Excess Baggage

Another week of eliminations bestowed us and it was a bigger week than previously thought. Let’s go back, see what you missed, and what you have to look forward to.

Excess Baggage first, and this week was a short week of sorts. The contestants headed to Sydney for Sports Week, which saw the contestants partake in both a football-style spirit challenge, and a pentathlon in the form of an endurance challenge.

The spirit challenge had them marking balls and playing chasey with them afterwards. The low-intensity challenge still proved too much for Kevin, and he was sent to hospital for a second time, albeit getting the all clear later on.

Dipper and Lana easily won the challenge, and wasn’t that obvious? The surprising thing was, Renae, whose partner Kevin was taken away half way through the challenge, still scored third place, with another unlikely team, the green team, coming second.

In the endurance challenge, the contestants competed in a pentathlon. The events were the high and long jumps, javelin, shot put and a steeple chase. The contestants could only compete in the latter event if they won one of the former four challenges. Dipper, Kate, Lisa and Nathan won the long jump, high jump, shot put and javelin competitions respectively, with Dipper winning the steeple chase.

This led us to the check in. Dipper & Lana, having won both challenges, also won the check in, placing them first for the week. The red team, who I am most interested in at these events, did well as well, avoiding the bottom two for a second time.

It wasn’t such good news for the purple team and the green team. They both fell into the bottom two, and after heartfelt pleas, the green team were sent packing. Gabby couldn’t really take this news at first, but for now, only six teams remain in the competition.

The Biggest Loser also featured a heartfelt elimination. Hamish, the final member of the blue team and love interest for Michelle, was sent home surprisingly, again alongside the undefeatable Graham. It sent Shannan into a headspin before he too left the competition.

Then, the contestants were split into two teams- the old dogs and young pups. The older red and black teams were merged, with the exception of Margie, who evened out the groups a little bit by moving to the young white team.

In the contest, the old dogs were undefeatable, sending Simon on the walk. He was able to give someone, including himself, ‘the secret’. Somewhat controversially, after putting his hand up to go, Lydia eventually also said she wanted to go, and actually took the chance off of Simon.

Lydia was shown the bunker; and now has the power to spy on her fellow contestants.

In a temptation, contestants had to speed ‘date’ 24 visitors. It was an interesting affair that showed how much confidence each contestant has built over the last seven weeks. The young pups were deemed the most charming, winning a dinner date out on the town. For Michelle, the most charming, she won individual immunity.

On the date, Michelle met up with a surprise visit from Hamish- which intensified the imbalance between how much the show shows of Hamish & Michelle and Lisa & Simon. Did you know the latter was even a couple?

To the challenge, and contestants had to cross a narrow beam, over a pool, to the other side, and collect items to bring back to the team. Margie sabotaged the young pups hope of winning by purposely extending her go across the planks before ‘falling’ into the pool, rendering her shot pointless.

The old dogs won the challenge and the right to send someone into an early weigh in without the comfort of last chance training.

We’ll find out their choice on Monday.

My Kitchen Rules eliminated two teams. On Monday, Sam & Jillian lost against Carla & Thomas. The contestants were then made to create some street food for hungry Melbournians. Here, Peter & Gary didn’t impress, and were sent to elimination early.

They were able to face off against enemies Carla & Emily after they lost the double challenge. But, in elimination, the Melbournian sisters were too much of a match for the Queensland couple, and Peter & Gary were eliminated.

So with so much going on last week, what could next week possibly give?

Well, a shock elimination twist is set to shake up the game in Biggest Loser, and it doesn’t look like it will be good news for Margie. After sabotaging the task, could it be that team members of the same team have to vote off a fellow team member?

To Excess Baggage, and the contestants head to Tasmania. I’m fairly sure that they were here when they found out the news that they were moving to GO! Anyway, six teams are left, and by the end of the week, that will be taken down to five.

My Kitchen Rules is also hurtling towards a finale, and it will be going at a quicker pace this week, moving to five nights a week- Sunday- Thursday.

So that’s all the news of the week you have to catch up on! Make sure you’re sticking with us over the next week with all the need-to-know information from all your favourite reality television shows.

LIBRARY

Monday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Weigh In & Elimination #6

Excess Baggage Season One – Sports Week Begins (Spirit Challenge #6)

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty One: Sudden Death Elimination

Tuesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Battle of the Ages Week Begins (Contest #4)

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Two: Food Stall Challenge

Wednesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Walk #4 & Temptation #7

Excess Baggage Season One – Endurance Challenge #6

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Three: Second Sudden Death

Thursday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Challenge #7

Excess Baggage Season One – Check In #6 & Elimination #2

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Four: Is it the Boys or the girls going home.

Friday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Friday Night #4

 

Previous episode: Excess Baggage Season One – Endurance Challenge #6

Liked the elimination last week? Good! Because it’s all going to happen again. After the contestants check in for the SIXTH time, two will land themselves in the voting hands of the judges and one team will leave for good. I’m told it will be a ‘much-loved’ team. Could be anyone!

The sun rises on elimination morning. Ajay and Nathan get up early to go for a special training session with Christian, fearful for their place in the competition. He gets them to pump out some punches and run out some stair climbs.

We then recap Kevin’s hospital-bound week which was a week of injuries for many of the men, and Lisa in the steeple chase. Darryn and Lisa have been ruled out of the fitness test. To the fitness test and Christian is confident that their performances today will affect who is in the bottom two, and who is not. They all seem to improve on their running and I think we’ll see a lot of good FTSs in today’s check in.

They all finish the session with the 1.6km run. Why 1.6km? I don’t get it. Christian thinks Ben is running like a fit man, but it is Dipper who finishes first. Renae finishes well for the ladies.

We are then thrown into the hangar where Kate tells us how the day will play out. We recap Brant & John’s elimination that occurred the week before. A second team will go tonight.

With that, the contestants head to the hangar after a week in Sydney for sports week. Lisa is hoping her check in gets her team over the line. Gabby is calm, which is worrying.

The three judges welcome them to the hangar and debriefs on the week and what will occur today. Basically, as I’ve already said, it is the same as last week. The only difference is that today, the scores from previous weeks DO NOT COUNT and only this week’s scores will be taken into account.

So far, the purple and blue teams should be most scared.

Opinion point: Who do you want to see in elimination?

First up tonight is the pink team, who didn’t do too well last week, and have had a few scuffles this week.

Sarah is first. Her BFP was 39.4%. It is now…38.8%. She loses 3.7% off of her waist, however her FTS is 5.7 (a gain of 0.1). This gives her a score of 10. Can Kate improve?

Kate’s fat percentage drops by 0.4%, but her WC drops by 3.1%. Her FTS was 5.7. It is now…6.9! Her score is now 10.4.

Their combined score is 30.4, a solid achievement.

The red team are next and they too have had a mixed week thanks to Darryn’s injury. Will Lisa’s efforts serve her well?

Darryn’s BFP was 28%. It is now…27.9%. His WC doesn’t shift at all. He keeps a FTS of 8. That gives him 8.1 for a check in score- his worst ever. Joanna says this is because he is so close to being in a healthy weight range.

Now for Lisa. Her BFP was 44%. It is now…41.4%. Her WC was 118cm. It is now…112cm. Her FTS remains unchanged at 6.2. This gives her a score of 13.9!

This puts her team’s total score at 32.0, putting them in first place!

Opinion point: Any surprises with the first two check in scores?

After the break, it is the orange team’s turn to perform! Dipper’s BFP is now at 22.7%. His WC is now 109.0cm. His FTS was 7.3. It is now…7.5, giving him a check in score of 10.0.

Lana’s BFP falls 1.8%, and she loses 1.9% off her waist. Her FTS was 5.3. It is now…5.7. Her check in score is now 9.4, giving the team a combined score of 35.4, and they are the first team safe today. Four more teams will be safe.

Next up are the yellow team. Cue recap of last week’s bottom two performance by Nathan. Christian asks Nathan whether he has changed from last week, and Nathan says he can see a ‘crack of light’.

Christine’s BFP was 32.5%. It is now…30.7%. Her WC is now 94cm. Her FTS is now 7.6. She scores a 9.9.

Nathan’s BFP was 35%. It is now…31.8%. His WC is now 117cm and his FTS is now 5.5 from 5.1. His score is 10.4 and combined, the yellow team have 33.3 and they are safe!

Kate is sitting in the mezzanine looking out into the check in room. It’s a bit cheesy. She should not be taking a back-seat role!
The purple team are next. Matt’s BFP was 32.1%. It is now…30.6%. His WC is now 114.5cm. His FTS has gone from 5.5 to 5.2. His score is 10.5.

Ajay is next. We recap her poor performance last week. Her BFP was 42.1%. It is now…40.2%. Her WC was 88cm. It is now…86.5. Her FTS was 5.5. It is now…5.2. Christian at least thanks her for turning up. Her score is 8.8, and their total score is 24.3 on the leaderboard. This means that the red team are now safe.

Opinion point: Is there anything any of the contestants could have done DIFFERENTLY this week that could have increased their scores?

After the break, the green team are next to check in. They need good scores as they didn’t do so well this week.

Ben’s BFP was…36.5%. It is now…35.2%. His WC goes down 0.4% and his FTS goes to 6.9. His score is therefore 8.6.

Gabby’s BFP was 34.5%. It is now…33.9%. Her WC loses 0.5% off her waist. But her FTS goes up to 6.7. This gives her a score of 7.8. Their combined score is…24.4 and lands them in second to last place. Ajay and Matt are in the bottom two and Kate & Sarah are safe.

They recap where they may have been able to do better. Kevin & Renae are last to check in.

We recap their week, which involved Kevin’s second health scare.

After a quick interview, Joanna tells them that they have to score more than 17.5 to stay safe. Renae’s BFP was 41.7% and she loses 1% of that. She loses 2.5% from her waist. Her FTS remains at 6.4.

Her score is therefore 9.9. Kevin now needs to score 7.6! It’s not looking good for a hospital-bound man. His BFP was 31.2%. It is now…30.2%. His WC was 104cm. It is now…99.5cm. His FTS was 7.4. It is now…7.6!

This gives him a score of 12.9 and renders his team safe with 29.8.

That means Matt & Ajay will compete against Gabby & Ben in elimination. With that, the two teams plead to remain. Matt wants to go home the best he has ever been and doesn’t feel he should go home because of one bad-scoring week.

Ajay is teary as she tells them that she has given all she has and then some.

Ben is next and he relives his life story. Gabby is also teary as she stands up for herself to tell them that she deserves to be there.
With that, the teams head upstairs as the judges deliberate. Is it just me, or is this process similar to that of other defunct-Nine reality show Top Design?

Then, it is vote time.

Joanna votes for a team who have been at the top of the board. She votes to keep the purple team.

Tim votes with a heavy heart. He votes to keep the green team. God this is cheesy as all hell.

Christian then has the deciding vote. He compliments both teams. He then votes to keep… the purple team.

And with that, Gabby & Ben are eliminated from the game.

Opinion point: Do you agree with this decision.

Christian softens this situation for Gabby and Ben however Gabby can’t take this. She asks how this decision is justified and Joanna tells her it is based on everything in the competition.

Gabby thanks them for their work and Ben tearily also says his goodbyes.

With that, the two leave the hangar. It’s genuine emotion, I’ll give them that.

We recap their time in the competition and I didn’t know how funny Gabby was!

Afterwards, Joanna points out Dipper & Lana as this week’s winning team. And with that, the scoreboard resets and the game begins again. But where they are going?

South Australia’s Kangaroo Island! I believe this is where Ajay sent that blog post about how Nine moved the show to GO! so I believe this is where they find out in person that the show has been going wrong!

So the show ends for another week, and I’m actually a little disappointed. For any normal viewer, that check in was too fast. I thought, with less teams, Kate would be narrating the scores less and we would therefore get a more in depth look at who got what.

Instead it was the opposite- it felt like Kate was trying to rush us to the end of the episode when we weren’t even half way through. Ads followed after every two check ins, which is way too much by any standard.

I also noted that the judge’s votes are just too cheesy- they look so scripted. And Kate standing up on that mezzanine giving us a pointless added in update on the situation that was unfolding BEFORE OUR VERY EYES was unneeded time filler.

All in all, this episode was quite unbalanced and very hard to watch. The genuine emotion from the green team’s exit at the end was probably the highlight.

Excess Baggage next airs Mar 12 at 6.30PM on GO!

Production Values (visual and audio techniques, overall ‘bling’ of the show):4/5

‘Sell-out’ factor (Cross-promotion and product placement free?): 2/2

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 1/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 7/10

Previous episode: Excess Baggage Season One – Sports Week Begins (Spirit Challenge #6)

So we’re back after a quick break, and it’s time to…endure! Tonight, the contestants continue their journey through sports week as they kick balls, run on fields, and pump up their heart rates all the way to victory. Who will gain some much needed last minute points before tomorrow’s elimination-laden check in?

For the endurance challenge today, it’s a pentathlon- shot-put, javelin, long jump and high jump, ending in a steeple-chase.

The contestants enter the field where Kate, Joanna and Christian await them to tell them about the challenge. They are in Blacktown Sports and Leisure Stadium.

Lisa, who has been a champion in shot put and discus in the past, is excited for this track-and-field challenge. Gabby has played shot-put before, albeit poorly.

The only way they can all get to the steeple chase race is to win one of the four field events. The winner will receive eight points, runner up will get seven, third place will get six and fourth place will get five. Everyone else will be boosted up one point for participating.

Darryn cannot compete due to his injury, so Lisa will be playing for the red team and they need points. Ajay will be carrying the purple team as Matt is sick and Renae will be covering for the recovering Kevin. So really, Dipper, Nathan and Ben are the only competing males.

The fit teams will only be able to submit one team member to compete in two challenges. The other team member has to compete in the other two.

Kate doesn’t feel comfortable with the high jump, but will do it for Sarah.

First up is the javelin throw. The female javelin’s weigh less than the males. They have to throw their javelin the furthest to win this challenge.

Ajay is first. Renae fouls as her javelin didn’t pierce the ground. Ben also fouls and so does Kate. Lana is next and she follows suit with a foul.

Nathan throws it perfectly and is in the lead. Lisa is left to throw. Darryn gives her advice, so can she pull through?

It’s a good throw, but not enough to win. With that, Nathan and Christine are through.

Opinion point: What sport would you be good at?

After the break, it is time for the long jump. Renae makes a good distance. Sarah is second and pips Renae, just!

Ajay is next and gives a good effort, just not good enough.

Lisa is up next and gives a massive leap! That puts her square in front, and wiping all emotion off Darryn’s face. Can Dipper beat her?

He gives a good jump and Kate reveals that Dipper JUST beat Lisa. Bittersweet. Can Ben beat out Dipper? Not quite. Dipper wins and Lisa is happy to have given him a run for his money.

It’s time for the shot put. Kate wanted to do the shot put but Sarah doesn’t want to do the high jump. Kate and Dipper go over after feeling as if Kate would do a better job. Kate tells her to pull her stuff together if she wants to do this.

She then goes to walk away, but Sarah, who is feeling dejected after her team mate’s supposed lack of support, yells at her to have a private conversation with her to get things out in the open.

Kate calls her stupid and Sarah tells her that she has too much stuff to deal with for her to be saying things like that. Kate thinks it was wrong of her to go over to Sarah just before her shot and tell her she is better at it than her but Sarah is getting more upset, so Kate makes the call to leave her so she can man up and take the shot.

Opinion point: Was it right for Kate to approach Sarah like she did?

After the break, Sarah has a dummy spit and walks away. Lisa, who is waiting for her shot, is getting annoyed. Darryn calls Kate up about her actions and Kate explains herself.

Gabby makes light of the situation by putting on a good Julia Gillard impersonation.

Kate worries about looking like an arsehole but Sarah hugs her as an apology. However after apologising, she wants Kate to say ‘that’s OK’, but it never comes.

Positions are retaken and Gabby steps up first. Next up is Ajay and she doesn’t quite beat Gabby. Renae is third and again, is unable to beat Gabby.

Lisa is next, and her confidence should really get her through. The uplifting music is also encouraging.

Taking her mark, she gets into the zone…and smashes the competition! Only Sarah can beat her now.

Sarah fouls, and she puts it down to her emotions. Lisa is asked to try again to see if she can beat her throw.

Just! But yes, she does!

The red, yellow and orange team are through to the finals- and only one more spot remaining.

It’s a high jump and Ajay notices that this is involving the shortest girls of the competition. Kate is next and clears the bar. Gabby is next and also clears the bar. This is actually quite intense.

Ajay is next and she’s trying to remember what leg she needs to use.

She too is able to clear the bar. Renae is last and she seems to clear the bar and then some!

The bar is then lifted and Kate is up for round two. She clears the bar and is still in the game. Who else can clear this?

Gabby amuses the judges with her warm ups, which also take up a lot of time. Unfortunately, she doesn’t clear it, and she is out and the green team land one point. She is in tears as she walks away disappointed. Ajay is next and also fails to clear the bar.

If anyone can clear this, it’s Renae.

No, she can’t- and surprisingly, Kate and Sarah win a place in the steeple chase!

Opinion point: Who would you have expected to win a place in the steeple chase?

The steeple chase begins after the break, and there are four hurdles and one water jump. With that, they begin their pursuit for some points. Can Lisa beat anyone to secure as many points as possible?

Dipper, easily, gets good lead here. It’s obvious who will get first place here. Nathan is in a comfortable second place.

Kate gets to the water jump and falls straight in. At least it isn’t like Lisa, who panicked before jumping flat on her face in the water.

Dipper really wants to win the eight points to give him the best chance to win a week.

They’re all going through their second round. Dipper finishes with a big lead and grabs those eight points. Nathan finishes a good second, earning seven points for team yellow.

Kate gets in third, earning six points and that leaves Lisa with a still good five points. What will this do to the leaderboard?

More on that later, Lisa is still going with the steeple chase! She falls into the water a second time, injuring her knee, but she completes the challenge.

Christian debriefs on the challenge before showing the leaderboard.

Opinion point: Who did you want to see win this challenge? Who needs it most?

After the break, it is leaderboard time!

DIPPER & LANA: 16 (the first team to win back-to-back challenges)

CHRISTINE & NATHAN: 13

KATE & SARAH: 10

DARRYN & LISA: 10

GABBY & BEN: 8

KEVIN & RENAE: 7

AJAY & MATT: 5

Ajay doesn’t seem to care too much- as long as she’s had a go.

Dipper and Lana then debrief on their mighty effort this week.

After the session, they head up to the kiosk for this week’s nutritional session- today focussing on carbohydrates. How can you eat carbohydrates properly?
She explains that carbohydrates are a nutrient that helps them exercise properly.

They then have to divide a table of carbohydrates into the lowest G.I. group to highest G.I. group. Kate makes a joke about being a ‘tuckshop lady’. Refer to Australian Idol season three for the explanation!

They are able to identify the correct group members, except for pasta. Joanna is so impressed with how much they know.

She also tells them how and what to eat before exercising. I was particularly interested in her tips for morning exercise- my type of exercise!

After the break, the contestants head to a lawn bowls club for some old-fashioned bare-foot fun. This is just to get their minds off the elimination.

Gabby, whose grandmother was a champion, does not have ANY skill.

Tim cracks a bad joke about not getting any ‘hospital-visit’ points.

They all then sit down for dinner where Kevin reveals that he smokes a pack-a-day. Gabby really wants people who wants to be here to stay, and doesn’t think Kevin is one of them.

Back at the hotel, Matt is sick with worry, wondering how Ajay has performed for their team. Sorry, buddy, it’s not good.

With that, the episode ends. It actually wasn’t so bad- but at times it was a little repetitive, and there was a lot of recapping.

The challenge was brilliant fun, and fantastic to watch. Still, I was expecting Sports Week to have more of a spark than it has, and maybe that has to do with the obscure locations visited, and yesterday’s break.

Not much else to comment on- especially without sounding like I’M repeating myself.

Excess Baggage next airs Mar 8 at 6.30PM on GO!

Production Values (visual and audio techniques, overall ‘bling’ of the show):4.5/5

‘Sell-out’ factor (Cross-promotion and product placement free?): 2/2

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 8.5/10

 

Previous episode: Excess Baggage Season One – Check In #5 & Elimination #1

So I’m not quite sure how this ‘Sports Week’ works, and how much deviation from the usual format will feature, if any occurs at all. But one thing is for sure, the teams are heading to Sydney and they’re a little bit lighter- both in terms of weight and number of contestants. They should all be on their toes though because at the end of this week awaits the second elimination.

The sun rises on Sydney and it looks very picturesque. Kate tells us that we have now passed the half way mark and that the scoreboards have been wiped bare.

The contestants head to their bus and on board, they talk about their chances this week. Matt is keen to find a sport that Dipper isn’t good at. They arrive at a field where Kate, Christian and Joanna are waiting for them. Kate explains about the scoreboard reset and Gabby thinks everyone is now in danger.

They are actually in Blacktown and Christian tells them that today’s spirit challenge is AFL. He asks if they’re up to it and Dipper sure is. He is a bit daunted about the expectations being put on him. The contestants bring up his hall of fame status and Lana thinks that there should be no reason why they would come anything but first.

Kate DeAraugo has never kicked a football and Kevin isn’t so knowledgeable about the sport, being American and all. Kate tells Christian that she has ‘never handled balls’ before, which drags out a snide remark from Darryn.

Kate and Sarah think that as the only all-female team, they are at a disadvantage. Kate tells them that the challenge today will involve them marking balls. She then introduces them to the Greater Western Sydney Giants- the new kids on the block!

The captain introduces the team to the contestants before they get into part one of the spirit challenge. Dipper is very nervous but feels that the other guy will be nervous about kicking to an AFL Hall-of-Famer. Kate explains that the contestants will be split into two teams for the kick-off challenge. Girls and boys will be kicking from a varying distance depending on their gender.

For round one, Sarah is the only girl kicking. They have to mark as many balls as they can. What this involves is the contestants catching the balls kicked by the professionals. Kate is very impressed with Sarah’s efforts here. In fact, they all seem to do really well.

Dipper smashes his fingers on one mark and begins to feel the pressure. Kevin meanwhile can’t seem to mark any balls after a while.

Dipper soon gets into the zone and begins to dominate the competition. During this, very cheesy AFL crowd noises are played over the action.

Soon, the game ends and Dipper finds out he marked 14 balls. The red team have marked 12 balls; the pink team have marked 9 balls. The yellow team have also marked 9 balls. The green team also mark 9 balls. The blue team have marked eight balls. The purple team have marked six balls- ranking last.

Now, it is round two, where the majority of players are female. In fact, all players are female. Dipper continues to hound Lana with rules and tips, and while he says this is because he wants to win, it seems to really annoy her.

Opinion point: Do you think this challenge is just a little too unmatched for contestants versing the orange team?

While the teams switch members, the footy blokes comment on Darryn’s six pack, which is mounted on his fat due to contouring. Quite funny.

Then, it is game on! Lisa is going OK, but Darryn doesn’t seem to think so at first. Dipper is like a kid watching bubbles with Lana doing her best to secure as many balls as possible. Renae meanwhile is picking up on Kevin’s slack. This is because she loves sport.

I wonder how this team will do compared to the last lot.

After time is called, Darryn goes to give Lisa a hug- have they won? Renae caught every single one, so I don’t quite know.

The orange team have 21 balls, the red team have 24. The pink team have 16 balls. The yellow team have 21 balls. The green team have 22 balls. The blue team have 24 balls and the purple team have 17 balls.

Darryn is over the moon, but Dipper is not happy at all. It is onto part two of the spirit challenge. Christian didn’t think the spirit challenge was too demanding, but Kevin seems to be a little dizzy. He sits down for a medic check and Kate suggests that Kevin is having a heart attack!

He is given oxygen and an ambulance comes to collect him for a second time this season. This is pretty serious. Christian comes over to Renae to tell her that she now has to compete on her own. She keeps thinking about the Kimberly’s, but is very much happy to take up the slack, promising to do as much as she can.

Opinion point: In situations like this, should Renae get some sort of handicap?

After the break, it is time for the second part of the challenge, which involves them grabbing the balls that they caught in the first part, and try to run it over to a net on the other side of the field without being tapped on the shoulder by a footballer.

Dipper uses his kicking skills to kick the balls across the field to Lana, avoiding the footballers. The other contestants also try this strategy. Renae, who is on her own, just waits for them all to be occupied trying to catch other contestants before running through whatever gap she can.

Darryn takes a leaf from Dipper’s book but keeps kicking the balls out. They were going OK to start with as well. Who will win?!

It’s quite a long round and Kate & Sarah feel that them being girls will still be a disadvantage. Sarah jokes, saying Kate should flash the footballers. Dipper and Lana are definitely dominating this part, but Sarah is very impressed with Renae who is pocket-rocketing her way around this challenge.

Darryn injures himself by stretching his calf, and now it is all up to Lisa- team red are in a lot of trouble.

Opinion point: If you had to enter this competition versing another contestant, what contestant would you want to verse? Who would you not want to find yourself going up against?

After the break, day one of sports week continues. We head over to the hospital where Kevin is still battling a heart condition. They all think he is having a heart attack. He’s now in the hospital being tested. Christian feels that there are times when he lets himself go with his bad habits, thinking this may be a problem.

His health tests come back all clear, but will have to go to a heart specialist before continuing in the competition.

Back to the competition and Lisa is getting the hang of flying solo after Darryn’s injury. She doesn’t think she will be able to do it, but is giving it her best crack. She actually gets a few balls in. Darryn helps her by throwing balls to her. She doesn’t count the amount of balls she puts in and all the running is wearing her out quite a lot.

The footballers do look as if they are giving her an easier go.

Dipper spends a bit of precious time arguing with one guy, but they do look as though they are in the lead.

30 seconds remain as the contestants get their final balls in.

Time is called, and only the results remain. I actually didn’t catch how the points will be allocated. Darryn is waiting for a medic, and yells at Lisa out of frustration after calling a medic.

Tim comes over to her, and she is crying. She doesn’t like how she performed, feeling as if she has let Darryn down. She sounds like she is fretting about carrying the team. Darryn meanwhile expresses his happiness over Lisa’s efforts.

Tim tells her that there is nothing wrong with wanting to be better. Tim feels as if she needs to find self-motivation for when Darryn finally leaves her side. He meanwhile goes on about being made to leave the competition, but his injuries are a joke compared to those of Kevin.

Opinion point: Who performed better than expected today?

After the break, it is time to see what the heart doctors feel about his condition. We find out that his heart is absolutely perfect! But what is a problem is an atrial flutter, which can be contained by cutting down on his caffeine and tobacco update.

Ross Walker gets him to imagine him in a coffin being looked at by his family to stop him from smoking. We then get a recap of Kevin’s journey so far. He didn’t come all the way to Australia for no reason.

Ajay feels Kevin’s excess baggage is his smoking, drinking and partying. Gabby feels as if he hasn’t even put in the effort to warrant a position in the competition. That was a bit left-hook! I didn’t even know that there was that sort of bitterness between Gabby and Kevin. The same went for the other day when Darryn has a huge go about Ajay not turning up to training, branding her as a ‘complete disgrace to the competition’. Surely her not turning up to training and Kevin not giving up smoking aren’t the only reasons for Darryn and Gabby’s reactions. Either the cutaways are a bit scripted, or we’re not seeing the full picture of things.

So, to the leaderboard and this is a complete surprise. Here are the scores:

DIPPER & LANA: 13

BEN & GABBY: 10

RENAE & KEVIN: 8

NATHAN & CHRISTINE: 8

DARRYN & LISA: 7 (Darryn is sore and upset but maybe Lisa will carry Darryn this week)

 

So this means the scoreboard looks like this:

DIPPER & LANA: 8

GABBY & BEN: 7

KEVIN & RENAE: 6

CHRISTINE & NATHAN: 6

DARRYN & LISA: 5

KATE & SARAH: 4

AJAY & MATT: 4

Ajay is not worried, having come from behind a lot of times. Kate however seems nervous about her scores.

It’s still very close. They all go off to rest with Darryn’s lovely words about his teammate closing the episode.

So a very good episode all round, but I didn’t hear the points system explained at the top of the episode, and actually, it seems as if the episode was thrown together. Hopefully this episode wasn’t sacrificed due to any budget cuts made after the show’s move to go. I just felt it had lost its kick.

Sometimes, the production was a bit cheesy, and to open up a supposedly themed ‘sports week’, the challenge wasn’t very inspiring.

Still, the quirkiness remains, it was very well balanced and there was plenty of action.

Excess Baggage next airs Mar 7 (CORRECTED) at 6.30PM on GO!

Production Values (visual and audio techniques, overall ‘bling’ of the show):3/5

‘Sell-out’ factor (Cross-promotion and product placement free?): 1.9/2

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 1.8/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 6.7 /10

I’m going to call it now – Seven will win 2012 ratings year in total people.

The third week of 2012 ratings survey is done and now it is already clear that Seven will win the year. With My Kitchen Rules nudging 2 million viewers on some nights, Revenge settling around the 1.8 million mark in overnight (5 city metro) ratings figures and Packed to the Rafters – while down on its glory days – is still reaching up to 1.5 million, Seven are winning most nights ratings. So far the network has all three weeks of the 2012 ratings survey convincingly. Even Seven’s Sunday night line up is outrating the cricket on Nine, and easily doing better than Ten’s Super Sunday.

Seven’s two digital channels 7TWO and 7mate regularly lead over their commercial opposition. Both channels have clear and distinct programming that does not overlap or eat into the main channel’s audeince – unlike Nine and Ten’s offerings. Even on a night that My Kitchen Rules pulls close to two million viewers, 7TWO and 7mate can both independently reach channel shares of over 5% each.

Obviously, winning the first three weeks is no guarantee that Seven can or will win the year – but if you look at what is coming up on Seven, compared to Nine and Ten, then the outcome is clear. I would even go so far as saying Seven would win 2012 if the weeks that the Olympic Games air were counted towards the year’s end result.

Three weeks from now, My Kitchen Rules will reach its finals week, then it is straight into the AFL season where Seven will air four games a week, including live games on Friday and Saturday nights.

After Easter, Australia’s Got Talent – a ratings power house last year – will return to Seven, as will Dancing with the Stars to its traditional Sunday night timeslot. Last year’s unexpected smash Downton Abbey will play out its second season, while Amazing Race Australia is back most likely in May. Then there is still Packed to the Rafters, Winners & Losers, and imports like the popular Criminal Minds still to come.

Looking further into the year, The X Factor is back, with auditions now well under way. New shows Good Christain Bitches and Once Upon A Time will also come to Seven soon.

Both Nine and Ten, like in 2011, have gotten off to a bad start in 2012. While Ten had some early success with Super Sunday, the night is now easily outrated by Seven. Ten have already made significant programming changes – most notably on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, and double episodes of shows llike Homeland seem to randomly pop up unexpectedly. 

The Biggest Loser this year seems to be building, but it lags well behind Seven’s Kitchen. After Easter, Masterchef will return for its fourth season, but, given the drop in figures last year, Masterchef is not likley to draw the crowds it used to.  New reality series The Living Room, and Being Lara Bingle won’t set the ratings world on fire.

To Ten’s digitals, ELEVEN is doing well, usually amongst the highest rating digital channels, while ONE is yet to find an identity, lagging behind the other commercial digitals on most nights.

Nine have already started the year with a flop in the failed launch of Excess Baggage now airing on GO! to less than 100,000 viewers over its four nights on air. New series Alcatraz isn’t doing anywhere near the figures Revenge on Seven is doing while the One Day Cricket Series is perhaps now suffering from fatigue with audeinces now not reaching a million. Thankfully, finals week is here next week, while the NRL season is now underway.

Earthflight hasn’t done well, CSI is doing OK, 2 Broke Girls has settled around the 800,000 mark while Two and a Half Men and new episodes Top Gear are tanking.

Nine’s only real hit so far is new episodes of The Big Bang Theory, with some of the repeats being pulled up as a result. The show, however still airs up to 15 times a week between Nine and GO!.

Coming up on Nine – looking like after Easter now – will be either The Block or Celebrity Apprentice Australia stripped to 7pm. So far, there is no indication as to which will return first. New series Tricky Business – looking more and more like Nine’s attempt at a Rafter’s style show should premiere after Easter as well while The Voice is in production as well.

Then, of course, there are the 2012 Olympics – but they don’t count to the years’ rating result. After the Olympics comes Big Brother – which will either be a spectacular flop or a surprise success for Nine.

The program guide for GO! these days is less than inspiring – with the channel loaded mostly with sitcom and movie repeats – the once number one digital channel still manages to find an audeince though, but is now not the most watched digital channel on most nights. As for GEM – it needs as much of a make over as Ten’s ONE does.

It appears that Nine and Ten will have alot of work to do if they are going to be able to come close to Seven in 2012. Nine may manage one of the younger demographics, but, comparing the three commercial broacasters in both content currently on air and programming to come later, Seven are already clearly in front, and will stay that way in 2012.

[Any ratings figures quoted are OzTam 5 city metro figures.]

If you needed any indication as to how eventful this week in reality television was, you only have to ask the, not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, but SIX people who were booted out across the three shows that aired this week. To sum up what occurred in the lead up to these evictions, let’s recap the week that’s been.

To Excess Baggage first, and this week was one to be held on the Gold Coast. As my own personal favourite holiday destinations, this week brought a sense of nostalgia and fun into my living room. The challenges were brutal and the competition intense.

To begin the week, contestants had to compete in a gruelling triathlon which involved swimming through the choppy Surface Paradise waters, paddling on board through them again, and then running up the very soft beach. Anyone who has been to Surface Paradise beach would know how rough the conditions can get. On what looked like a very rough day, sending the contestants out there was downright criminal, but very entertaining.

It certainly showed off a few weaknesses, which is something I thought a challenge based in a metro area rather than an outback hotspot would do. Lana, in particular, didn’t perform at her best, and this caused a big divide in her relationship with Dipper, which has so far been quite good. We even heard how Dipper binge-ate out of anger over the situation.

It turns out that the weaker teams owned this competition, with the very fragile Gabby & Ben winning first place, the volatile Darryn & Lisa winning second place, and the sometimes explosive Matt with partner Ajay came in third. Although the latter team is still somewhat of a powerhouse.

To the breakthrough experience, and this one really tested Sarah. She, along with partner Kate, the red team and blue team went trapezeing. They all had to hang on dearly to that pole as they flew through the air, quite a distance above a safety net. Thankfully, they all overcame their fear, including Sarah, however only Darryn and Lisa looked ready to go one step further and perform a leap of faith. Only Lisa successfully completed the move.

The other teams were sent to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary to complete a ropes course. This tested Lana’s nerves, and therefore her relationship with Dipper further. As the former-footballer egged her on, it seems all she wanted was a bit of peace, and got a bit fed up of his ‘encouragement’.

The next day was endurance challenge day. Here, they had to race around the Gold Coast. After attaching leg ropes to surfboards, they all then had to find a particular meter maid who held instructions to the next part of the challenge. This ‘next part’ required them all to run up the Q1! Yep, one of Australia’s tallest residential buildings at over 70 storeys high.

It tested almost everyone who ran it. Kate DeAraugo needed medical attention after struggling up the stairs and Nathan also had a hard time not blacking out.

In the end, Renae made it up first, thanks to a good lead before entering the building, but Matt was a close second. I believe Ben, who was helping Kate, got to the top first out of those two, and scored third place for green. Lana, who had to run by default of Dipper’s injury, was last.

To the check in, and there were highs and lows. After another good week for Lisa, the red team somehow pulled themselves out of the bottom two at the eleventh hour, shoving the not so happy yellow team, and the joking grey team into the show’s first elimination.

After receiving only support from Christian, the grey team were sent home on Joanna and Tim’s wishes, becoming the first team to be eliminated. Brant is confident he can complete his journey on the outside, but John was quite sad to leave the competition. This is how we left the competition at the end of the week.

To the Biggest Loser Singles, and this was one hell of a week. Before anything else, the show addressed Luke’s binge-drinking at a party after last week’s challenge. Subsequent to breaking the rules, Luke was expelled from the competition. It was a teary affair, but the contestants all seemed to think that Luke was a bit out of control at the party.

The controversies didn’t stop there as straight after in last chance training, the cracks that formed in the white team after their disastrous challenge widened as Selena powerfully confronted Bek and Kasey on their apparent bullying.

Despite all efforts to reconcile her team, Tiffiny’s warriors lost the weigh in, due largely in part to their 4kg weight penalty, and faced elimination against the black team. Further chaos was shed after Bek was blindsided by her team in a vote on who should face elimination. It looked clear that Selena was the firm favourite to be picked, but at the last minute, it seems both Michelle and Kasey also felt that Bek was a better candidate, due to her drive to train, which would benefit her on the outside.

Unfortunately, Bek was facing a red team vote, and after voting out Brenda and breaking off the white-and-red-team alliance, she got no sympathy and was eliminated, leaving Graham to survive another week.

It wasn’t looking good for the white team, and whichever way you look at it, their week either got better or worse.

In a midnight training session and dawn-race to the finish, the red team won the right to banish another team to the bush. They chose the white team, and they were off to their Survivor-esque challenge where they will stay until the next weigh in. Or should we call it, tribal council?

This gave the white team strength to bond, despite the hardships that come with being left out in the wilderness with next to nothing.

The white team heartfeltedly begged Selena to stay in the competition when she felt like leaving, and Tiffiny was on hand to give her ninjas some very helpful training sessions. I think they’ll be all the better for it. Their lack of food can also only mean big weight losses, although weight loss through lack of eating cannot be applauded.

At the contest, Margie won the right to head off on the walk, where she won the power to disclude one member from the other team’s weight loss percentage from their team weight loss percentage at the next weigh in.

Under the pretence of competing unashamedly at temptation to make sure Hamish didn’t win immunity, the red and black team came to an alliance which would see Simon take the power if he ate at temptation. This would mean that if he ate so much that he gained weight, this weight gain would not affect his team’s weight loss.

But if you ask me, Hamish has eaten many a times at temptation and has still managed to lose quite a bit of weight. Simon better hope that this plan of his works.

Actually, it is Margie’s plan, and it doesn’t look as set-in-stone as it did at the top of the week. More on that later.

At temptation, contestants had to race to one of six BBQ’s which hid food, some techy prizes or immunity. Simon was the only one to compete, and he competed twice. The first time, he had to eat a burger. The second time, he scored immunity.

So he didn’t eat nearly as much as Hamish has in prior temptation challenges, so he better hope he doesn’t lose a big number for nothing!

At the challenge, contestants had to break up rocks at a quarry and dump them in another team’s basket. The team to have basket space left at the end of the challenge would win the right to send another team trainer-less until the next weigh in.

The blatant alliance between the red and black team was strong, and they soon eliminated Hamish. But as the black and red team have three members each, and only one member was able to compete in this challenge, Hayley told the red team to pick a black team member to participate, and vice versa.

Simon picked love interest Lisa on the pretence that she was injured. Margie and Lydia scoffed at this, but ended up choosing Graham for the black team, who was also injured.

Despite this match-up, Margie and Lydia could not let it go that Simon would choose Lisa over them. Simon rightfully suspected that the only reason why they were angry was because his choice disadvantaged them, which is really what he needed to do.

This confrontation has somewhat shaken the foundations of the alliance between the red and black team and with the black team ending up winning the challenge, will Graham choose to send Michelle Bridges off, or Shannan? We’ll find out Monday.

But if you’re sick of all that weigh in stuff, let’s talk about food!

My Kitchen Rules finished off their elimination kitchen-visit round with Emma & Andrew from WA unable to pick themselves off the bottom of the leaderboard. They were eliminated first on Tuesday.

Wednesday saw the teams begin the second round of eliminations. They all headed up to the Snowy Mountains to cook breakfast at B&B’s. The public decided that Carly & Emily served the best breakfast, meaning they were safe from the next day’s challenge.

The always below-par Thomas and Carla, who are now even less popular, it would seem, than Peter & Gary, lost this challenge after serving some sort of chicken dish. Sorry, but why would you serve chicken at breakfast?

The next day saw the contestants cook off in Kitchen HQ. Here, they had to work with chicken in the first ‘quick-fire’ round as a hero ingredient, but their cooking method was decided by which bench they all chose to cook at.

The second round saw salt & pepper act as hero ingredient with Nic & Rocco, Megan & Andy, Peter & Gary and Sam & Jillian heading into this round after losing the last.

In the end, Sam & Jillian had salt thrown on their wounds, losing the challenge and facing Carla & Thomas in elimination on Monday.

So that there is the state of play as of today! Hmm, that rhymes, sort of…

Anyway, what can we look forward to next week?

Well for anyone still watching Excess Baggage, the show heads to Sydney for ‘sports week’. I’m sure this will benefit Dipper a lot, but how will the contestants now face up to the competition now that the leaderboard has been wiped of points.

Another elimination proceeds the group on Thursday, so they all better be on their A-game or it could be all over red rover.

The Biggest Loser will also eliminate another player on Monday. How will the white team cope at weigh in after a week away? Which team will lose their trainer? Will Shannan uncover the red-black alliance? And will Hamish take things to the next level with Michelle?

All I can say is that I’m a little disappointed that Simon and Lisa’s relationship is being somewhat sidelined by Hamish & Michelle’s. I easily forget that they are in a relationship at all. Come on, where is the love?!

My Kitchen Rules heats up on the back of a fourth season renewal. But that’s the last thing on Thomas & Carla and Sam & Jillian’s mind right now as they prepare to be eliminated on Monday.

And quickly, we all know Dancing with the Stars is just around the corner when official confirmations begin to flow in. Brendan Fevola and Kerri-Anne Kennerley have now been officially appointed as contestants today. Fevola was tipped way back last year, but has recently looked less and less likely to compete.

His confirmation will mean that he will follow in the footsteps of his former wife Alex Fevola, who competed to a third place-position in 2010.

Kennerley’s involvement has been everything but officially confirmed since her split with Nine.

But somewhat left-hook now and Seven have also confirmed two other less-reported entrants.DJ Vogue Williams has also been confirmed as part of the line-up, as has ‘singing sensation’ X Factor 2011 second-runner-up Johnny Ruffo. In regards to the latter, I can’t believe I didn’t see this coming.

After blogging his X Factor journey last year, it will be a blast for me to document whether his dancing abilities, which were hinted in some of his performances, will match up in 2012!

So that’s it all rounded up for you. I hope you all well in keeping up with it all, we’re really in the thick of it now. Stay tuned and stay connected people!

 

THE LIBRARY

Monday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Expulsion (Weigh In #5)

Excess Baggage Season One – Gold Coast Week Begins (Spirit Challenge #5)

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Seventeen: QLD Soldiers, David and Scott

Tuesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Elimination #5 & Contest #3

Excess Baggage Season One – Breakthrough Experience #5

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Eighteen: QLD Partners, Peter and Gary

 

Wednesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Walk #3 & Temptation #6

Excess Baggage Season One – Endurance Challenge #5

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Nineteen: Off to The Blue Mountains

 

Thursday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Challenge #6

Excess Baggage Season One – Check In #5 & Elimination #1

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty: The Showdown

 

Friday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Friday Night #3

 

At long last, Excess Baggage aired its first elimination, and it wasn’t good news for the grey team.

After an emotional check-in, which saw Ajay Rochester confront show trainer Christian over his lack of support for her, the grey team, featuring Beaconsfield disaster survivor Brant Webb and partner John, and the yellow team, consisting of singer Christine Anu and partner Nathan, emerged at the bottom of the leaderboard.

The judges were then left with the decision to eliminate the first team from the competition since it began five weeks ago.

While Christian’s vote went for the grey team to leave, both Tim and Joanna voted for the yellow team to stay, leaving the all-male grey team as the eliminated couple of the night.

Brant was not unhappy with leaving, feeling he has learned enough in the competition to continue his weight loss journey on the outside. John however, was devestated, concerned that he hadn’t been inspiring enough to others.

The team were not always successful in the show’s check-ins, often joking at their mediocre achievements.

From now on, Excess Baggage will be eliminating a team every week. It is expected that four more eliminations will occur before the finale.

Excess Baggage airs Mondays-Thursdays at 6.30pm on GO!

Previous episode: Excess Baggage Season One – Endurance Challenge #5

Now, standby for the structure of this episode. It could well pull a Biggest Loser and leave the elimination until Monday. For the show’s sake, I hope it doesn’t. But one thing is for sure, a check in is needed to be had! Two teams WILL fall to the bottom and face elimination and that result WILL be revealed. Let the competition, REALLY begin!

We’re still on the Gold Coast, but not for long. Today, it is time for the weekly fitness test, and it will reflect in the final scores that could send someone home. No one is really ready for the fitness test with all the illnesses people are coming down with. We review what a tough week this has been.

Ajay, who isn’t well, cannot compete today, so it will be up to Matt to try to drag that score up. Darryn thinks Ajay is a disgrace to the competition and should be disqualified. Well, umm, that’s a bit of an overreaction from Darryn, even moreso than usual!

Well, the thoughts seem to resonate through the camp. Brant even goes up to Christian all fired up, claiming other people are sick and continue to perform. Hell, I don’t see Brant’s problem. That is until Kate Ceberano clarifies that she will just take the same points as last week. Actually, that does make Ajay a bit of a cheater!

The fitness test, which is the same as usual, seems to take its toll on already shaken bodies. Lisa, who has shown improvement in the past weeks, is back at the back today in the sprint and Darryn thinks something is wrong. He goes to push her along as he feels she is ‘too fat’ to go. He pleads to Christian not to tell Lisa that it was a good effort.

We’re back to an uncooperative red team as the elimination stresses takes its toll.

Christine knows that the fitness test could well be the thing that saves her. She breaks down under the pressure, but Kate DeAraugo is on hand to support her. She manages to push her body through it and puts in a considerable effort.

Ben also works his arse off. He’s another one to look out for in check in. But, who will lose?

Opinion point: Who do you think deserves the best score this week?

After the break, it is the first elimination. Kate talks us through how the three judges, Tim, Christian and Joanna, will be deciding who will be eliminated.

As they all walk into the hangar, a pyramid of bottles full of what looks like fat is staring them in the face. Ross Walker, from the Kimberly’s week. He tells them that the pyramid of bottles represents the 200kg of fat the contestants have lost already.

Then, it is time for the check in and elimination. We are reminded that all contestants have been accumulating their scores since the beginning. The two at the bottom after the addition of today’s check-in scores will be facing elimination.
The blue team are first for check in. Kevin has lost 0.8% of his body fat and 0.5cm off of his waist. His fitness score is 7.4, giving him an 8.7.

Renee had a BFP of 44.2%. It is now…41.7%. She loses 3.5cm from her waist and her fitness score has gone to 6.4. Her score is 12.3. The blue team’s score is111.0 overall. This is the score to beat.

The orange team are next. They’ve had a rough week this week, so we recap it. Dipper, before the check in, reminds Lana that despite their arguments, he is proud of her doing the stairs. Her BFP drops by 0.2%, however she loses 4cm off her waist.

Her fitness test score was 5.2. It is now 5.3. Christian reminds her that she will have her bad weeks but she can take out of it all those stairs she climbed. Dipper personally thanks Christian for his support behind Lana.

Her score is 9.1, which isn’t bad.

Dipper’s body fat drops by 3.6%. His waist circumference was 114.5cm. It is now…111.0cm. His fitness test score was 6.9. It is now…7.3. His score is now 14.0, quite big. They get 113 points, putting them at the top of the list.

Opinion point: We’re rushing through this check in. Is this making it more confusing?

Team purple have had a pretty average week, not helped by Ajay skipping the fitness test. Matt is first. His BFP was 34.4%. It is now…32.1%. His WC was 125.5cm. It is now…119.0cm! His FTS has gone from 5.1 to 5.5. His score is therefore 13.0.

Ajay has only lost 0.1% of her body fat. She does lose 3.5cm from her waist. Her fitness score remains at 5.5. Matt does acknowledge that Ajay sat out because of medical advice, but Ajay knows what the contestants have been saying and is quite upset about it.

Christian says she is not training and that she is not eating the way Joanna has asked her to. Ajay says she is. Corny thunder sounds play as Christian tells her that Matt is essentially pulling all the weight in her team.

Christian says there are a lot of things she can do but Ajay insists she is doing everything she can and has only missed one voluntary training session.

Ajay reiterates that she was told by the medic not to compete. She is quite upset as Christian keeps calling purple team a ‘one man’ team. Matt also arks up, telling Christian that she needs more support.

Ajay is crying as Christian continues to support Matt, but puts Ajay down. He does acknowledge that she is an inspiration.

The purple team ends up with 122.3 and on top of the board…for now. Technically, they’re safe. Ajay is still upset with Christian’s comments and in a break; Ajay goes to confront him further. Nathan feels everyone else thinks the same things Christian is.

Ajay feels she is being manipulated into being a lazy person. Christian doesn’t want to hear her excuses and Joanna has to come in to stop the bickering. She tells Ajay to turn up to training sessions, which Ajay says she will all the time. Hmm, maybe Christian is giving her a bit of tough love, because something seems to be clicking now.

Joanna also offers personal nutritional advice.

Opinion point: Do you think Ajay needs more support from Christian?

The green team are up for their check in. Gabby is a bit worried about her fitness score but says she used it as an excuse to see how she would do under crook conditions. Christian says she had integrity for turning up, an obvious jab at Ajay. Now that is just adding salt to the wound!
Gabby’s BFP was 37.7%. It is now…34.5%. Her WC was 98.0cm. It is now…95.0cm. Her fitness score drops to 5.6 but she gets a total of 11.9 for her score.

She remembers the Whitsundays where she recaps her argument with Christian.

Ben’s BFP drops by 2.9% and his WC drops to 124.0cm from 131cm. His fitness score was 5.5. It is now…6.7! His score is now…14.9! An absolute knock out. That gives them a score of 113.6, making them safe.

After the break, it is the pink team’s turn. Sarah’s BFP decreases by 3.7%. Her WC drops from 97.5cm to 94cm. Her FTS was 4.7. It is now…5.6! Huge! Her score is now 12.9. Kate feels Sarah is carrying her. Kate has fallen back into bad habits this week, so will this be reflected?

She feels she is about to let her partner down. Her BFP was 37.2%. It is now…37.2%. Her WC was 96.5cm. It is now…97.5cm. She gets quite teary. Her FTS went to 6.7, giving her a 6.7 check in score.

She wants to forget being a celebrity- she just wants her life back. She is very teary.

Opinion point: Would the result’s sensitivity to contestants having ‘bad weeks’ be a weakness or strength in the check-in’s process?

The combined pink team score is now 105.2cm, putting them in last position, and saving the orange team.

Next up is the yellow team. They feel quite confident. Let’s see how well they do.

Christine’s BFP was 34.4%. It is now 32.5%. Her WC was 94.5cm. It is now…94.5cm. Her FTS was 7.4. It is now…7.5. This gives her 9.4 all up. Christine feels a bit discouraged and worries about being in the bottom two.

Nathan is next and he is expecting big numbers. His BFP was 35.3%. It is now…35.0%. His WC goes from 122.5cm to 119.0cm. His FTS is still 5.1. He gets an 8.3. He is very disappointed and gets teary. He says that this competition is everything for him.

He can’t go home.

Their score is now 102.4, giving the blue team a safe pass.

The grey team are next and Brant thanks John for the support. John’s BFP was 39.7%. It is now…36.1%! His WC has gone from 139.5cm to 133cm! Huge again! His FTS is now 2.7! His score is now 11.0.

Brant needs 8.0 or more to secure a safe pass. His BFP was 22.4%. It is now…22.7%! His WC was 99cm. It is now…99.5cm! His FTS remains at 6.4, giving him a score of 6.4. The pink team are therefore safe.

Joanna feels Brant is doing well in supporting John, but isn’t taking his own journey seriously.

John thought Brant could have done better, so he is a bit shocked. They get 104.4, putting them in the bottom two. This means the yellow team will definitely be up for elimination.

After the break, we see a recap of red’s journey. They could definitely pull a win off this week.

They need 24 or more to beat the grey team.

Darryn’s BFP goes down 1.3% and his WC goes down by 2.1% and his FTS is 8, giving him a score of 11.4.

Lisa now needs 12.6 to win. A big score! I’m nervous now! She hopes she can do it. She knows that if she goes today, she will be back at the gym tomorrow.

So, her BFP was 44.8%. It is now…44%. Her WC was 127cm. It is now…118cm! A massive 9cm! Her 6.2 FTS gives her a score of 14.1! They’re safe on 106!

Now, it is time for the elimination. The yellow and grey team are in the bottom two and they now plea to stay in the competition. Christine knows there is more she can learn and do. Nathan says it has taken some time for him to get over his mental problems, but he now gives all he can to be here. He promises to continue the 100% commitment.

Brant says that he doesn’t need to be here but knows John needs to be here. John would like to stay but knows Brant is at the stage that he can grow on the outside.

He breaks down as he wants to inspire others. Dipper tells him that he is an inspiration.

With that, they are all made to go upstairs to wait while the judges deliberate on who should go.

The judges aren’t too impressed with Brant however Tim sticks up for him. Joanna doesn’t think Nathan is being honest.

Opinion point: Who should go home?

After the break, it is time for the results. No screwing around. The judges will cast their vote for the team they want to leave. The team with two or more votes will leave.

Christian wants the grey team to stay.

Tim wants the yellow team to stay. Of course he does.

Joanna seals the deal. The team to go home today is…the grey team. Joanna says that she doesn’t get Nathan’s honesty, but how can he fake those tears?!

John however is devastated that he is going home. He doesn’t want to let go of the bonds he has made, but he will continue to lose weight. Joanna tells them that her and the judge’s support does not end here, or even after the show finishes.

With that, Brant & John say their goodbyes and we are left with seven groups!

We leave them by way of an emotional hangar exit and a recap of their journey.

The two share an emotional farewell outside where John tells Brant that he taught him to be a winner.

Back in the hangar and we remember that the green team won Gold Coast week, and Gabby wins $10,000 for CMRI.

Christian tells them that the board of accumulated points will now reset and they will now be basing eliminations on only the points accumulated during the week.

Kate reveals that next week is a special week. Set in Sydney, it’s Super Sports Week! They are all quite happy.

So the first elimination is done and dusted, and to be honest, it was a little tacky. Due to the amount of content, the check in had to be squashed a little, and it became a little rushed. This caused the usually confusing system to become even more confusing.

Also, when Ajay was confronting Christian, the use of sound techniques, such as the thunder, was tacky, and just weird.

I also didn’t feel emotional at the elimination. Maybe it is a case of ‘finally!’, but I also put it down to that whole scene feeling so damn scripted.

Other than that, we had a few surprises and when the red team checked in, I felt a lot of tension. I’m also glad that we were able to end the week with some personality from some of the contestants (like Ajay’s dilemma and Nathan’s overwhelming desire to stay in the game).

And FYI, the Swisse Logo featured in the ad bumpers for this show is still product placement, and makes the show look 1-part brochure.

Excess Baggage next airs Mar 5 at 6.30PM on GO!

Production Values (visual and audio techniques, overall ‘bling’ of the show):3/5

‘Sell-out’ factor (Cross-promotion and product placement free?): 1.8/2

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 6.8/10

Previous episode: Excess Baggage Season One – Breakthrough Experience #5

If there were ever a time for a bloodbath, this would be it! For the teams, this is the last opportunity to score some much desired points before the first elimination. Some teams need points more than others, but it is every man for himself in what will be the last endurance challenge for one team.

We’re still on the Gold Coast for this, the endurance challenge day! Kate tells us that they’ve put together a three part race for the contestants. They will have to run down to the beach, untangle some ropes and attach them to a board before receiving a photo of a meter maid and location-of-said-meter-maid map from Christian. Then, they will be directed to the Q1, one of Australia’s largest residential buildings.

One team member will then travel by lift on a 43-second journey, while the other team member will hike up the building by foot. That’s 78-storeys of hell.

The first team to the top will win. Points will be on offer for everyone and a big surprise awaits them at the top.

The contestants head to their race start where Christian, among other hosts, is waiting for them. He tells them all what we just heard before reminding them that for one team, this will be their last endurance challenge. They have to make it count.

The contestants begin to untangle the leg-ropes. The red team aren’t yelling at each other, and Darryn even compliments Lisa. The blue team also have some sort of strategy and are getting their leg ropes on quick.

The yellow team are struggling as Christine doesn’t seem to be able to connect the ropes on the surfboards.

The blue team finish first before the purple team run off second. The two teams then head for their meter maids. They have to make sure they pick a good, close, meter maid. They are off, and six teams remain on the beach.

The orange team continue to get rejected as they think they are finished. After a few re-adjustments, they are losing time and patience with each other.

Opinion point: What team has the biggest advantage/disadvantage in this challenge?

The blue and purple team are well on their way to finding their meter maids before the orange team finish. Darryn is trying to work out what other people are doing.

Darryn thinks that Lisa’s Italian background should give her an advantage in untangling ropes because it looks like spaghetti. Haha, this team is hilarious.

The orange team are trying to find Cavil Avenue. Oh, come on, how do you NOT know where Cavil Av is?!

The yellow team find some meter maids however the blue team are red on their heels. The only problem is, they don’t look completely like the one in the photo. Good thing is, they do finally find the right meter maid.

With that, they head off to the iconic Q1 building. The red team soon finish their challenge, but other teams are all finding their respective meter maids. Gabby is leaving it up to Ben and his ‘man-eyes’ to find the meter-maids.

Matt actually cuddles the two meter maids he finds!

The teams are now on their way to Q1. Kate, who has been quite sick lately, is trying to pull through to earn as many points as possible.

The contestant’s rock up to Q1, with blue in first, and Joanna is waiting for them. She tells them the challenge and it’s no arguments, Renae is going up.

The pink team arrive in second position and despite Kate being sick; Sarah hardly offers to go up, so Kate somewhat reluctantly goes up instead.

Kate is freaking out about the challenge ahead.

Opinion point: How would you fare?

After the break, Nathan and Christine arrive with Nathan claiming to do the stairs. With Ajay having an injury, Matt is forced to climb the stairs for her team.

The orange team are arriving at the building, but Lana is beginning to lag, and it seems to annoy Dipper. Are they the new red team?

Ben and Gabby arrive, and Ben decides to go up. When the orange team arrive, Dipper is told that he cannot go up the stairs due to injury, causing him to fume. Lana, who didn’t want to go, now must go. Dipper is annoyed that it is all up to Lana.

The red team is still looking for its meter maid, and Darryn has to yell ‘if you want an arse like [the meter maids], run!’ in front of everyone at the Cavil Av McDonalds!

Inside the Q1, Nathan and Lana are struggling, and I’m sure the rest of them are too. Lana only gets to level 4 before feeling stuffed.

As they go up, the corridors get smaller and greyer. Brant, who is running up them for the grey team, does not like the similarities to the mine he was stuck in.

For Kate, she gets taken over by Matt and soon, Ben and Nathan.

Ben stays with Kate, who is crying and on her knees. Being a nice guy, he helps her out.

Darryn and Lisa arrive at the tower and of course, Darryn does the stairs. Lisa is confident he will catch up with someone.

The race is on for first place and Renae is only three flights from the top. She can hear Matt, so she runs like hell. Matt isn’t running, but he is sweating like hell.

So who comes out first? Renae! The blue team win the full suite of points. Matt however, is a close second. That’s seven points for his team.

Opinion point: Which contestant would you send up the stairs if you could send one?

After the break, the race to the top of the Q1 continues. Ben is still helping Kate, and Darryn is trying to catch up! Darryn mentions how this experience is worse than the time he was kidnapped and held at ransom with guns to his head.

Funnily enough, Darryn was very well known for repeating this story on Celebrity Big Brother UK to the charging of the other housemates.

Nathan collapses and at one point vomits everywhere. A bit too graphic for my liking. Brant just runs past him. Kate is also struggling with Ben and the two finally get to the top.

As she gets to the top, she collapses on the ground. Kate Ceberano makes sure the camera can see her calling for medical.

Sarah feels responsible for doing this to Kate. Nathan also collapses to the ground after this ordeal. This makes Dipper feel sorry for Lana.

Brant and Darryn are next through, leaving Lana in the stairs. Christian gives her a lot of encouragement as she frets to think what Dipper would think. She gets to the top to a chorus of cheers. Dipper is over the moon that she finished the challenge.

Opinion point: Was that challenge a little too risky for this stage of the competition?

After the break, Christian tells them that as a reward for completing their challenge, they will be taking part in the sky-point climb. Yeah, more stairs, but the pain in climbing them will be nothing compared to the thrills of the massive height and stunning views they are about to experience.

As he goes outside, Nathan shakes. He is definitely frightened of the height. We recap his experience abseiling down the side of Tasmania’s dam.

At the top, they all jump up and down in joy about their experience. They all love the view. It does look quite rewarding.

Lisa didn’t know how much she was scared of heights before this experience, but she too enjoyed the scenery.

Back in the safety of the café lobby, they clap and cheer before heading outside on terra firma for the scoreboard;

GABBY & BEN: 11

AJAY & MATT: 9

KEVIN & RENAE: 8

KATE & SARAH: 5

DARRYN & LISA: 5

BRANT & JOHN: 4

CHRISTINE & NATHAN: 3

DIPPER & LANA: 1

These are the accumulated scores for this week, and Gabby & Ben have the advantage going into the check in and elimination.

Dipper & Lana do risk going into the bottom two this week. But they’re so high up on the total score; will they even have to worry?

After the challenge, they all go to a Japanese restaurant. Kate loves Japanese food, but for some contestants, it is a bit of a culture shock.

It’s all a bit of fun however Christian does bring them back to the subject of elimination before debriefing on the week that has been. This meal is their last together. Christian goes over to Nathan to ask about his highs in the competition. He feels it is the abseil in Tasmania.

We recap on Nathan’s time in the competition.

To Darryn, and he talks about his poor relationship with Lisa to begin with, but how it has been able to grow into a very functioning team.

Dipper recounts his aerobatic plane ride as his high. I think this whole segment is an excuse to fill air time with recaps.

Kevin feels this entire competition has been his highlight. He thanks everyone for accepting him into our country. You know, Kev, you can stay if you want!

Opinion point: Who deserves to be in the competition the most/least?

So the end of the episode has come, and it was pretty well paced. I have loved this week in the Gold Coast, again, as I’ve said, it has been just a joy to see them visit all the places I myself have been, and I can therefore honestly say that this show does feature places tourists would most likely want to go, which is a good marketing ploy.

I loved the whole reflection thing at the end. It was perfectly timed, and was just the right length. It was just a dinner and a highlights package really, but I think it was appropriate for this show to include something like that at this point in time. The last ten minutes of this episode was of course, the last portion of this competition before eliminations begin.

Excess Baggage next airs Mar 1 at 6.30PM on GO!

Production Values (visual and audio techniques, overall ‘bling’ of the show):4.7/5

‘Sell-out’ factor (Cross-promotion and product placement free?): 2/2

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 3/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.7/10

Previous episode: Excess Baggage Season One – Gold Coast Week Begins (Spirit Challenge #5)

The red team, blue team and pink team are tonight going to be forced onto the frightening apparatus that is ‘the trapeze’! Can these teams even swing on one of these things, let alone keep their grip on it? Well, there aren’t any points up for grabs tonight, but whether these contestants will go through with this challenge or not should be a good reason to watch.

We’re still on the Gold Coast, and Kate is swinging on what could be a prop trapeze, but the teams are going on the real deal! The other contestants will be going to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. You know, all my holidays to the Gold Coast and I’ve never been there.

The red, blue and pink team get a small preview on what they are about to do and no one has ever done anything like this. Some contestants are looking forward to the challenge. Sarah doesn’t think she can hang upside down. She doesn’t like how she used the word ‘can’ when describing what she can’t do.

Before their challenge, they are given a few practice modules, but the trapeze artist models are making it just that little too easy. The contestants don’t do so well when they practice, haha. Darryn isn’t coordinated at all. It takes them quite a while to get Darryn into the right formation.

Lisa is having a more comical time getting the moves right. Darryn thinks it is great how she is approaching this challenge and we are given a recap of red team’s previous hardships. Now, Darryn considers him and Lisa as brother and sister.

Sarah is talking to Tim and thinks that because she is overweight, she doesn’t feel as if this is the right challenge for her, as it involves someone catching her. Tim asks her what she’d feel like if she didn’t finish the challenge. She knows it will be bad, especially if everyone else does it.

We recap how Sarah has in the past used her weight as an excuse not to do something. She does in the end promise Tim to give it a go.

To the challenge, and Lisa is first. She doesn’t look too terrified, but she is frightened to trust someone behind her to help her. She hesitates on her first attempt. Will she pass this?

Opinion point: Is this a safe challenge for overweight contestants?

After the break, we head to Currumbin Sanctuary where Joanna and Christian await them. They are all dressed in harnesses and we see that they are about to undergo a high-flying obstacle course themselves.

It is a high wire ropes course, which is split into three sections- easy, medium and hard. Lana struggles as soon as she starts. She is in the wrong headspace, and begins to cry. She is losing her confidence again, and we are reminded of her confidence-lapse yesterday.

Ajay is going up a ladder. The rungs are too far apart for her, and she begins to panic as she leaps from rung to rung. Christine laughs at her, saying six year olds could do better than that.

John is crossing a rope, and Brant shakes things up a bit…literally! The rope is shaking to and fro, and John isn’t happy.

Lana is having a day ‘she will never forget’ as Dipper tries to direct her across the ropes. Lana is just concerned by how long they have until they finish.

Opinion point: Is Dipper and Lana’s relationship crumbling due to Lana’s confidence?

Back at the gymnasium, Lisa finally lets go of the platform and goes flying! It then takes her a while to let go from the pole, but she does it. Kevin is next and he goes one step further by doing the whole ‘leg-tuck’ maneuver.

Kate is next and she is a bit more awkward, but gets to Kevin’s stage. But now it is time for Sarah. We see a back story of Sarah. Her mother thinks she is creative, but thinks she has a self-esteem issue.

She doesn’t want to back out and with a scream, she goes! She doesn’t bother with the routine, but she’s done it! She’s done the hard part! Very inspirational indeed.

Darryn and Renee also go. Lisa, who goes again, is having a great time with the French instructor!

They all go quite a few times and Darryn even goes to try to catch Renee.

Back to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and Lana is on her last rope. Dipper is trying to encourage her, but it is the last think Lana wants. But after scaling the flying-fox, it’s over for her! Her ordeal ends.

Nathan and Christine then finish up for the day.

The rest finish and we realise that they’ve all been doing the green course! It is now time for the red course!! Lana doesn’t want to go on, and calls it a day. I think she’s done alright!

Opinion point: Currumbin Sanctuary ropes course or trapeze challenge; what would you choose if you had to complete one?

After the break, the contestants are now taking on the red segment of the challenge. Now, it is Christine getting nervous. They all have to swing over a vertical net and scale it- at a good height as well.

Apparently, a peacock on course wants to ‘do’ one of the female contestants- I think Ajay.

Matt is now achieving his goal at conquering his fears by completing this ropes course at a good height.

Brant is now wobbling the ropes for Christine, and as it freaks her out, she threatens to kill him! That would scare the HELL out of me!

Gabby is struggling a bit, but she is getting there. All I’m wondering is how many people will be left to do the black segment of the course. Ben, petrified of heights, still goes back to help Gabby. His confidence grows, and by the end of it, he’s having fun! Gabby puts this down to the breakthrough challenges they did.

Back at the breakthrough challenge, Kate is on the ground and introduces them to the next part of the challenge (there was a next part?)- being caught by a professional catcher. They can either go for a leap of faith, or they can go for a knee grab, the latter of which is harder to complete.

We see a reel of a few unsuccessful catches, but after performing a leap of faith, Lisa is able to grab on to her catcher! For completing it, she gets a key ring! Darryn is looking forward to the confidence she will gain from this.

Kevin goes to attempt the catch and he too completes it successfully. Kate is next and she too has a bit of success. Now, it is Darryn’s turn.

He can’t seem to get it, and he is getting frustrated. He is determined to gain this win for his own personal satisfaction. He tries it over 20 times, so can he complete this?

Then, the music dims, we see his entire routine, and he goes for it….to no success!

Lisa is just happy to have completed something he couldn’t. Giddy-up, she says.

In a video message, Darryn compliments Lisa’s success.

Opinion point: Can the red team really avoid this week’s check-in based on this week’s score?

After the break, the contestants at Currumbin are still on the red section of the ropes course. Uplifting music plays as the contestants seem to glide through their challenges. Ben is having a ball, Dipper is climbing things left, right and centre and Ajay is yelling out in joy.

John however is about to overcome a severe fear of his. He breaks down as he realises how much he has lost due to his lack of self-confidence. He runs across a board he was scared of doing, and he gets a good back pat by Brant!

A dingo in the background begins to call out, and Nathan gets a bit scared, tripping and falling from a rung in a ladder. He has a harness, but he is panicking. Before someone can go help him, he gets back up with a yell of success!

He and Dipper even then go on to tackle the black course. Nathan wants to achieve the black course. We see a backstory, and we see his father, who is a hard-core motorcycle rider! I’m so surprised to see how much respect he has for his son. He’s a type of guy you would suspect to be a homophobe, but he seems to really share a good bond with his son!

The end of the day comes and Joanna and Christian debrief on the day before they all head back to the hotel to see how the others went.

Opinion point: Who performed the best today? Who surprised you?

After the break, Matt gets a visit from his family! Very unexpected. He doesn’t seem too over emotional- which I would say someone like him would be. This hints that a bit of scripting has been involved.

We get another backstory for Matt, now about his love life. Are there more back stories than usual today? Surely there should be less and less as we head further into the competition!

Anyway, he seems to have a good time with them and he reveals that he has lost the same amount of weight as his daughter weighs.

Darryn’s girlfriend Liz, who we’ve seen in backstories, goes down with him to the beach and gets stung by a bluebottle. Ouch! He just tells her to stop being such a British tourist.

Dipper is in a confession with Joanna. He tells her that he is frustrated with Lana, and feels he is not coping due to his hate of losing. He says he went for a run after the breakthrough challenge with Lana, went back to his hotel room after dinner, fumed a bit, and then ordered room service, as he would usually do on travel.

Joanna then gives some advice, such as not relying on will power. She asks him to, at night, fill his evening with activities. She also tells him that if he piled something up fast, like calories, he should be able to lose it fast as well.

Opinion point: Do you think the temptation of room service should be disabled for the contestants, or do you think it is all a part of the game?

After the break, Joanna addresses ALL the contestants by giving them another nutritional information session by talking to them about all the different nutrients you can find in different types of food.

She tells them that taking supplements are also a good way of getting their nutrients. There was no labels on the fish oil tablets she produces, so this must be a genuine tip.

She then shows them why you need supplements when she shows them the proportions of different food they would have to consume- which are huge!

I wonder what people did before the invention of supplements.

After the session, Kate DeAraugo feels nervous as she says she has eaten unhealthily all week while Sarah has held the team up. She just wants to do all she can before the check-in and hope for the best.

So the episode ends there, and other than the overabundance of backstories and cutaways shown, it was a decent episode. Like always, the production can be a bit choppy, and Kate as host is STILL not used to her full advantages, but the episode had laughs, thrills and felt eventful, but maybe a little slow at times.

Everything was pretty much well balanced, but I didn’t feel as if producers did enough to draw sustained interest from the viewers to the breakthrough challenge. They could have and should have thrown in some more activities for the contestants to do. Maybe the fact that all we were seeing were contestants jumping from a trapeze a few times made it a little boring.

Excess Baggage next airs Feb 29 at 6.30PM on GO!

Production Values (visual and audio techniques, overall ‘bling’ of the show):4.8/5

‘Sell-out’ factor (Cross-promotion and product placement free?): 2/2

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 8.8/10