By David McAlpine

 

Last week on The Biggest Loser: Couples, the blue team lost the weigh-in for the second time, sending Mandi home from the ranch. While still in the elimination room, Allison tells the blue team and Tara that the night isn't over yet. The black team joins them and the contestants learn they will all be traveling home for the week. Everyone is excited to see their families, but cautious of facing the challenge of continuing their weight loss at home. 

 

Each contestant returns to their respective hometowns, sharing heartfelt hugs and happy hellos with their loved ones, all amazed at how much they have been able to achieve in their time on the Biggest Loser campus. Mike and Ron come home to Max, Mike's brother and Ron's son, who is also very overweight. At the sight of Mike and Ron, Max starts to cry, feeling left out of the success. Mike makes it his goal to inspire Max.

 

Since they aren't on the Biggest Loser campus this week, Jillian gives the viewers at home a fitness tip instead: substitute mashed cauliflower for mashed potatoes! No product placement here...yet.

 

All the players get a tin delivered to their door full of sugar cookies and a DVD. On the DVD, Allison introduces their next challenge (As if being at home isn't challenge enough). Each contestant has to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) in the fastest time possible. The fastest runner walks away with $10,000. The twist? Each player has 13 sugar cookies in their tin. For each sugar cookie they eat, they can add five minutes to anyone's time.

 

Tara, Sione and Helen are automatically pegged by everyone as front runners and the remaining nine contemplate if and who they would give the penalties to. Sione, Ron, Cathy, Tara and Laura all decide they'd rather not eat the cookies, but Helen eats one right away, giving a five-minute penalty to Tara.

 

Race day comes and each contestant has family and friends by their side. Filipe's wife joins him during the race, while ousted competitors Shannon and Mandi run with Helen and Aubrey. The distance starts to take a toll on everyone and Tara and Sione emerge as the frontrunners.

 

Filipe feels proud that he's no longer using his asthma as an excuse not to run and sees his ability to run now as an accomplishment. Cathy also feels accomplished, going from not being able to sprint to running a half marathon.

 

At the 12-mile mark, Sione is slightly ahead of Tara, but 200 yards before the finish line, Sione cramps up and can't move. His friends rush to his side to stretch out the pain so he can continue, but Tara finishes the race first. The times were:

 

Tara - 2:24:19

Sione - 2:25:57

Helen - 2:49:19 (at 48 years old!)

Aubrey - 2:53:02

Cathy - 3:15:21

Mike - 3:19:38

Laura - 3:24:00

Filipe - 3:24:05

Kristin - 3:43:45

Ron - 1:52:34 (only finished 4 miles)

 

After the race, we get glimpses of everyone's week at home. Aubrey has issues juggling five kids and getting to the gym, while Kristin and Cathy get their whole family involved and Laura takes to running outside. 

 

Then comes the real challenge: eating. Mike and Ron go to their favorite restaurant: a pizza parlor. The owner gives them as much pizza, cookies and soda as they want on the house, which frustrates Mike, who is trying to stay away from that food. Sione also goes to a restaurant and struggles with the menu and Helen is tempted by the Polish goodies in her local grocery store. Mike and Ron end up getting salads, Sione orders salmon and veggies and Helen picks out some fresh produce for a nice meal, happy she can make the right choices.

 

Now it's product placement time, as Bob gives his "trainer tip": if you have diabetes, use Contour or Breeze2 diabetes meters!

 

Back at home, Aubrey confronts her dad about his weight, which he seems to be in denial about. She hates seeing him struggle with the same issues she had before coming to the Biggest Loser ranch.

 

The contestants head back to the ranch after saying goodbye to their families, where it is revealed Tara and Sione were the top 2 racers. Helen admits she ate a cookie to penalize Tara, which angers Tara. No one has time to think about it, since it's time for the last chance workout! Filipe and Sione are still working out with Bob, while Kristin and Tara are aiming to be the first women to lose 100 pounds on The Biggest Loser.

 

The results of the weigh-in are: 

 

Black Team

 

Mike: -8 (-2.88%)

Laura: -6 (-2.65%)

Tara: -2 (-1%)

Sione: -4 (-1.44%)

Filipe: -7 (-2.55%)

Helen: -7 (-3.70%)

Total: -34 (-2.35%)

 

Blue Team

 

Aubrey: -5 (-2.5%)

Ron: -10 (-2.97%)

Kristin: +1 (+0.38%)

Cathy: -1 (-0.41%)

Total: -15 (-1.44%)

 

Tara and Kristin are frustrated they can't reach the 100-pound mark, while Ron and Mike are ecstatic Ron passed it. Aubrey falls under 200 pounds, and Jillian points out that Sione and Filipe's weight loss has tapered off over the past two weeks, the same time they should have been exercising with her, not Bob.

 

In the blue team's deliberation, no one knows who to send home. Aubrey begs not to be sent home, worried that Cathy, Ron and Kristin will stick together. However, Cathy volunteers to be sent home because she feels like she's the mother of the group and it's her time to go. Ron, Aubrey and Kristin comply with her wishes in the elimination room, sending her home.

 

Since being at home, Cathy has lost more than 25 more pounds and has motivated her family to lose weight, too. Cathy and her two daughters have lost a combined total of 141 pounds and plan to lose 205 by the finale.

 

The Biggest Loser: Couples will air at a special time next week, Tuesday, at 9/8c on NBC.

 

For more on The Biggest Loser: Couples, visit Sirlinksalot.net

 

(Image courtesy of NBC)