Anyway, since Nicole was voted off by a slim margin last week, with Filipe, Sione and Helen all voting for Ron, there was hell to be paid by Ron, who Kristin said is competitive, manipulative, and that they call him “The Godfather.” Wow. But check this out….when they all went back to the dorms, Mike and Ron said they felt betrayed, and Ron said “Thanks to all of you who voted to keep me here, but for those who didn’t, may you be struck down and die.” Holy crap, did Ron just say that? Then he went on some rant to Filipe about Filipe lying to Ron’s face, and Filipe didn’t defend himself, but he was clearly upset that Ron called him a liar. Let’s face it, this is a game and now that game was on.

So the initial challenge this week was a gameplay inducer if there ever was one. There were about 100 covered silver trays, and under each one was either a high calorie snack, or a few packs of sugarless gum with $500 or $1000. But there was one that held “the golden ticket,” which granted that person the one and only vote at this week’s weigh in, provided that person was above the yellow line. But as the contestants opened a tray, they had to eat what was under the cover before moving on to another tray. The calories could, and would, add up fast. But nobody wanted somebody else to have that golden ticket, so they all indulged, knowing that their trainers would be pissed. Well, Kristin actually ate maybe one snack and then stopped, thinking that if she ate less than everyone else, she had a better chance of avoiding potential elimination. I like Kristin, and now that Ron has been exposed as a gameplayer as well as his son Mikey, I want Kristin to win.

Anyway, Laura wound up with the golden ticket, and she immediately tried to convince her game partner Tara to throw the weigh in so that Laura would have an easy choice. But Tara wasn’t sure she wanted to disrespect the reason they were all there, and feared that Laura might fall below the line with her anyway. Needless to say, Bob and Jillian were extremely annoyed, and vowed to make everyone work extra hard in the gym that week.

Kristin then brought Laura breakfast in bed, which was quite hilarious. Then Jillian brought her team to Subway for some product placement, and Jerry and Coleen from last season were on hand to show everyone how they were both still living the healthy lifestyle they learned at the ranch.

Then it was time for the main challenge, which took place at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, one of the most storied football venues in the country. But they weren’t there to play football. The teams, broken into men vs. women, had to run up and down the stairs, ultimately grabbing their own colored flag to bring back to the starting point. The two players who brought their flags first would face off in a second heat to determine the winner, who would claim the prize of a family spa vacation. Not surprisingly, it came down to Sione and Tara. But for as much as Sione kept saying he wanted to win, he was once again no match for the fiery Tara. Okay, so we’re back to this again. I’m now fully convinced that Tara threw the challenge last week to make everyone like her more.

They then showed Kristin going for a walk with Helen, Sione and Filipe, ironically the alliance that voted to send Ron home the previous week. Kristin kept her mouth shut when Filipe asked for Kristin to join their alliance, and that was smart. Then there was another product placement as Bob treated his team to the DVD of “Marley and Me” while showing them the difference between air popped popcorn and movie theater popcorn. I’ll tell you what the difference is, Bob…..your version is like eating unsalted cardboard while the theater version is crunchy, oily and wonderfully salty. Of course, that’s why I have a bit of a spare tire, so I won’t say Bob is wrong.

Then came the weigh in. Mikey went first and lost 5 pounds, which is not what he wanted. Ron lost 9, which he was happy about but not happy that he did better than Mikey. Whatever, dude. Tara was next and lost only 3 pounds. Jillian was pissed and thought that Tara purposely threw the weigh in, but Tara vowed that she didn’t and I have to say I believed her. Kristin lost 6 pounds which made me really happy, but Helen lost 2 and was in danger of falling below the line. Filipe lost 7 but Sione only lost 4, putting he and Helen at the bottom. Now it was Laura’s turn. Would she fall below the line and lose her vote, or would she be faced with the task of voting off either Helen or Sione?
Laura lost 8 pounds, which not only gave her that one vote, but put her in first place for the week. Wow.

So as she contemplated what to do and listened to Helen say Laura was like a daughter to her and Sione say she was like a sister to him, Sione and Filipe then did some weird Hawaiian dance and chant for good luck. Then as they showed them at the chopping block, Mrs. Mike said something that made total sense….that is, who would Tara want voted off? Clearly that would be Sione, her biggest rival and a big threat to win it all. Helen is not going to win, and she will likely get herself voted off soon. And sure enough, Laura used her power to vote Sione off and send him home.

Sione was at peace with the decision, and they showed him at home with his family being more active and being a better father and husband than he had been before. Good for him. But he’s also gone down from 372 pounds to 235. And trust me, dude is not done yet. I’m quite sure Sione is going to battle Nicole for that $100K.

So that’s it. We’re down to the teams of Ron and Mike and Tara and Laura, with individual players Kristin, Filipe and Helen. Ron was shown telling Mikey that having two of the players who voted for Ron last week fall below the line was the perfect scenario for both of them. But I think Ron is setting himself up to turn the house against he and his son. We’ll see.

Meanwhile, aren’t you all so thrilled that gameplay is back? Ugh.

But I digress…..you’re going to feel like a stick figure when you watch this season opener tomorrow night. There is a 19-year old dude who weighs in at 454 pounds. Now, I’m currently trying to lose 10 pounds, but I weight about a third of what that guy weighs. Damn. And he’s only NINETEEN. That is a scary thing, America. Also, 63-year old Jerry collapses and you fear he’s having a heart attack…I don’t want you all to worry, so I’ll just tell you that Jerry is fine and continues after a short hospital visit.

The producers of this show know that they have a huge hit on their hands, especially when they air it in January when everyone is embarking on their own weight loss and fitness regimens. And while putting these (literally) larger than life contestants on is so shocking it makes for better TV, they need to seriously think about keeping the format of the show more conventional, thereby giving everyone a fair opportunity and not making us scratch our heads after each episode.

Anyway, that’s all I’ll say….come back here as we’ll recap each week’s episode the following morning!

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!

Last night’s episode began by showing Michelle and Renee, the remaining black team members, commenting that Amy had made a mistake and then trainer Jillian Michaels saying, “Vicky is going to get Amy.” Vicky’s pal Heba agreed, and Vicky even said she still doesn’t trust Amy. Oh, how I wish you would have pulled the trigger last week, Amy.

Anyway, it was an NFL-themed week since it’s the week of Thanksgiving, and the first challenge featured former NFL stars Jerry Rice and Steve Young leading the contestants on an NFL-combine type obstacle course challenge. Vicky hoofed it the first time, correctly realizing that there would be a second heat, and the winner would be the one who beat their first time by the most time….so sneaky, evil Vicky of course won.

Then there was the official challenge, on a football field where they had to wear jerseys with numbers showing the amount of weight each one had lost to this point. They had to catch footballs and bring them back into a rack with an opponents’ name and when that person’s rack was full, they were eliminated. No surprise then, that Vicky said to her teammates, “Take out the black team.” And when they did, because well, Vicky is evil, Renee and Michelle were pissed….then they took out Amy, because, well, Vicky is evil. And Vicky, who claimed to be a huge football fan, won the challenge and tickets to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl in 2009. Grrrrrrrr. Michelle and Renee felt like they were being bullied, because they were, and this fueled Jillian to make them work harder than ever at the last chance workout.

But first, a Thanksgiving dinner makeover by chef Rocco DiSpirito, who Amy admitted to having a crush on. After that, each contestant was shown a video from their family.

Then came the weigh in….and it’s really getting down to the wire here. Amy went first and lost 5 pounds, but that wound up as the lowest percentage of weight loss. Heba was next at 7 pounds. Ed lost 9, Vicky 7, and Renee 8 and Michelle 10. That meant that not only Renee and Michelle would not fall below the yellow line, they were the top losers this week. Jillian smiled and so did I and Mrs. Mike. But that left Amy and Heba below the line, Amy for the first time ever. We knew Renee and Michelle would vote for Heba, and that Ed would vote for Amy to keep his wife there. So what do you know? Vicky had the swing vote because a tie would send Amy home since she had the least percentage of weight loss. I thought for a second that Vicky would vote Heba off, but then, naaaah. She is evil. And so she voted for Amy, and Amy went home, probably kicking herself the whole way.

Folks, I’ve been watching this show for a few years and I have never wanted to punch someone like I want to punch Vicky. In fact, I can’t remember ever feeling so much venom toward anyone in any walk of life before. I have no tolerance for bullies, and I so badly want for Vicky to go home next week and not be in the finals. Michelle, Renee….I’m pulling for you and I bet all of America is too.

As for Amy, she went from a size 22 at the start of the show, to a size 8. Wow…..good for her, but she still blew it last week because she could have won the big prize. See you all next week, and Happy Thanksgiving!