Loser goes solo

First they were couples, then they were teams and now they’ve gone solo. It’s every man for himself and this new twist in the game is going to favour contenders such as Sharif, Andrew and Sean – a competitive edge they’ll need with the growing strength of the parent/child alliance.

It also explains why, with the exception of Tiff who was delighted to learn that Bob and Nathan are up on Fitzroy Island training with the Commando and still in the game, the alliance was less than impressed with these latest developments.

Those guys (Sammy, Meaghan, Cameron, Julie and Tiff) are really going to have to lift their game. Currently they gravitate towards the bottom of the leaderboard (see below) with the exception of Tiff who is in second place. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how strong their alliance is if they’re not getting strong results at weigh-in.

I was shaking my head a little when Meaghan explained that the alliance was gunning for an all-girls Finale including herself, Sammy and Tiff. While I respect her ambition, what have I been saying all season? What did Shannan drill into me last year? And what has he been drilling into the contestants this year? CONTROL THE CONTROLLABLES. Focus on your diet, exercise, good numbers at weigh-in and let the game take care of itself.

Now that Loser has moved into solo territory, I caution all contestants against underestimating their opponents. I was certainly underestimated at this stage in the game because I couldn’t run as fast Sam or lift weights like Kirsten or Cosi. But I was mentally and emotionally strong and this is what got me through to the Final 3… which this year happens to be the Final 4. Now there’s a twist I didn’t see coming!

It’s great that Bob and Nathan still have a shot at the fourth place in Finale as, love them or loathe them, they’re amazing contenders. While Nathan clearly is the stronger of the two, Bob’s track record on the scales is going to be hard to beat. It was a shame we couldn’t get to see where they sit on the overall leaderboard – which I’ve shared below – but I suspect it’s pretty close to the top.

 *These contestants are members of the parent/child alliance

Tonight’s episode is the one I’ve been waiting for all series – it’s where the contestants are treated to a glamour makeover and get to look in the mirror and see just how much they’ve achieved. Be sure to tune in at 7PM on TEN and check your inbox in the morning for my daily updates.  

Episode 51 highlights

If you missed last night's show, you can watch the full episode at The Biggest Loser TV show website.

Take a look at the rope-based training session Shannan subjected his team to. By the end of the session the contestants were playing jump rope with that 100kg snake of a thing! I had a good chuckle at Cam who got stuck skipping despite having “more trouble lifting off than Apollo 13”. His words, not mine!