As this season’s “Biggest Loser” on NBC hurtles toward its conclusion, I think we can agree on two things. One, the season has dragged on to epic proportions. And two, the alliances of the yellow team and gray team have gotten a bit out of hand. With that, here is how it all went down last night……

The show began with a clip of last week’s elimination (Victoria) and then host Allison Sweeney telling Koli and Sunshine that everyone would be invited back in for an announcement. That is, that the remaining seven contestants would be headed to Texas this week to help train and educated a population that has the most obese citizens per capita. They would be interviewed on radio stations and then lead anyone who cared to participate in a 5K run at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. There were a few inspiring stories among those who came down, and maybe some inadvertent casting for next season.

Still in Texas, Daris gathered Mike and Ashley to climb the stairs in their hotel for a workout. Daris then mentioned that he was feeling like the three of them had to form an alliance because the bond between the yellow team of O’Neal and Sunshine and gray team of Sam and Koli were very strong, not just as couples but tight with each other. And he was right. Mrs. Mike mentioned how she’s tired of Sunshine and O’Neal sticking up for each other, and to a lesser degree, Sam and Koli, and I admitted at that point she was right. I began to think in terms of pulling for anyone named Daris, Ashley or Mike.

For the main challenge, the contestants had to literally herd cattle into cages. Not huge cows, but calves. That looked like really hard work, and something I hope I never have to do! The prize for herding the most cattle was immunity. Ugh, who among you isn’t tired of immunity being a prize? Anyway, naturally Sunshine tried to herd cattle for O’Neal, and Koli did it for Sam since Sam helped save Koli last week. When Mike realized he wasn’t going to win, he and Ashley began helping Daris. Good for them! But it wasn’t enough as Koli won immunity.

For the last chance workout that we mostly forwarded through, Bob Harper was pushing everyone way harder than usual, prompting a heated exchange between Bob and Mike. But they got through it.

At the weigh in, Koli went first and lost one pound. He was trying to hide the fact that he was smirking, but he couldn’t do it. I mean, dude pulled a Melissa! He talked about how he worked so hard all week, blah blah blah, but of course he didn’t mention the fact that he probably chugged three gallons of water before weighing in. Man, I hate when they pull this crap. Then again, it’s a quarter of a million dollar prize we’re talking about here.

Sam was next and lost 6 pounds, followed by Sunshine with 4. O’Neal lost 5 and that immediately put both yellow team members below the yellow line for the time being. Mike was next and lost a whopping 15 pounds, putting him at 343 pounds, a 183 pound weight loss to date. Wow. Daris lost 5 pounds and Ashley 6, confirming that O’Neal and Sunshine were below the line together and that one of them would be voted off this week. Thank goodness! We forwarded through Sunshine’s tears…I’m sorry, but that whole act was getting far too annoying. O’Neal pleaded with everyone to send him home, and with this group you had to believe they would grant his wish….and they did. It was unanimous, in fact. O’Neal went home and they showed him having lost 139 pounds total, down from 389 to a svelte 250.

So now we’re down to six–Sam, Koli, Sunshine, Ashley, Mike and Daris.
I hope one of the gray team goes home next week, and that’s more likely now that the alliances seem to be evenly split. It sure is going to get interesting as we head toward the finale.

What do you all think? Did Koli throw the weigh in? Who do you like? I am pulling for Mike or Daris, and maybe Ashley. But it sure is a wide open competition now. See you all next week…