by David McAlpine

Last time on The Biggest Loser: Couples, Allison revealed the twist that if, collectively, all the contestants can average a loss of one pound per person per day (11 people and 7 days, so 77 pounds), no one would be going home. We were left hanging with Mark’s weigh-in, 9 pounds away from the 77-pound mark. He steps on the scale and…he loses 11 pounds (-3.70%), saving everyone from elimination.

But, in true Biggest Loser fashion, the night is not over: another twist is thrown into the works. Each contestant would be facing off with a member of the opposite team for this week’s weigh-in and the first team to win three face-offs would be safe from elimination. On top of that, this week’s pop challenge would give one person the power to determine all the match ups, including which member of the black team would be sitting out. Everyone was given a specified position to perform a wall squat with a medicine ball in their lap; last one standing (well, sitting) wins the power. Kristin wasn’t allowed to compete for medical reasons, so the black team sat out Helen and Sione.

In the first minute, both Ron and Cathy drop, followed quickly by Aubrey, leaving the competition up to Mandi. Suddenly, Filipe and Mike drop their balls and Laura touches the ground, making it a showdown between Tara, the challenge mistress, and Mandi. After four minutes, Mandi falls, leaving Tara and the black team triumphant. After the built up agony and suspense, Tara makes her choices:

Mike vs. Cathy
Sione vs. Mandi
Filipe vs. Kristin
Helen vs. Ron
Laura vs. Aubrey
Tara – sitting out

It seemed odd for Tara to sit herself because I thought she’d be a bigger team player than that, but it’s nice to see someone thinking towards the end of the game. Regardless, everyone on the black team tells Tara they respect her choice.

Now it’s everyone’s favorite time on the show: random product placement! This week: Fiber One bars. Mmm, digestive health. And it fills you up, too!

Back to the gym, where Kristin and Filipe start to develop a friendly rivalry, throwing around some smack talk. Since this is the Biggest Loser, it’s nothing serious or severely demeaning, but it gets intense. While the tension builds, Filipe gets mad Jillian won’t give him personal attention and stays in the gym after everyone else because he didn’t get the workout he wanted. I mean, if I had access to a personal trainer like Jillian period, I wouldn’t complain. Just saying.

Onto this week’s challenge, which takes place in none other than 24 Hour Fitness: a relay race. Contestants have to move 24 medicine balls across a pool, up stairs, through an obstacle course, and then do squats with them, with the winner getting 24 hours (clever points!) of “luxury.”

The blue team starts off behind with Ron lagging behind Filipe, giving Sione a healthy lead over Cathy. Sione maintains black’s lead and hands the balls off to Tara, who loses steam fast, allowing Mandi to make up some ground. It all comes down to Helen and Aubrey. Helen is steadily losing the lead Filipe built up, but she sticks the win anyway, giving the black team a day of relaxation.

Along with first-class spa treatments and amenities, the black team gets good food! But wait, if they’re weighing in in 48 hours and they’re being exposed to all this food…isn’t that kind of like a punishment? No one seems to think that way as the black team manages to eat, drink, and, yes, smoke their way to 15,563 calories in one night.

The next day, the black team gets back to the Biggest Loser campus and meets with Jillian who is obviously pissed. She then lectures them about the importance of keeping your cravings under control at all times and scolds them for the amount they ate. Was she a little harsh? Maybe, but it seems like it was at least a little in order. Filipe doesn’t seem to agree, storming out on Jillian with Sione at his heels and demanding Bob train him during his last-chance workout.

At weigh-in, tension is abound, with the impending doom of carbs and fat that the black team faces. Tara weighs in first, losing 0 pounds (-0%), which upsets her. The other results are:

• Mike: -8 (-2.80%); Cathy -4 (-1.63%) – Mike (black) gets a point
• Laura: +1 (+0.44%); Aubrey -3 (-1.48%) – Aubrey (blue) gets a point
• Filipe -1 (-0.36%); Kristin -7 (-2.59%) – Kristin (blue) gets point #2
• Helen -4 (-2.07%); Ron -6 (-1.75%) – Helen (black) gets point #2
• Sione -6 (-2.12%); Mandi +2 (+1.03%) – Sione (black) gets point #3

Though the black team wins, everyone is stunned with Mandi’s weight gain. Bob attributes it to stress and consoles his team before they head off to deliberation. Once all together, Ron (a.k.a “Finger Pointer”) suggests that it’s Mandi’s time to go, and Cathy and Kristin agree. Aubrey asks them to send her home instead, wanting her sister to stay. Laura shows up at the deliberation, having earned an extra vote, where Aubrey and Mandi ask her to vote Cathy with them, forcing a tie and causing black to vote Aubrey out.

In the elimination room, everything goes to plan, with Cathy getting votes from Aubrey and Laura and Mandi getting votes from Ron, Cathy and Kristin. Mandi shocks everyone by voting for Ron and sacrificing herself for Aubrey. Aubrey is upset, saying Mandi needs to be at the ranch more than her, but the decision is made and Mandi leaves. Since starting The Biggest Loser, Mandi has lost 84 pounds (18 more since she left) and hopes to be a size 2 by finale night.

The Biggest Loser: Couples airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on NBC.

(Image courtesy of NBC)

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