Oh yeah, it's here! We have all been waiting for it and finally the live finale is on. Jess and I will be there and we can't wait to see who wins. It was incredible to see all the contestants come back - they all looked amazing. I am proud of my brothers and sisters and can't wait to see them at the finale. Seeing Jeremy fight his way back to the finals after getting eliminated brought me back to last season. Good luck, Jeremy; I hope you can do what I couldn't and become The Biggest Loser!

Everyone looked amazing, but the genuine smiles and love of health and life are what the show is all about. All said and done, it doesn't matter who becomes The Biggest Loser; it's what you come away from the show with, and how you pass on the message that really matters.

Well I'm out. Thanks for letting me vent and give my two cents about the best show on TV. I loved my time on The Biggest Loser and I am thankful every day for the gift of health the show gave me. I will try my best to give back all that I can and just be the best I can. You can count on that.

To all of you who are reading this and watching the show trying to get motivated to start your journey, I can say this: Don't wait! You are worth it and you can do it. You are the key to success and truly will love what you can accomplish when you try wholeheartedly. You got this!!! Get out there and earn your life back!!!

Keep smiling.
Peace, Health and Aloha,
Ramon

I can't believe these contestants are so selfish and are trying to pull some junk. Every season there's a twist at the end; to say you didn't know is, once again, ridiculous. We all sign a very similar contract, and after I got eliminated, I did come back and win the marathon to earn a spot in the finale. I took two finalists' spots, and one of them was Vinny who was my pal from the get-go, so we all felt bad. But that's the name of the game, and from the start, we were told of all the scenarios that could happen. I won't soil my blog with the names of the two chumps who quit because I don't want to give them any credit. These two guys should be embarrassed because they took someone's spot, and they should indeed be looked at as quitters! Yes, they worked hard for their weight loss, but to give a lame excuse on a season ironically called "No Excuses" is dumb. I'm still shocked they left and shut down production. But oh well, good riddance you two, and good luck with life.

Onto good news, Conda, Kim and Jeremy all decided to stay and worked their butts off to keep the dream of being The Biggest Loser alive. At the weigh-in, Conda pulled a 10, but Kim got on the scale and just blew that 10 out of the water, securing her spot in the finale. Then it was between brother and sister to see who would be in the finale. Jeremy worked hard every week but only dropped a 10 and was the last person to get eliminated.

After all the drama, once again all I can say is I'm super proud to be part of The Biggest Loser family, and I thank the show and everyone on it and around who have helped all of us who took pride in being selected as contestants. You have changed our lives forever and we will forever give back and help others change their lives.

Peace Health and Aloha,
Ramon

PS - We're coming to the finale and we are super excited to see our friends and Biggest Loser family! Who knows, you might see Jess and I on your TV, so be on the lookout.

Wow, the makeovers were amazing. Professor X, aka Mark and Jared the Subway Guy, aka Buddy, looked the most dramatic in their transformations. But Kim blew the doors off in that size 6 dress.

Only The Biggest Loser could turn the White House into a gym and get the First Lady moving and breaking a serious sweat. I love the initiative Lets Move! and Jess and I will surely be moving for the rest of our lives.

This episode flew by with two Last-Chance Workouts breaking the contestants down and getting them ready for the weigh-in. Once again Chris was all about excuses and debating if she should be there or not. I'm over this. In the season of no excuses Chris has come up with every one and used a nasty peanut butter mayo covered burger to help her throw in the towel. Although Bob made her realize she is important, it was too late when she popped a two-pound gain at the weigh-in, and you know how that goes. Going under the yellow line with Kim left a little drama but not much after you heard Buddy wasn't scared and wanted to go against Kim but most of all he thought of her as a sister.

So there you have it. Chris is gone because of a two-pound gain. I can't say many motivating things to someone who still hasn't found the motivation in herself, but I hope one day she does and I know she will!!!

Peace, Health and Aloha
Ramon

This episode brought the fun and made Jess and I crack up. Between Bob's "Where's Waldo" outfit and Buddy making it rain in the Zumba workout, we couldn't do anything but have fun. Exercise is everything but boring, and I know it's super hard to get started; but if you try things you've never done before and find something you like, it will become fun and a part of your life. As Bob was saying when he took his team on a bike ride, if you can find something you enjoy, it won't even feel like a workout.

I enjoyed this episode; I actually didn't want it to end. First off, I have to tell you about the challenge; the contestants had to load a truck full of Newman's Own dressing and sauce, and the winner would get a pound advantage and give a massive amount of grub to their local food bank. That was awesome. I love when the show helps out so many people! Mark had the strategy down and took a 10-box lead away from Kim to win, and then The BL I know and love was back! All the contestants banded together to finish their trucks and help out a lot more people.

Showing that exercise isn't boring, Dolvett took Kim, Jeremy, Buddy and Mark to Zumba. I had a ball watching these peeps get down. Did you see the smiles? They had a blast. See America, get off the couch and go hit up a class or two and get your burn on! After all the fun the crew had, they competed in a cooking challenge. The judges for this challenge turned out to be my buds from Season 12 - My dog Big Vinny Mac who was looking pretty fly for a country guy, LOL. Antone - you're looking good bro, but you know you're still ugly. :) I can't believe the show had Antone back before me. Dang, I can't ever beat that giant, but it's all good! I'm still convinced Becky is lying about her age... looking good as always!

Jeremy bit the big one with his Banana Surprise, but Conda was looking like a pro in the kitchen with the turkey chili - I am totally stealing that idea. Who knew that Kim's dish would come out looking and tasting that good after all her talk about her kitchen skills. I thought Conda had this one in the bag.

The show is way more entertaining without all the drama. Well, there was a little from Chris after Antone called her out on all the excuses. I totally agree with Tone, if you're willing to make excuses on one thing, it's easy to make them on everything. I think Chris does have some more to work on. But I know you can overcome anything - Chris, look how far you've come!

At the beginning of the week, Bob challenged Megan to film her workouts and show him what she's made of - but mostly show herself that she can do anything. At the weigh-in, Kim dropped a seven and was the Biggest Loser of the house. Mark surprisingly dropped a zero. He had the one-pound advantage to give him something, but it still put him under the yellow line with Megen. Yes I said Megan... Even after Bob's challenge, she fell below the yellow line. In elimination, it was pretty easy to see what was gonna happen. Although it was the last night on the ranch for Megan, I know she will do fine, and now she knows she is capable of anything she dreams up.

Jess and I have officially arrived in Buffalo, and in a few short months, The Biggest Loser Resort Niagara will be open and ready to help change lives. We can't wait! Look for Jess and me at the finale!!!

'Til next week -
Peace, Health and Aloha
Ramon

Aloha...
The Biggest Loser throwing up shakas all the way from Waikiki and the rest of Oahu...

I love it. This is my favorite episode just for the fact that they're giving Hawaii some serious love! I mean I'm super jealous but it's all good... Jess has never been to the islands and I can't wait to show her the most beautiful place on earth. I'm stoked that the crew went surfing and learned from one of the most motivating wahines of all time - Bethany Hamilton. You know Jess and I are ready to get some surfing lessons from Bethany too. Give us a call and we'll jump the next flight. Dang! I'm so bummed I wasn't there, but hey, I'm proud of my BL ohana. They even caught a few waves. Awesome! Oh yeah did you guys see the Diesel in his tiny shorts? I bet the ladies loved it.

Challenge time and everyone got laid... hu'i hu'i for sure! It looked like Conda and Jeremy created their own alliance. I guess they learned that the only ones they can trust in the house are their own ohana. I loved the fact that Dolvett reminded the crew every chance he could that this was no vacation even if they were in Hawaii. I'm not writing a lot on this one because I'm traveling like a mad man, getting ready for the opening of the newest Biggest Loser Resort, Niagara. Life is getting crazy for sure, but it's gonna be so beast. Everyone should come check it out and get a workout with Jess and I.

With Megan and Kimmy up for elimination, Kimmy was sent packing. Although she's leaving her daughter, she is going home a stronger mom and person. She got to learn how to surf and swim in Hawaii, rock climb and conquer everything that was in her way. Awesome for sure...

Well mahalo for listening,
Peace, Health and Aloha.

Ramon

Correct me if I am wrong but isn't The Biggest Loser supposes to show people sweating, grunting, screaming and working out like crazy? I watched an entire episode of the show and I think I saw about 10 minutes of Kim trying to jump on a jump block and Jeremy running like a nut on the treadmill and that was it. What I did get to see was Emily complaining the entire episode about her insecurities. I wish Jess or I were around the ranch to talk to her. She's an awesome athlete but she's allowing herself to fall because of her fears. It's Week 11, and she has got to work on those fears and move on! Those fears belong with the old Emily, and she needs to start working on who she is now. Get in the gym, run like Dolvett is hovering over you, pop the hang cleans to impress Bob in his high socks and walk around the ranch like you own it. Stop worrying about who is going to try to beat you and BEAT THEM!

Now what I did like in this episode was the awesome challenge. Everyone began in a circle back to back attached to a ring in an ice skating rink. To win you had to be strong enough to pull everyone in your direction just enough to allow you to grab a rope and reel yourself in to hit your button. What was cool was that everyone won in this challenge - it was a white elephant grab bag! What makes a white elephant fun is when people steal and trade gifts, and sometimes it's to your benefit. Trust me on this one; you typically want to trade! I learned this at Jess' family Christmas grab bag - I got stuck with the coffee table books! By the way, thanks Mrs. Limpert, they are great! (...smile...). My dawg Buddy came in last place due to his stress fracture but ended up with a sweet Biggest Loser hat - do it in style, man! The cool gifts were a phone for a day, a one-pound advantage, double elimination vote, and shopping with a celebrity for a day with a friend. The winner of the challenge surprised me, my dude Jeremy, a stand-up guy. He traded with Conda (and her sweet goldfish) and gave her his gift, shopping with a celeb. Awww... family love.

Jess was ready to take out Conda when we found out that Jessica Simpson is the celebrity she gets to go shopping with! I'm not going to lie, I had "The Dukes of Hazzard" poster of Jessica in my dorm room. Even pregnant Jessica is one fine looking woman, but then again I know my Jessica can kick anyone's butt AND she's even more beautiful. Conda chose to take Kim with her for a single mamma bonding day, and both of those girls were looking slim - keep it up ladies!

Weigh-in time - forgot to mention earlier the groups moved to singles, finally the yellow line! Who was going to fall? Will it be Buddy due to his stress fracture? Chris who thinks the world is out to get her? Emily and her battle with insecurity? Once again, the yellow line won, and it brought Kimmy and Emily below it. Because Emily had been scheming with her pals Kim and Cassandra in the past few weeks, she created a target on her back. Sadly it was Emily's time to go - with her bags packed, let's see what kind of threat she'll be at the season finale come May! Yes, Jess and I will be there at the finale to see this cast and their new bodies. Can't wait!

Peace, Health and Aloha,

Ramon and his English teacher Jess xoxo

This week the game is on. This episode totally brought me back to the ranch. The game became evident in our season when Jess got voted out because she was a threat. Tonight's episode was just the same, but I guess I'm jumping the gun and I'll set the scene for the weigh-in first.

The teams traded trainers and emotions hit the fan. Bob worked out the Red Team with a week full of punishing cross fit. D got a team full of girls who are super strong, but are all frazzled with the change. They didn't look happy! :) But I know D is, and he loves to work out fresh faces. And don't forget Conda was back with D. Sorry bro, I feel for ya, but it's all good.

A challenge in the mud, oh yeah, it was time to get dirty. I want to put a shout out to the challenge squad; they are doing up nice with all these challenges. How come we didn't get anything this fun on Season 12...? With the Red Team putting in work and Emily being a stick-in-the-mud, Red Team earned a two-pound advantage, making a huge step in the right direction of a Red Team win.

Well now on to the game play. The gals on the Black Team - mostly Emily and Cassandra - wanted an all-girl finale and recruited Conda and Kim as part of their alliance. Bad move! There was no way Conda would vote off her original team and her brother. I guess the moral of the story is watch who you tell your plan to, because Conda made a beeline to the guys' room and let them in on the plan. Game on!!! Then after two crazy Last-Chance Workouts, it was off to the weigh-in.

Oh wait - I just remembered! It's my duty to make fun of the Diesel in his tights when he took the gals to a ballet workout. I guess the ladies of America will be happy seeing Dolvett in this outfit, but I'm totally making fun of him. Lol.

At the weigh-in, everyone threw down some small numbers, but the Red Team pulled out a win thanks to Jeremy. The Black Team was sent to elimination, and the Red Team got to vote someone out. They couldn't vote for Emily, so the vote was between two people, Cassandra and Chris. After a tie, Buddy threw down the final vote for Cassandra. Karma! Well good luck girl, you did great, so prove yourself as that threat and take the 100 Gs.

Peace health and Aloha,
Ramon

FINALLY! A Biggest Loser episode I enjoyed! It was awesome to get to see each contestant for who he/she is in their natural setting, and give them the reality of what it's like in real life living this new lifestyle. The show started off by sending each of the contestants home for 18 days - WHAT! That's crazy! It's definitely a great gauge to find out who's been listening to the trainers while at the ranch and who has been... may I say... playing a game. The big twist was that everyone had to lose 5% of his or her own body weight. If they did that, each person would earn immunity for the weigh-in, regardless of which team fell. I mean really, 18 days! If you can't lose 5%, what ARE you doing? At the same time, we're getting to the middle of the season where it does get harder and harder to drop the weight. You have to put in even more time to produce the results. Most importantly, I'm wondering who's going to be a sucker for the drive-thrus? DON'T DO IT!!

Who knew that Season 13 was going to start touching our hearts? I'm sitting here and looking at Jess get all sappy and teary-eyed as each member heads home to see their families and show off their new mid-season bodies. We both can remember what that's like - makes the sacrifices all worth it when you can show off your hard work and receive positive feedback from your family. As soon as they hit the front door and say hello to the fams, Allison shows up on everyone's TV to present their welcome-home challenge. First person to get to 10,000 meters on the row machine wins $10K! DANG! Can I get in on that? I could definitely use the money and I would give these people a run for it! Not only was there a monetary prize for the winner, but everyone got their own row machine to keep up the dedication when they return home. Who was going to pull off the $10K win? Everyone seemed to be up against Emily; she's definitely the one I was pulling for. Get it!

We all got to see Emily check into her local bakery and drool over her old favorites, while Buddy actually bought a chili-cheese dog and a huge box of cheese fries. Buddy spent a good bit of time smelling the fries and lurking at the cheese dog, but surprisingly it was Cassandra who showed that she was going to give into her temptation of a chocolate kiss cookie! NO!!! I think we were all screaming at the TV, telling her to NOT do it. As I see it though, it was good for Cassandra to tempt herself with her favorite pastime of baking. It's okay to have one cookie rather than the entire batch... however hasn't nutritionist Rachel taught her to stay away from white bleached flour? Come on now! No good Cassandra!

Back to the ranch, everyone returned for a brutal Last-Chance Workout where Chris nearly died. No, she really didn't, but she panicked and freaked out after busting butt on the row machine once again and hyperventilated, sprawled out on Bob's new box gym. Cue Sandy - best athletic trainer around. Dolvett chatted with Kim as he noticed she was unfocused. Kim was feeling threatened by the lack of routine in the gym at home, which could send her packing for good. Everyone pulled off great numbers at the weigh-in. For the Red Team, Kim and Mark fell below the 5% loss. After everyone on the black Team pulls their weight and loses the 5% each, it comes down to Chism. He had to lose more than 11 pounds to be safe and send either his dad Mark or Kim packing. Beep... beep... beep... and Chism lost 11 pounds! He was automatically eliminated. Mark pleaded for Chism to stay, offering to go home instead; however, Chism didn't let him do it. He owned up to his loss and headed home.

Not only will the Black Team be losing their strongest and only male team member; but Mark lost his son, and Jeremy lost his best friend. Stay focused everyone. Work hard and achieve those goals. Hard work, dedication!

Peace, Health and Aloha
Ramon

P.S. - Yes, obviously I had help on this blog... thanks Jess. I love you.

WOW!!! That's all I can say for this one. This episode was filled with exciting challenges and temptation challenges, but honestly it was all overshadowed by the gross display of gameplay at the weigh-in and the ridiculous reactions from most everyone in the elimination room and on the weigh-in stage. When Dolvett has to yell at people because of childish games, that's when you know who's at the ranch for the game and for the right reasons. I actually liked what Bob was trying to do. He was trying to get everyone to be real and confess to what they had just done. They threw the weigh-in and then did a crappy job at acting like they didn't... Yuck!!! If you're gonna play the game, play it right and own up to it.

We are not stupid folks. It's amazing how much Conda is in control of more than just her stay at the ranch. She has created an army of followers. I wouldn't follow her anywhere, but she is insuring her stay, week in and week out. It blew my mind when Daphne gained two pounds to insure her trip home. After the bonehead move of just moving Conda and Jeremy... WHAT!!! This episode freaked me out. I'm thinking back at what I just saw, and all I can think about is the drama!!!

Oh yeah, did you see Jess, Sione and I are trainers at The Biggest Loser Resorts as part of the challenge prize? Yeah Red Team, we're ready to help you get into finale shape. And hell yeah we look good... BOOM!!! That was the best part of the episode!!!

Peace, Health and Aloha
Ramon

Before I get into the episode, there's BIG news! Jess and I are going to Buffalo, New York to be the trainers at the newest Biggest Loser resort dubbed Niagara... So I'm writing this one from the Hyatt in Buffalo after the huge unveiling. It was so awesome! Jess and I got to hang out with Hannah and Olivia, Jay, Jen and Ada. If you haven't heard already, Ada is graciously giving away a week that she won to the resort to four lucky winners that will get to work out at BLR Niagara with her. If you're from Buffalo or the surrounding areas and want to get the opportunity of a lifetime, check out biggestloserresort.com for details. This weekend was awesome and couldn't get any better!

Okay, so now that I've told you the big news, it's back to the show. As usual, it was drama from Conda - but this week, it ignited a one-on-one competition with Daphne. Both these ladies were chosen to go home and represent their teams on the scale. Just like Sunny did last season, these gals would go home with Bob and Dolvett and get their butts kicked, and only their weights would count for their teams. But just when you thought this episode couldn't be filled with any more, Ali came through with more. The team with the best percentage would give Conda or Daphne a one-pound advantage, and the team who won the challenge would also give one of the girls another pound advantage. Dang, these pound advantages were flying around like nobody's business. Where were all these advantages last season?

So Daphne and Conda were back home working out with Bob and Dolvett and the teams were left once again to do it on their own without the help of a trainer. Good luck... The Red Team was once again kicking it up a notch under the leadership skills of Kim. The Black Team looked unfocused without Bob. I must say this Black Team looked lost in the gym. I think they need to come to The New Biggest Loser Resort, Niagara, in Buffalo, New York, and Jess and I can show them how to get it done in the gym, and better yet, with a killer Last-Chance Workout.

Daphne was looking fierce at home with Bob, and Conda was going a 100 miles an hour thanks to Dolvett. This weigh-in was going to be a battle for the ages. At challenge time, Ali had both teams on the beach - this challenge looked so fun! The name of the game was both teams must get their whole team under three logs and drag a 200-pound dummy along for the ride... Awesome, lets get digging!

The Black Team started off strong, but the Red Team came out digging like pirates who found buried treasure and just crushed the Black Team like it was nothing. BAM! One-pound advantage for Conda. Although the pound advantage was good, the teams were also fighting for letters from home. In our season, letters from home meant the world to us. It was all the motivation anyone needed to go extra hard in the challenge, so I knew these teams went hard and gave it all they got.

Daphne was killing it, and in the Last-Chance Workout, Bob took her to the Willis Tower in Chicago to walk all the way up to the top in under an hour. Awesome! Now I want to do it, and you know Jess is in. So done, it's decided we're going to the top of the Willis Tower. Chicago, keep your eye out for Jess and me 'cause were coming!!!

After two intense Last-Chance Workouts, Conda and Daph were back and the battle was about to begin...

The Black Team numbers were so-so and Bob wasn't pleased. I couldn't believe the numbers; the Red Team looked like it might have a chance. Oh yeah, it was up to Conda and Daphne and all these one-pound advantages to tell the tale. The Red Team weighed in and thanks to Roy, aka Santa, and Kim pulling a crushing nine pounds, and Mark blowing it up with a 10, the Red Team won another pound for Conda. Wow!!! Conda got another pound; these advantages got out of hand, and Daphne had her work cut out for her.

Daphne weighed in and pulled a 12. Bob had done it again and helped Daph pull a stunner. Then it was up to Conda to get it done. She has to pull more then a 10. I'm thinking she had this; with a two-pound advantage, Black Team was toast. Conda weighed in and... Oh man, she pulled a 10. Daphne and the Black Team won the weigh-in and were once again sending the Red Team to elimination.

After Kim and Mark voted for Roy, I couldn't even watch this - was Santa going home? It was just ridiculous, and I will totally help Santa give these chumps a lump of coal this Christmas. Kimmy also voted for Roy, and Conda unveiled the last vote. NOOOOOOO... I couldn't believe it, Santa was going home...

Well I want to say that Roy, you are a beast and a great man. If you need anything, look Jess and I up, and remember, we're on the nice list :) Roy you got this... Good luck man!

'Til next week,
Peace love and Aloha!
Ramon