This week started off with a bang. At the end of the last elimination I warned them that this week things were going to change – and that only one person was going home, no more team eliminations. They had a ton of questions… which would be answered at the challenge.
I have to say, I was shocked by Jillian’s reaction to the news that we were going to black and blue teams. I’m not sure what I expected, but as Bob claimed Orange, Black and Grey teams as the new blue, the tears running down Jillian’s face said it all.
I know all the teams feel really close to Bob and Jillian, and they have had the unique experience of being trained by both of them for several weeks now. And even though it has still been a ‘competition’ to the contestants, Bob and Jillian were happy to take a break from competing against each other. And then, the midnight announcement in front of the escalators at an LA mall, it’s ‘game on’.
Bob had the unenviable position of winning the right to choose the teams. And it’s pretty clear that he stacked the deck in his favor – physically. He chose teams that have been clearly marked as the biggest ‘threats’ on campus. But knowing Bob, I know he was also considering the best fit for each contestant, as much as he was thinking about putting together a great team. And again, Jillian has a team of ‘outcasts’. Though as was proven by Jillian last season, you can never discount her band of misfits. And truly, there are no underdogs in this game. Because so many different factors come into play. I mean, who would have guessed that Orange Team would have won the Biggest Loser Team of the week, twice? Who would have thought that from one week to the next, the Yellow team could have gone from almost being eliminated to winning the weigh-in?
And lets talk about Brittney, staying strong on that escalator up against the boys in blue. She held out for more than 20 minutes. That was truly impressive. And while I think Jillian was trying to save Brittney’s legs to, with a ‘live to work-out another day’ mentality, I could see that Brittney did not want to give up. I totally relate to that competitive spirit. I told her too, I totally get why she didn’t want to give up. I’m like that too … I hate working out, and certainly stair-steppers are the devil, but make it a game? And I would’ve kept walking until I passed out rather than give up. Brittney has been working hard for weeks now, but she shined in that challenge and earned new respect from everyone out there that night. I think the blue team knows the black team isn’t giving up without a fight. Which was why it wasn’t surprising but certainly impressive that no one was ‘tempted’ by the strategy advantage at the Cola Wars temptation.
Ultimately, everyone is at the BL ranch for the same reasons. To lose weight, get healthy, to change their lives. But at the end of this experience, only one person gets to ‘win’, and only one person gets the $250,000. So it is understandable, that even though this is a truly unique bonding experience, no matter how the teams start out, it is, in the end, an individual game.
I was sad to say goodbye to Jenn. She and Maggie have been such a fun team to get to know, they both work really hard, and Jenn was starting to have all that work pay off on the scale. We spoke briefly before she went home and it was hard to see how disappointed she was to be leaving the ranch so soon, but I knew she was committed to getting healthy, and seeing how great she looks now was so inspiring.
