Fall TV Blog

If you needed a good cry, I am sure you got one watching last night’s episode! I wish I knew where to begin but the entire house was so emotional. Let’s just say it looks like all the ladies in the house are on the same cycle. Hey, I know what I’m talking about!

So I will just get to the point where I personally absolutely lost it … Abby! I can’t imagine losing my entire family. I mean that — I can’t even picture it. I am happy that I can’t visualize this at all because after listening to Abby talk about her beautiful curly-red-headed daughter running to the car to give her a kiss and hug to make her feel better and then not even knowing that would be the last time she would ever see her again — it just breaks me down.

Abby is a person who went on national television to truly get her life back. She demonstrated that by taking herself out of the game (although, in my opinion, it was too soon for her to go) because she thought she had made the real connection to living again. Good for Abby! I hope that she “lives” on and uses her experience to make others believe that you can overcome any obstacle in your life, big or small — it is just a choice. On a side note, I wanted to point out that when Abby was telling her story it was quiet — did you notice this? There is never a silent moment on the Biggest Loser as there’s always background music. This is the first time I noticed the absence of music. I think this was the best thing to do to highlight Abby’s story. (more…)

Although Aubrey Cheney, 28, was thrilled to see yellow when the contestants got their original shirts back during individual competition, the color took a less cheerful turn when she fell below that dreaded yellow line. The information and education specialist was sent home to her five kids in Gooding, Id., where she’s getting the hang of life off of the Ranch. Now 73 lbs. lighter, Aubrey spoke to PEOPLE about balancing weight loss with domestic duties, her closest friendship on the Ranch and why she chose Bob over Jillian.

When you returned home, you struggled with putting others’ needs before your own and you gained nine pounds. How did you overcome that and what advice can you give other mothers in your situation?
I finally realized I had to change something. I needed to evaluate why I cannot grasp this whole concept at home. My most valuable advice would be to organize a schedule and see when your slowest times of the day are. You can always do a load of laundry simultaneously with helping your kids with homework. In combining some of that housework, I’m able to take those two hours for myself and work out, whether that’s going to the gym or going for a walk. (more…)

In a selfless act of sisterly love, Mandi Kramer, 30, adjusted the vote so her younger sister, Aubrey Cheney, could remain on the Ranch. A tough competitor for the Blue Team, Mandi has already lost 90 lbs. and is fiercely working towards the $100,000 at-home prize in Boise, Idaho. She spoke to reporters about the effects of stress on weight loss, the differing training styles of Bob and Jillian and Filipe’s big flip-out. – Rebecca Gross

How did you manage to gain two pounds in your last week on the Ranch?
I really think it was stress. Your body’s cortisol level goes up, which holds the actual fat to your body. When you’re stressed out, you kind of bloat up a little bit and you don’t let your body relax and let your body lose weight. I honestly think I was stressed out.

We saw Filipe flip out at Jillian for ignoring him in the gym. Do you know if that was an oversight, or did Jillian intentionally exclude him from one-on-one training time?
I think she did it intentionally. That’s only because that whole week and the week before, I was talking to Tara and Jillian’s whole plan was going to be to get rid of Filipe and I think he heard word of that and that’s what made him so mad in the first place. If anyone’s there playing the game, it’s Jillian the most … She really made him feel like an outsider. (more…)

In an episode both emotional and amusing, the contestants went from the thrill of Mike losing 11 lbs. and saving them all from elimination to the regret of a week of bad choices, especially on the part of the Black Team, who turned a day of luxury into a boozy calorie fest. There was humor in Kristin posting Filipe’s photo on her treadmill to motivate her for their weigh-in showdown, but distress in Filipe’s confrontation with trainer Jillian, which made him turn to previous trainer Bob for comfort. And when the Blue Team lost by the slimmest of margins in the one-on-one weigh-in challenge, Mandi Kramer, 30, of Boise, Idaho, sacrificed herself to let her sister Aubrey remain in the game.
(more…)

Week 5 and finally the Joelle Show ended while the Ranch teemed with weigh-ins, sweat, and more weigh-ins as the at-home partners came back to work out with Bob and Jillian. But the episode’s slow build was but a prelude to the demise of Team Silver –- Joelle Gwynn, 41, and Carla Triplett, 36, were shown at home unable to reconnect after Carla tried to talk to Joelle about what happened with her zero-pound loss the last week they had together.

Weigh-In, Part 1: Alison Sweeney said that the person who lost the most percentage of weight at home after 30 days of work by themselves would win immunity. Sione checked in with a 25-lb. drop, down from 349 lbs. to 324 lbs. Filipe let out a trademark whoop realizing that the Blue Team would be guaranteed another week on the Ranch.
(more…)

The contestants got a reality check on Tuesday’s episode of Biggest Loser: Couples episode, when game play reared its ugly head in the season’s third week, resulting with the nice guy finishing last. Team Red’s Damien Gurganious, 31, fell below the yellow line with Team Silver’s Joelle Gwynn, an increasingly unpopular teammate for her lack of desire to be at the Ranch. But when it came time for elimination, Jillian’s team went for the lesser threat and a tie vote sent Damien packing due to his lower percentage weight loss. At home in Brooklyn with his fiancée and teammate Nicole Brewer, Damien has already lost 85 lbs., and has a goal to be a sexy 180 at their wedding. He spoke to reporters about his experiences how his life has changed, what they’re doing to prepare for the wedding and whether Joelle is really as bad as she appears on TV. – Rebecca Gross

How has the weight loss and the whole experience affected your relationship with Nicole?
The weight loss is going to open up different doors for activities that we can do as a couple. We love to fly and … with the weight loss, it allows us to enjoy each other and not be cramped up in the seats, and if somebody actually gets a seat in between us, they can actually enjoy their plane ride as well. . . . We can now go for three or four-hour bike rides and not be tired or winded. We can go to a movie theatre together and sit side by side and not infringe upon each other’s space and comfort. We get to relive things we’ve been doing all the time and we get to experience it the way skinny folks do.

How’s it going in the kitchen? Did you modify your recipes? (more…)

There’s too much information and then there’s TMI. Did we really have to hear that Tara threw up in her mouth, then swallowed, to stay hydrated during the immunity challenge? Or that Damien got a callus on his butt from the exercise bike? Probably not, but if we didn’t, we would have heard even more of an earful from Carla about her under-motivated Team Silver partner Joelle. And while Joelle did lose 6 lbs., she fell below the yellow line yet again. Sure she was headed home, Joelle got the shock of her life when Jillian’s team outvoted Bob’s team 5-4 and sent newlywed Damien Gurganious packing instead. Here’s what else happened on Monday’s episode of Biggest Loser: (more…)

In a heart-wrenching elimination that even had host Ali Sweeney wiping away tears, the show’s oldest contestants, Jerry and Estella Hayes, were sent home. The lovable 63-year-old grandparents of Team White were off to a scary start when Jerry collapsed in the gym on the first day. After bouncing back with an incredible 25-lb. weight loss in the first week, Jerry hit a roadblock in the dreaded second week and fell below the yellow line with Daniel Wright, 19, his good friend and the heaviest contestant in Biggest Loser history. In the end, Jerry was sent home to reunite with his wife and partner, Estella. With the support of his family and those emails from Jillian, he has lost 96 lbs. so far! Jerry spoke with reporters recently about his collapse on the show, how he’s getting fit and why Bob the trainer blew up at another contestant. – Rebecca Gross

(more…)

Biggest Loser: Families ended Tuesday with Michelle Aguilar taking home the $250,000 prize after losing 110 lbs., but the next season of Biggest Loser: Couples is just around the corner (airing Jan. 6 at 8 p.m. ET, on NBC). And it promises to be one of the most dramatic seasons yet, with 11 couples weighing in at more than 3.5 tons, according to a press release from NBC. Season 7 will also feature the oldest players ever (grandparents from Illinois) the youngest contestant (an 18-year-old student from Michigan), the heaviest female contestant (379 lbs.) and the heaviest contestant in the history of the show (454 lbs.).

Keep reading for a rundown of all 11 couples on season 7 of The Biggest Loser. (more…)

There’s a certain scientific mystery surrounding the end of every season of Biggest Loser — just where does all the fat go? — And Tuesday’s episode was no exception. The four remaining (and now normal-sized) contestants came face-to-face with their former selves and stepped up during shocking weigh-in that put Vicky and Michelle in the finale — and sent Ed and Heba to the confessional to plead their case to America.

First, each contestant sat down to watch videos of their 11-week journeys. Then, they were presented with an image of themselves to show them how far they’ve come since the first weigh-in. “I can’t believe we looked like that,” Ed said solemnly.

In an effort to puncture Vicky’s tough exterior, Bob gave her a talking-to, informing her that she’ll blow up like a balloon away from the ranch if she doesn’t change her attitude. He mentioned Ryan Benson, the season 1 winner, who Bob claimed is now the same weight as he was when he walked onto the ranch for the first time, “because he didn’t learn anything.” Instead, Bob said, he focused on winning the game.

“Anything about yourself you’ve learned?” Bob asked. (more…)