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!

But first, blue team trainer Bob Harper was absolutely livid about his team sending Amy home and sensing some serious gameplay. He basically accused Vicky and Brady of it, saying that Brady’s 3 pound weight loss was “unheard of” and that something was afoot. Brady admitted he wasn’t eating every four hours like he was supposed to because he “wasn’t hungry.” Um, have you had a look at that dude? Guys that big are ALWAYS HUNGRY, and should especially be when they’re working out hard every day. So that’s it….Vicky and Brady said that wasn’t intentional, but come on. Bob said Vicky is all about the gameplay more than anyone who has ever stepped foot on the ranch, so he’s no dummy. Further, of course Brady would put up a huge number this week so that the black team could oust Phil. Of course.

In the initial challenge, David Zinczenko of Men’s Health Magazine and the author of “Eat This, Not That” helped host Alison Sweeney as the contestants had to guess which of two dishes had less calories. The blue team won, giving them a 40 pound advantage in the main challenge, which was hanging on to a harness 50 feet in the air as a team and trying to hang on for as long as possible. The blue team won this as well, as one by one, the black team slipped and let go. Their prize? They were able to choose one black team member for that person’s weight not to count at the weigh-in. They chose Michelle, but turns out it really didn’t matter. That’s becuase the black team lost 10 pounds total, and without Michelle’s number, that came to 0.74%. The blue team meanwhile lost 27 pounds, or 2.90%, including, you guessed it, 13 pounds from Brady, who beat the entire other team for the first time in show history. Blah blah blah, of course you did, Brady, because you and your wife are silly, extremely annoying, gameplayers. That goes for you too, Heba.

So the black team had to vote someone off, and Renee had immunity since she had the highest percentage of weight loss on her team. Surely that meant her daughter Michelle wasn’t going home either, so it came down to Coleen or Phil. The women all voted for Phil, despite the fact that he has the most weight to lose. And that was good for him to be able to go home to his wife and kids. On his way out, Phil told his team to not let the blue team get in their heads, and I don’t think they will, because they are all strong-minded women. However, NBC showed some twists coming up (again) where former contestants were back on the show. Folks, I can deal with the gameplay but don’t confuse me by changing the rules each week. That’s just not right.

Anyway, Phil lost a ton of weight, 106 pounds to date, and celebrated his 20th anniversary with Amy on camera back home in South Carolina. Good for him, because he’s not as bad a guy as the blue team made him out to be.

Meanwhile, I can’t wait to see Brady, Vicky and Heba all turn against each other when this competition becomes individual. Ha! See you all in two weeks, as Election Day coverage will pre-empt the show next week. And please make sure to vote!