by David McAlpine

Last night on The Biggest Loser, it was the end of the Red Team versus the Black Team and Jillian and Bob versus Brett and Cara. The game became completely individual as all remaining contestants became members of the Blue Team.

But this week wasn't individual quite yet. The contestants were given one task that could keep them all safe: beat last week's weigh-in of 64 pounds. If, collectively, they could lose more than 64 pounds, they would all be safe from elimination and everyone would have one more week on the ranch.

The trainers were very happy to hear the news that the teams had merged, so Brett and Cara and Jillian and Bob switched it up: Brett and Cara took the women and Jillian and Bob took the men. The workouts gave everyone a new perspective, as the previous teams has essentially pitted the women against the men. The women got pushed to the limits by Brett and Cara's functional athletics approach, while the men got a beatdown from Jillian and Bob.

This week's reward challenge required the contestants to pair up to create the healthiest, tastiest dish they could, given free reign of all the ingredients in the Biggest Loser kitchen. The judges, Curtis Stone and Lorena Garcia, were on hand to watch the contestants make the food as well as decide the winning team, which would win the Biggest Loser meal plan from the time they go home until the finale of the show.

Jen and Kaylee make a tasty turkey tostada, which Lorena loves, while Moses and Olivia make a baked cod with dill sauce. Curtis questions how much dill they put in, but they still do a good job. Meanwhile, Irene and Justin struggle with their dish, steak and mashed cauliflower, when Irene can't get the cauliflower to blend in a blender (and as the producers kept neglecting to tell her to use a food processor).

After much deliberation, Curtis and Lorena give the win to Moses and Olivia, because it was good and low in calories (only 170!).

In lieu of an immunity challenge this week, teams had to participate in an all-or-nothing challenge: win and 5 pounds would be added to their total weight loss. Lose, however, and they would have 5 pounds deducted from their weight loss. Harsh.

The challenge: two at a time, the contestants would join in pulling a rope up from the ground, where occasionally trivia questions would be attached to the rope. Once the newly-joined pair answered the question, they could continue pulling until they reached the finish line. However, since the rope was buried entirely underground, no one knew where that was. The goal was to finish the challenge in under 90 minutes.

Marci and Justin start off and they're struggling with the rope. They even get the first trivia question wrong, wasting a ton of time. As the time drags on, pulling the rope up from underground gets harder and the teammates on the sidelines start to worry about making it under the time limit. Eventually everyone is pulling when they come across the final clue, directing them to turn around back towards the start. In a gallant team effort, everyone (sans Hannah, who hurt her arm) yanks on the rope, crossing the start line at 1:29:54, only 6 seconds to spare.

However, the teams still had the scale to face. After a grueling last-chance workout, the results were as follows:

Austin: -8 (-2.83%)
Jennifer: -5 (-2.55%)
Ken: -7 (-2.53%)
Hannah: -4 (-2.22%)
Rulon: -7 (-2.05%)
Justin: -5 (-1.97%)
Moses: -6 (-1.94%)
Courtney: -4 (-1.66%)
Olivia: -3 (-1.60%)
Irene: -2 (-1.11%)
Marci: -0 (0.00%)
Kaylee: +2 (+1.15%)
Total: 49 pounds

The contestants fail to beat their goal of 59 pounds (modified thanks to the reward), meaning they had to choose between Marci and Kaylee to go home. In the deliberation room, Marci volunteers to go home. She says she knows Kaylee needs it more, and she's already reached her goal weight.

In the voting room, Courtney votes for Kaylee and Moses votes for Marci. Jen surprises everyone and votes for Kaylee, but everyone else respects Marci's wishes and sends her home with her head held high. Since being at home, Marci has gotten her husband motivated to get fit and she's maintained her weight. To quote a Ke$ha song, she's "looking fit and sexy fine." Seriously. She looks like a whole new woman!

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

(Photo courtesy of NBC)

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