by Gina Scarpa and David McAlpine

This week, on The Biggest Loser, both Andrea and Sam lost their battles with the scale at the weigh-in. Andrea dropped 3 pounds (for a total weight loss of -1.33%) while Sam failed to lose any weight at all! Both contestants made their case to stay on the ranch and, at the elimination ceremony, everyone but Ashley voted for Andrea to head home. Today, Andrea spoke to RealityWanted in an exclusive interview about her experiences on The Biggest Loser, her relationship with her dad, and her goal for finale night.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Whose idea was it to try out for The Biggest Loser this season?
A. Andrea: If was my dad's idea to try out for The Biggest Loser. He was such an introvert, which is why when he asked me, I didn't believe him. He assured me he was serious, and I was immediately on board. We needed this change to save our lives.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: The challenges this season seemed really physical. How difficult was it to compete in them?
A. Andrea: I loved the challenges this season. Even though we didn't place first in any but one, I still enjoyed the level of difficulty. At the end of the challenge, you felt accomplished. But they were extremely difficult.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: What was it like to have Danny, last season's winner, visit and work out with you? What did you learn from him?
A. Andrea: I have great respect for Danny C. It was awesome to be able to visit with him and work out with him. He helped me understand that it was ok to want to be first, but try not to walk all over people to get there... do it with integrity.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: You were understandably frustrated at having only lost 3 pounds on this week's episode. What do you think happened?
A. Andrea: I still to this day cannot tell you why I only lost 3 pounds but I do know that I had some pretty significant emotional and mental gains this week and it was worth the trade.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Do you think you winning the car played a role in you going home this week?
A. Andrea: No. I think winning the car was AWESOME! Everyone knew that yjr challenge was anyone's to win and, in the end, when you are a good sport about winning, people can celebrate with you!

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: Why do you think Ashley voted to keep you?
A. Andrea: Ash and I have formed a wonderful friendship and I appreciated her vote. She knew that the majority was going to send me home, and yet, she still voted for me to stay. I think that says a lot about her character. We are huge supporters of each other and I think, at the end of the day, it helped both of us.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How did being on The Biggest Loser affect your relationship with your dad?
A. Andrea: My dad and I have always been close, but being on the show probably helped establish us as friends. I learned a lot about the determination and drive that my dad has, and the respect I had for him before cannot compare to the respect I have for him now. He continues to amaze me everyday.

Q. Gina, RealityWanted: How have you been doing since you've gotten home? Do you have any goals for finale night?
A. Andrea: Living a healthy life at home is fun! It has changed my outlook on a lot of things and I really enjoy being more active and enjoying the city I live in to its fullest. I'm still losing weight, so that's good! My goal for the finale is to be happy. To be happy with this process and where I'm at. To be able to stand on that stage in front of all the people that have supported me through this process and show them just how much their support changed my life. That's all. Money is the icing.

The Biggest Loser airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC.

(Image courtesy of NBC)

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa and David at twitter.com/davidmcalpine

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