The Biggest Loser - (Oh the Drama, or I love you, man!)
Week 7 of The Biggest Loser – at the beginning of the show this week the hostility was palpable. Mark even made the statement that the women of the blue team were the “stupidest people he knows”. I bet he had a lot of dates when he was young – they were probably queuing up outside his dorm waiting for a chance to be with such a sensitive man. (However, Mark does show his sensitive side later that show – more later).
The contestants are called into the elimination room and find out that the teams as they knew them are no more. They are going to be paired up to compete in the challenge and weigh-in that week. The contestants also find out that one of them will have the power to decide the make up of the teams. They are sent forth from the elimination room and into a temptation. There are covered plates on a table. Under one of the plates is “the power” to decide the make up of the teams. The rest of the plates have food on them. If the candidate decides to participate but has food under the cover, he/she must eat it. All the remaining contestants except Shannon and Dr. Jeff participate. Pete wins the power to decide who competes with whom.
Pete calls the contestants together for a group meeting and asks everyone to share their feelings – about who they would like to be paired up with, or anything in general. After this rap session, Pete goes out for a walk to contemplate the pairings. He says to the camera (or himself, who knows?) that “with power comes responsibility” and he decides it is more important to pair people up with those that will give everyone the best chance of success. Me, I’d pick the person most likely to help me win a quarter mil, but that’s probably why I’m on the futon and he’s on TV.
The teams that Pete picks are:
- Shannon and Matt
- Andrea and Mark
- Suzy and Seth
- Pete and Dr. Jeff
We get to see some “private time” with each of the teams, as they all seem to be trying to get along and work together. (Reference the title of this article – Oh, the drama.) Jillian and Bob at first seem ticked off that their teams have been broken apart, but then decide that it’s probably a good thing and they work as a team to train the contestants. The challenge this week brings us to the beach. And along the same lines, the winners of the challenge win surfing lessons in Hawaii – each member wins a five night trip for two to Hawaii. More importantly, the winning team gets immunity from elimination that week. One member of the team has to hold a bucket full of water in the air. The other member of the team is the filler. The person who holds their bucket up last wins. Pete drops the bucket first, then Mark. The drama builds as Seth and Matt are left holding their buckets and as we cut to commercial we see one of them dramatically drop to the ground (oh, the drama). After the break we find out it’s Matt who drops the bucket, so Seth and Suzy get the trips as well as the immunity this week.
We also experience drama of a personal nature this episode. Matt’s uncle died of a heart attack, but his family all want him to stay at the ranch and keep working. During the weigh in Matt gives a very dramatic (see, what did I tell you - drama) and moving speech encouraging everyone to get healthy so they don’t die from a heart attack. The night of the weigh in comes, and it’s a good thing that Suzy and Seth have immunity, because Seth doesn’t lose any weight. Pete and Jeff go first, losing a total of 2.86%. Andrea and Mark are next, losing 4.18%. Matt and Shannon go last, and win the weigh in having lost 4.63% of their body weight. Pete and Dr. Jeff are up for elimination.
Dr. Jeff goes through the house the next day, telling everyone that Pete deserves to stay and that he (Jeff) is ready to go home. I think that’s true friendship. (Reference the title of this article – I love you, man). The elimination – and what a dramatic scene it was. Mark showed that he isn’t just a callous, arrogant person – he has a softer side. When he casts the deciding vote to send Pete off the show, he does it with tears streaming down his face. (I’m not sure if this is enough to forgive him for calling the women the stupidest people he knows. But it sure was dramatic – oh, the drama). Pete gives everyone a hug as he leaves the room (I love you, man). When we see Pete today, he looks fabulous. He’s lost a total of 137 pounds and has just a bit more to go to reach his goal. He looks like a completely different person.
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