The contestants are all getting ready to head out to LA for the LIVE finale and I thought it would be fun to give you all a little glimpse into what happens behind the scenes before the live show. It is a very exciting time. For some of the contestantsd, it will be the first time they get to see each other since the taping of the show. When they arrive at the hotel there will be a lot of things they will need to do. They will go to wardrobe to get their finale outfit picked out. I thought this was a blast. They had two rooms filled with dresses, shoes, jewelry, etc. Trying on tons of clothes and working with the stylists to see what looked the best. They will also go to makeup to get their official NBC after-photos taken. At some point each contestant will get a spray tan. They say the lights on the studio stage are so bright each contestant needs a spray tan so they do not look washed out on TV. (These events are in no particular order.)

Then there is a trip to the doctor's office. They will go through a series of medical testing like a bone density scan, body composition test, urine, blood, etc. This way the results can be compared to their tests from when they started. The improvements are remarkable.

While all of this is taking place the four finalists will be sequestered from all of the other contestants. They will even stay at a completely different hotel so no one sees them before the live finale. The first time I saw Helen or Tara since the taping of the show was when they came busting through the paper on the stage towards the end of the finale. I was blown away by the transformations.

The day of the finale, all contestants will arrive at the studio super early. The at-home contestants will be held in a large holding area downstairs. They will do a quick run through of the show. They basically tell and show you where you need to go and when. There is a lot of pressure and little room for error since it is a live show. It is all very exciting. After the rehearsal, contestants will start to go through hair, make-up and wardrobe to get ready for the big moment.

Next thing you know, IT'S SHOW TIME! For our finale the girls were all held in one area backstage and the guys were held in another. They do this because of the quick wardrobe change into your weigh-in outfit. It's so weird when you are sitting backstage and the show has started. You can hear the crowd, the music, you can hear Allison Sweeney and the beeps of the scale. Before you know it... he finalists are being weighed in, the winner is determined and the confetti is falling. In the blink of an eye... it's over. Next thing you know you are sitting on a plane flying back home ready to face reality. Little do you know this is when the toughest Biggest Loser challenge begins.

So here we are. We have our four finalists. I cannot believe how fast this season seemed to go by. It is so hard to fall below the yellow line when you are so close to going home. It's not like you can use the argument that you "need" to be there. When I fell below the yellow line last season I knew everyone was going home the next week. It was tough. It really came down to winning a game.

Thank you all so much for your comments on last week's blog regarding your predictions. I am so up in the air on who I think is going to win this. I do not think anyone expected Helen Phillips to win last year, yet she did. I would have thought Mike or Tara would have taken it. Helen proved to us all that anything is possible. You would think Rudy or Danny would have the best chance because of the amount of weight they have to lose but since this is based off of percentages, Liz and Amanda really have a good shot.

If this becomes a 50% game, which it very well could, these contests are all pretty neck-and-neck.

Rudy would need to have lost 75 lbs at home weighing in at 221 lbs at finale.

Danny would need to have lost 73 lbs at home weighing in at 215 lbs at finale.

Amanda would need to have lost 61 lbs at home weighing in at 125 lbs at finale.

Liz would need to have lost 64.5 lbs at home weighing in at 133.5 lbs at finale.

In my opinion the time frame between coming home from the ranch and before the finale is so difficult. Life is not normal. You come back to an old life as a new person. You have to figure out how to put all the pieces of the puzzle back together. The pressure is intense but we all know what happens to a piece of coal under a lot of pressure... it turns into a diamond. I cannot wait to see who this season's diamond is going to be!

Who doesn't love a good makeover? The Biggest Loser makeover episode has to be one of my all time favorite episodes. It is so fun to see how far everyone has come. Do you have any idea how good it feels to put normal clothes on after wearing a t-shirt, spandex and gym shoes for months?!?! Words cannot describe how fun it is to shop with Tim Gunn and get your hair done by celebrity stylist Tabatha Coffey. That is truly a Hollywood moment.

On the flip side of that I have to say for me it was a little hard to walk back into the Biggest Loser gym after the makeover. I felt as if the clock just struck midnight and my carriage just turned back into a pumpkin! I had to wipe off my makeup, put my new fancy clothes away and say goodbye to my husband. It was tough. I also knew that the makeover would not be possible if I didn't put in the time at the gym so I got over it pretty quick.

How about that argument between Rebecca and Rudy...WOW. I am telling you there is so much that happens behind the scenes that as viewers we never get to see. There is just not enough time. The next few weeks on the ranch are going to be so intense. I would have to say they are almost more difficult than the first few weeks. Physically you have to dig deeper than you ever have before in order to stay and for some, it doesn't matter how deep you dig because it still may not be enough to keep you in the game. Regardless of when you walk off the ranch you walk off a winner. When most contestants start off their Biggest Loser journey they want to win their lives back and for so many that is exactly what they get. This is going to get interesting. I would LOVE to hear your predictions. Who do you think is going to be a finalist and why? Who is going to win it all? POST HERE!

To say the tension was high on the Biggest Loser ranch is an understatement! This week's episode of the Biggest Loser was intense. It is getting so close to the end and becoming a finalist is a real possibility. Everyone is on edge. You are running every scenario through your head. It's enough to drive you mad.

One scenario I am sure never went through Shay's head was losing 17lbs, breaking a weight loss record and still going home! How does that even happen? This game is so unpredictable. Shay crushed my record for the fastest 100lb weight loss by a woman on the ranch. She did it in nine weeks. That is absolutely amazing. I could not be happier for her. In my opinion records are meant to be broken.

One of my favorite moments in this episode came from Rebecca. She just walked out of the gym after getting her butt handed to her by Jillian and she is sitting in her room with Amanda. She is crying and telling Amanda how sometimes she just wants to quit. How she has to fight so hard to go and work out. I loved the honesty. I loved the reality in that moment. For me that was a glimpse into real life. Whether you are on the Biggest Loser ranch or sitting at home it can still be a battle. You still have to dig deep and fight hard to do the things you know you need to do.

Next week is one of my all time favorite Biggest Loser episodes... the MAKEOVER EPISODE! I cannot wait!

"The Biggest Loser" takes the nation's capital by storm! What a fun episode. Jillian stated in Tuesday's episode that "The Biggest Loser" is more than just a reality TV show. I could not agree more. When I think of the issue of obesity in our nation I think of three words I once read in a book. "Evolve or die." We are literally killing ourselves with food.

According to the Center for Disease Control, one-third of U.S. children between the ages of 4 to 19 have fast food for at least one of their meals. "The Biggest Loser" is trying to fight that.

It has been an amazing honor having been part of this show. I cannot begin to explain what it has been like to watch the number of lives this show affects. There have been people who have come up to me and said they have been inspired by the show to change. There are people in their lives, who may have never even watched the show, who were inspired to change. It is like a domino effect. "The Biggest Loser" is the catalyst this nation has needed for a long time.