by Bonnie Pfiester

 
This episode of Bridal Bootcamp, by far was my favorite. Blue Team just won the last marital mission so now Green Team and Blue Team are on even playing fields again. It’s four to four.
 
The opening scene started with the workout in the rain where Steve asked the Blue Team “How do you feel?” and they reply “Full of Zip, Zest, Pep, Driiive and Desire!” What a contrast to when Steve asked, “How do you feel Tesha?” which was followed by the uncomfortable stare and silence. Oh my gosh, that was the funniest scene. Tesha you are cracking me up girl!
 
Tesha just wasn’t feeling that workout AT ALL and walked off, leaving Blue Team in the rain. Steve and the team pressed on, staying tight and focused. After the workout, Steve went to check on Tesha in the barracks and attempted to encourage her to stick with the program. This was one of the most inspiring parts of the show yet.
 
After Tesha explained how much she missed her kids and how she felt like she couldn’t be there anymore, Steve encouraged her to stay, reminding her that her kids were watching her. If Tesha gave up, it would only teach her kids that quitting is OK, and it clearly isn’t OK. What makes someone a good trainer is finding how to motivate someone and Steve nailed this one. There was nothing Tesha cared about more than her kids and his pep talk worked. She decided stay - but not for the Blue, but for her family.
 
Meanwhile Francesca was giving the Green Team a grueling workout to prepare them for the next Marital Mission. She put together a challenging workout including swimming, running, and resistance training with bands. Francesca is frustrated after losing the last Marital Mission and needed her girls to be in the best shape possible – and the girls were feeling her frustration that day. One thing they didn’t show was how freezing cold that water was. The water temperature would have been enough to make me want to quit! The Green Team were all rock stars in my book.
 
After a week of training, the two teams get the invitation to join Cynthia Conde for the next mission by the lake at the camp. The mission, called “Consummating the Marriage” was for each Bridal Party to sprint to the lake holding mattresses above their heads and place the mattresses on a raft attached to two canoes. They then had to push the rafts off shore and paddle the two canoes around a buoy and back across the finish line for a chance to win a honeymoon vacation.
 
Since Lauren, from the Green Team, had the greatest percentage of weight loss in the last weigh in, she got the opportunity to correctly answer a question from her fiancé. She answered correctly, making this the third time the Green Team has gotten the advantage. The Green Team got the inside track to the course, forcing Blue to work harder to get to the finish line.
 
On your mark, get set, go! Mattresses go flying up in the air and Blue team is barely in the lead. Unlike the last marital mission, where Blue Team stayed behind until the very last minute, Green Team started falling apart right away. The Green Team couldn’t get the raft off the shore and before you know it boats were tipping over and the focus was on poor Courtney sitting in her canoe not knowing what to do.
 
I have to admit I could see the frustration with Courtney’s lack of action, but for some reason I still felt sorry for because she seemed so innocent. Like a confused little child, she watched her team fall apart around her, while the Blue Team was trucking by them paddling like a pros.
 
The Green Team gang basically said screw it, let’s just swim the rafts to the finish line. This showed so much drive and desire, but the damage was done. Blue Team was way ahead and nothing was going to get in the way of their free honeymoons. Blue Team crosses the finish line for their second win and Steve’s shirt comes flying off.

When I asked Steve what made him take his shirt off, he said “All I could think about is wanting to hug my girls and I couldn’t get in the water with my microphone on. I just couldn’t get my shirt and mic off fast enough. I was so proud of them.”
 
What is really cool about this whole episode to me, up to this point, was Tesha’s turnaround. Not knowing how to swim, Tesha was forced to face another scary challenge – another water-related mission. On top of that, most of cast had never seen alligators before, much less swam with them. To watch her go from almost quitting to seeing her team name her MVP – it just made the victory even sweeter. How proud her kids must have been watching their mom tonight!
 
On a down note, the Green Team was so upset with Courtney’s performance during the challenge – making it clear they wanted her to go home. So far, the weigh-ins put Melissa and Courtney in the bottom two but Courtney still needed to weigh in. Lauren fell apart after discovering she actually had gained weight saying “how is it possible to gain two pounds on a weight loss competition?” I’ve so been there! I hurt for her.
 
I must say, Steve and I must have said “awe” so many times during Lauren’s interviews. She was so precious and sincere, I just wanted to reach through the TV and hold her. Then after Courtney weighed in and was safe from elimination, the Green Team exploded with frustration, feeling that Courtney should be the one going home since she didn’t pull her weight in the challenge. Of course, nothing could have been done, Courtney was safe and Cynthia Conde felt Lauren’s weight gain was enough to send her home. I wasn’t even rooting for Green Team, but I felt their loss too. Lauren, we’ll miss seeing your cute face on TV.
 
MY FAVORITE QUOTES/SCENES:
 
TRAINER STEVE: How do you feel Tesha?
TESHA: (Blank silence with long uncomfortable empty stare)
 
TRAINER STEVE (talking to Tesha): I see something in you, you don’t see yet.”

TESHA: “I am not going to drown. I did NOT come here to die”
 
TESHA: “As I’m paddling I’m thinking FREE HONEYMOON, FREE HONEYMOON!”
 
LAUREN: (In tears asking) “How is it possible to gain 2 pounds in a weight loss competition?”

Visit www.vh1.com and join me on twitter, www.twitter.com/bonniepfiester, or on facebook, www.facebook.com/bonniepfiester, for up-to-date news and more on Bridal Bootcamp. For information about Steve’s boot camps, visit www.StevePfiester.com. Steve also leads weekend boot camp retreats at Gloria Estefan’s Florida beach resort for those of you who would like a crash course on getting fit. For more about his retreats, recently featured in Fitness Magazine, visit www.aboutfaceretreat.com. 

(Photo courtesy of Vh1)