The Biggest Loser Australia Singles

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Makeovers

Makeover Night is always a cause for a party- and that’s just what the contestants are going to get. But what happens the next day, when their high comes crashing down?! For such a volatile group, this is going to be very interesting!

Of course, because we didn’t get through all the makeovers last night, we have to sit through a massive recap before going onto the final reveal- Michelle!

Wow, she looks great! She is very much over the moon with the reception, which is great. She looks up at images of her old self and she can’t hold it back. She says she feels more confident in herself. She hasn’t seen her family since she began the competition and she breaks down when she finds out she is allowed to see them here tonight!

It’s such a teary reunion and her mother is so proud of her- she can’t keep her emotions back. Her father, who has Parkinson’s, does not have shakes in his hand. With that, Michelle sings. It’s a fitting end to the ceremony.

With that, the contestants are asked back on stage one last time to strut their stuff.

As this was filmed on Saturday- it’s only fitting they head out…in a HUMMER…for a night on the town.

It doesn’t take long for the champagne to flow for them. They head to the clubs and just all round have a good time dancing. Michelle feels like she fits in. She sure does have a good time! And Graham; well, he plucks a kiss from some girl!

They then head home for some needed sleep. I also notice that the song being played overhead was the title music for The Biggest Loser US.

Opinion point: Who had the best makeover?

The next morning, the contestants are back in their training gear with hair back in ponytails. The trainers tease the contestants about their night out. They are particularly interested in Graham’s story, haha.

Michelle says she feels like shit because she’s come down from a big high. The trainers tell her that what she is doing is making her family proud. We recap her makeover experience, not 20 minutes after it happened. Michelle breaks down in training.

Tiffiny brings her out and she can’t speak because she is crying so uncontrollably. It is quite scary, actually. She says she has lost motivation and admits to binging yesterday. She claims to be at her lowest point.

Tiffiny reminds her that she used to binge on cake, but now she’s binging on fruit and nuts. With that, she gets back on the treadmill, and the training continues.

Meanwhile, Shannan sneaks the eliminated contestants into the house for a massive ‘leg up’. He takes them all into the bunker. Selena is having so much fun with all the evilness.

They are all shocked by the twist and Bek is particularly paranoid.

Opinion point: Should the eliminated contestants have gotten access to the Bunker?

Shannan reveals to Simon & Lisa that they knew about their relationship before they did. Shannan also tells Ryan that he knows all about his binging.

He tells them all that the contestants are in the gym and they flick on to see how they’re going and Bek is surprised at how tiny Michelle is. And her reaction to Kasey is fantastic!

‘Zzzzzomgaaawwww….sheezzztiinnyy’ Yeah, thanks Bek.

They are all surprised at their determination in the gym. Brenda is fired up after seeing that. Simon wants to go in and show them what they’ve got. Shane now knows how hard he has to go.

With that, they go to train.

We’re back at the Manly fight gym, where they are about to train with Billy the Kid! Bek seems to like him! He tells them all about his experiences.

Opinion point: If you could train with one athlete, who would it be?

Then, the training begins, and it will separate the weak from the strong. Bek seems to flirt with him a bit.

Hamish fires up in the boxing ring, and Shannan hopes this is the edge he needs to get back into the competition. Michelle is his motivator.

After the break, it is challenge day. Oops, I was expecting this on a Thursday, haha. Today, it’s a race, with a twist! They have to use their brain to build a raft, and they need their strength to build it. They need endurance to paddle it 500m to the finish line. They won’t be building their rafts alone- they will be pairing up.

Lydia mentions how people look around to their former team mates, but it’s obvious that they’re gonna be split up.

A tarp covers all the instruments they can use to build their raft. Hayley runs through the 500m course, which also involves carrying it to the finish line. Lydia reveals that she used to be a brownie.

Hayley then reveals that pairs will be chosen by random draw. Michelle would want to pick Lydia. Margie is asked to choose a length of strong first and is paired with Graham. Damn, I was hoping for an Alex-Margie pair.

Lydia is next up and she chooses Kasey, who is stoked to be paired with her. This means Alex is paired with Michelle.

They then find out that they are playing for a 1kg weight advantage. The losers will be in bedroom lockdown until the weigh in and will only get the use of 1 spin bike to share.

Opinion point: Who has the best chance of winning? Who would you like to be paired with?

After the break, they lift the tarpaulin which contains heaps of inflatable tyres, old doors, wood and pipes. With that, the building commences.

They all have their different strategies which they implement. Michelle keeps apologising as she can’t really do much of the knot tying. Graham and Margie seem to be building fast. He doesn’t seem too impressed with Margie’s rushing.

Kasey and Lydia are well ahead and get their mast in first, launching off into the water. Michelle and Alex are next into the water in second place.

Graham and Margie set off third and Margie is very annoyed at the time it has taken to build the raft. Still, it floats really well.

Lydia and Kasey’s vessel doesn’t seem too water worthy and Kasey realises they have gotten banked. Lydia thinks they aren’t rowing properly. She does not want to lose this challenge. Michelle and Alex are trying to win this to stay in the competition.

We find out that both Alex and Michelle are from Glenroy.

They overtake Lydia and Kasey which aggravates Lydia. Alex is getting goose bumps- they could win this!

Margie and Graham then pass Lydia and Kasey, which is a real turnaround in events. They are now after Michelle and Alex.

Alex and Michelle’s mast gets caught on a pole, slowing them down.

Opinion point: Are you surprised by how this is going?

They forget that they have to take their mast off before heading under the bridge. They get under the bridge and around the buoy and are on their way back. They are nearly neck and neck to Margie and Graham, but the latter will probably not catch up. Meanwhile, Lydia and Kasey are pretty much out of this.

Lydia feels bad about designing the raft.

Michelle and Alex are raring to get to the finish line and they are so close. Margie and Graham are still trying to beat the two; however Michelle and Alex hit the shore and drag themselves to the finish line and that 1kg weight advantage.

Margie and Graham then get to the finish line second, leaving Lydia and Kasey in last place. They just seem to be making a joke of it, haha.

Looks like Lydia wasn’t the best decision after all. Sorry, Kasey. They are worried that they may go under the yellow line because of this.

That concludes the episode, which on the whole was OK. Michelle’s makeover reveal was spectacular, but was victim to being buried with the rest of the episode. With so much content, including the bunker reveal, the eliminated-contestant training session, Michelle’s breakdown and the challenge, it was so hard to keep up with it all.

Production was great, but at times, a bit repetitive. Still, a wonderful job and a great end to the week (already!).

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 29 at 7PM on TEN.

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?): 2.7/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.5/10

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Boot Camp

I don’t know if my introductions help people decide whether they want to read about the episode or not, but if they have any effect on your decision to continue reading, here’s to the shortest intro I have ever written;

It’s makeover time! (… If you’re a Biggest Loser super fan (and have watched the actual episode), that’s your cue to READ ON!)

The contestants have received a splash of makeup- now it’s time to grab some flattering clothes for the big catwalk reveal. They are at Australian Technology Park. There, they are met by Collette Harvey, who worked on the last Biggest Loser Makeover day last year.

With that, they begin their material transformation.

Kasey puts on a dress, which is a few sizes smaller than usual- but still too big for her! Commando is absolutely overwhelmed by Alex’s transformation. He is made to close his eyes and look in a mirror. He almost faints!

Margie is next to see her transformation, and Michelle is also quite overwhelmed to see her. Margie is emotional in a cutaway, how will she be in real life?! She smiles and realises she is no longer, as Michelle says, a joke.

Michelle and Margie exchange flattering words, before it is time to see Kasey in the mirror. We’ve seen her in the bigger dress- so what’s the smaller dress like?

Very flattering- she looks amazing. It’s an emotional experience for her. She actually likes what she sees in the mirror.

Tiffiny then reveals to Kasey that a couple of hundred people are outside…with a catwalk. So I’m guessing we’re leaving the other reveals to the catwalk itself. Kasey is actually confident to walk the catwalk. She’ll give it her best shot anyway.

The auditorium fills and we see some people’s reactions. People like Graham, Alex and Michelle. It seems bigger than last year.

To begin, the trainers come up on stage and the show begins.

Michelle introduces the season to the crowd- saying they have lost over half a tonne (including the eliminated contestants). This leads us to the first official reveal- Lydia! Here we go!

Opinion point: Is Makeover Night a Biggest Loser highlight to you? Do you think they pull it off well?

She looks very stunning, and she gets a wonderful reaction. Wow, what a change!

Michelle comes up on stage and we recap the conversation Lydia and Michelle had in Tasmania about how Lydia didn’t think anyone would want to be with her. She now feels as if she is worthy of love and attention and respect from other people. Too right!

She reveals to the crowd that she weighs just over 100kg. Before she gets off the stage, her parents come on to greet her. It’s quite emotional. They are naturally emotional as well.

The next contestant to come on is Alex! We know what he looks like, but how is he received? We know he is already a crowd favourite. It’s no surprise- he’s a hit!

He’s emotional when he sees a video of himself from before. He jokes about recognising a T-bone that flashes up. He announces that he has lost 46kg.

His sister then comes on stage to greet him. They’re all over the moon! She was extremely worried about his health after their mother’s death. He promises not to worry anyone ever again.

Opinion point: Are these reveals emotional or what?!

After the break, it is time for one of Tiffiny’s contestants- it’s Kasey. How will she be received? Oh, what an obvious answer- WELL!

She feels good to put herself first after years of putting others before her. Now, being here, it’s all about her and that’s how it will be.

She then reveals that she has lost over 35kg and she is under 100kg. Kasey then gets to see her family, who come on stage to greet her!

They are all in tears. Her father jokes about getting the shot gun back out! Haha.

With that, it is time for James’ reveal. To me, this isn’t so eventful as James is an eliminated contestant and we’ve seen that change in him, so I’m not expecting an awe moment. It’s still emotional to hear about his parents.

He does look different though, and does not look fat AT ALL! He really has done really well post-Biggest Loser. Reveals he weighs just over 100kg.

With that, it is now time to see Luke. If he can look as spiff as James, then he should get a rapturous applause. But again with the whole expulsion scene recap!

The haircut is quite odd, but probably suits his bouncer job, haha! He does look very good, having lost 38kg.

We also hear some news- he’s found a bit of love by the sounds of things- however it is early days yet.

Opinion point: Opinion on Luke & James?

After the break, it is Margie from Michelle’s team. Wow, she looks so thin- I’m surprised! She deserves all the claps she gets.

She says she has lost 44kg and jokes about it coming from her neck, haha. She talks about pushing her mother away. Her mother then comes on stage with her brother.

She is so funny sometimes! Her mother reveals that she used to write Margie letters to make her listen.

Margie then apologises for putting her through that worry.

The final contestant from the black team is now ready to grace the stage- Graham! Well, he looks very confident and the changes are showing. There’s a lot to go, but he is beginning to look extremely different.

He then tells everyone that he has lost over 52kg to date. He then looks at pictures of the old Graham.

He gets emotional when they begin talking about family- and even moreso when his mother and father come on stage!

Of course, we save the best to last- Michelle. The only thing is, we won’t see it until tomorrow.

So the episode finishes and production quality is great. These makeover specials are always done perfectly, and have been since they were moved to a catwalk in front of hundreds- it turns it into a real event, which is what it deserves.

But leaving a makeover until tomorrow is very sinister. Tonight is makeover night, and there was no reason why all of them could not have been showcased. Show them all.

Other than that, it was an emotional ride and a wonderful turnout of events.

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 28 at 7PM on TEN.

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

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

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2.0/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.0/10

 

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Weigh In & Elimination #9

It’s written that the two things in life that are guaranteed are death and taxes (unless you’re rich…and you live in Greece), and in a way, you could say that the two things on The Biggest Loser that are guaranteed is the crowning of a winner…and returning contestants! Now that’s taxing! But tonight, all eliminated contestants (Luke was expelled, therefore he is not involved in this) are about to re-enter the competition…kinda. Who will survive boot camp and take on the main game?

After the elimination, the contestants head back to the room and after the intensity, a weird feeling bestows the room. Alex tells Margie that he didn’t mean to blow up in there and says it was wrong for him to blow up at her, and apologises for this. Margie can see where he is coming from and didn’t appreciate being called a liar.

We recap the events of last night. Margie tells him he can’t come out saying stuff like that because she is now scarred. She will also tread carefully around him. She promises him that while she may one day take his apology on board, she is filthy at him right now and doesn’t want him near her.

Alex just says likewise. Graham suggests resting up and training later.

Afterwards, the three trainers wait for them outside with Commando bellowing into a megaphone for them to come out. Michelle is devastated to not see Lisa, but Commando can sense that something else is wrong. Tiffiny asks for the voting breakdown. In sequence, they tell them their voting choice.

Lydia says she knows she will be going home if she is up for elimination. She only cares about weight loss in the competition- and thinks no one else backs themselves as winners.

Kasey is annoyed, because she thinks she is annoyed that others are playing a game. Alex then tells the judges about his confrontation with Margie. With that, The teams break up with their trainers to dispel that tension.

Commando tells them that they have to be prepared for backlash from the others after today’s performance. Meanwhile, Lydia is still confused as to why no one got rid of the bigger threat.

Michelle feels that Lisa’s elimination has affected the red team’s focus. Kasey breaks down as she tires of the gameplay ‘shit’. It’s not who she is and she wants to stand up for herself. She feels she is doing this, but by going home, she only has to worry about herself.

Kasey has two words for them- ‘Grow Up’.

Meanwhile, out on the harbour, a boatload of former contestants is speeding somewhere. Hmm, this is quite a cold opening. Shannan is waiting for them.

Opinion point: Should Margie accept Alex’s apology?

After the break, we further address the eliminated contestant’s return. We hear quotes from the contestants- but to me, this all seems very unintroduced. We knew it was coming, but still, the scene just jumped out at us from nowhere, and in a matter of seconds, Shannan is welcoming them to boot camp.

Shannan tells them that in a week’s time, they will have an opportunity to win a place back in the game. Funnily enough, Selena is there! They will also be back in the running to win the title of Biggest Loser.

They have no idea how many slots they are fighting for. Shannan is impressed with their efforts on the outside, but says they are not ready. They are on a secret mission- no one knows they are there. He tells them that the contestants left in the game are tough, and will see them as a threat.

He comes closer to Ryan and we remind ourselves of his record breaking weight. Ryan promises to Shannan that he is now here to give it 100%. We also see that Brenda has lost around 28kg of weight on the outside. An amazing effort.

We also see Selena’s journey. Maybe we will get closure as to why she is here for a third shot at the game. She says she wants to be more healthy and has changed to beat the person who used to bring her down.

Hamish is also there. He wants to pick up from where he left off- being honest to Shannan. We remind ourselves of his journey with Michelle, which is quite obvious that that was going to happen.

Shannan then pumps the contestants up before, as quickly as we jumped to the scene, we jump back to the training in the courtyard. Alex is struggling with the drama, but finds inspiration and manages to do a few tyre flips with the help of Graham.

Alex says his relationship with Graham has been false over the past few weeks, and we recap on Alex’s hostility to the heaviest remaining contestant.

He realises that Graham is a gentle giant and he has been ‘all wrong’. He realises he has treated some people bad, and cries as he says he doesn’t want to be an arsehole anymore. Graham admits that he felt as if he didn’t have his back, and Alex says he does.

Opinion point: Who do you think will return to the competition? Who deserves to?

After the break, Shannan brings the eliminated contestants into Manly Fight Gym because warriors were made here. This is where they will train. He reminds them that they said they would do anything to get back in…anything.

With that, he uncovers glasses and a dozen eggs. Anyone who has watched Rocky knows what it takes to be a fighter. Lisa is first for the egg drink! Lisa performs the task with ease before the others have an attempt.

Bek almost vomits but Shannan snaps her into a poker face. Hamish is excited that he can have yolk as it is not on Shannan’s list of things he can eat.

With that, they are in his world! They begin training. It’s hard, that’s all I can say. Shane looks very fired up as he belts Shannan. He says he is a bigger threat than what he was before. We reminded of his emotional elimination.

He then trains Lisa and runs through her mental struggles. Shannan tells her why he thinks she has the fight to win this challenge.

Bek thinks her dream is becoming a reality. She doesn’t look like a princess again. Again, we are reminded of her story. She wants to get back into the game and win.

At the end, Shannan saw a spark in them all- one thing is for sure- if they bring that, they have a fight on their hands.

Back at the camp, Michelle, Commando and Tiffiny get the six remaining contestants back in the mud for a very dirty training session. Graham hurts big time, and it’s just an excuse to get a few mud shots, but Margie seemed to love it!

Commando finally thinks they are done, and they all have mud dripping from every crevasse. They feel dirty, so Commando gives them a super soak off with a power hose. At the end, the Commando thinks they still look disgusting.

They may need some professional help- makeover time!

Usually the most watched part of any season, this should be good!

Opinion point: Who’s makeover are you looking forward to the most?

After the break, the eliminated contestants head to their accommodation, which as I think Shane says, looks like a hospital ward. All of a sudden, they’re not feeling very well. Hopefully it’s not a reflection of what he will be putting them through.

Shannan then adds a curveball- this place is haunted. Whatever it is, it is the 100% absolute minimum. Shannan won’t be here tomorrow- but he tells them that there is a good set of stairs down the road- and we remind ourselves of that midnight training session. Those are the stairs he’s talking about. He sets them a challenge- 150 stairs a minute I think he says.

Meanwhile, the contestants get changed and head off in their white SUV’s to their makeovers. Michelle was hoping to make it this far in the competition.

They head to Raw for their haircuts and beauty sessions. A whole team is there waiting for them. They have looked after Hugh Jackson, Michelle Richard and Miranda Kerr. This should be good. And it begins. The chopping, the trimming!

Lydia hopes she isn’t too confronted, but Kasey hasn’t looked after her appearance for a while.

The trainer’s rock up all dolled up already. Shannan is there- surely that’s a hint of something going on. He just says he wants to be at this amazing challenge. He tells them that he has been busy while he was away.

He tells them that he went to see James and Luke (cue another look of Luke’s departure) and Shannan says that he has brought James and Luke with him to share in the makeover.

Opinion point: Should James and Luke get a makeover? Should the other eliminated contestants get one?

After the break, the eliminated contestants confront the stairs and it seems they are about to go through with it. And should I mention- it is raining yet again!

They are all determined to put in a lot of effort- including Hamish who has been an ‘I can’t’ person for a while now.

Selena notices that they are all surprisingly fitter, including herself. She thinks they have all come a long way. They celebrate finishing the 150 laps they were asked to complete between them. Oh, I now understand the challenge.

Meanwhile, Luke and James return and they already look made over. The contestants are in shock at the sight of the two.

They seem thinner, but Shannan wants their head sorted, haha. Commando then comes over with a shaver and menacingly thinks about removing his beard and earrings. And then it happens- Commando does the honours of shaving it off.

Michelle is going to have her hair shed, and she is a bit scared as she has used it as a security blanket for a while now. Tiffiny does the honours here in lopping it off. The girls all gasp. Then, they all clap.

Michelle is in tears, haha. Sorry, but I have to watch it again!

She says she can’t recall feeling beautiful.

With that, the rest of the makeover continues. Dyes go in and the blow driers are in full force. We then see some glimpses. Lydia is first.

Wow. Wow. Wow. That is different! That is a massive change! She is speechless- and so she should be!

We are reminded of her first day. She tears up in present day. Don’t let that mascara run.

Opinion point: Were you as blown away as I was with Lydia’s transformation?

Margie is next and she actually looks very thin! Her hairstyle is also very modern.

Graham looks neater and even a little thinner!

Luke looks very different. He has parted hair, which I’m not a fan of. I didn’t actually see a difference for James.

Time for Alex and without a goatee, he looks…younger. His chin even looks smaller. As you’d expect.

He still has his earrings, but takes them out to reveal an even younger Alex. He thanks the Commando for his efforts and it is quite emotional.

It is now time for Michelle. We see her flashback first, before seeing the new Michelle.

Another wow! The girls always come up quite nice. Very different.

Kasey is last and she looks extremely different. She just looks younger and more energised. She looks like she could be a television host.

So that’s the first part of the makeover- you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the big event- the catwalk!

Overall, a fantastic episode that was jam-packed full of different things. I have to say, the whole eliminated contestant return thing wasn’t handled the way I thought it would be, but it’s still an interesting concept nonetheless. I just wonder how many contestants will return.

Something that was handled properly was those makeovers! Fantastically presented and definitely left the best until last (however Lydia was also a knockout!).

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 27 at 7PM on TEN.

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

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

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2.9/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.9/10

 

Lisa Ritherdon has become the latest contestant to be eliminated on TEN’s The Biggest Loser: Singles. At a weight of under 80kg, she leaves as the competition’s lightest contestant. Her elimination also comes a week after her lover-in-the-house Simon was eliminated, with Lisa as his fellow nominee.

Lisa fell below the yellow line tonight after losing just 1.5kg. Add to that, she officially only posted a loss of 0.5kg due to her 1kg weight disadvantage that she incurred in last week’s challenge. She faced former black team member Alex, who previously battled former red team member Brenda in elimination.

Gaining the votes of only Margie and Lydia, Lisa lost the votes of Graham, Michelle and Kasey on ‘strategy’ grounds. The shocking elimination caused rifts between Alex and Margie, who began arguing about honesty, resulting in Margie calling Alex an ‘old man’.

It’s the first of many surprises this week, as The Biggest Loser brings out the big guns, showcasing this year’s makeovers and eliminated contestant re-entry all in the same week.

From TEN:

After a week of breakdowns and breakthroughs for 42-year old Lisa Ritherdon from New South Wales, she tonight followed in the footsteps of her love interest Simon and was eliminated from Camp Biggest Loser. 

Lisa won the Contest and secured Michelle Bridges as her personal trainer for the week. Whilst in training she bravely confronted her pain and guilt over her son Braidon’s death five years ago. At the last elimination, Lisa wanted to go home to deal with her grief but she faced her demons and now wanted to fight on for Braidon.   

At the weigh-in, after having lost only 0.5kgs – after a 1kg weight disadvantage – an emotional Lisa vented her frustrations – she had Michelle Bridges all to herself and had worked so hard, “We set training goals for me to do which I achieved so I was expecting a pretty good number, it’s really frustrating when it just doesn’t reflect on the scales.”  

Michelle Cortesao had secured immunity for herself  & Kasey Cheesman at the last Temptation. Margie Cummins had changed her diet over the week and it proved to be successful, as she was once again The Biggest Loser of the week, having lost a whopping 5.8 kilograms.

Lisa fell below the yellow line for a second week in a row but this time with Alex Zorzi. Although Lisa urged at elimination that she is less of a threat, it wasn’t enough to save her as Alex’s friendship and alliance with Michelle and Kasey served him well and saved him from elimination.  Lisa said, “One thing that I can take away from this experience is I’m now in the 70′s (kilograms) and it’s been years since I’ve been at that weight range! So that’s what I’ve got to focus on – the positives rather than seeing my time at Camp Biggest Loser as being stripped away. 

“Lydia and Margie have both been very supportive and I wouldn’t have been able to get this far without them. They keep me on track every time I have a down day and they’re always there to pick you back up. We really clicked as a team and I think that’s why we’ve been so successful.”

You can read our episodic recap of the episode here.

The Biggest Loser: Singles next airs at 7PM Monday March 26 on TEN.

It’s been another shell-shocking week in reality television! Biggest Loser had an emotional elimination; Excess Baggage went gangbusters on its challenges and My Kitchen Rules just got rid of half the competition in a one week swoop! So let’s slowly digest all of this and get around what went down last week!

Excess Baggage spent the week in the Southern Highlands. The first challenge saw the contestants milking 5L of juice out of cows and delivering certain amounts (determined by answering a maths riddle) to four different stations.

Ajay won the challenge for team purple, and proceeded to help the other four competing teams how to work out the riddles. While Christine worked on her own, Renae, Lana and Lisa formed a trio in order to help each other claim the most points. The three helped each other out adequately enough, leaving Lana, Renae and Lisa in second, third and fourth place respectively. Christine came last, which will be a common occurrence in a horror week for the yellow team.

The breakthrough experience saw contestants, and Tim, take to the skies for a skydive! Ajay, Kevin, Lisa and Christine were given this opportunity, but Kevin gave his spot up for Renae (who seemed to want to go), and Ajay, having confronted her fear of flying earlier in the season, sat this one out. Tim took her place. From there, every contestant took part.

On Wednesday, it was a dramatic endurance challenge, where one person from each team had to run up a hill and collect, one by one, horseshoes. They then had to deliver them back down the hill to their other team member who would then try to throw the shoe into one of three sand pits, each pit corresponding to either one, two or three points.

At the end of a fifteen minute period, the game was halted, contestants had to freeze and the lowest-scoring team would be eliminated.

The game didn’t last fifteen minutes before Kevin and Lisa were ruled out on exhaustion. Darryn was unable to run for the red team, inactivating them from the competition, but apparently, it was legal for the red team to compete if people scored points for them. Why would someone do that?

Co-incidentally, a fight had erupted between Matt, and everyone, causing Lana and Renae to help the red team and send the purple team out of the race. What I ask is, assuming the red team were out, and if no one helped them and they scored bottom of the list at the end of the fifteen minute period, would they be the eliminated team for that round; or would they be recognized as inactive, sending the lowest scoring active team to the bench?

The red team were eliminated, but I still feel their involvement in the competition was bizarre and out of order.

Christine from the yellow team, who again flied solo, Darryn & Lisa, Ajay & Matt and Renee & Kevin were all eliminated, scoring Dipper and Lana another win!

To the check in, and this far into the competition, is it just me, or do some of these contestants look the same as when they entered? Nonetheless, there were some surprises, like Darryn & Lisa slipping into the bottom two. They faced the yellow team, who after a disastrous week, were sent home, with Nathan unable to find reason in saving himself over the red team.

It was a high intensity week, but for The Biggest Loser, producers tried to not deviate away from the basic rules too much. The biggest event had to be the elimination of Simon, after facing his lover Lisa in the bottom two.

Lisa wasn’t going to let this beat her though, and after winning a contest which saw contestants avoid noodles attached to a rotating machine, she took the walk and won the right to have exclusive access to Michelle for the week.

Meanwhile, the Commando helped find the inner-anger of Graham after his confrontation with the trainer in the weigh in. Speaking of training, I recommend watching the training session which saw some contestants (notably Margie) trapeze, and the others (notably Alex) rock climb.

Temptation was a rather French affair; but after eating an 850 calorie V8 cake, Michelle took immunity. She’s managed to burn off the calories, but she runs the risk of gaining weight at the next weigh in. Hayley, for the first time this season, mentioned the immunity-losing penalty, suggesting that Michelle may gain that dreaded weight.

This all culminated in the challenge, where contestants had to stack ten tyres onto a pole, take them off, stack them onto another pole, and repeat that process ten times (in total). Margie wins the challenge by a long shot, earning a 1kg advantage. Lisa, who has been struggling with weight for a while now, and is finally having a good week, lost the challenge, earning her a 1kg disadvantage. For a contestant who regularly loses less than 2kg, this is massive.

And My Kitchen Rules, who can forget? It’s been elimination week this week; and the competition sought out to cull the competition by half. The first casualty was Simon & Meg, the Kiwi competitors. On Monday, we said goodbye to the bubbly Angela & Justine. Tuesday was even less kind, making us lose David & Scott. The week pretty much ended on Wednesday with the loveable Steve & Helen departing. This left SA contestant’s Nic & Rocco and Leigh & Jennifer, TAS couple Megan & Andy and VIC sisters Carly & Emily left to battle it out next week.

Speaking of next week, and with a week to go until the Easter non-ratings period (that time already?!), it’s time for the main cream of the crop to finish up with the end of quarter one, 2012!

Excess Baggage has four contestants left- Darryn & Lisa, Dipper & Lana, Ajay & Matt and Kevin & Renae- and one of them will be crowned the winner by Thursday in a NINETY minute episode to air on GO!

The Biggest Loser has possibly its biggest week yet. To begin with, another weigh in and elimination. Shannan also catches up with Luke. It is also Makeover Week, one of the highlights of a Biggest Loser season (who will look the MOST stunning?!). To top it all off, who’s that coming back???!!!

My Kitchen Rules also heads into its semi-finals ahead of its Tuesday Night Final. Leigh & Jennifer head off against Megan & Andy with Nic & Rocco going up against Carly & Emily to determine the two teams who will have to cook a five course meal to win the competition.

So as you can see, as we head towards Easter, things are really starting to heat up. Make sure you stay tuned, because if you miss anything this week, you’ll be stuffed!

And to finish, a BIG thank you goes out to AliciaB who has helmed the blogs of this year’s season of My Kitchen Rules. She’s done an amazing job, and has freed up time for me to make sure I can put in the most effort to the other two shows.

 

THE LIBRARY

Sunday

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Thirty: The Trans Tasman Battle

Monday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Weigh In & Elimination #8

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Thirty One: The Week of Eliminations Begin!

Excess Baggage Season One – Southern Highlands Week Begins (Spirit Challenge #8)

Tuesday

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

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Thirty Two: The Soldiers Take on the Princess!

Excess Baggage Season One – Breakthrough Experience #7

Wednesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Walk #6 & Temptation #9

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Thirty Three: It will be bitter!

Excess Baggage Season One – Endurance Challenge #8

Thursday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Challenge #9

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Thirty Four: Showdown to the Semi Finals

Excess Baggage Season One – Check In #8 & Elimination #4

 

Friday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Friday Night #6

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Walk #6 & Temptation #9

With elimination and weigh in just around the corner, the contestants will have to do all it takes to lose those extra kilos- and this is JUST the time to do it! Who will triumph? Who will faulter? It’s just a nice fun way to end the week of competition.

We return to the temptation of yesterday where we are about to find out…again, that Michelle has won. But who will she give the extra immunity to? She decides that while it is a tough decision, she will give it to her team mate Kasey.

Hayley then reminds them out of the blue (we haven’t heard her explain this in person before in this season) that if they put on weight, they will lose immunity. Will someone be gaining a bit of weight this year?

Back at the house, Margie, Lisa and Lydia discuss the temptation. Lydia feels she is going home after her binge in temptation. She is feeling a lot of pressure after the poor result. I don’t know why she is treating this as a final nail after the awesome few weeks she’s been having.

Lydia was shocked that Michelle took so many calories in after saying she wasn’t in the game to win. Lydia thinks she will go home if she falls below the yellow line.

Afterwards, Kasey and Michelle enter Tiffiny’s gym to explain temptation. Michelle explains the 850 calories she explained, and Tiffiny is quite happy after hearing about the immunity’s she won. She does explain that she got full after two bites- a good sign.

Tiffiny now wants to get her to burn 850 calories and she has a vomit bag available for her. With that, she is straight on the treadmills. Afterwards, she is put on the spin bike as Tiffiny focusses on Kasey. The full stomach catches up with Michelle soon enough after she realises how long it takes to reach 850 calories. She begins to stop training.

Opinion point: Are the negative side-effects of taking temptation going to catch up with Michelle?

After the break, the black boys head into training with Commando. Alex tells him the bad news. Before Commando rips his shit, Lydia and Margie turns up and funnily begs to be trained (Michelle is with Lisa exclusively until weigh in). He takes them in, for their sake and the training begins.

He pushes them to their limits though; determined to burn off all of their calories. Lydia now feels better going into the week ahead after the training session.

Back in Tiffiny’s gym, Michelle is still struggling. She feels as if she is going back to her former self as she gave into temptation. She cries but Tiffiny reasons that she did not give into food, she gave into immunity. She calls it a celebration for not having temptation for eight weeks- it’s allowed.

With that, Michelle is empowered and eventually makes it to 850 calories!

Opinion point: If you were the Commando, would you train Margie and Lydia?

After the break, Michelle comes in to train Lisa for another one-on-one training session. Their focus is still getting a good weigh in score. She doesn’t need immunity- she has Michelle! Hey, I would feel secure.

Meanwhile, back in my home town of Adelaide, Shannan re-enters the season! He heads to Fitness First Marion- just across the road from where yours truly works!! Here, this is where James works- and Shannan is concerned that upon seeing James, he will see him going back to his old ways.

We see that is NOT the case. He looks so thin, and we even see James’ personal trainer who has helped him through this.

He has lost 33.5kg, now weighing 102.6kg! But Shannan wants to train him to see how well his body works. He seems to be able to take what Shannan deals to him. James is then asked to take his shirt off to show his shrinking stomach.

Shannan asks if he has regretted his $30,000 decision and while he is happy, he does regret leaving so early. Shannan tells him that there are no regrets in the blue team, and James assures him that there are no regrets.

With that, Shannan gets James to sit down and review his audition tape.

Opinion point: Are you surprised by James’ progress?

After the break, we are back in Sydney where the current contestants rock up to a car yard. It’s the challenge, and Hayley is waiting for them. Graham is excited, now injury free!

Hayley tells them that this challenge will wreck them! This challenge requires strength and patience among other things.

Today, each contestant has five poles and must stack ten tyres onto their first pole. After completing that task, they must then take them off and put them off their second pole. They have to keep doing this until they’ve reached their final pole. This will bring them to the halfway point of the challenge.

Then, they have to bring their tyres back to the start…the same way!

She doesn’t make it too easy- the poles are just out of arms reach of everyone.

They are trying to avoid a 1kg disadvantage while the winner will get a 1kg advantage.

With that, they line up and begin the challenge.

Ooh, this is very exciting. The music is intense, the competition is very much there- and everyone looks as if they want to win!

Alex is grabbing one tyre at a time with the others pulling two at a time- not a good strategy. Oh, and it’s raining again! Very soon, contestants are moving their tyres off pole one and starting on pole two.

Lydia is still frustrated about playing temptation. She just really wants that 1kg advantage.

Opinion point: Who is most suited to win?

After the break, tyres going missing and being stolen becomes a problem! It requires more work for the contestants.

Margie, Lydia and Graham are battling for winning position with Kasey and Lisa down the bottom end of the spectrum.

Margie is determined to win this one after losing the last challenge.

Lydia makes it to the half way mark and makes her way back- or begins to. Margie and Graham are neck and neck though, and Margie gets to her last pole with eight tyres to go. Graham finds it hard to keep up with Margie.

We see Margie’s backstory as she aims to lose another 30kg. She wins the challenge and the 1kg weight advantage. She then goes over to support Lisa with her challenge. She can’t come last after her week.

Margie even helps her at points, which is a bit of a cheat, but not too much.

Kasey, Lisa and Michelle are at the bottom, which could be lethal for Michelle or Kasey.

Opinion point: Will Michelle or Kasey gain weight at the next weigh in?

After the break and another recap, the other contestants step up their game. Lydia is getting dirty and having tyres slapped in her face! Graham comes second, and feels as if he is knocking Lydia off her peg a bit. Lydia does make it third.

Alex is fourth, leaving Lisa, Kasey and Michelle still on the course.

Lisa is having troubles with getting tyres over the pole, frequently getting them stuck. We look back at Lisa’s emotional week.

Who will win the fight for fifth place? Michelle does, leaving Kasey with a sixth place win- meaning Lisa has lost- giving her a 1kg disadvantage. With her weight losses, this isn’t good. Lisa still finishes her run. Still, Margie is worried and Lydia is in tears.

Michelle reveals that Michelle would eliminate a red team member if she could.

With that, the episode ends, and it’s another doozie. This episode has been great on all accounts in terms of content. That challenge was amazing, and to see it completed was fantastic! The addition of the James catch up was great- but is it enough to keep Shannan as a relevant part of this point in the series?

The production was great, minus the heavy use of recaps. So all round, very enjoyable.

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 23 at 7PM on TEN.

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

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

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2.9/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.9/10

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Weigh In & Elimination #8

The contestants are reeling after the shock elimination of Simon; but today will be the best time for them to let go of their anger by slugging it out in this week’s contest. Who will win? What will they win?

Simon has packed his bags, and is heading out. Lisa is with him as he leaves through the doors. There are obvious tears and plenty of hugs. It is very emotional. Very pure.

With that, Simon leaves, and Lisa is alone.

In the lounge, the contestants are waiting for the trainers and Lisa. Michelle thinks Lisa would be shattered- knowing what she may be going through. She asks them all to give her some space. Lisa then walks in and she has obviously been crying.

Margie didn’t realise she wanted to go home and Lisa says she wanted to go home ‘so badly’. She tears up when she realises that she doesn’t know if she can do much more. We reflect on her bad weight losses and she says she cannot cope with this anymore. Margie reminds her why she is here and Lydia feels as if Lisa should be given some space to realise what she wants to do.

Lydia does advise her to talk to Michelle. She finally smiles, and she looks committed to try to get her focus back.

Soon after, the contestants find a letter on a podium. Very staged. They are asked to ‘reach new heights’ for their next training session. Graham is told to stay back as the Commando has something planned for him. He’s in trouble; and we see his confrontation with the Commando in the weigh in.

For the rest of them, cars will take them to a secret location. With that, they wish Graham luck and head off.

The rain starts and Tiffiny and Michelle are waiting for the contestants. Michelle wants to see Lisa walk around the corner and to her relief, she is. She gives her a big hug.

Tiffiny and Michelle wants them to have a fun training session after all the emotions and politics of recent weeks.

Alex, Lydia and Kasey head off with Tiffiny with the other three going with Michelle.

Michelle rocks up to the trapeze school. Hmm, remind you of anything? This place looks similar to that used in Excess Baggage; but I understand that the Excess Baggage trapeze challenge actually took place in a regular gymnasium, and not this school. I could be wrong though.

Frank, the instructor, runs through what they will do today- a leap of faith- which is where you swing and then leap into the arms of another trapeze. Margie is happy to do it; but is very frightened by the experience.

She is first, and you can hear the fear in her voice. She doesn’t want to do this and thinks she will die. She doesn’t want to let go. Frank helps her through this, but she is very fearful. It looks high from there. She is about to go, and she asks to wait.

Opinion point: Are you surprised by Margie’s hesitance?

After the break, Margie is ready to go. She eventually falls and now comes the hard part- letting go. She does so and just lies in the mat. She is very emotional. She has done it! She can’t believe she is alive!

Michelle is next. She is more hesitant but less emotional. Finally she goes…oops, no she doesn’t. A third time is the charm, and she is off. She says it has been a year since she felt this happy about herself.

Meanwhile, Tiffiny takes her team off for some rock climbing- another height-based challenge. A man abseils down to give them a course and Lydia soon begins to climb. There are a lot of ‘I can’t’s but Tiffiny is there to help her along and soon she gets to the top.

Kasey is next and she says rock climbing is harder than it looks. Amen to that! She does make it to the top and she realises how much weight she has lost.

Back at the Trapeze school, Lisa gets to the top for her trapeze session. She is feeling really nervous about this, but Michelle says that is good. Michelle says this is the new Lisa and Lisa gets emotional. After this talk, Lisa gets ready for her trapeze. She just wants the bar, haha.

There’s not much hesitation shown here, as she flies off. There is hesitation with dropping from the bar, but she does it and uplifting music plays as she finishes her challenge.

Alex is last to rock climb back in Tiffiny’s group. He falls a few times, but Tiffiny is there to put him back up. Can he make it?

Opinion point: Rock climbing or trapeze; what would you pick?

After the break, Alex is continuing to moan about his lack of Spiderman skills on the rock climb. The guide comes up to give him more help, or does he? All he does is give him more chalk!

Soon enough though, Alex makes it to the top. Alex has more respect for rock climbers and Spiderman.

The team finishes off the session with a hands-in bond.

Meanwhile, back at CBL, the rainclouds roll in as Commando begins his training session with Graham. He asks if he has ever been so angry as he was in the weigh in and Graham confirms that he hasn’t. He said he wanted to show Commando that he could be the week’s Biggest Loser, something that obviously didn’t happen.

The Commando tells him that he will train him today to get him to the top. It’s a muddy and severe training session, and pushing is definitely what is going on today. Commando still seems concerned by the lack of emotion Graham is showing.

He reminds Graham that he has lost 45kg, but has another 55kg, so he needs to fire up and lose around 8kg a week. The Commando gets angry as he tells Graham to begin to get angry in training sessions. He is very brutal, but hopefully it sinks in.

Opinion point: Is this Graham’s week?

After the break, the contestants reunite for the contest and what awaits them is a rotating platform with two yellow noodles- one near the top and one near the bottom, sticking out of it.

Hayley welcomes them to ‘ducking for cover’. The rotating platform rotates! The contestants have to duck under the high noodle and jump over the low noodle. Each time they clear a noodle, the platform spins faster.

The twist today is that only four contestants will get to compete. Lydia doesn’t find this to be fair. As biggest loser, Michelle gets to choose. She chooses herself, Graham, Lisa and Kasey. Lydia is very annoyed. She feels as if she didn’t pick Lydia due to the threat she poses.

Yeah, she doesn’t want Margie or Lydia to win anything else. With that, they choose their opponents. Kasey will go up against Michelle with Lisa and Graham matching up in round two. The winner overall will go on the walk.

With that, they get ready for round one.

The first girl to break a noodle will be out. The winner will progress to the final.

After a slow and steady start, the speed is upped, but they are both doing really well. Margie is backing Kasey, who looks to be the underdog. Soon enough, the speed is upped again, giving Kasey a run for her money! She keeps clipping the bar. Michelle is going OK, but even she is now struggling.

Even still, they crank the machine up faster. Kasey is trying to hold out, and it pays off with Michelle breaking both noodles and sending Kasey to round three.

Kasey is so surprised she beat Michelle. It is now time for Graham and Lisa to take to the podium.

The machine goes, and it is now on!

It isn’t long before Graham begins to tempt fate.

Opinion point: Which three contestants would you choose to compete against you in this challenge?

After the break, Lisa tells Margie who is giving no helpful support, to shut up, and the contestants joke about alliances being broken. Margie is telling them that she has the ‘need for speed’ and on that note, we crank it up a bit higher.

Graham surprises everyone by continuing to touch the arms without breaking them. Graham makes me recoil every time that noodle comes round. They turn the machine up again. Soon enough, he gives up, but he gave it his all, that’s for sure. As Lisa celebrates a win, contestants also congratulate Graham.

Lisa will now face off against Kasey in round three. Hayley tells them that they have not yet reached max speed on the machine, a hint that they should make the most of this. Speaking of making the most of this, Lisa is obviously trying to make sure Simon’s elimination was not in vain.

At the end of the challenge, Lisa triumphs, giving herself the power of the walk. Kasey says she lost concentration in the end, which led to her loss. Lisa says she was a rhythm. With that, the contestants leave with Lisa going on the walk.

Lisa then heads off down the tunnel for the second week in a row. Hopefully she will have better success! To end the episode, she chooses the mystery box. We don’t see the entire twist- but it seems that one contestant will get exclusive access to something until the next weigh in; and I have a feeling it is trainer (but why it is in the mystery section is a complete surprise).

I must say- THIS is really how an episode is done. Eventful, emotional, well balanced, nice ending, nice beginning, no major product placement, engaging, eye-opening. This episode further tested the viewer’s perception on certain characters, and left no stone unexpectedly unturned. It’s a day late, but I think we have a winner!

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 21 at 7PM on TEN.

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

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

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

Courtney’s Verdict: 10/10

 

This picture is not from tonight’s weigh in.

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Friday Night #5

After a very gruelling week full of strategy, blow ups and a heck of a lot of training, it is time for the first individual weigh in. Who will fall below the yellow line? And what will eventuate after a blow up between Graham and The Commando? I don’t know about Graham, but I sure wouldn’t want to go there!

We begin the episode by crowning the winner of the challenge. Margie and Lydia are running their last km on the treadmill, and soon enough, Lydia claims victory, however she had to basically rob it off of Margie. She runs off as soon as she wins, with the overwhelming emotions overcoming her.

She wins the trophy, a 1kg weight advantage and a phone call home. Hayley then reviews her progress over the past eight weeks. She also gives Margie a special mention as runner up. Lydia reveals that she is going to call her dad. We have to remember that after winning her 24-hr pass, she did not choose to go home.

She then collects her trophy. Afterwards, Lisa goes to check up on Simon. He says he’s going to be OK, but he’s not allowed to do anything else. Lisa offers to make him dinner, and finally, we’re seeing some true love between these two.

Opinion point: Do we want to see more of Simon and Lisa?

Meanwhile, Lydia is on the phone with her father, whom she is very close to. We see his teary reaction in that first weigh in. She wants to make sure she is still in the competition by the end.

It’s a heartfelt phone call. But afterwards, it is last chance training. Graham is off with a headache, Simon is sick, but there, and Alex has a 2kg weight disadvantage. How will he keep his team above the yellow line?

He pushes them hard in the courtyard- everything they’ve got! Simon doesn’t even know why he’s there but he completes the challenge, so the Commando wants to know why Graham is not. They go upstairs to find out.

The Commando asks him if he is ready to go home and Alex tells him that he is heading that way. No excuses. The Commando reminds him how many times he has been up for elimination. Graham cries as he tells us how much he respects The Commando. He feels he has let him down despite being pushed to his limits.

Opinion point: Has Graham done enough this week?

After the break, we check in for the red team’s last chance training. Margie has immunity, Lydia has an advantage, but Lisa has nothing; and as the lightest contestant by a mile, Michelle focusses on her. It’s been an emotional week for her and she opens up to Michelle about this before giving it her all in the weigh in.

Afterwards, it is weigh in time, it is it shaping up to be a doozie, with immunities and advantages/disadvantages littering the room.

This is also the first week with single contestants. Hayley explains the very easy to understand method- the two single contestants with the lowest WLP will fall below the yellow line with the remaining contestants voting to eliminate.

Hayley recaps the week, before reminding Margie that she will lose immunity if she gains weight.

With that, it is time for the weigh in, and first up is Margie as she has immunity. She weighed 121.8kg. She now weighs…121.0kg, a loss of 800g and 0.66% WLP. Thankfully she had immunity. Nail-biting that was. Margie thinks this is due to her flat few days. She is glad this has been her bad week, hoping to pick back up soon.

Next up to weigh in is Michelle. She wants to get into the 70’s. She weighed 85.8kg. She now weighs…80.5kg! A loss of 5.3kg or WLP of 6.18%- a huge number for this stage of the competition. She feels she is close enough to her goal weight.

Oh, and a note, this is the first weigh in they can all wear shirts.

Lydia is next to weigh in. She weighed 106.6kg. She now weighs…103.3kg, a loss of 3.3kg, or 4.3kg with a WLP of 4.03% with her 1kg weight advantage, putting her into second place.

Next up is Kasey. She weighed 104.2kg. She now weighs…100.1kg- with the scales teasing a sub-100kg weight! That’s a loss of 4.1kg or WLP of 3.93%, puts her into third place, saving Michelle.

Alex is next to weigh in with his weight penalty. He is very worried, not sleeping a wink last night. He weighed 123.3kg. He now weighs…118.3kg, a loss of 5.0kg, or 3kg with his penalty, or WLP of 2.43%, putting him fourth and saving Lydia.

Simon is next to weigh in. He weighed 128.9kg. He now weighs…127.2kg, a weight loss of 1.7kg, giving him a WLP of 1.32%, putting him in fifth place, saving Kasey. He believes his body has stopped burning things off after his collapse- causing his low weight loss.

Graham is last to weigh in. He needs to lose at least 2.3kg. He weighed 166.9kg. He now weighs…163.2kg, a loss of 3.7kg, or WLP of 2.22%, putting him in 5^th place, saving Alex and dropping Simon into elimination.

He says he is proud of what he has achieved in this week, but Commando asks him if he is really proud. Graham confirms he is not proud of his weight loss. The Commando tells him why he took him home to Carcoar but realises it has not fired him up. The Commando wants to know how he’s feeling and Graham tells him that he should know how he is feeling.

Graham is made to spill the beans, but tells Hayley he wants to keep it quiet. He is upset for what he has achieved this week being ignored by his trainer over his weight loss. It makes him feel like shit. He feels he missed training because he was sick.

The Commando remarks that this is the first time he has seen Graham angry, telling him that he would give his best training session of his life if he were to go out and train now. But he says it is too late, he’s on the scales. Commando tells him to remember how angry he is on the scales when training next week.

He then steps down and heads back infuriated, childishly ignoring the Commando.

Opinion point: Do you agree with The Commando’s points?

After the break, the feud between Graham and Commando continues. Commando tells him he is disappointed, but believes in him, however Graham doesn’t give the most convincing of answers.

It is now Lisa’s turn. She needs to lose 1.9kg to be safe from elimination. She is nervous and quite tearful by the sounds of things.

She weighed 83.1kg. She now weighs…81.3kg, a loss of 1.8kg, throwing her below the yellow line. 2.17% was her WLP. It is sad as we realise that a couple will be wrenched apart. She cries as she discusses how disappointed in herself she is.

If she is eliminated, she will love to see her boys again. Michelle loves Lisa and knows there is a lot more work to be done and wants Lisa to remain. She looks at her past differently now and realises that she now has to talk about Braden more. She breaks down completely as she says this. Everyone is crying because of this, including Michelle, who is balling her eyes out more than ever before.

She is reminded how she has lost over 20kg, and for a woman that light, this is amazing.

She then steps down and gives Michelle a hug.

Opinion point: Who should leave; Simon or Lisa?

After the break, it is elimination time. Hayley tells them that from now on, they will ALL be involved in eliminations- either casting votes or receiving them.

Hayley asks Lisa how much she would like to stay and how much she wants Simon to stay. Lisa wants to go home to talk with her kids about Braden. Lydia is in tears hearing about this. She needs to deal with some things at home and Simon needs to be there more than her.

Margie does not accept this, saying they are all struggling. Yes, Margie, Simon’s enemy. Margie tells her that her boys will understand if she says a bit longer and that they can wait. This is about her. Lydia can’t talk but tells Lisa that she can’t do that.

Simon is not happy for Lisa to put her hand up, despite knowing she has more things to deal with. Simon then asks for the team to vote for him. He even says they almost had their first argument before when discussing this.

With that, it is time to vote.

Alex is first to reveal his vote. It sounds harsh, but the black team made a pact, and his vote goes for Lisa.

Graham is next and he too votes for Lisa for the same reasons.

Lydia is next. Do we need to discuss the reasons for this vote- she votes for Simon.

Margie is next. She loves Lisa, and therefore votes for Simon.

One more vote for Simon, and he will be going home.

Kasey is next to reveal her vote. It is a hard decision, knowing they both want to go home. She ends up voting for Simon, sending him home with a barrage of tears. He thinks the right decision was made. He still breaks down though. It is so sad.

He will do this on the outside though, guaranteed. Lydia says some lovely things to Simon, and Simon says he will even miss Margie!

We then review his time in the competition. Afterwards, we say goodbye to Simon. Four weeks later, and Simon is already looking better. He still has a bit of a beer gut though.

Reviewing his audition tape, and he we can see just how far he has come! He now weighs 118kg but wants to be below 100kg by finale.

I will leave this recap short and brief. This episode was brilliant- 10/10. It showed emotion like I’ve never seen it before this season; it showed brilliant production quality, and the two main niggles- that Challenge decider at the top of the episode, and the lack of last-chance training aired- were drowned out by the immense enjoyment of this episode.

I will however take note of one thing. This episode tried too hard to make up for lost time. We have seen minute portions of Simon and Lisa’s relationship over the last couple of weeks while Hamish & Michelle’s relationship was touted about even after Hamish was eliminated.

To me, this episode could have been better and far more impactful had we as viewers got the opportunity to embrace Simon and Lisa’s relationship. Instead, other than Lisa comforting Simon in the bedroom briefly, which was obviously slotted in due to obvious events, we got hardly enough of them. Therefore, it is impossible for me to give this episode 10 out of 10. Shame, really.

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 20 at 7PM on TEN.

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

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

Entertainment Value (emotional feel, storyline, eventful?): 2.9/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.9/10

 

As we hurtle towards Easter, contestant numbers in currently airing reality television shows are dwindling but action is at an all-time high! Let’s debrief on some of this now, and preview the week to come.

The Biggest Loser is first today, and in one of the biggest weeks of the year, the contestants were split up. Teams are no more; they are all now flying solo. That however didn’t happen until after Selena begged to be eliminated from the competition.

The contestants were then forced to run 400m laps carrying all the weight they’ve lost in the competition so far in weight vests. It was a race that Lisa eventually won, sending her on the walk. There, she picked the mystery twist, which gave her the opportunity to chain two contestants up for an entire week.

Faced with multiple choices, she chose Alex and Graham to do the deed. Alex was never fine with the idea, but when Graham came back from an emotional training session in his hometown of Carcoar, Alex gave up, and quit the dare, giving him a 2kg weight disadvantage at the next weigh in.

Temptation time drew and after a controversial spout with Simon and after consuming a few plates of sushi, Margie managed to take out immunity with other contestants earning prizes along the way.

To end the week, contestants were made to endure a massive 42km marathon without going anywhere. 21km on spin bikes, 10km on trainers, 6km on rowers and 5km on treadmills. It was a tough ask, and sent Simon, Graham and Michelle all crashing to the floor with Simon having to be dragged out on a stretcher!

Margie, who was initially fed up of the competition to begin with, has currently progressed to the final round with friend Lydia, and they are currently battling it out for results that will be revealed on Monday.

To a show with a more finite ending to the week, and Excess Baggage headed to Kangaroo Island! They were all forced to carry bags and bags of survival items up a gruelling hill hike in a massive spirit challenge. Here, despite all odds, Lisa won the challenge, proving to a sick Darryn, that she can prove her worth in the competition.

It was in this challenge that cracks formed in the yellow team, but more on that later. On Tuesday, it was the breakthrough challenge, where the yellow and blue teams faced their claustrophobic fears, and went caving! Even Christian was fearful of this, but they all seemed to enjoy it in the end.

The endurance challenge followed on Wednesday, and it was all kinds of rough! Contestants had to take it in turns to scour sand dunes for pieces of an equation that equalled 100. While most teams did OK at the challenge (the purple team won this), all hell broke loose when Nathan gave Kate DeAraugo some challenge-winning advice about the equation.

A simple mistake, it caught the furore of Darryn and the disgust of Christine. The backlash took its toll on Nathan, who absolutely lost it. The episode led to a depletion in apathy for the competition, which Christine slowly gave back to him through tough love.

In the check in, the yellow team were able to avoid elimination; but the blue and pink teams were not. After a somewhat unanimous vote, the pink team of Sarah and Kate DeAraugo were sent packing.

My Kitchen Rules was the other show on this week. To summarise briefly, the now-five day a week show spent most of its time in the tropics. After several challenges, Thomas & Carla found themselves up against Megan & Andy in a heated elimination which saw the villains (Thomas & Carla) sent home.

The contestants then headed back to kitchen HQ where they were made to cook a banquet for friends and family. It was decided that Steve & Helen had the least impressive spread, but after winning the people’s choice vote (as decided by the other contestants), the ‘prize’ of place-in-elimination went to Simon and Meg.

Unlucky for the NSW team however; they were placed up for elimination in the next challenge.

So what does all this mean in the next week?

Well, The Biggest Loser has had a massive week of pushing endurance, culminating in that excruciating challenge. This can only mean a huge weigh in with large number drops right? Well, from what promos show, it seems Graham’s loss for sure will be appreciated by himself, but not by the Commando. Hmm, mixed messages…

Also, Excess Baggage heads to the Southern Highlands with only five teams! Only two weeks of this show remains, which has to be a final flight to the finish in terms of pushing these contestants to their absolute limit to melt that fat right off of their bones. Something about the name ‘Southern Highlands’ screams pain.

My Kitchen Rules is also set to rumble with four eliminations guaranteed for the next week in preparation for the final weeks. Who will survive? Who will fall? We’ll just have to wait and see.

So that’s the week that’s been; to keep up to date, just keep it here!

 

THE LIBRARY

Sunday

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Five: The Teams Go To Ingham’s Maraka Festival

Monday

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

Excess Baggage Season One – Kangaroo Island Week Begins (Spirit Challenge #7)

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Six: Camping Cook Off

Tuesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Contestants Split Up (Contest #5)

Excess Baggage Season One – Breakthrough Experience #6

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Seven: The Moreton Bay Bug Challenge!

Wednesday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – The Walk #5 & Temptation #8

Excess Baggage Season One – Endurance Challenge #7

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Eight: The VIP Challenge

Thursday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Challenge #8

Excess Baggage Season One – Check In #7 & Elimination #3

My Kitchen Rules. Season Three – Episode Twenty Nine: The Death by Chocolate Showdown

Friday

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Friday Night #5

 

Previous episode: The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles Season Seven – Challenge #8

Sorry for the delay on this one; it seems life has something against me doing my job at the moment! Anywho, it’s time for another Friday Night instalment of The Biggest Loser which should provide an honest insight into the week that has been.

To begin the show, as always, we look at the week that has been. Notable highlights included the singles split, Lydia being on top, the contest and the walk (plus the fallout) and the challenge. Again, the results of the latter won’t be revealed until Monday.

We then go back to the elimination where the white team had to send home one of their own. That person was Selena, who wanted to go home. It’s now time to see how she is going on the outside and whether being outside has helped her weight loss goals.

We see her bond with her family; which is a highlight for her. We also see that her ex-army father is training her arse off! On top of that, she also has a personal trainer and goes to Zumba classes regularly. Her diet has improved dramatically and she enjoys going out and looking at boys.

Back to Hayley and we extended footage of the moment the contestants saw their former selves in the form of cardboard cut-outs. Lydia and Kasey are highlighted in this package. Lydia saw how angry she used to look and she also sees some other features of her body that surprise her now.

Kasey is happy to see her double chin gone. Her picture also looks very angry, but she is now starting to love her own body and as Tiffiny says, she is now starting to believe in herself and her confidence is forever growing. Tiffiny is very proud of her.

Opinion point: What was this week’s biggest highlight for you?

After the break, we look at some behind the scenes footage of Michelle just shortly after the split, where the usually quiet contestant begins dishing the dirt on her contestants; particularly those on the white team. Apparently, Lydia made an unhealthy curry and dished it out to other people in the hope of getting their calorie counts up.

Tiffiny is happy that this has gotten out. She tells them to not trust anybody. Apparently, Lydia made seven cupcakes for the seven other competitiors. This is some old-fashioned food spiking, and Tiffiny tells them not to eat food cooked by anyone else. Even Alex is up to this dirty trick! For a weight loss show, this really doesn’t show the right message.

But, at least Michelle won’t eat anything from any other contestant. Everyone is stepping up their competition, and they can only trust themselves.

It’s now time to see how Selena is doing health-wise. She goes to see Norman Swan for her health check. After a quick brief on her current exercise and diet regime, they head to that dreaded kitchen where the usual spread of unhealthy food awaits her. This table is literally awash with food. Mezzanine levels have been added on to carry a mountain of Tim Tams. Gosh, wouldn’t that make ANYONE sick?

Opinion point: What is your opinion on this ‘food-spiking’?

After the break, it is time to find out what her bio-age is. Her chronological age is 22 and her bio-age was 34. Her bio-age is now 28, bringing back six years with another six years to gain back.

She is happy, and wants to make it, but at her own pace. ‘Slow and steady gets good results’. She has lost 33kg and wants to weigh less than 110kg.

We now return to the whole Alex-chained-to-Graham debacle and some unseen footage of the training session Alex had with the Graham cardboard cut-out.

We saw him train on the treadmill, but we now also see him train with Graham on the spin bike. Graham can do nothing but stand against the pole. Alex is already sick of him.

Opinion point: Are you proud of Selena’s efforts, or could she have done more before now?

After the break, it is time for Selena’s makeover with Sammy Fisher. They have a quick chat before the transformation begins. I’m sure it’ll look amazing.

She definitely looks very different- and the straight hair suits her MUCH better. She has a lot to go, but she looks much, much more vibrant and a whole lot better. Nice stuff!

So that ends the episode which was pretty much on par with past episodes. Great content, a bit segregated, but overall, an enjoyable half hour of Biggest Loser to end the week.

The Biggest Loser Australia: Singles next airs Mar 19 at 7PM on TEN.

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?): 3/3

Courtney’s Verdict: 9.5/10