Game Show NewsNet

"Bake Selling Yourself" - November 9

We spent last week staring at election returns. We look at this week going into weight loss returns - and we come into the traditional reality game show dilemma which started all the way back from the first series of Survivor. What am I talking about? We'll see later...

...but for now, we'll get a verrrrry long recap. Why verrrrry long? Well, the episodes are now 90 minutes long because a. the ratings are good and b. Father of the Pride's ratings aren't, which is something they can't afford to have during the November sweeps period.

We wake up the next morning, as Gary feels good that he's not eliminated. Kelly Mac is happy too that the teams are even, while the other Kelly misses Lizzeth, who got booted on the last episode.

Jillian meets her team, and says that she is alarmed that her team has plateaued that early. She says that her diet is the 'Eat Less' diet, not the 'Starve' diet, and what she wants them to do is eat more and exercise less, adding protein and some meats. That thrills Kelly and Ryan, who wants to lose at least 7 pounds, while Matt is concerned that he could be gaining more weight. On Bob's side, he likes what they are doing in terms of the 'Eat More' diet - he's just going to add more of it. Gary says that if it isn't broken, don't fix it, while Kelly is complaining about her aches. Gary is also having a knee problem, and he thinks it could be a factor. Bob is concerned, but Gary says that he will do whatever he needs to do to win this.

Matt is losing that mentality, as he is getting tired. David hates the monotony, and he wants to see - or at least hear from - his kids. With that, he may get his wish, as everyone sees a phone on the table. Next to the phone is a box, with a card under it, saying 'Eat this and' with another card next to the phone which says 'Get a 2 minute call.' What's under the box? a big Cinnamon Roll! Temptation, temptation...

Everyone comes in, and Lisa says that it's not fair. That's around 1,100 calories worth of cake, and they are all thinking about it. Maurice says that he'd do it if it was for a ten minute phone call, which prompts Gary to say that Maurice would have to go through him first. With that said, there's a knock on the door and a note in a picnic basket. The note now extends the call to 10 minutes - and they only have 15 minutes left for the deal to happen. Gary stares at Maurice, who doesn't go for the phone.

The time limit passes, and there is another knock at the door. In the basket is another note, saying that since none of them went for the temptation, they ALL get a 5 minute phone call. Everyone rejoices and a crying Ryan and Maurice share some huggy-time. AwwwwBarf.

Lisa calls her husband, Matt calls his mom, while Aaron gets...an answering machine. He yells into the machine until he gets Darrell, his brother-in-law, on the phone as he talks about the new addition in their house. Ryan calls his wife, who he calls his biggest cheerleader. He starts weeping all over the place as he finally get to see a human side of him. Gary also calls his wife as they both start crying. He says that his wife told her to go out 100%, and that support will only help him.

We get done with the sappy stuff as Jillian takes over the Red Team. She tells them all that the key to get back on the weight loss mode is to shock the system - and a run up the hills is a good way to do it. With Jillian yelling (and in some cases, pushing them up the hill), they get all the way up there, and then after a 10 minute break, she yells at them to run back down. Ryan starts bleeding, but he attributes that to Jillian coming in last night and biting him with her fangs. Heh. I would have attributed it to Lizzeth or Kelly and a very sharp cookie cutter.

After the workouts, they have another surprise waiting for them - a box that says 'Oversized Popstar' on it. For their weekly challenge, each team will perform in a song and dance routine for judges, as they have to create a song about being overweight. Matt and Ryan are enjoying the idea, while the blue team is wishing for that option for that Cinnamon Roll to come back out and be an edible option instead.

The Blue Team decides to collaborate for ideas, while the Red Team decides to make Matt the director and Lisa the assistant director. Lisa protests that just because Matt is gay (well, there's the gay demographic person, Chico, every reality show MUST have one gay person in it, you know), he is the choreographer, while Ryan says that he's seen Matt dance. Too. Much. Information. Kelly isn't worried about the performance - she's worried that everyone will kill each other beforehand. Heh.

Jillian says that life is about performance, while Bob wants to see what everyone is made of. Maurice gets excited when he sees the theater. Caroline the Emcee says that the room will be full of people, and they will decide who the winners are. The winning team will get a gourmet meal by the calorie commando, while the losing team will not only have to make their own meal, but they will also lose their trainers until after the weigh-in. That's harsh.

The Blue Crew starts it off. They get a rap going off with Maurice starting off and each of them getting a rap going. Let's say that American Idol 4 won't be worried about The Biggest Loser's musical spin-off as Maurice blows his lines. Oops. They still all think that they did well, though.

Going against them is the Red Team, featuring Matt wearing an Elton John wardrobe from the 1970's. They all have uniform tattered aerobic outfits as they also get a rap going - complete with a chorus and a chant. Their performance seemed to be more uniform and in sync than the Blue Crew, so I think they will win.

After everyone in the audience votes, we find that the winning team is...(after the commercial break)...the Red Team! They win, 77% to 23% and they have the edge going into the next weigh-in. Bob goes into the Blue Team's room and says that although he won't be there, he is sure that he taught all of them what to do. He tells them all that no one is going to go home and implores them to win the weigh-in. Maurice guarantees Bob that they will win the weigh-in and tells him to get some sleep.

As the blue team leaves the theater, the red team gets on stage and meets Juan Carlos Cruz, and shows them what he looked like 70 pounds ago. He tells them that he knows what they are going through, and his meal will taste great ad help them lose weight. The first course - tuna tartare with mangos. During the meal, David proposes a toast to Lisa and Kelly, who helped them win the challenge. The women seem happy, as David is doing his part to heal the rift that he had with the ladies from the last episode. Will he be this nice if the red team loses again?

The blue team, meanwhile, takes their time to work out. Aaron does the same workout he did with Bob to show that he can do it without him, adding that he has a little Bob with him. Andrea shares the sentiment, saying that Bob is all with them as she, Kelly and Maurice all run in sync. Maurice is confident that they will all represent as they spend the rest of the evening working out.

The next morning, Jillian takes over and puts them through heck. This time around, she tells them that if they complain, their partner will be the one who does the extra reps. That motivates Matt and Kelly to keep their mouth shut, while Matt is still concerned that he gained weight from the last episode - and wonders if he can maintain his attitude if he goes back on the scale and gains weight again. He talks to Jillian about it, who says that there will be plateaus, and adds that it's about staying the course, making small changes and believing he can do it. She tells him that he lost 19 pounds in 2 weeks, and to stay th course, but Matt isn't convinced as he says that if he gains weight this time around, he's going to flip out. Could you flip out on Ryan, please?

The weigh-in is next, and everyone is concerned. Gary is concerned about his knee and how well he'd be able to continue. Kelly is concerned about sticking around to continue her goal. Maurice wants to be healthy, and it's not about the money, and Kelly Mac wants the thinness more than the money. Ryan says he's a winner for being here for 3 weeks and feeling healthier, while Aaron wants to have positive vibes about his team.

Will ha have positive vibes after the weigh? Let's see...

Blue Team -
Gary - from 213-206 = -7 pounds
Aaron - from 234-225 = -9 pounds
Andrea - from 206-200 = -6 pounds
Kelly Mac - from 209-204 = -5 pounds
Maurice - from 423-415 = 8 pounds
Total = -35 pounds

Red Team -
Lisa - from 225-213 = -12 pounds
Kelly - from 225-215 = -10 pounds
Dave - from 240-233 = -7 pounds
Ryan - from 308-294 = -14 pounds
Matt - from 291-274 = -17 pounds
Total = -60 pounds

The red team just blew out the blue team, and it's pretty unsure who will be leaving, since they all lost around the same amount. Kelly, who lost the least, is already packing up her bags. Andrea tells Kelly that Aaron has told her that he has lost 36 pounds - and he says that he can also do it on his own. Hence, she will vote for him, because the rest of them need the additional help. Well, that's true, but are you going to vote out the person who's lost amount of weight for your team?

Aaron says that it's an insane decision, while Kelly thinks about it while jogging. Andrea won't accept defeat while Gary says that he has more work that need to be done. Maurice is confident that he will be there until the end and that he has unfinished business.

It seems that once again we have men vs. women in terms of the voting. The women are polarized for Aaron, while the men, according to Gary, have decided to vote for Kelly. Or have they? Gary decided to not vote for Kelly - and tells her this. That shocks Kelly - and Aaron, as they talk about it later. Aaron wants everyone to pray, but the women aren't buying what Aaron is selling that the conversation ends in a very uncomfortable silence.

Speaking of uncomfortable, it's elimination time. Caroline asks Kelly about her losing the least amount of weight, but she says that she is strong and dedicated. Aaron has lost the most, and he thinks that he can bring more numbers to the table. Maurice says that people should have faith in him.

So it's time for the voting. Aaron voted for.... Andrea. Whoa. Didn't see that coming, and from the looks of it, neither did Kelly. Andrea, going back to her conversation with Aaron, votes for him. Gary keeps his word to Kelly and votes for Andrea, while Kelly, who thought that Aaron was going to vote for her, voted for Aaron. Maurice says that the person that he voted for was the person that he thought would be the most ready to go out into the real world, and he voted for....Aaron.

A stunned Aaron tells the group that he is very worried about their chances. Andrea fired back and says that he sounds arrogant because it seems like they can't do it without him - but I think that Aaron is correct and even Caroline is wondering where that strategy came from. I agree and we'll have more on this later...

Aaron thinks that the blue team is going to break down, adding that he has lost 15 pounds more than everyone else on the team. He may have a point - after the show, Aaron has lost another 27 pounds. He's now at 198- the first time he has been under 200 pounds in 6 years.

So going back to strategy - it is way too early to start jettisoning strong members of the team. The format looks a lot like Survivor - merge and all, and unless there is a women vs. men sub-alliance going on, the blue team can't afford to lose any more members - and certainly not the person who can lose a lot of pounds quickly. They better hope that Maurice starts picking it up, because if not, they are going to be Pagonged right out of the competition by the red team. The question asked at the beginning of the recap, by the way, is this - do you root for the likeable but strategically challenged team (blue) or the team that you can't stand to root for but who is playing the game better (red team)? This goes all the way back to the lovable (Pagong) Vs. intelligent (Tagi) in the very first Survivor, and we may be having a repeat of it here.

Next week - Bob doesn't want a repeat of it, so he penalizes his team for making such a dumb decision, while the red team loses it on an endurance challenge. We'll see who loses another member in seven days.