Just when you think you’ve seen everything, Loser comes up with the mother of all twists – 'Double' or 'Nothing' bracelets that will deliver the 2009 Biggest Loser double the prize money or nothing at all.
So brace yourselves for game-playing like never before! I agree that Holly has become an immediate target and Meaghan has been thrown a lifeline but I also know that Loser never turns out the way you imagine so I think we're in for plenty more twists, turns and fireworks!
A girlfriend called me after last night's show to ask, "What if you'd won and come home with nothing?" Hmm... OK, so that's something I know a little bit about!
Coming second in last year’s competition I missed out on the big prize, but in terms of my life, I really got double the rewards. Before losing weight, I had very little self-worth. I put all my time and energy into my children because I was ‘nothing’. I had no dreams for myself… no ambitions; or none that I’d ‘fess up to at least. Losing 55kg and keeping it off has changed all that.
I still haven’t found the words to describe how transformative my weight loss has been. One thing’s for sure, it’s given me my life, confidence and dreams back – $200,000, $400,000, not even $1,000,000 could buy me that!
But let’s not underestimate the power of financial incentives in the battle to lose weight. I stumbled upon an article in the New York Times about wagers and weight loss; apparently, research from the Journal of the American Medical Association “found that people who had financial incentives to lose weight were much more successful at dieting than those who did not.”
So, for all of you taking part in the 2009 Biggest Loser Club Corporate Challenge (entries close 14 February if you’re interested) why not put some money on the table and make it interesting!
The other big revelation in last night’s episode was the announcement of the
secret Second Chance team
– a group of 10 couples who just missed out on a place in the show but are losing weight ‘on the outside’ with the help of The Biggest Loser Club.
The Second Chance couples are kick-starting their journey with the Meal Replacement Program and using The Club to track their diet and exercise. They’ve got a big challenge ahead of them – a goal to lose up to 500kg before Finale; but there’s also an incentive – a $10,000 cash prize to the couple with the best percentage weight loss.
We’ll be bringing you updates of their progress every Friday, but in the meantime, visit the Community section to meet the couples and hear about the journey they've embarked on.
OK, so what’s on tonight’s episode? The couples’ very first challenge! Looks rather painful I have to say. Be sure to tune in at 7PM on TEN and check your inbox for my update on Saturday morning.
Episode 5 highlights
If you missed last night's episode, you can catch up at The Biggest Loser TV show website.
The segment below is where Michelle announces the Second Chance couples – you'll find them around the 6-minute mark.