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The Biggest Loser 3, Episode 3: Losers at Seaby Brian Towers -- 10/06/2006
Welcome to the third episode of The Biggest Loser 3! This series focuses on teams of overweight contestants and their competitive struggles to lose weight and, in the process, regain control of their lives. Challenges and temptations bar their way to a nice prize – $250,000 cash. This week, we have settled into the comfortable one-hour format. And here’s what happened! 
As a checklist, here are the remaining competitors: BLUE TEAM (Trained by Bob)
RED TEAM (Trained by Kim)
The episode begins shortly after the last one ended. On the blue side of the house, trainer Bob learns that Tiffany is gone. Lowest-loser Melinda tells us she’s has gotten some pressure from her team to step it up. Over on the red side, Pam gleefully confesses it felt good to knock the over-confident Blue Team down a peg, because they’ve been “so cocky, it’s unbearable.” But it’s time to look ahead, not behind. Trainers Kim and Bob tell their teams they are going on a cruise. Kai suspects this will not be as much fun as her last one, when she put on a pound a day. I note that as both teams celebrate this news, no gender lines are crossed. By that I mean, ladies celebrate together and men celebrate together. No one crosses that line. Bob’s message to us all is, “Taking a vacation doesn’t mean taking a vacation from your exercise and your diet.” Series host Caroline Rhea tells both assembled teams that even though they are away from the ranch, there are lots of opportunities to work out. After last weeks “day at the beach,” I think they already suspect this. Humorously, Marty is afraid Bob will toss them overboard and make them chase the ship! Instead, they start with circuit training – a series of exercises that change every minute. The next sequence involves Kim working out her team in the pool. She looks so hot I actually cannot shift my gaze to the side to tell you what the squad is doing. Sor-ry! I can tell you that Red Team’s Heather learns that you can indeed get a good workout in a pool – the secret is to keep moving. Funny, I prefer sitting immobile in a deck chair and sipping an umbrella drink. How many calories can there BE in an umbrella? Returning to more serious fare, Brian has a knee injury that limits what he can do. So, he is performing upper-body exercises that are cardio-intensive. He feels the need to prove that one can lose weight on vacation and while injured. He’s right, of course. The trainers take their team to the buffet. They point out the good foods and bad foods, and offer the following tips:
I like it that they give a high level focus to the trainer’s tips. Who can’t use that info? Bob tells his team he’s proud of how they ate. And as they leave, Bob playfully offers to send some cheesecake over to the table of the Red Team. The next day, it’s time for a challenge. Heather is nervous when she sees it involves navigation. Basically it’s a relay race, where each player must deliver food to locations about the ship. Caroline doesn’t mention what the prize is. The secret twist is that the people at the delivery destinations are family members of our contestants! At this point it’s been about a month since the contestants have been with their families. Yes, this is indeed only week three of the show - you didn’t miss anything - but as with all reality shows there is an extensive pre-show process that involves sequestering contestants. Marty starts it off for the Blue Team, and Wylie for the Reds. As our Losers race about, predictably they are overwhelmed to see their spouses, other family members, or friends. However, the event is so important that few take more than a second with those loved ones. Blue Team Bobby gets lost and that takes a lot of time, but then, so does Heather on the Red Team. Heather is so mad at herself that although there is a quick “I love you” hurled back, she doesn’t even kiss or hug her hubby! Get your priorities straight! Me, I’d not have made it back, yet!! When Heather gets back, insisting her target was hidden in that huge, open space, it’s essentially a 3-3 tie. But as it develops, the Red Team has a lead when the final deliveries begin. There was poor editing here, as we don’t know why, but they hold on to win. 
The prize is that the loved ones of the Red Team spend the night on board while the Blue Team’s loved ones must go away now. We get a little backstory on Brian of the Blue Team. He’s been trying to have a kid with his attractive wife Sarah for ten years, and, discouraged, turned to food. A ten-year-old picture shows one reasonably fit dude. Since then, he’s gone from 190 to 308 pounds. Physically, Brian’s objective is to get back to where he was a decade ago. Ok, back to “real” time. For the Red Team, what follows is a lot of nice, warm footage of reunions. Good for them! It’s pretty tough for the Blue Team to watch their loved ones called away. A little later, it’s another low moment when they must tell Bob that they lost again. He talks them into a workout to distract them from their disappointment. This is followed by the ever-intensive last-chance workout, and then the weigh-in begins. Blue Team is up first this week. Listed alphabetically as usual, here’s how the weigh-in went:
Post-weigh-in, Ken is very aware (and very embarrassed) that his numbers were worst. Frustrated, Heather of the Red Team admits, “Maybe I shouldn’t have spent so much time with my husband. The minute I saw my husband, I didn’t work out again. I was done with working out.” I suspect that’s true for several of them as percentage-wise, Marty is the only one on the Blue Team that ANY of them beat.
As the biggest percentage loser on the losing Red Team, Heather says, “If I would have pulled a big number, I’d be proud, but… that’s like getting a D in a class where everyone else got an F. Are you supposed to feel good about getting a D?” Back at the ranch, in a “cue The Irony God of Reality TV” moment, Pam declares herself the target if the vote is a tie. Why? Percentage-wise from week one, her numbers are sixth out of six on her team and she’d be the last one to go after. The three gals (Pam, Heather, and Kai) are tightly aligned and need a fourth to have majority. Heather approaches Ken in the laundry room to vote off Wylie. My, Heather is busy this week! Wylie seems to be onside with that plan. Later he tells us, “Sometimes, you have to pick and choose who you are going to align with.” As the Red Team files into the elimination room, no one is smiling. Perhaps if they noted the hideous top Kai is wearing there might have been a smirk or two. The three ladies sit on the left and the three men sit on the right. Ken is in the sixth chair. The vote starts with Heather emotionally voting for Wylie. Wylie immediately calls the girls out on a suspected plan of gender-based voting. He’s right, it’s boy versus girl, 3-3… and the ladies make no attempt to cover up that they want a female to win this season. And that’s how it goes – the men all vote for Pam and the women weepily vote for Wylie. As Ken’s final vote is unveiled, Wylie discouragingly whispers, “Hasta la vista” to himself. Post commercial, after Ken’s vote is revealed to be against Pam, Kai says, “You bastard!” Nice. With the resulting tie, the Blue Team is called in to make the decision. They had no trouble deciding it would be the big guy, Nelson. He has the most to lose, but so far, his percentage of loss is only better than Pam’s. It was almost funny to watch the women, who were so sure that one of them was going to be the one selected. As Ken leaves, everyone is weepier than he is. He encourages his team to have faith in themselves. If the women still feel they want a woman to win, right about now they should be laying bets on Blue Team’s Amy, because Kai and Heather are not long for this game. In his funeral video Ken says, “I’m not a failure.” He is sorry he disappointed Massachusetts, though. He admits he steers clear of scales these days, but we learn he has lost 52 pounds in all and has resumed regular workouts. You go, Ken!
Next week – more of the same, I’ll wager. Join me here for a recap of all the action, sprinkled with my own reactions and opinions. I’m a little surprised I’m not getting much email this season… this is exciting stuff, people! So, write! I’m going to run one of my now-famous polls in a couple or three weeks. Already I have some questions in mind, but I’d like to hear what you folks would like me to ask. I’m pretty darn open to reasonable suggestions… so, what areas should I poke my nose into? In response to those who asked about my interview with the Navy wives from the special edition of the show, here’s a link. All of the women were honest, open, and direct with me, and the resulting read is most worthwhile! 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. Be sure to sign up for our e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on the site! For more news about this show, be sure to check out SirLinksALot’s Biggest Loser page! |