This week we jump right into the action with a pop challenge. I know I have said this 10 times already, but how cool is it that the trainers are participating in some of these challenges?? I LOVE that. It was always so annoying to have to come back from a challenge and give Bob and Jillian the play-by-play as to what happened. This way they're already there and part of the action. Bravo NBC, bravo.
Okay, moving on. Now, I imagine my best "Price Is Right" voice... "Come on down for a fun game of... wait for it... PLINKO!!" Did anyone else notice that this pop challenge was PLINKO?? So. Much. Fun. The rules of the game are simple... it's just plain chance. The prize however could be a major game changer. Alison tells the contestants that the player who wins will be going home for a week to spend time with family AND take their trainer with them. There is however a catch. Duh, this is Biggest Loser after all! Not only do you get to go home, but your weight will be the only weight that counts for your team. *Cue record scratching sound effect* I was so fascinated to hear the contestants reactions to this prize. As expected, it was really all across the board. For me, I would have wanted to avoid this prize like the plague!! Anyways, the contestants all place their names on the playing board and Alison releases the game piece. It bounces down the board and lands on Sunny from the Black Team. She immediately starts running around screaming in complete excitement. All this celebrating is going on, and I can't pull my eyes from Bob Harper. He has steam coming out of his ears! He immediately explains to Sunny that there is no reason to celebrate, AND basically she isn't getting a vacation because he is going to KILL her in Texas. Awesome.
The rest of the episode really focused on Sunny and Bob in Texas. I loved seeing Sunny's family and their excitement for how well she has done. We got a mix of workouts... lots of Bob killing Sunny in the gym. The highlight of the evening was Bob on a mechanical bull. Yes, that happened.
I think my favorite out of all the Texas scenes was when Sunny had a breakdown at her local gym. She shares with Bob that in the past she had come to the gym and a group of college-aged kids laughed and made fun of her. She continues to break down and tell us that after that incident she never returned to the gym because of embarrassment. I think so many people feel that way at the gym. Sometimes it feels like a fishbowl, and everyone is looking at you. I really applaud Sunny for facing a VERY real fear and overcoming it. What a great example for so many of us.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Dolvett really tried to drive home that losing challenges and weigh-ins is "not funny." He felt like his team wasn't taking things seriously, and there was way too much joking. I can say based on the workouts this week... all joking came to a stop. Then over on the Blue Team, issues came head to head with Bonnie and Anna. Anna really feels like Bonnie has always had to put on a brave face in sight of hardships and now that repression is surfacing. On the flip side of the coin, Bonnie says that Anna always tries to blame Bonnie's frustrations on her past, but that is not it at all. Bonnie said that it is an issue between her and Anna. Throughout the episode, we never really got to the bottom of that issue. Now I'm SO curious as to what's going on there... hopefully there will be some light shed in the weeks to come. Lastly, the rest of the Black Team really feels the loss of Sunny and Bob. There seems to be some major tension between the guys and Jennifer. That was another bag of problems that was surprising.
Finally, we had our weekly physical challenge. This time we got big barrels of orange soda (yuck) that the contestants have to carry in drinking glasses through a bungee maze to a cylinder on the other side. The team that fills their cylinder first wins. The prize: each team member will get to gift a family member with a two-week stay at The Biggest Loser Resort at Fitness Ridge. Let me tell you, having spent a lot of time at Fitness Ridge - that is an AMAZING prize! As usual, it was neck and neck between the Black and Red Teams. In the end, the Red Team was able to solidify their first challenge win!
The weigh-in was great. We saw pretty good numbers across the board, but everyone was DYING to see Sunny get on the scale. Not to my surprise, she got on the scale and SMASHED it!!! Not only did she save her team from the elimination room, but she helped the Black Team win the entire weigh-in!!
The Red Team was forced again to eliminate one of their own, and unfortunately, it left Courtney on the chopping block. I was surprised at how sad I was to see her go. I didn't realize how much I liked her. It really felt like her journey was cut short, but based on her "Where Are They Now" piece at the end of the episode, I can't WAIT to see her at finale!
Well??? What did you think?? How about Bob on the bull?! TV gold?? Share your comments below!! Until next time...
Health and Happiness,
Olivia xo