The Biggest Loser recap: Roll Models

This week on The Biggest Loser, a golden disc of extra poundage much like Survivor‘s “medallion of power” was introduced, celebrity chef Curtis Stone and his asymmetrical collar showed the contestants how to bake low-calorie cupcakes, Bob had everyone below the yellow line over to his house (!!!) for a colorful vegan feast, and two women had an intense come-to-Jillian moment during training.

Two players went home instead of one: Sophia, who fell below the new and ominous RED LINE at the weigh-in, and Burgandy, who was forced by Dr. Ranch Dressing to sit out the elimination challenge due to tendonitis in her leg. Both women’s Biggest Loser Transformation Moments indicate that they’re doing extremely well on their own — Sophia’s been a cheer coach for years (which explains the perky hair ribbons), is obsessed with spinning, and has lost 47 pounds. A cheerleader testified on her behalf. Burgandy’s lost 51 pounds, and she became more likeable in her post-ranch footage. I liked her enthusiasm about interacting with the physical world (and other people) instead of sweating it out in the gym. They’re paying it forward!

I got the impression last week that some of you would prefer to read about specific contestants. So instead of a play-by-play, I’ll recap each remaining player. Here’s how they ranked at the weigh-in.

PERCENTAGE OF WEIGHT LOST

Frado 5.93

Ada 4.27

Brendan 3.37

Rick 2.94

Adam 2.81

Aaron 2.78

Patrick 2.73

***YELLOW LINE***

Jessica 2.68

Lisa 2.63

Elizabeth 2.62

Jesse 2.43

Burgandy 2.29

Mark 2.17

***RED LINE***

Sophia 0.79

Frado, the loudest exerciser on the ranch, doesn’t even know his own limits. “Loooooove working out strong people like you, Frado,” Bob marveled with his crazy Bob eyes. “LOVE IT.” And Frado’s loving the fruits of his labor, even if he does try to get away with slacking off when the trainers aren’t looking. Before The Biggest Loser, Frado was taking seven injections and a small pharmacy of pills every day. Now he’s off medication. “It shows you that exercise is the purest form of pharmaceuticals,” raved the newly reformed Staten Island papa. “The body will give you what it needs as long as you show it some love.”

Ada had a banner week, practically begging for an emotional breakdown from Jillian during the lengthy weigh-in taping. (Everyone needs one! It’s a rite of passage.) She lost 10 pounds and is consistently strong on the ranch, but had trouble giving herself any credit for her achievements. Ada became my favorite person of the season this week — not because of her terrible, abusive childhood (her brother drowned in a pool next to her when she was 2 or 3, her parents blamed her, gave her the impression it should have been her who died instead, considered her worthless because she was always fat) but because she’s so smiley and upbeat and genuinely earnest despite all that. Jillian ran her through the ringer physically in the gym in order to get her to open up emotionally, outside. Also, Ada seems to be an honorary member of the B-F-P alliance.

Brendan has big plans to vote Adam out as soon as he (along with his alliance of Frado and Patrick) gets the chance. “He’s so cocky,” Brendan muttered after Adam had the audacity to compete in the cupcake challenge. He lost 11 pounds and is down to 315.

NEXT: The award for the best pre-commercial faces at the weigh-in goes to…

Rick nearly swiped the gold circle in the temptation challenge, but Adam found the PINK CUPCAKE with a RASPBERRY ON TOP at the last second. Rick lost 9 pounds this week and now weighs 297. He said he couldn’t remember the last time he was under 300. My favorite Rick moment of the episode was at the end of the “Subway has breakfast!” segment, when he cracked himself up after calling the food at Subway “delicious.”

Adam dropped 10 pounds, despite having consumed 1350 extra calories in the cupcake challenge. It was worth it to win the gold circle, he said. “It wasn’t the temptation of the cupcakes; it was the temptation of wanting to solidify my place on the ranch.” Each week Adam holds on to the gold circle, he’ll get an extra pound to cash in at the weigh-in. It could eventually be a huge advantage. For now, the Brendan-Frado-Patrick alliance has decided Adam is afraid of them.

Aaron lost 12 pounds and is down to 419 in “the first week I actually felt like I earned my spot,” he said. It was a huge week for Aaron because Jillian helped him realize he could actually run. His legs felt like Jell-O on the treadmill but he pushed through, thinking of his son. I like the constant encouragement Aaron is getting from Frado in the gym.

Patrick had a relatively quiet episode; what stuck with me was that 100 calories means so much more to him now than in his pre-ranch days, when he was eating 5500 calories just to maintain his 400-pound heft. He lost 10 pounds and is down to 356.

Jessica has the best pre-commercial faces at the weigh-in. Is she stunned because of a huge loss or stunned because of a huge failure? It could go either way! The editors love her. Jessica didn’t have to compete in the elimination challenge — Frado saved her because she was less than a pound away from making it above the yellow line. Seven pounds in a week: “not something to be upset about.”

Lisa is a hugger! She barreled in for Bob after he announced the invitation to his house, and she lingered in an embrace with Curtis Stone that was reminiscent of Brendan’s extra-long hug with Anna Kournikova last week. Lisa kept herself safe by rolling out a 900-pound rug faster than Elizabeth. That elimination was totally stacked in favor of the burly-armed men, huh?

Elizabeth placed fourth/last in the elimination rug-rolling challenge, but just finishing was a triumph, and the injured Burgandy ended up being no contest for her at the final vote. Elizabeth’s come-to-Jillian moment was, in her own way, just as profound or more so than Ada’s. Jillian convinced her she was using her asthma as an excuse for her physical limitations. I am in complete awe of Jillian sometimes.

NEXT: The Jillian-Elizabeth exchange worth rewinding.

Jillian: What are you choking down?

Elizabeth: It’s burning to breathe.

Jillian: No. That’s not it.

She then got Elizabeth to admit she doesn’t want to die like her father! THANKS, FREUD. But seriously, this was a huge breakthrough for Elizabeth, who agreed with her guru that it’s counter-productive to stifle her emotions like she stifles her ability to breathe. “There’s nothing wrong with you,” said Master J. “The more you challenge, the more you stuff, the more you suffocate.”

Jesse, who lost only 8 pounds this week, finished the carpet-unrolling elimination challenge in second place — a strong comeback from his poor showing as a participant in the cupcake challenge. I loved this quintessentially Biggest Loser line from him: “Everything basically changed when Adam and Rick LAPPED me in cupcakes.” Surprisingly, Bob and Jillian didn’t kick his ass for eating three cupcakes. “You’re trying to stay here; who could really fault you for that?” Jillian wondered. What had happened to Jillian? “Where’s, like, the hellfire?” Sophia wondered.

Mark hurt his back after a rowing machine mishap, but valiantly told Frado not to save him; he was okay to compete in the elimination challenge. And he won! “I just nailed that thing,” said Mark, in reference to the 900-pound rug he rolled out. Mark doesn’t fear Bob, Jillian, or the Temptation Challenges. He just doesn’t want to go home early.

Was anyone else reminded of Seinfeld (“Who? Who doesn’t want to wear the ribbon?”) when Jillian barked at her lowly sufferers, “WHO? WHO IS GOING TO BE BELOW THE RED LINE?”

WHO? Who are you rooting for, so far? Are you interested in any of the “players left behind,” who are about to show up on campus next week? Does Bob inspire you to put some color back into your world? Discuss this week’s show, below!

TV ADDICTS, STOP WHERE YOU ARE! Embedded below, listen to the second edition of EW.com’s TV Insiders podcast. Dalton Ross, Annie Barrett, Michael Slezak, Michael Ausiello, and Tim Stack (EW’s resident Gleek) break down the week in television—specifically Glee, Dancing With the Stars, and Survivor—and present it to you in an easily digestible audio format. Or click here to download TV Insiders to your MP3 player!