by Bonnie Pfiester



In the second episode of VH1’s new zany weight loss reality show, Bridal Bootcamp, the Blue Team starts off sluggish. After just getting out of the fitting room, where they lost a team member, they feel like their team is already falling apart. When Steve goes in the barracks to wake his team up for their first workout, there’s obvious tension between Steve and the team.

Meanwhile, the Green Team seems like they got a boost from winning the challenge, morale is up, and everyone seems to be on the same page. Kelley does a great job describing her teammates. Her smile is so darn sweet – you just gotta love this girl! Like one big honky-dory family, the Green Team trains with big smiles like they are on top of the world. Green Team trainer, Francesca, is proud and her team seems focused.

The Blue Team, on the other hand, is far from one big happy family. Mentally, they seem down, depressed, tired, frustrated and doubtful they can live up to Steve’s training expectations. They appear to be giving Steve the one thing he said he didn’t ever want to hear in the first episode – ‘excuses’. The trait he said he was looking for was ‘gumption’, and it seems they lost that in the first challenge.

The Blue Team gathers in the gym where Steve has a little ‘Come to Jesus’ meeting with his team. Steve addresses their attitudes and effort. After Tara and Tesha explain how much pain there in, Steve says he’s there to break them and reminds them how many people would love to be in their shoes. If I didn’t know Steve, I’d think he’s the meanest trainer on the planet right about now. Ha!

Ultimately, Steve walks out, leaving them to train on their own and “figure it out”. The 4 remaining Blue Team members are forced to come together. They decide not to give up on each other and train on their own. If it was Steve’s intention to get under their skin and make them mad enough to workout even harder, it might have just worked. Blue Team seems pretty upset – but determined.

Before you know it, it’s already time for another challenge and an invitation for their next Marital Mission, called the Bridal Shower, is slipped under the door. The two teams are greeting by host, Cynthia Conde, at a big lap pool filled with wrapped green and blue packages. The water relay required each team member to enter the pool, one person at a time, and retrieve the gifts. The first one to get all the gifts wins.

To determine which team may get an advantage, Jamie must attempt to correctly answer a question from her fiancée. As if the Blue Team needed anymore stress, she guesses wrong and the Green Team gets to throw another gift in the pool for the Blue team to retrieve. Once again, the Green Team has the advantage. It’s already not looking good.

Despite the earlier tension, the Blue Team seems determined to give it their best shot. The Blue Team appeared to have a slow start, staying one or two presents behind until the very last minute.

“Our strategy was to swim out and retrieve the presents that were furthest away while we were fresh, saving the close ones for last,” explains Blue Team Trainer, Steve Pfiester. “That’s why the Green Team was twice as fast as us in the beginning. Both teams were also allowed to pick up the other teams packages and throw them further out, which we did. Our plan worked, and we got the victory that day.”

Back to the barracks, the Green Team is somber and thinking about the possibility of one of them leaving the competition. While they are all dreading facing the Fitting Room, Melissa overhears Tara complaining about wanting to go home and the Green Team goes to Battle with the Blue Team once again.

Then, it’s time for the Blue Team to hit the docks for their weekly weigh-in.

Amberly lost 5lbs
Tesha lost 3lbs
Jamie doesn’t lose anything and Cynthia Conde is very disappointed
Tara lost 3lbs

The Green Team enters the Fitting Room for the first time and was petrified. Each team member faces the scale to see which 2 team members will be in the bottom two where one of them will go home.

Melissa lost 5lbs
Kelley lost 2lbs
Lauren lost 6lbs
Kacey lost 1lb
Courtney lost 3lbs

Kelley and Kacey are in the bottom two and face elimination. Each team member tells Cynthia who they want to stay or go, but Conde ultimately makes the final decision, sending Kelley home. The episode ends with each opposing team on an even playing field, with 4 future brides on each team.

Sneak Peak of Episode 3

Although the Blue Team should be feeling good after their big victory, the team looks like they are still giving Steve resistance, carrying a negative attitude into the next episode too. Will they be able to beat this or will the negative spirit drag them down in the next challenge. I guess we’ll all have to wait and see.

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)