They had a look back at the season, and host Alison Sweeney, who at this point is very pregnant, was stumbling all over her words, which was pretty funny. Then they started bringing out the eliminated contestants in groups of four, and would show a video recap of each one and then have them weight in. The contestant with the highest percentage of weight loss among the eliminated players would take home $100K.

First was Adam and his wife Stacy, and Tom and his son LT. Adam lost 80 pounds, or 23.53%. Stacy lost 65 pounds, or 29.41%. LT lost 87 pounds and Tom 78 pounds, but both were in the 24% range and so Stacy was the current leader. Then they brought out Jerry and his daughter Coleen, and Shellay and her daughter Amy. Let me tell you, this was the highlight of the show last night. These four looked incredible, and Jerry especially. Dr. Huizenga almost started crying when he told Jerry he had gained back 24 years of his life by losing all the weight he did. Anyway, Jerry lost 115 pounds (and is now running 5Ks), or 30.26% to take the lead. Coleen lost 64 pounds, or 29.36%. Shellay, who is very thin now, lost 74 pounds for a 34.26% weight loss, but her daughter Amy lost 104 pounds, or 43.51%! She also looks amazing. But wait, there’s more.

The final group was Phil, Amy, Brady, Renee, and Heba. Phil, looking stick thin, lost 151 pounds, or 45.62%, putting him in first place for the moment. But his wife Amy lost 105 pounds, or 45.85%. Brady was next and lost 117 pounds, but that was only 34.31% of his starting weight. Renee lost 106 pounds, but that was good for only 39.70%. So it was down to Heba to dethrone Amy. Amazingly, Heba lost 138 pounds, or 46.9%, and took home the $100,000. Wow. They showed a video of Ed and Heba from when they first arrived home from the ranch, and their favorite restaurant, Humble Pie, had a spot reserved on their new menu for Ed’s own healthy creations (he is a chef by day).

Then, after a preview of the next season which starts in January, “The Biggest Loser: Couples,” and a promo of a contest where viewers can lose weight at home and have money donated per pound to a food bank charity, it was on to business again.

Ed came out on stage, and then Vicky and Michelle were brought out for the first time. Holy crap, they all look incredible, but that should be no surprise. They showed them all working out at home and doing their daily routines, and Vicky said she struggled at first, only losing 2 pounds in the first seven weeks.

So Ed weighed in first, and lost 139 pounds, down from 335 to 196, for 41.49%. Big number. Then it was Vicky’s turn. You might remember Vicky was the evil gameplayer who would stab anyone in the back to advance in this thing. Well, karma got her. She was told she needed to lose 102 pounds to get ahead of Ed, and she lost 101. One freaking pound kept Vicky from taking the lead. But then Michelle, and I know America was all pulling for her. Michelle was told she had to lose 100 pounds to be the winner….and she lost 110! That gave her 45.4% and the title of The Biggest Loser. Amazing. Michelle had reconciled with her mom before the show started and they enjoyed the journey together. You know she’s a good person and we were all rooting for her to beat out all of those blue team members. Good for Michelle, and good for us all who voted Ed into the finale.

But wait, there is one more twist. They didn’t show the numbers, but I calculated them this morning…..Heba, if she had been in the final three, would have won it all instead of the $100K. She had 46.9% while Michelle had 45.4%. Let that be a lesson, Heba, Vicky and Ed. Gameplay and rigging and not doing things in the spirit of the show can cost you $150,000. Not only that, but over time America is only going to remember this season’s winner. Kudos Michelle, and kudos to the karma! See you all in January……

First, the episode last night began with “blue team” members Ed, Heba and Vicky celebrating that they voted off another “black team” member, Renee, last week. So it was just the three of them and Michelle in the Final Four. But wait, this season there is only a Final Three. So with this one more episode, another contestant would be going home.

When trainer Bob Harper met his blue team, he told Vicky he was concerned about her. That’s because she was one of the biggest, if not the biggest, gameplayer to ever set foot on the ranch. She wanted the grand prize from Day 1, and she would stab anyone in the back on her way toward that goal. But Bob reminded her that in Season 1 of the show, champion Ryan was also a gameplayer, and while he lost the most weight then, he now weighs the same as when that season started. Yikes. Well, Bob has touched on something that irritates me about this show…that the producers continually go for ratings over the true meaning of the show, and allow people like Vicky to control it. Anyway, Bob wanted to make sure that Vicky would continue eating healthy and exercising once she got home and while she promised she would, I have my own doubts. Then Bob taught Vicky, Heba and Ed about the importance of vegetables in your diet, and how to cook them, clearly focusing on Vicky the whole time.

Then host Alison Sweeney had a special delivery box for the remaining contestants, and in it were clothes that they wore when the season began. They all decided that since they would never need those clothes again, they would go out back and burn them. Don’t try this at home, folks.

Then the challenge was to run around a track intended for race cars, wearing the amount of weight each contestant had lost to date. The prize? Meals from the Biggest Loser campus while the contestants were at home preparing for the finale, as well as $10K. Ed won, and Vicky was last. Then each remaining contestant was shown a video journey of themself on the show before their last chance workout.

So each of the final four would weigh in, and the final two would be up for elimination, but this time, America would vote and not the other contestants. You thought you saw the last of the gameplay? Nope. Vicky lost 6 pounds, and Heba 7. Then Ed went and GAINED 2 pounds. Mrs. Mike sensed gameplay and so did Bob Harper. I didn’t see it, but then it was pointed out that Ed wanted his wife Heba in the finale so badly, that he would take a dive himself. Idiot.
Meanwhile, Heba pointed out that if Michelle fell below the line, the “blue team” would have voted her off if they could. Well, duh. But Michelle didn’t give anyone that chance, as she lost 9 pounds, or a week’s best 5.26%. So Michelle and Vicky were in the finale, and Ed and Heba were up for elimination.

The gameplay truly came into focus as both Ed and Heba were asked to plead their case to America on why they should be voted into the finale, and we were given numbers to call for each of them. Ed deferred and asked everyone to vote for Heba, and Heba reinforced that, saying that Ed really wanted her in the finale. So I did the right thing…I voted for Ed, which was a vote against gameplay and everything bad that has surfaced this season. I’m sorry Ed, Heba and Vicky…you three are complete idiots and so is Bob Harper for trying to get his “blue team” to stick together this season. Jillian Michaes, the “black team” trainer, does not appreciate it, but she has Michelle in the finale, and I think Michelle is going to win it all. That would serve all the gameplayers right. It also would be sweet justice if Phil took home the $100K prize for most weight lost after leaving the ranch. Vicky, Ed, Heba…you guys deserve nothing, because you have defaced the spirit of the show. I hope the rest of America voted with me. Did you? Let me know in the comment box below, I want to hear from you! Oh wait, you still have 24 hours to do this…the number to vote for Ed is 1-866-613-0002.

Next week, the third finalist will be announced in the first five minutes of the show and then they will each weigh in to see who is going to win the $250K. I’m a little sad, not because the season is ending, but because the integrity of the show has been severely compromised this season. Sorry for the soapbox, but I’ve got this space and I want the producers to know how I feel, because I know a lot of you viewers agree with me. See you next week, and go Michelle!

But Vicky went on to call Amy a “backstabbing bitch” and posted a “REVENGE” sign on her dorm room door. Trainer Bob Harper was shocked about Amy’s choice, but he wanted to talk to her and see what her reasoning was. When Amy explained it, Bob understood and also told Amy she had a great shot at winning. But Bob also wanted his “blue” team (remember we’re in individual competition now, but blue still trains with Bob and black with Jillian Michaels) to get along. He also thought that the whole “revenge” thing with Vicky would bite her in the ass.

So before the first challenge, host Alison Sweeney shows up dressed in ’80’s gear and announced that it’s ’80’s week on the ranch. That meant they had to all dress in ’80’s workout clothes and listen to ’80’s music and answer trivia questions from that decade. Ugh.

So both teams were shuffled off to 24 Hour Fitness to do break dancing and step aerobics training, all looking ridiculous. Then came the challenge in which the contestants had to hold up buckets of water equal to half their weight, and had weight added if they answered a trivia question wrong or if someone else answered correct. It came down to Michelle and Renee, and Michelle told her mom she would buy her a purse if she let go, which she did. Michelle’s prize? Among others, the main one was a choice between $5000 or a 1 pound penalty to an opponent at the weigh-in.

Jillian and Bob then worked their teams senseless at the last chance workout, especially for Jillian, who only became angrier when her team members started crying. Yikes. Amy was then shown apologizing to Vicky, which I thought was completely unnecessary, and Vicky said she still didin’t trust Amy. I get that, but I don’t blame Amy one bit for voting Brady off last week.

Then came the weigh-in, and Michelle decided to give Vicky the 1 pound penalty. Ha! Michelle and Renee both lost 8 pounds, and Ed lost 11. Then came Heba at 7, which put her in last place for the moment. Coleen only lost 3 pounds, putting her in last after which she started to cry, knowing she didn’t have much of a chance to stay in the game now. Amy went next and dropped 8 pounds, putting her in first place. Then came Vicky and with the penalty she lost 6 pounds and was below the yellow line with Coleen. So I started doing the math in my head. Ed and Heba would vote for Coleen, and Michelle and Renee would vote for Vicky. Once again Amy owned the swing vote. Would she pull the trigger on Vicky, something you couldn’t blame her for after being called a backstabbing bitch…or would she go back to blue team loyalty and to Bob Harper loyalty and vote off Coleen? My money was on Vicky, but she instead voted off Coleen. Wow. But Amy saw Coleen as a bigger threat to her winning it all. Personally, I think Amy screwed up this time. Vicky was a bigger threat, and she is conniving and mean and, well, a backstabbing bitch. This time Amy didn’t heed her mom’s advice of the previous week, and it could cost her.

Coleen has lost a ton of weight at home, and it was a happy, tearful reunion with her dad Jerry and with her boyfriend Bob. She really looked great…..so congrats Coleen!

So there you have it….we’ve got Michelle and Renee, Ed and Heba, Vicky and Amy. Suddenly we’re barreling toward the finale, and I really really really hope Vicky is not in it. I also hope they don’t start adding contestants back in, because it’s been confusing enough. Further, Vicky had better be nice to Amy now and apologize herself. But she won’t. Grrrrrrrrr. See you all next week!

Anyway, last night was the one-hour conclusion to the show that began before the presidential debates on Tuesday. So basically it was the last-chance workout for the week, a product placement bit with Subway, the weigh in and the elimination.

Coleen went first and lost three pounds, or 1.54%. That meant if she was below the yellow line, sshe was automatically eliminated since she was the only member left from her team (her dad was sent home last week). Then as each team weighed in and was losing 9, 9, 8, 8 and 12 pounds, I started to feel worried for Coleen. However, the orange team of Ed and Heba only lost 1.4%–Heba dropped 8 pounds but Ed did not lose any weight. Yikes.

So Ed and Heba, who by the way are newlyweds, had to decide who would stay at the ranch and who would go home alone. Heba is tall, but weighs almost 300 pounds….so Ed wanted her to stay to get in the best shape so that they could give themselves the best chance to have children. It was touching and sad, but the right decision.

They showed Ed at home, and he has lost 85 pounds to date, down from 335 to 250. Wow! Sometimes what’s lost in all the gameplay and rules changes is the fact that this show really helps people transform themselves and lose a ton of weight. And that’s why we watch, to root for them all. Tito, get me a tissue please……

Anyway, so last night’s episode began with the contestants road-tripping to the Grand Canyon.
Host Alison Sweeney met up with them halfway there at a convenient store in the middle of the desert to offer up the first challenge. Ali pulled up in a beautiful RV, and announced that the winner of this challenge would stay in the RV and everyone else would be camping. The challenge involved convenience store food, and guessing how many calories were in each item Ali put on the counter. There were three rounds, and Ed and Heba (orange team) won all three, with their teammates conceding them the victory after two of those rounds.

When the group arrived at the campgrounds, which were pretty desolate, they realized that their trainers were not there to guide them and that they had to work out on their own. Most of them just walked and did nothing else. The next day came the next challenge, a kayak game in which one team member had to row out from a dock, and the other teammate had to slowly let out a rope attached to the kayak. After a certain point, Ali announced that they had to start pulling each other in, and I do mean each other. As each kayak hit the dock, that team was eliminated. Once again, Ed and Heba won, and their prize was their own RV like the one they were staying in! Damn, what a prize.

At dinner that night, the contestants celebrated Coleen’s 24th birthday and everyone had nice things to say about her. They brought out a cake but didn’t say if anyone took a bite!

Upon arriving back at the ranch, the trainers had one day in which to work with their teams before the weigh-in. Both of them were pissed off about the lack of working out at the Grand Canyon, and worked everyone extra-hard this time. But Jerry (yellow team) was having leg problems that doctors feared could be serious. They took him to the hospital and found out he had a torn hamstring.

Then came the weigh-in. And instead of two teams that would be below the yellow line, Ali announced that only one team would be below the line this week…and the teams would not be voting off anyone. But this time, the team below the yellow line would have to decide which teammate would go home and which would stay. Ouch. So we knew they would be breaking up the teams, but didn’t know how soon.

Vicky and Brady (brown team) lost only 1.51% and looked like they might be the team below the yellow line, but then Coleen and Jerry went last and while Coleen lost 7 pounds, her dad gained 2, or a team total of 0.89%. This was sad, because Jerry really needs this regimen to lose the weight he needs to to become healthy and basically to stay alive. But he wants Coleen to stay, and they decide he will go home and continue the routine. I have a feeling Coleen is going to go a long way this season.

Afterward, they show Jerry at work in Cleveland, and he has lost 70 pounds in all, down from 380. Dr. Huizenga pays him a visit and says he’s so proud that Jerry not only has lost all that weight, but his vitals are much better and he has stopped taking four of the five medications he was on. How awesome, and what a reminder of how powerful this show is. But again, stop messing with the format every week!

I’m done whining, see you all next week and get on that treadmill!