is going to kick it up a notch for the second half of this contest. He says that Andrea is tough and will do whatever he asks her to do. He is working to break down Kelly Mac’s intimidation in the gym, and so far, she’s breaking through it all. Gary annoys him with his complaining, but Maurice, who Bob says was his “baby,” has shown that he can do a lot more. Bob says that he still has to push him.

After a long, hard workout in the gym, Bob takes Maurice on a hike through the vineyard. Maurice is ready to give up, but Bob keeps pushing him, knowing that he can do it. Bob knows that Maurice has the potential to really lose some serious pounds, ensuring his group of another win. But Maurice tends to get discouraged easily, and this hike is a good example.

Lisa and Kelly discuss Dave, and decide that they are the “queens,” and the guys have to come to them. Jillian tells us that she is concerned about how they will do in the “real world,” and has them “play” ordering with menus. Jillian points out that vegetarian entrees are usually a good food choice. They all seem to understand the types of foods that they can eat, but will they stick to this plan once they are on their own?

The four girls get together, and talk about how cool it would be if they all made it to the final four. Andrea says that she is “first” now in her life, and that her self-worth has skyrocketed. Kelly Mac talks about her fear of the gym, and how she use to feel as though all the women who look like Jillian were afraid she would break the equipment. But now she feels ready to face this situation. The other Kelly tells them that all this has given her the confidence she needed in her life. Lisa says this is working for her and for all of them. Kelly Mac says it feels great knowing that by pushing herself, she is not going to fall apart.

It’s time for this week’s challenge. The teams file into the challenge venue and meet Caroline. They are on a stage, standing in front of a curtain. When the curtain is opened, there are tables loaded with food – breads, bagels, cakes, pastries, everything. The teams will have thirty minutes to build a “pile of temptation.” The team that makes the highest tower will win.

The kicker here is that they can’t use their hands. They have to use their mouths. This is totally cruel. Caroline tells them that this is “so worth it,” though, since the winning team will go to CompUSA where each person will have $5000 to use to buy whatever they want.

The game begins. Dave, who has a construction background, tries to convince them that the tower needs a strong foundation. You know, this is really senseless. I don’t even want to tell you how bad this challenge is.

Kelly Mac tries to organize her team but no one seems to want to listen. Meanwhile, Red team seems to have a much better plan, even though both piles are pretty close. Team Blue tries to finish off their tower by sticking a huge lollypop into a block of cheese. Time out is called, and we go to commercial.

Back from the commercial, Gary is trying to put the lollypop on the top of the pile but, alas, it doesn’t balance and, as it falls off, Maurice mourns the loss of his $5000 worth of electronic equipment. Team Red wins. As they celebrate, team Blue hangs its collective head in unison.

The Red team is “whisked away” in a limousine and driven to CompUSA where the CEO escorts them to a room. He tells them that there is one more surprise in store and invites them to sit back, relax, and watch the big screen TV. And the reward is… each of their families have recorded a video for them. They all react emotionally, as their families offer words of encouragement and love. We meet their wives and husbands, mothers and fathers, kids and cousins, and an assortment of others. What a nice reward.

Lisa thinks that this win has given the team a mental edge. Knowing that heir families are right there, supporting them is very important and certainly a boost to their spirits. No doubt, Team Blue is going to be even more disappointed when they hear about this.

Team Red returns from their outing, and Maurice is waiting on the porch. Sure enough, this additional reward was quite a blow. Maurice says he is happy for them, though. They share the news with the rest of the group. Ryan keeps talking about how he could have done better in the challenge, and this really sets Andrea off. They won, already. Why keep talking about it. Gary is irritated as well, saying that Ryan is rubbing this win in their faces and calling him an “ass.”

The next morning, Team Blue is having a pow-wow. Andrea expects “big numbers” from Mo at the weigh-in, and says he’s the only one she expects them from. Mo says that their all being together, getting healthy and losing weight is the real reward. Meanwhile, Ryan tells his group that this has been the best week so far, and he has really enjoyed getting to know the girls better. Dave says that Ryan’s transparency is obvious and wonders if the girls know what he is doing. Maybe Ryan really does like the girls better than he does Dave. I know I do.

It’s time for the weigh-in. Kelly tells us that Jillian gave them all mantras to chant. Lisa isn’t expecting to see anything big on the scale. The group files in to face Caroline in the weigh-in room. Dave is up first. He’s lost six pounds. What’s neat about this week’s weigh-in is that, not only does Caroline read their starting weight, a tape of them at their first weigh-in is show in contrast to how they look at this point.

Gary steps up and he’s down five pounds this week. Red team is ahead by one pound. Now for Lisa. She only lost two pounds. This really seems to upset her. Kelly Mac, who is noticeably slimmer, lost four pounds, for a total of 33 pounds. At the halfway point it’s 8 pounds Red, 9 pounds Blue.

Ryan takes off his shirt, but he’s only lost three pounds. He is disappointed too. Maurice is encouraged by this, and as he steps up, the group cheers him on. His loss this week, one pound. Wow. Ryan tells us this looks real good for the Red team. Kelly is next, and she is shocked to find that she didn’t lose a pound. Andrea puts her hands in her face, realizing that it’s all up to her. She has to have lost at least two pounds for her team to win. She is worried that she may have plateaued. All the pressure is on her… and we break for commercial.

Back from the break, we pick up where we left off, with Andrea standing on the scale. And her loss for the week is seven pounds for a total of 30. This makes her this week’s “biggest loser,” and secures victory for her team. Gary points out that the computer gift will make a nice parting gift for whoever is sent home from Team Red.

Dave is very nervous about his elimination, as well he should be. The next day, Andrea celebrates as she is finally able to zip up a pair of capris that didn’t fit the week before. She’s also happy not to have to deal with the “drama” of the elimination. Meanwhile, Jillian admits that, as a trainer, she sometimes has self-doubts, wondering if she is doing the right thing for her team. But, when Lisa breaks down crying, again, Jillian tells her that, since they are lifting weights, they are gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat.

We are shown a nice montage of each of the Red team members working out and hear what could be their emotional parting words. Lisa cries some more. Man, this girl cries a lot. But, really, they have all done so well, it is hard to watch as one goes home.

Dave tries to enlist the support of Mo and Gary. This didn’t work last week for Matt, and I don’t think it is going to work for Dave either. It’s a whole lot of “he said, she said,” and, quite honestly, I have had enough of this guy.

It’s elimination time. Team Red marches in with their ceremonial platters and takes their seats. Caroline gives them a quick rundown of the week to date. She asks Dave about the lying in the house. He says, “The only thing that hasn’t lied in this house is that scale out there.” Ryan answers her question as to how this has affected his personality by acknowledging that he has been much more emotional than he thought he would be.

“Time to cut the fat.” Ryan says that, as time has gone on, the team concept has become important to him. He says that he is voting for Dave because he wasn’t a strong team member. Dave offers a rebuttal, saying that he made a commitment to two people at the table, and because he intends to honor that commitment, he votes for Ryan. Kelly, who is looking more and more like Demi Moore, says that she needs to surround herself with the strongest team members, and for that reason… (we break for yet another commercial)

After an exceptionally long commercial, we return to the table where Kelly repeats her statement and votes for Dave. Yes! It’s up to Lisa. She seems torn, and sighs deeply. She says this has been the hardest elimination of all because she has gotten close to these people. But, she has to play this game for Lisa and votes for Dave. Of course, he has to have the last word and chastises Lisa for breaking their alliance. Will she cry again? Kelly explains that there are no guarantees in life. Dave’s light goes off and Caroline bids them a good night.

Dave tells us that he is really going to miss the place and says he felt like the father figure. He tells us that the next time we see him he’ll be 185 pounds and ripped. We see a shot of him today, 15 pounds down and looking prime. I am really impressed that the people who have been voted off are sticking to the plan and continue to lose even after they go home.

Next week, we get to see Lizzeth and Matt as they are now. The show will air at a “special” time – 9:00 p.m. EST. Now, isn’t that special. Are you getting into this? I am. Now, if I could only lose 20 pounds! I guess I should go to the Biggest Loser website and check out some of the tips!

Have a great Thanksgiving.

Donna Reynolds is an Assistant Editor for the RealityNewsOnline family of websites and a freelance writer based in Syracuse, NY. She is also the creator of “That’s Entertainment,” a weblog on syracuse.com. Whether you agree or disagree, Donna welcomes your comments, and you can email her at foxydonna@earthlink.net.

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