So I missed Fat March last night, as I was driving home from Canada. I sat down a little bit ago to watch my Tivo'ed episode and take notes for my recap.

Stage 5 begins with 245 miles left in Bart, PA. The marchers were expected to complete 18.2 miles in 5 hours. From the moment the show started, as a viewer, I could see that the team was hurting. They were tired, many were nursing injuries, and they were just weary in spirit. Matt's knees were starting to take their toll on him, and the other contestants hobbled along the path.

At the end of day one, all of the marchers are 8+ miles behind, which means that they will have to try and make up extra miles over the course of the next leg, which is 15.9 miles in 5 hours through Bethseda, PA. At one point during the intense walk, Matt's knee just gives out. He goes to the emergency room to find out that an old wrestling injury has caused bone to rub against bone in his knees, bringing serious bruising and inconceivable pain.

Matt, understanding that he could not continue, had to leave the march. His doctor, recognizing the amount of pain that Matt was trying to push through said that most folks would have been in a wheelchair on the way into the hospital, and on crutches on their way out. Not Matt, though.... he walked in, and walked out!

With Matt gone, 7 competitors remained, and they were broken into teams of two for the Lancaster Central Market challenge. Each team was given 30 dollars and 30 minutes to find 30 items from a list Steve read off, and the winners of the challenge would receive a one week trip to Hawaii!

Unfortunately, Anthony and Chantal did not stick together during the challenge, which was one of the rules, and as a result, they were disqualified. Loralie and Shea ended up winning, with 29 of the 30 ingredients, compared to Jami Lyn and Michael who came in with 27 items.

After the challenge, the team was asked to complete 7 miles in 6 hours, and offered a shortcut to catch up. The shortcut was an hour long paddle across a lake in a canoe. The other option was to walk a grueling 2 mile hike AROUND the lake. Every marcher chose the canoe, taking the opportunity to get a little further down the line.

With the shortcut, all of the marchers, with the exception of Anthony, were able to catch up. His emotions came to the surface, and his frustration with not being able to keep up definitely weighed heavily.

On the last day of Stage 5, the marchers were expected to walk another 15 miles in 5 hours. Exhaustion set in, and Chantal tripped, ending up face planted on the sidewalk. She was lucky to have not broken her nose or knocked out a tooth!

At the end of the day, the bulk of the marchers ended up 3.5 miles behind, and Anthony was almost 10 behind. So, if they chose not to vote him off, the entire group would add another 6 miles to their journey, making the chance to cross the finish line that much harder.

One of my favorite parts of Fat March is the weigh ins. This week was no exception, as big numbers continued to drop.

• Chantal - Start 250/ Current 213 - 37 lost


• Anthony - Start 433/ Current 353 - 80 lost


• Shea - Start 289/ Current 244 - 45 lost


• Loralie - Start 241/ Current 197 - 44 lost


• Jami Lyn - Start 236/ Current 198 - 38 lost


• Sam - Start 382/ Current 314 - 68 lost


• Michael - Start 319/ Current 252 - 67 lost

As expected, the vote offs followed weigh in. Everyone voted for no-one, except for Loralie and Chantal who felt like Anthony might keep the entire group from crossing the finish line and winning the money. Anthony, before the vote was revealed said no one should have the right to say to another marcher "You can't do it."

I found that humorous, because Anthony was first in line to vote off Will, in effect telling him "You can't do it." As a believer in the philosophy that what goes around comes around, I wasn't surprised to see him go.

Most of the marchers were emotional when saying goodbye to Anthony, not the least of which was Jami Lyn, who sobbed and hugged this man who she called friend. I know many eyebrows were raised at home, seeing the two of them clinging to eachother to say farewell, and professing their feelings toward one another.

I think most of the viewing audience would not have been put off by that bit of editing, had Anthony not chosen to lean in and kiss Jami Lyn full on the lips in a not so "I'm just your pal" kind of way. You can find out more about Jami Lyn's thoughts and response to this episode by visiting her blog on myspace. She wrote a beautiful and eloquent account of her friendship with Anthony, and her comments regarding what happened.

(http://www.myspace.com/jamilynfromfatmarch)

I can't wait to see the season finale of Fat March, and watch these people who I have gotten close to pass the finish line and reach a milestone that most people, even the fittest of people cannot say they have done!

Fat March airs on ABC, Monday nights at 9/8c.

Find additional Fat March links on sirlinksalot.net