Author's web site: http://realityofweighting.com/

Tuesday nigh was turning point this season on Biggest Loser for me.  Finally, I felt the individual connection to the contestants, which has been lacking this season so far.

This week, the contestants, still adjusting to their new teams, were determined to work hard and make the best of their time at the Biggest Loser Campus.  Dan, last week’s biggest weight loss loser, hiked up the mountain to find the three prize envelopes.

APPLY NOW TO BIGGEST LOSER SEASON 6

Instead of “Luxury”, “Family”, and “Game Play”, all three envelopes said “Family”.  Dan was shocked as his older brother walked up the hill.  They had an emotional reunion, then ambled down to see Jackie, who about fell off her treadmill when she saw her son.

Tempation this week was one that would have been hard for me to resist.  In little booths (looked like voter’s booths, coincidence?), the contestants stared at 100 little chocolate caramels.  Whoever ate the most caramels won the option of swapping one person from their team and the other team.  Mark decided from the beginning, he was going to eat the entire 5 minutes, ensuring his win.  A few of the other players ate the chocolates, including Brittany, who ate 15.

Mark won, hands down, after eating FORTY THREE chocolates, or 1100+ calories.  He chose to keep the teams as they were.

This week’s team challenge was a surprise to many of the contestants.  Dressed in workout clothes, ready to run, the teams showed up at the Art Institute of California, Los Angeles, where they were informed that they would be cooking for Rocco Dispirito for their task!  This challenge was a relief, especially for Mark, who was suffering a stress fracture on his right shin, leaving him unable to run, or put impact on his leg.

The teams had 15 minutes in Whole Foods to get the ingredients for one of Rocco’s dishes, and would be judged on presentation, taste, and how healthy they had made the food.   Each team created three dishes, an appetizer, main course, and dessert.

Both groups recreated some wonderful meals, and Rocco was impressed, but the blue team decided to add real butter to their dessert, bringing their caloric total cals to over 1100 for the meal, while the black team came in at around 750.

The black team won, which gave them a most needed boost of confidence.  Their prize?  Dinner cooked with Rocco, and a gift from home.

One of the dishes created was a filet mignon over lentils with curry sauce, which looked mouthwateringly good.  (Though I am going to re-create the meal with grilled portabello mushrooms instead of beef)

After dinner, the group went to the living room, where they watched videos from home, and let me tell you, there was not a dry eye in the place.

Weigh in this week, started with the blue team, which pulled, as usual, steady numbers, losing 40 lbs as a team.

The black team, fueled by their desire to come through as the underdogs, started strong and finished even stronger.  Bernie’s little dance after his amazing 13 lb loss had me laughing out loud.  They blew the other team right out of the water, winning the weigh in and boosting their confidence as a team even more.

Back in their dorm, Jackie made a point to rally the troops, deciding that Trent, who was homesick, should be sent home.  She pushed Mark and Jay into promising her on their children’s lives that they would not vote for her unless they tell her.

When the votes came in, Jackie’s behavior on previous challenges came back to bite her.  The team voted her off, saying that they just couldn’t get past what she did on the mud pit exercise.

While she wasn’t happy about it, Jackie went home, leaving Dan, and looks AMAZING!  Her transformation is incredible, and she has done admirably at home.

Next week….. what kind of drama is Biggest Loser stirring up?  It looks like Bob has had enough at some point and walks off.  Make sure to tune in on Tuesdays, on NBC to find out what happens next!

Carrie Falquist is a mother, artist, and weight loss group leader for www.realityofweighting.com, a support group formed from Biggest Loser rejects who came together to lose over 1200 lbs in less than one year.

Find additional Biggest Loser links on sirlinksalot.net