Watching Reality TV

If you want to catch up on what happened last week, too bad.  There was no new show last week (just one of those cheesy recap shows and that totally doesn’t count).  But to see what happened the week before, check out this post.

James is getting awfully cocky, isn’t he?  We start out where we left off, with Jeff’s little “cliffhanger”.  He excuses the jury from Tribal Council and then addresses the group.  They’re going to immediately participate in a reward challenge before going back to camp.  The winner: stay in Shao Lin Temple, get a kung-fu demonstration, a vegetarian meal and return to camp after.  It’s a trivia question challenge and everyone has “true and false” tiles to display.  Most answers right, wins.  Most of the answers were pretty easy, but some were pretty obscure.  PG wins and then gets to pick a friend to take along.  She chooses Erik and Denise (pity, perhaps?).  Everyone is dismissed back to camp, where PG, Erik and Denise will get picked up for the adventure in the morning.

The remaining players are actually kind of happy to have only four people at camp.  They plan to eat lots while the others are away.  James wants to frolic.  He wants to avoid getting cozy with PG and Erik.  However, no one else really feels the same way.  Amanda doesn’t want to go to the final four with any of them, for one.  Meanwhile, the winners on board the plane are strategizing as well.  They contemplate being the final three.   Denise is a little skeptical, but she prefers to wait and see what happens before ruling it out.  They arrive at the temple and it is rather amazing.  The kung-fu demonstration is incredible to watch.  These guys know what they’re doing.  That would be an awfully cool reward to get.  Denise, as it turns out, knows a little kung-fu herself.  Impressive!   Their feast, while vegetarian, is still sumptuous.  And I imagine, has to taste pretty fantastic.  They get to sleep inside the temple itself which… dang.

Back at camp it’s raining and everyone looks pretty depressed about it.  So much for enjoying themselves while the others are gone.  They return to camp and no one greets them.  Well, Amanda did.  The rest have no manners, apparently.  Courtney doesn’t like other people, namely PG, coming into “her” cave.  I think what she didn’t like was hearing about the fantastic reward.  Denise tells Todd that PG wants to vote him out.  Which pisses him off, naturally.  Erik also mentions voting off Todd to James.  James lets him know that he’s not sticking his neck out for no one.  If the five want to vote one of them two out, he’s going with the five.

They get a message about the immunity challenge and while reading the tree mail, Amanda suggests getting rid of James to Courtney.  The big deal being he needs to be blindsided so he won’t use his immunity idols.  It makes sense.  The challenge involves throwing Chinese throwing stars at cutouts of people.  Fun!  Good for getting that aggression out.   Points are awarded on what targets they hit and where on the target they hit.  PG goes first and does abysmally.  Todd goes and the bar isn’t too high.  He does better, and actually scores 3 points.  Erik is up and scores 6 points.  Courtney takes her turn and amazingly gets 6 points.  James goes and nails are bitten.  He scores 6.  Amanda goes and scores 6 as well.  Denise goes up and scores 2.  Amanda, James, Courtney and Erik then compete in the final round.  Courtney gets no points, Amanda gets 2, Erik gets 3 and James gets no points.  Erik wins immunity!  He’s very pleased.

Back at camp, much strategy is discussed.  Todd is open to suggestions.  Amanda and Courtney are still championing for voting James and Denise and Todd are up for it.  They tell James that PG is getting voted out and then do the switcheroo at the last minute.  They broach the idea to PG and Erik and PG is nervous.  Amanda warns her to keep her mouth shut and act like she’s getting voted out.  PG doesn’t trust easily though and tells Erik they should vote for Todd.  Erik isn’t sure.  PG packs up to leave camp, playing her part.  James will bring the idols with him, just in case he gets a bad feeling.

At Tribal Council, Jeff does the usual small talk.  The big deal is keeping things under wraps about voting James out.  It would appear that their strategy will work!  Jeff tallies the votes and everyone keeps their faces passive.  He asks for the hidden idol and James does not play it.  D’oh!  As Jeff starts reading the votes, James gets a look and he KNOWS.  That was slick.  It really was the only way to get him out.  I’m just amazed that it worked.

If you wanna get caught up on all the action in last weeks ep, check out this post.

The intro song always makes me feel choked up.  Very inspirational stuff there.  Does that make me a schmuck?  Everyone is feeling the pressure.  Neil thinks he’s the biggest threat in the house and he’s made some BAD choices (we can all agree on that).  Allison greets everyone in the gym.  Apparently, this week the fate of everyone rests with America.  They voted on their favorite challenge from years past.  And they’re all pretty brutal challenges.  And they won’t find out for a few days which challenge America has chosen.  So the trainers, in turn, spend the next several days just beating their teams.  Kim stresses over only having Bryan while Bob is upset over only having Neil and Nicole.  Jillian is sitting pretty, meanwhile.  She’s got a decent team left, but it doesn’t stop her from working her people into the ground.

Bryan, apparently, has a problem with eating healthy.  He gags on anything he doesn’t like eating (which is pretty much anything healthy).  Kim finds him eating Cheetos for pity’s sake.   She grills him on what exactly he’s been eating because something is missing.  She finds out he marinades his meat in soy sauce.  She beats him over the head about the salt intake.  It’s causing him to retain water, of course, and he needs to lose the weight.  He looks sad to see the soy sauce go.

So they find out their challenge and it is: The Pool/Pole challenge.  They have to hang onto a big metal pole until they fall in the water.  Wee!  Andre Agassi has a recorded message for the contestants, urging them forward before they begin the challenge.   And he shows them this amazing resort that the winner can go visit.  Everyone takes their places and the challenge begins.  Isabeau is the first to fall in, apparently couldn’t get a good grip.  No sooner was she in the water then Neil followed.  Then Nicole was out while Bryan struggled to hold on and then fell in, closely followed by Hollie.  That leaves Bill and Julie.  They are steady as rocks.  Bill tries a little trash talk but Julie just ignores him.  Then those on the sidelines start heckling Bill.  He does a lot of readjusting.  Julie starts to slip a little though and falls off, so Bill wins.  Again.  Lol!  Hollie admits that she’s so over Bill winning everything.  Isabeau cracks about him not even being fat anymore, maybe got lost on the way to skinny camp.  After the challenge, everyone decides to take a celebratory dip in the pool.  Nicole doesn’t notice the “no diving” sign and chipped her tooth on the bottom of the pool.   Of course, then everyone makes goofy remarks about the extent of her tooth loss.  Poor gal.  I don’t like her but dang.

Bob comes to visit his people and grills Neil on what happened and he fills him in.  And Nicole is at the dentist.  Bob stresses out about her losing valuable workout time.  They both can’t really help laughing.  Ha!  Kim eavesdrops on Bryan’s breakfast because she totally doesn’t trust him anymore with food.  Nicole returns with temporary teeth.  All the contestants get some feedback from a doctor and former contestant about how well they’ve been doing.  Neil has apparently lost a buttload of fat.  Of course, they don’t phrase it like that.  Each contestant has done something amazing, which does wonders for their egos.  Plus, they find out they’ve made themselves SO much healthier in the process.  Great job, guys!

Time for the last chance workout!  Nicole assures Bob that she’s ready to get working.  Bob is just NOT willing to lose her this week.  Bob is convinced that she’s just beneath the radar, that she’s a threat that no one expects.  And it’s not just Nicole, he also pounds Neil into the ground too.  Kim took Bryan to an actual 24 Hour Fitness off campus for their last chance workout.  Nice for a change of pace, at least.  They finish up with a game of hoops.  And of course there’s Jillian and I think she’s focused on killing her team this week.  Hollie is apparently having trouble with her ankles and is worried she’s falling behind.  Julie is sad at the thought of losing Hollie, they’ve really bonded together.  They have a little inspirational group time and walk away feeling better.

The weigh in arrives and everyone has their game face is on.  Bryan goes first and only lost 4 pounds.  He’s worried.  That’s a 1.48% loss.  Isabeau goes next and she lost 4 pounds as well.  For her, that’s a 1.71% loss.  Bill hits the scale and this week he lost 6 pounds.  Good job!  That’s a 2.63% loss.  Nicole goes up next and this week she lost 6 pounds.  She’s thrilled.  She had a 2.75% loss.  Hollie goes up to the scale and lost only 3 pounds.  She’s definitely nervous.  That’s a 1.47% loss, the lowest so far.  Julie goes up to the scale and lost 5 pounds this week and she’s so happy. She had a 2.84% loss.  Neil goes up last and lost 5 pounds.  That puts him officially under 300 pounds!  And he has a 1.65% loss for the week.  This means that Bryan and Hollie are up for elimination.

It’s pretty easy to see how it’s going to go from here on out.  The black team has the numbers, plain and simple.  Kim is devastated to hear Bryan is below the yellow line.  The writing is pretty plainly on the wall.  So when elimination comes, it’s no one’s surprise when Bryan is voted out, once and for all.  Never before has an entire team been eliminated before the finale.  So that’s a blow, especially to Kim.  I didn’t have anything against Bryan, sad to see him go.  But I’m glad the black team remains intact.

Today, Bryan is doing GREAT.  He has lost 118 pounds since coming on “The Biggest Loser” and looks absolutely amazing.  Keep it up, B!

If you want to get caught up on last weeks performances, check out this post. I didn’t blog about the elimination like I normally do but in case you missed it: Jennie was booted. Better her than Mel or Helio, but not as good as if Marie had been given the heave-ho. Ah well.

So now we’re down to it here. The top three couples (eeehhhh… if they say so) in a fight to the finish to win this thing and call it a night. I think we’re all expecting fantastic routines tonight. These guys had better perform, the bar is high. Wow, Mel has quite the skimpy outfit this evening! First up, we see the “judge’s choice” and it’s a routine that they think the dancers could have performed better initially. So they’ve got their work cut out for them! Second, we have “freestyle” which will be fun, I’m sure!

First up are Mel and Maks. They picked the cha cha for them, which was their first dance together. Perhaps the judges want to see improvement? They get off to a cute start with some antics before getting into the meat of the routine. I think their personality really shows in this dance. And I like it. I don’t know it ranks as a cha cha, specifically, but it’s fun. Mel is obviously interested in having a great time tonight. Len thinks she definitely deserves the final, judging from the cha cha they did. Very crisp. Bruno says she has improved incredibly. She has stunning visual impact. Carrie Ann says she looks great, it was really good but she was expecting more excitement. (I’m totally amused by Mel fidgeting with her costume while talking to Samantha) Scores? 9, 9 and 10 for a total of 28. VOTE, ya’ll!

Marie and Jonathan are up next. I’m trying not to be too bitter here. Their judges picked the samba for them. Why? It’s the dance she fainted afterward and she thinks the judges want a chance to critique it. Oh dear me. Let’s just hope she breathes this time. It’s a good dance, I don’t know if it’s better than her last one though. And definitely not as good Mel and Maks’ dance. That’s totally objective, people. I can’t believe, based on this dance, that she’s in the final. Bruno says Marie always gives her heart and soul, but technically it wasn’t there. (Breathe, Marie! Breathe!) Carrie Ann had similar comments, as did Len. She was there with entertainment value, but the technical ability wasn’t there. Uhm, YES. Scores? 8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24. They’re definitely disappointed. But the score is deserved.

Helio and Julianne hit the floor next. He’s so excited to be doing so well and be in the final. The judges pick the jive or him, because they were disappointed with how he did. Ooh, I hope he brings it. They have a totally adorable and completely goofy start to the dance. They’re doing a really good job though, the foot work seems great to me and the routine is fast and fun to watch. Carrie Ann agrees with the raucous audience that it was exciting. but she did think the dance lacked something. Len called Helio “flat footed” and he really had some harsh words. Bruno says he has a gleaming personality but the footwork wasn’t good enough. Scores? 8, 8 and 9 for a total of 25 and just edging out Marie and Jonathan.

Mel and Maks are up again with their freestyle. They have a lot of hip hop moves in their dance and a lot of jumps and lifts and fancy moves. We even get a costume change halfway through. They have some impressive stuff here, but I liked their first dance better. And it is fun to see Maks let lose for a change. He did a great job with some different material. Carrie Ann enjoyed the routine but thinks they’re better than that dance. Len loved the lifts and the humor, it was great. A little disjointed and didn’t flow but it was a great job. Bruno says it was spectacular and they did a good job with something they don’t see very often. Scores? 9, 9, and 9 for a total of 27. Not shabby indeed. She was expecting a 4 or 5. Maks was hoping for 7. Samantha calls the judges “grumpy”. They have a 55 out of 60 for the night.

Marie and Jonathan hit the floor next and I’m not digging Marie’s “fake doll” routine here. It’s like an excuse for her dance poorly or something, and even I think she’s better than that. She’s trying to be hip here, I get that. But I don’t love it. Good lifts though, I gotta give her that. Of course, then she falls at the end of a lift so the one good thing I had to say is taken right out of my mouth. Len says it was a good idea, but wasn’t working on the floor. Marie deliberately flaunts his comments. Bruno says it was the loopiest thing he’s ever seen, he can’t even criticize it. Carrie Ann gives her that she is a risk taker. However, she agrees with the guys and it was an odd choice, not a good one. Scores? 8, 7 and 7 or a total of 22 out of 30 (Marie holds hands over her ears in order not to hear them). Oy! That was awful. She has a total of 46 out of 60 for the night. Ouch.

Last up, we have Helio and Julianne. They’re decked out in racing gear. Of course, there’s a wardrobe change almost immediately and I think Helio holds his own, guiding Julianne through some pretty difficult lifts. It’s a lot of fun, as their dances always are. They have some great moves too. He has done marvelous things with this competition. They’re very excited with how well they did. Bruno calls him Mr. Irresistable. It was a difficult routine, but they took it on and did great. Carrie Ann says she’s worn out just watching it. He’s got technique and entertainment. Len thinks it was the best freestyle of the night, by miles. Scores? 9, 10, and 10 for a total of 29 out of 30. They have a 54 out of 60 for the night, just beaten by Mel and Maks’ score.

Vote, everyone! This is it!

If you want to catch up on last week’s episode, check out this post.

This week we’re departing from Bingo in Burkino Faso.  Where will we visit tonight?  Azaria and Hendekea leave first and must go to a nearby village to find the chief and get their next clue (and a welcome gift).  The gift is… a chicken.  Their gift is placed in a bag and then they get their clue.  Must take a taxi nearly 100 miles to another town where they search for the next clue.  Oh, and they need to have the chicken with them all day.  Fun!  So chances are, we’re staying in Burkino Faso, sounds like.  It would be weird to have to drag a chicken around everywhere.  Nathan and Jennifer usurp Azaria and Hendekea while she’s in the bathroom.  They find the Detour!  Shake Your Pan or Shake Your Booty.  One is physical in nature, the other a little more creative.  Nathan and Jennifer are first up for Shake Your Booty and the judges were not impressed.  They weren’t creative so they get a 10 minute penalty.  Ouchies!  Nicolas and Donald choose Shake Your Pan wile A&H take their hand at dancing.  And they do a lot better than Nathan and Jennifer.  The judges like it and they get their next clue.  Now they need to go back into the village and find a market.  There is also a U-Turn at the end of the Detour.  If they choose to use it (and can only use it once), they can make someone of their choosing go do the other side of the Detour.  A&H pass it up.  They go to ANOTHER market back in the city they originally flew into.  Whew!

The goths do a great dance routine and are easily passed on to the clue.  The judges deem them “wonderful” (is this “Dancing with the Reality Stars”?).  Shana and Jennifer do a “Britney Spears” themed dance which gets applause from the crowd but is definitely cringe worthy.  They’re passed though, so there’s that.  Shana and Jennifer then choose to U-Turn Lorena and Jason. Ha!  TK and Rachel are just happy it’s not them.  Of course, Shana and Jennifer thought TK and Rachel were Lorena and Jason so that’s why they yielded them.  D’oh!  A&H and Nathan and Jennifer arrive at the market and find a Roadblock.  It involves goats, which should tell you something.  Basically, they have to deliver supplies on a bicycle.  Sounds like it could be frustrating.  Goat in a basket.  They’re like baby goats and they’re all crammed into these laundry basket type things and it’s just kinda sad.  But you know, it’s “The Amazing Race” and all.  A&H finish their delivery pretty well and get the clue ushering them forth the next pitstop.  Looks like much nicer digs than they had the previous night, so there’s that.  Nathan and Jennifer are right behind them and it’s a race to finish in first.

Meanwhile, Lorena and Jason are doing the Shake Your Pan portion of the Detour.  I admire how they just sucked it up and did it, thought they have to be frustrated by the Blonds.   Jennifer, to her credit, isn’t happy about the U-Turning, wishes they hadn’t used it.  But it was Shana’s decision who is determined that is a perfect strategic move.  It is literally a foot race to the pitstop and A&H came in first by literally a split second.  Jennifer is very bitter that they didn’t get first place, after A&H had already come in first once before.  Uh, doesn’t work that way, dear.  It’s unrealistic to expect them to hold back and let another team come in first.  Dur.

Lorena and Jason (being awfully positive this leg, by the way) are speeding towards the Roadblock as other teams do their task and hurry to the pitstop.   Vyksin reveals that Africa is starting to get to her.  It’s hard to see that this is how people live.  Shana and Jennifer have a difficult time finding where to deliver their goods to.  They worry they’ll soon be passed up by the team they U-Turned.  That’s called karma, girls.  Lorena and Jason are getting a little worried.  Christina and Ronald race to the pitstop, followed closely by Nicolas and Donald.  TK and Rachel finish their Roadblock as do Shana and Jennifer. The Blonds hurry to the pitstop while Rachel gets lost on her way back to the market.  Kynt and Vyksin finish in fifth place (with their chicken!).  Shana and Jennifer finish in fifth place (karma wasn’t too mean to them, as it happens).  TK and Rachel are finally on their way to the pitstop as Lorena and Jason arrive at the market.  They are still staying positive, which I love.  TK and Rachel finish in 7th place and are thrilled to be in it still.  Lorena gets a little sad on the way to the pitstop and Jason reassures her they’ll make a million dollars some other way.  They definitely seem to have grown closer through all this.  They arrive, predictably, last.  And they are eliminated.  She has learned to take things slower.  Too bad, I liked them a lot better this week.

To catch up on what happened last week, read this post.

This week we have yet another two hour episode (yipee) and we’ll see how much weight the eliminated player has lost LIVE since being booted. Wee! Allison promises it’ll be good so I’ll take her word for it.

So remember last week’s cliffhanger (it’s okay, I forgot too)? We pick up where we left off, with Allison chatting up the remaining competitors. They’re getting a reward! Tomorrow. But tonight, she’s giving them a taste int he form of an envelope. Inside, is a photo of each of them before they went on the show. And yeah, the differences are alarming almost. These people have lost a LOT of weight. So that’s their only clue and as clues go, it sucks. So no one has a single clue. (Of course, then we as viewers are shown what is coming up and it’s Hollywood-style makeovers and surprise visits from loved ones. Okay. I believe Alison now. This is going to be good.

Jillian comes in the next day and tells Isabeau that she thinks voting out Amy was a mistake. She does worry she’ll regret what she did but at the same time, she knew Bryan was a better player and more deserving of being in the game. The rest of her team is a little sketchy about her now though. At the same time, he’s a better player and chances are, he’ll beat them above the yellow line. Bryan, meanwhile, surprises Kim by not being eliminated. It’s pretty cute. I don’t like Kim much, but I don’t want to see with out ANY team either. Jillian pushes her team in the gym and they try to get past what Isabeau did. Jillian is still smarting over it. She ignores Isabeau a bit during the training and Isabeau considers defecting to Bob. Oh geeze. NO. Oh and the reward! Hadn’t forgotten that, had we? The teams meet up with Alison at NBC studios. And they find her at the “Days of Our Lives” studios. HA! They get to eavesdrop on Alison rehearsing a scene with her co-star “Lucas”. So they are going to get their big time makeovers. They’re getting the head to toe treatments, followed by a professional photo shoot. And one of them will on the cover of “Prevention” magazine because of it.

They’re actually getting their makeovers done in the makeup department at “Days of Our Lives”, which is cool. They get to meet more stars of the show while they’re getting done up. I’m excited to see how everyone turns out. Everyone is looking just amazing. These are really some attractive people. Isabeau and Kae actually make me gasp. Bryan steps up to the mirror to see what he looks like in his new threads. He preens and we see his wife standing on the other side of the mirror. He has NO idea. It’s so fun! She is revealed at last and he is totally floored. Then he hugs her and it’s so so sweet. I love these reveals. I can’t wait to see more. We see Julie’s reveal next and her husband is completely astounded by his made-over wife. And of course, she starts crying. Don’t mess up the makeup! Aww! Jim’s loved one is his brother! Now, we know how much he lost ultimately and this is before then but he still looks good. Bill almost immediately starts crying. So does Jim. Aww, Jim! As I said, Isabeau looks fantastic. Her loved one is her boyfriend and again with the tears. It’s awesome. Hollie is looking fantastic, in her black dress and all doen up. She’s reunited with her best friend (who we saw last week) so I guess the surprise is not that big a deal. Neil comes to the mirror and is reunited with his wife who hasn’t seen him since he was over 400 pounds. Neil has done some crappy stuff, but it’s awesome seeing him with his girlfriend. And he has a cute, perky girlfriend, too! Nicole steps up to the mirror and she’s looking pretty good. She’s surprised by her mother and both of them just turn into puddles. Kae steps up last and she’s looking absolutely marvelous. Her husband waits for her and he’s so excited to see her. They both start crying the moment they see each other. Absolutely adorable. She remarks that this is the best day of her life. So sweet!

We return to the photoshoot and everyone hams it up in front of the camera. They all show off how much they’ve lost. Hollie is mentioned as being a “natural beauty” and I’d agree with that. They all got together for a group shot and for once they were united instead of against one another. After the shoot, they have a lovely lunch together (or is it dinner? What time is it??) and everyone gets to chat with their loved ones. Alison gets everyone’s attention to tell them dinner (dinner!) is over and it’s time to get back to work. Time to say goodbye!

Back at campus, everyone is back in their workout gear. They meet Alison for their challenge (oh yeah, one of those!). They have to literally stay above the yellow line. To do this, they need to climb ropes and the last person to stay above the line will win a $5000 shopping spree from “Prevention” magazine. That’ll be handy for purchasing a new and much needed wardrobe. It’s a tough challenge and a lot of people fall below the line early on. Kae and Bill fight for the win while everyone else falls out of the race. Ultimately, Kae wins! Finally, as Bill has been a challenge hog lately and she hasn’t won a challenge yet. She didn’t win just that, she also got her cover chosen by “Prevention” magazine and it’s on newsstands now.

Kim is desperate to keep Bryan above the yellow line. She doesn’t want to lose him (and her job) just yet. Bob (who we’ve barely seen this episode) pounds his team. He has Kae drag him across the floor (kid you not). Jillian is done ignoring Isabeau, so that’s good. We’ll see who falls by the wayside here. I hope the black team isn’t in trouble. If the red and blue teams are allied, they could be.

Neil is up at the scale first and this week he lost 8 pounds, a very decent loss. That’s a 2.57% loss. Isabeau is up next and Julie is worried for her. She lost 7 pounds and that’s a 2.90% loss. Bill hits the scale and he lost 6 pounds and has a total loss of 2.56%. Hollie goes up and after not losing anything last week, she lost 8 pounds which makes her very happy. That’s a 3.77% loss. Wow! Nicole is up next and she lost 4 pounds. Compared to everyone, that’s not fantastic. It’s a 1.80% loss. Julie also didn’t lose last week and is nervous. She lost 4 pounds as well, but she had less to lose so her percentage is 2.22%. Kae goes up next and she only lost 3 pounds. It’s not enough to keep her safe. It’s a 1.89% loss. She’s just above Nicole and unless Bryan lost precious little, Kae is in danger. Bryan goes up next and he’s worried because he didn’t lose much last week. This week he lost 6 pounds and that’s a 2.17% loss. More than enough to keep him safe. So it’s Nicole and Kae up for elimination. Everyone is surprised to see Kae below the yellow line.

Bob is devastated to learn two of his team members are up to be eliminated. He will lose someone, no matter what. The fates have been so kind to Kae tonight, her luck is bound to run out. Neil catches Jillian smirking and knows its because Kae will be gone and he’s PISSED about it. So he vows not to rest so he never has to see that smirk again. Good luck there!

Elimination is here and the teams are quiet as they gather in front of Alison. The votes go pretty much as expected and everyone but Neil votes out Kae. She was the obvious choice. Sad to see her go, she has been the “Biggest Loser” example this season. She goes out on a sad but positive note. Everyone wanted to make sure Kae knew she was respected and admired but seen as a threat and that’s why she was eliminated. Poor Kae.

We get to see her journey home after elimination, three months ago. Her family is so happy to see her, especially her mother. And it was wonderful to see her reunited with them all. They were all so obviously proud of her.

Now? We see her weigh in live. She looks AMAZING. I don’t think she could have lost any more weight. On or off the show. Alison is beside herself, gushing over her. Bob comes to meet her and he’s obviously ecstatic to see her. It’s so sweet. Geeze, and now I have tears in MY eyes. I just can’t get over her. She came in at 225 pounds and she is now 137. She lost 88 pounds which is is just AMAZING. That is more than 39% of her body weight. We’ll see her again in four weeks and see if she’s lost any MORE weight. Unbelievable.

Last week saw Helio and Julianne smoke up the dancefloor while Cameron and Edyta were sent packing.

What will we see this week?  I’m hoping and praying for a fair elimination.  But, this is DWTS and the chances of that are 50/50 at best.  So who is first this week?

It is Marie and Jonathon and their first dance choice for the night is the quickstep.  They realize they have to step up their performance to stay in the game. First off, I’m terribly distracted by the song because I’m pretty dang sure that’s the Osmond’s themselves singing (not being a lifelong Osmond fan, I don’t really know but damn, sure sounds like her and her brothers).  It’s a cute dance though but I’ve seen better quicksteps so far this season.  Let’s hope she can step it up in the Latin round.  Len thinks she brings a lot of joy to the show and he thought it was perfect.  Really?  Bruno thought she ad gone Hollywood Classic.  Carrie Ann thought it was wonderful as well and that there was a lot of great content this time around. Geeze, shows what I know!  Scores?  10, 10 and 9 for a total of 29.  I cannot believe people are booing!  That’s a darn good score!

Next up are Mel and Maks and their first choice of dance tonight is the Viennese Waltz and Mel is hoping to do a better job with it this week than she did before.  She’s busy as all get out, but she’s determined to put her all into the show.  And I like the waltz, I really do.  I find her dancing to be always fantastic to watch and this is no different.  She and Maks have excellent chemistry together.  Bruno says it was a waltz driven to maximum impact and it was SEXY.  Carrie Ann said she gave her chills and that it was all that and then some.  Len said it had great movement, absolutely fabulous.  Scores? 10, 10 and 10 for a perfect 30.  Yay!  I was so hoping they’d get a 30.

Jennie and Derek are up with their first choice for the night which is the tango.  She’s hoping to really come back strong from last week’s criticism and dance for her fans.  Hmm.  It’s a nice tango, but I’ve been spoiled by Mel and Maks, I think.  I think she’s better than she was last week too.  And I didn’t think she was that bad last week either.  I think her technique is very well rehearsed here too.  Her dedication shows.  Carrie Ann mentions her determination and thought her dance was focused and there was a little missing chemistry.  Len doesn’t agree, he thinks there was great chemistry and they had wonderful vibrance.  Bruno thought she was a red menace and the choreography was great.  Scores?  9, 10 and 9 for a total of 28.  I think they should have at least had a 29.  Alas.

Last, we have Helio and Julianne and their first choice dance for the night is the foxtrot.  Helio is nervous because he’s the last guy in the competition.  Yikes, he IS!  Loving their costumes and the music which makes me enjoy the dance even more.  I think they are doing fantastic with this dance, which is a hard one to do anything fantastic with.  He really does seem like a professional out there.  These two are downright adorable together.  Wonderful!  Len thought it was fantastic.  Bruno can’t believe he wasn’t a dancer before this competition, he’s just that good.  Carrie Ann thought it had incredible polish and technique.  Scores?  10, 10 and 10 for another perfect 30.  That ties them nicely with Mel and Maks.

Marie and Jonathon are first up in the Latin round and their choice to dance is the mambo.  Her dress is… soemthing. I think it’s hilarious how Jonathon was sitting with her brothers in the crowd.  Though, if her dress was distracting, then his sleeves definitely are.  Well that solves that.  There went her skirt.  And there went his sleeves.   Much better!  It’s a great dance, but I’m once again just not sure it’s quite on par with everyone else there tonight.  We’ll have to see the other Latin dances, but some of the moves were downright awkward.  Bruno thought it was a madcap mambo, but thought she lost her footwork a few times.  Carrie Ann liked her showmanship, but agrees there was some faulty footwork.  Len is amazed at her energy and loved watching her perform.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27 which I think was very fitting.  That’s a total of 56 out of 60 for the night.

Mel and Maks are up with their paso doble.  And of course, they don’t fail to impress.  Mel even has some great moves with a whip and her outfit is fantastic.  They’re aggressive and exciting and right on target.  I can’t think of a bad thing to say about the dance so I’ll just say WOW and leave it at that.  Carrie Ann said they just topped perfection.  Len said expectations are high and they met them and then some.  Bruno says Mel B is satisfaction guaranteed.  Nice!  Scores?  10, 10, and 10!  Another perfect 30 for 60 out of 60.  Fantastic!

Jennie and Derek are up with their choice of the cha cha cha.  Jennie has an adorable dress on and she’s got the hips down here.  Their dance is fantastic and I think Jennie is spot on here.  Not much else to say, much better than their earlier dance.  Len says her cha cha cha has gotten so much better since week 1 and thinks she was fantastic.  Bruno says she has the star power she was needing last week.  Carrie Ann says congratulations, she had it together.  Scores?  10, 10 and 10 for a perfect 30!  Their first!  That’s a total of 58 out of 60.  Not bad at ALL.

Helio and Julianne are up last with their choice of the cha cha cha as well for their Latin dance.  And?  Adorable as always.  There’s a definite 70’s flair here which they pull off with ease.  They have some fantastic moves as usual too and the crowd just loves them.  I do hope they carry on next week.  They need to be in the finals.  Bruno says it was full of razzmatazz, whatever that is.   Carrie Ann says Helio is a star and it was ridiculously good.  Len says the standard has been fantastic and Helio and Julianne are the standout couple of the night.  Scores?  10, 10 and 10 for ANOTHER perfect thirty and the second 60 out of 60 of the night.

Damn, if Helio and Mel B aren’t in the final, it will be a complete and utter travesty.  VOTE people.  (Or, as it’s too late now, pray to your chosen diety.)

If you want to catch up on what went down last week, check out this post.

We’re leaving, today, from The Netherlands. Lorena and Jason finished first so they leave first. During the pitstop, Ronald needed some medical help for a hernia he had developed. To which I say “What goes around, comes around, buddy.” I hate to wish an old man harm, but he was atrocious last week. Anyhow, the next cluebox is in Ouagadogou which is in the African nation of Burkina Faso. Can’t say I’ve ever heard of it, so this will be interesting. The teams, however, don’t KNOW that’s where this city is and they have to figure it out. Fun! Teams start arriving at the airport and they look it up on the computer information terminal and are able to suss it out easily enough. Other teams find out en route so they’re on equal footing, at least. The bad news: only one flight to this particular place today. EEP. That’s not cutting it close at all. It isn’t a problem for most teams (Nathan and Jennifer manage to squeeze on board an earlier flight somehow) and Ronald and Christina are cutting it DARN close. They arrive at 7:30 and have less than a half hour to make it to the gate on time. Of course, Ron’s hernia gives him trouble so he can’t run so well. Still, they make it and the other teams try to hide their disappointment. It isn’t as desperate as it seems (or maybe it is), there’s some technical difficulties and their flight is unexpectedly delayed. They all expect they’ll miss their connecting flight in Paris.

Of course, this puts Nathan and Jennifer WAY ahead. They easily make it on the flight to Africa, but the other teams race through the airport in Paris to make it. Aaaaand.. here they come. They all made it aboard. Nathan and Jennifer are annoyed. All teams make it to this unpronounceable (not to mention unspellable) city and hop in cabs. The teams arrive at the train station and find the clue box. Nathan and Jennifer get their first and find out they must take a train to Bingo. Much easier to spell. They’ll be dumped in the middle of nowhere and have to search for the cluebox. And if they aren’t paying attention, they could miss it. Oh and apparently? The next train doesn’t leave until tomorrow. D’oh. In the meantime, Donald crushes on “the sisters” (Marianna and Julia to the rest of us). The next morning, the train comes and everyone gets on board. Bunching much? Oh, and the train stinks apparently but having watched this show before, I expected that. Shana and Jennifer can’t stand the smell but everyone else ignore it easily enough. The stop approaches and the conductor announces it as “Bingo!” so everyone hops off. Not as easy to miss as we would have thought. They find the clue box and get a Road Block. And? Milk a camel. And apparently getting enough milk can be a challenge. No spilling! Lorena was really scared of her camel or something. Nathan spilled some of his. Oh, and once completed they have to drink it. TK finishes first and he and Rachel are in first place. Now they must lead four camels across the savanna to a bunch of nomads who will give them their next clue. Lorena keeps spilling hers and Nathan is freaked too. Slow and steady wins the race on the milking the camels. The next problem is everyone is not sure of where to go and leads their camels the wrong way and have to turn around. Nathan and Jennifer catch up and are in the lead with everyone else. Lorena is completely stressed out. Azaria is frustrated. Shana is on the verge of giving up and Marianna (or is it Julia?) has an uncooperative camel.

Everyone figures out about trying other camels and tries that. Azaria finally has better luck, as does Marianna (or is it Julia?) and Shana. Azaria and Hendekea get to move on, about the time that TK and Rachel get their next clue, which is a Detour. It’s Teach It or Learn It. Either teach English to children or learn the local language from children. Eep. I’d probably pick Teach, as TK and Rachel do. Lorena and Jason are officially in last place as Shana and Jennifer leave the Road Block. At the Detour, some teams have better luck than others (as usual). Hendekea and Azaria finish first and get the clue to go to the next pitstop, which is on the outskirts of Bingo. Meanwhile, a bad storm is coming in and Lorena and Jason are still milking. She’s losing her marbles, is what is happening. Meanwhile, Azaria and Hendekea (and their Fern) make it to the mat and win a 5 night trip for two to Bermuda. Nice!

Marianna and Julia finish their milking and move on to the camels and then the Detour. I think Lorena needs professional help, at this stage. Having her do the Road Block, in retrospect, wasn’t such a good idea. Lorena tries another camel on Julia’s suggestion and finally hits pay dirt. She drinks her milk and they catch up with the sisters on the walk to the village. The rest of the teams race to the mat. TK and Rachel, Nathan and Jennifer, Ronald and Christina and Kynt and Vyksin and Donald and Nick all pretty much show up at the same time and are virtually tied. Shana and Jennifer arrive at the mat in 7th place and Jennifer breaks down with happiness over not being eliminated. Lorena and Jason and Marianna and Julia are in a dead heat to see who finishes the Detour first. Both chose Learn It. Lorena and Jason ultimately finish first, but just barely ahead of the sisters and it’s pretty much a footrace to the finish line. Ultimately, however, Lorena and Jason make it to the mat first and are still in the game. Sadly, this means Marianna and Julia are eliminated. Sad to see them go, since they played such a clean game, but what can you do? And I never was able to tell them apart.

If you’d like to see my impressions on last week’s episode, please check out this post.

So last week, JR left the game and entered the jury and there weren’t too many wet eyes over his ouster, either.  He just had little finesse in this game, despite what he may have thought.  So a new dawn greets the merged tribe.  James is feeling more cautious and will take his idol(s) to the Tribal Councils from here on out.   James wakes the rest of the tribe with an off-tune song and everyone wakes up pretty happy because JR isn’t there.  Denise is still feeling annoyed at being left out.  She voted for PG, which is what she thought was going to happen and everyone else voted JR.  James cautions her to relax and she thinks sticking with him might not be a bad idea since he has the idols.

PG seems to be taking JR’s place as the bossy sort and then Courtney is flirting with Frosti, making old Fei Long members nervous.  Treemail!   Time for a reward challenge!  Two teams of four will have to keep a ball in the air, bouncing it off a drum as they navigate through a maze.  Three balls in a bin (three times through the maze) wins.  Reward is a cruise on the river and it sounds fabulous.  PG captains the red team, Erik captains the yellow.  They select their teams and get to work.  Yellow scores one before red can even get past the first gate.  Then they score another before red can get one ball in.    Geeze.  Yellow wins easily, leaving red embarrassed.  The yellow team will return in the morning, and it includes Erik, Frosti, Courtney and Amanda.

The losing tribe members are annoyed, especially at James.  Because it was him that dropped the ball the most.  Actually, it’s PG who does the accusing and James pretty much just tells her to shut up.  She’s upset because she’s never won a reward challenge.  She’s also having a hard time keeping her mouth shut.  James and Denise gripe about it and worry about Zhan Hu infiltrating the Fei Long tribe.  Meanwhile, the winning tribe members are living it up on their river cruise.  They talk about PG (popular topic!) and Erik is still stick up for her but just barely.  Frosti and Courtney continue their flirting.  Meanwhile, Amanda sorta has eyes for Erik, disturbing goat impressions aside.  They’re served fairly American-style food for dinner (fried chicken and mashed potatoes) and everyone just seems so danged happy.  You know this cannot last.

The rested and well-fed tribe members return back to camp and they pretty much just lied to them about what it was like.  Mostly about the food, since they felt there would be massive mutiny if they knew they’d had fried chicken and mashed potatoes.  Todd relays PG’s freak out to everyone.  Erik is a little nervous because if PG wins immunity, he may be a target.  At the challenge, their memories will be tested and it involves the Chinese zodiac.  Complicated, but simple enough.  (Confused yet?)  Jeff gives them the option to step out of the challenge and have some food instead.  Cheeseburgers, french fries, cold drinks and all the fixin’s.  Courtney, Todd, Denise and James sit out and chose to eat.  Probably a smart move, I doubt any of them are vulnerable.  Plus, you know, FOOD.  Interesting that Courtney chose to eat, seeing as how she just got back from eating on the cruise.  Erik is the first eliminated from the competition.   Amanda is out in the next round.  Last round, Frosti is out and so PG wins immunity.  Damn, she’s lucky.  At least she’s finally won something.

Frosti is sad that he missed out on the eating.  But he’s also mad at those who sat out and chose to eat.  Which is it?  He starts campaigning pretty hard to vote out Erik but Frosti also is on the block.  Erik is worried that Frosti is higher up the ladder with the Fei Long people than he is.  Todd confronts Courtney about being willing to vote out Frosti and she doesn’t want to give him a straight answer on it.  Hmm, being in the game longer or keeping around a guy you like to flirt with?  Tough choice there.

At Tribal Council, however, everything is more cut and dry.  Frosti votes for Erik and Erik votes for Frosti.  With five votes, Frosti is sent packing.  Sad to see him go, I sort of liked him.  But PG was safe so he was a pretty logical choice.  Before Jeff excuses everyone else, he tells them they have something else to do before going back to camp.  But what is it?  We won’t find out for TWO WEEKS because next week is Thanksgiving and that pretty much sucks.

So remember on Monday night when Helio and Mel dazzled and Cameron and Marie didn’t?  Oh, and here are some recaps of the results show if you’re so inclined:

• TV Squad
• Buddy TV
• MSNBC
• Television without Pity

This results stuff is for the birds.  They fill all the time with such fluff that no one really cares about. And then someone who doesn’t deserve to leave is eliminated.  Okay, the celebrity doesn’t always deserve not to leave but you have to admit it’s an alarming trend.

The encore was, naturally, Helio and Julianne and their fabulous quickstep.  I’m so happy to see them bouncing back from the mediocrity they were mired in for a while there.

The producers want to get our panties in a bunch right off the bat by announcing Marie and Jonathon are safe this week.  Ugh and Grr.  I know I’m risking the considerable wrath of the Marie Osmond fans here, but I don’t care.  It needs to be said.  WHEN is this going to end?  When are people going to remove their heads from their asses and actually vote on talent here?  EVER?  What the heck is the point?  GRR.

So Cameron and Edyta were eliminated.  And yeah, they didn’t have a very strong week but I do think they were consistently doing a better job than Marie.  That’s not me being mean.  That’s me telling the bald truth there.  So just deal with it.  Next hatemail I get supporting Marie is getting posted on my personal blog, along with your email address so you’ve been warned.  I knew he would have to go but I had hoped he would enter the semi-finals ahead of Marie.  So that’s a huge bummer and yet another facet of this show that frustrates me to no end.  It has frustrated me from the first season on.

So there you have it.  If Mel or Helio is eliminated next, someone will experience pain.  I don’t know who, but someone will.  (Probably me.)  I can all but guarantee this:  Marie will not win this thing nor will she make the final 2.  Take THAT to the bank.

(you know what’s amazing?  I didn’t feel such venom regarding Marie, quite yet, until I got that nasty comment.  Your plan totally backfired there, buddy.)  

If you need to catch up on last week’s goings-on, check out this post.

They’ve promised us some Neil-centered drama for the night so strap yourselves in guys.  We’re in for a bumpy ride.  Everyone is gathered in the elimination room talking to Allison.  They’re mixing up the teams YET AGAIN.  I’m getting a little tired of that.  Luckily, no more shuffling because it’s every man for themselves now and no more teams so that’s a good thing.  Drama or no, this is good news and a great way to start off the night.

Bob is sad to see Ryan has left.  But he expected it.  Still, he doesn’t understand why the other blues voted him out.  He pretty much beats Neil down for playing too many games (gee, I wonder why).  So I can say I didn’t enjoy that.  Jillian is THRILLED to see Isabeau is still there.  She is in high spirits and it’s infectious in the black team (or what used to be the black team).  Amy is still feeling like a red and is feeling out of place because of it.  So she goes to talk to Kim and gives her back the red shirt.  She also thanks her for everything she did.  Kim is sad to see the ties severed and wants to give her the red shirt back.  Kim says she and the red time (who, Bryan?) is very disappointed in her.  She feels insulted.  Aaaaand the drama continues!  Regardless, Amy returns to Jillian sporting a black shirt and she’s thrilled to see it.  Man, what happened to Jillian to get her in such a good mood?

Everyone can smell something really GOOD and turns out?  Donuts.  Lots and lots of donuts.  So many donuts that I’m a little nauseated, to be honest.  But I’m sure it smells good.  The temptation this week involves turning the donuts into dollars.  Inside one donut is a token that is worth $5,000.  Of course, they have to eat the donut to participate in the hunt.  Each round, another donut.  GAH.  No thanks.  And it sounds like they’ll keep going the rounds until they find it.   Only Kae backs out of the temptation and GOOD FOR HER.  Everyone else rips into the donuts.  This makes it look SO NOT appetizing.  No one finds the token in the first round.  One more donut for the next round so Nicole sits out and everyone else joins in again.  It’s gross, ya’ll.  And, in round two, no one finds the token.  Bleh.  No time limit in the third round, however.  Everyone who was going to stop, starts to rethink their decision.  Only Julie backs out.  Good girl.  That’s 300 calories a round.  GAH.  Bill finds it, at long last, making his 900 calories worth it to him.  Man, I’d go and puke if I were them.  That’s just nasty.

We arrive at the challenge and it’s a butt-load of spin bikes at 24-Hour Fitness.   It’s going to be a 24 kilometer indoor triathlon.  That’s just shy of 15 miles.  So we’ve got biking, running and swimming.  The first person to finish, will win.  What is the reward?  A 24 hour trip home.  That’s pretty nice.  Plus?  They’ll have immunity at the next elimination.  WOW.  Okay, that rivals the car for the best reward yet.  Kae, Bill, Hollie, Bryan and Neil move onto the treadmills and everyone else is out.  Kae, Bill and Hollie move on to the pool and everyone else is out.  It’s down to 1 km in the pool.  And as I predicted, Kae tired herself out previously and she’s not a strong swimmer.  Hollie, however, is a swim coach and she’s got it made in the shade.  So it’s no surprise that Hollie wins the triathlon.  The good news is she can pick someone else to have immunity at the weigh in and go home to visit THEIR family.  I wasn’t too surprised to see her select Julie, her fellow black team member.  Allison warns them that they will not have immunity if they have gained weight at the weigh in so they need to be on their best behavior.

So we are treated to some beautiful footage of the two women going home to visit family.  I can’t help but think that Hollie has already been home this season but this is under FAR different circumstances.  The stuff with Julie is the most touching.  Her kid literally cannot believe his eyes.  Very sweet.

Meanwhile, back at campus, it’s time for the last chance workout.  Amy is still just devastated that she wasn’t chosen.  I’m surprised that she thinks that she might have been chosen.  Jillian is concerned with how much Amy wants to go home because she’s afraid that could equal elimination.   Still, she is worried about the weigh in.  Jillian pounds her team while Kim focuses herself on Bryan.  Bob promises a brutal workout for his team and he delivers.  The weigh in arrives and Hollie and Julie are back on campus.  They weigh in first and didn’t lost a single pound.  The important thing is they didn’t gain any so they still have immunity.  Good thing!  They’re embarassed, and I can’t blame them.

Bill is up first and wants to hit the 100 pound mark.   This week he lost 8 pounds so he makes it!  And he’s so happy.  That’s a percentage of 3.31% lost. Nicole goes next and is concerned about being on her own.  She lost 7 pounds though, so nothing to worry about for her.  That’s 3.06% lost.  Neil hits the scales next and lost 10 pounds this week and that’s 3.12% lost.  Amy goes next and this week she lost 3 pounds which is not very much at all.  It is 1.22% lost and she’s definitely in danger.  Isabeau goes up and she lost 5 pounds this week for a total of 2.03% lost.  Bryan hits the scales next and only lost 2 pounds which devastates him.  That’s .72% lost this week.  Kae goes up last and this week she lost 4 pounds which she’s happy with.  She should be, as it’s enough to put her above the yellow line with 2.45% lost.  Amy and Bryan, however, are very much not safe and one of them will be eliminated.

Jillian talks up the blacks and she doesn’t see any reason why Amy will go home.  Isabeau seems like she may be a swing vote.  She isn’t sure whether to get rid of the threat (Bryan) or Amy (who wants to go home).  Bill says he’s undecided, though he seems to be leaning towards Bryan.  And he seems certain that Isabeau is voting out Amy.  Kim is very upset to hear Bryan is vulnerable.  The thing is… I almost have to agree with Isabeau.  There’s team loyalty and then there’s who deserves to stay.  Bryan works a lot harder than Amy does, with a fraction of the drama.  Neil campaigns for Bryan to stay and talks up Julie and the other black members.  He’s probably more of a threat than Amy, that’s true.  But I’d rather see him win the competition than Amy.

Elimination night has arrived and everyone gathers in the room with Allison.  The long and the short of it is: it comes down to a tie.  Half of everyone votes for Amy, while half vote for Bryan (black team members, of course).  Isabeau is the tie-breaker and she does what I expected her to do.  She voted Amy out.  I can’t say I’m too sad to see her go.  She wasn’t an original black team member and she was too immersed in drama.  So it’s a shame to see her go (as it is anyone) but necessary.

Allison surprises everyone by presenting to them a grand surprise.  But we don’t know what it is yet.

So how has Amy done since leaving the campus?  She has lost 100 pounds since the start of the show and with shorter hair?  Looks amazing.  That’s a great accomplishment.  It was great seeing her reunited with her family.

If you need to catch up, I recapped last week’s competition here and the results show here.  The long and short of it?  Mel rocked and Jane was sent packing.

The competition is really heating up this week.  I’m going to miss Jane, I’m sure of it.  But it was her time.  Whose time will it be this week?  I actually hope it’s obvious because I’d hate for someone who did really awesome to have to leave.  And WOW, Edyta is covered tonight!

Jennie and Derek are up first and this week they’re dancing the jive and the foxtrot.  Gah, the foxtrot.  Richard Simmons comes to give her a peptalk during practice and makes her cry.  Wild.  The jive is first and she’s certainly dressed for it.  She goes into it with full energy.  The choreography is great too.  She seems confident this week, very smiley and bubbly.  And this dance needs fun to pull it off.  I actually giggled a couple times.  Nice!  Len didn’t think her jive was deserving of the semi-finals next week.  Even Bruno didn’t like it, thought it was limp.  Carrie Ann agrees with Bruno, and lectures her on watching her posture.  Eek.  Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24.  Could have been worse, I guess.

Cameron and Edyta are up next and this week they’re doing the Viennese Waltz (hence Edyta being fully clothed) and the cha cha.  Cameron really wants a 10 this week.  Just one.  Please?  The Waltz is up first and the Harry Potter music is a little disconcerting. But the dance itself is very beautiful.  Edyta has some serious slits in that gown.  I guess I shouldn’t be that surprised, huh?   Nice but I wasn’t terribly impressed.  Bruno thought he did a great job, comparing him to an albatross?  Carrie Ann loved it and thought it was beautiful.  Len wants him to button his collar but other than that, he grew to love it more and more.  Shows what I know!  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  Still no 10!

Marie and Jonathon are up next and she talks about her dad and how he passed away the morning after the performance dedicated to him.  This week, they’re doing the rhumba and the jive.  Marie gets permission from Jon’s wife to get romantic  during the rhumba.  Cute.  So the rhumba is first and can they pull off the passion?  I think they do really good, actually.  Marie is a great actress and here’s where she shines.  There’s some great moves that she does with ease and I thought it was great.  Carrie Ann says she loves watching her move, but she’s worried that Marie isn’t as aggressive as she could be with her moves.  Len gets heckled for insinuating Marie is old but he liked the sophisticated tweak on the rhumba.  Bruno thought she was like Mrs. Robinson but he also felt he needed to see more.  Scores?  8, 8, and 8 for a total of 24.  I was expecting more.  Am I off tonight or what?

Helio and Julianne are up next and this week they’re dancing the Paso Doble first and the costumes are downright adorable.  All that aside, the dance seems awesome to me.  They seem to work all the elements seamlessly. And the audience really enjoys it.  So did I!  Len’s comments are drowned out by the crowd for a moment and he liked the cape work.  Good job, overall.  Bruno says mission accomplished.  Carrie Ann loved the intensity without it being just an angry face and the attention to detail was right on.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  Decent!

Mel and Maks are up next with the Tango first and the Mambo second.  These seem like some great dances for her, great potential.  Once again with the great costumes and music.  There are some great head twists and strides and I can’t think of what else to say because I just loved it, start to finish.  Do the judges agree?  Bruno says he was scared, it was strong and powerful.  Carrie Ann loved the stalking but didn’t completely love it.  Len says the footwork was right on but her shoulders came up.  Bah.  Scores?  9, 9 and 9 for a total of 27.  The judges are totally anti-10 tonight.

Jennie and Derek are back doing the foxtrot.  I don’t generally enjoy the dance, as you all know.  She looks elegant though and they have some cute moves.  Despite the judges comments earlier, she still has that confidence from before.  I thought they did a darn decent job of it.  Carrie Ann says she improved her posture but she doesn’t want her to lead with her chin.  Len thinks she came back stronger this time around.  Bruno says it’s still not happening for him, he knows she has it within her.  Scores?  9, 9 and 8 for a total of 26.  Their total for the night is 50 out of 60.

Cameron and Edyta are up with their cha cha.  My husband is comforted that Edyta is at least wearing less clothes on top this time around.  I don’t have a lot of experience with the cha cha but I thought their moves were great and right on.  Let’s see if the judges agree.  Len didn’t find it terrible but a bit like painting by numbers.  Bruno thought it was too stiff for a cha cha.  Carrie Ann enjoys watching him dance but does agree with Bruno.  Scores?  8, 8 and 8 for a total of 24.  Bah.  51 out of 60 for the night.

Marie and Jonathon are up next with a western jive.  I thought the premise was adorable though, and while maybe not as energetic as Jennie’s jive, I think she pulled it off better than Cameron’s cha cha.  I do wonder if the judges are right and that Jonathon isn’t pushing Marie as hard as he could.  I do wonder sometimes, if she’s holding it back.  But she more than makes up for it with personality.  Bruno says it was cute and fun but not enough jive step.   Carrie Ann loves what she does, but she didn’t feel a lot of jive either.  Len says it was definitely fun which is what a jive should be.  Scores?  8, 9, and 8 for a total of 25 which gives them 49 for the evening.

Helio and Julianne  are up next with a “Mask” themed quickstep that actually really works.  Their feet are literally like a blur on the dance floor.  The moves are fast and furious and fun.  And it ends awesomely.  SERIOUSLY.  The cheering is amazing.  Carrie Ann says it was intricate and effortless.  Len says their dance was fantastic.  Bruno says he has the finish line in sight.  Incredible.  Scores?  To no one’s surprise: 10, 10 and 10 for a perfect 30.  That gives them 57 out of 60 for the night and the lead as well.

Last up are Mel and Maks with their mambo.  And they are ON.  It’s energetic, fast-paced and full of dynamite moves.  Mel really knows how to strut her stuff.  They also have a fantastic finish.  Len thought it was so hot he’s surprised it didn’t set off the smoke alarms.  Bruno thought it was flirtatious fun.  Carrie Ann thought it was great and how much fun Maks was having was a testament to her ability.  Scores?  9, 10, and 10 for a total of 29 and 56 for the night.  Just behind Helio and Julianne.  I hope they’re safe.

So stay tuned to Thursday’s post to see who was booted out.  I have NO idea who it should be, though I’m thinking either Cameron or Marie.  POSSIBLY Jennie, but I somehow doubt it.  I don’t want to see ANYONE go though.  This has been a great season.

If you want to know what happened previously, check out this post.

Welcome to another week of trying to keep up with what’s going on and failing miserably!  Hopefully this will get easier as the weeks tick on and there are less people to talk about.  Azaria and Hendekea leave the pitstop in Ireland first and must fly to Amsterdam.  Wee!   Kynt and Vyksin leave next.  They’re psyched for Amsterdam.  TK and Rachel leave next and are mellow as always.  At least he is.  Lorena and Jason take off and she promises to be calmer this leg.  Nick and Donald take off and Nick fails at showing his grandfather patience.  Shana and Jennifer leave and are missing their facials and manicures already.  Nick and Donald get a flat tire, bad luck.  Ronald and Christina leave and she forgot her fanny pack already.  Kate and and Pat leave and follow Ronald and Christina.  No one stops to help Nick and Donald.  Shana and Jennifer say they would have stopped if the old guy was injured.  Nathan and Jennifer leave last and don’t seem daunted by their bad showing.  Marianna and Julia are en route and I don’t know if they left last or not.  Hard to keep up!  Ronald and Christina and Kate and Pat stop to check out flights on the internet and Ronald rides Christina pretty hard.  You kind of feel bad for her.  There’s the usual drama at the airport with getting on the first flight.  Donald and Nick just miss the first flight, due to their flat tire and their slow ticket agent.  Marianna and Julia miss the flight to Dublin altogether and have to wait for the next flight.  Which puts them seriously behind.  Nick and Donald hope to get on the flight to Amsterdam via standby, hoping to beat some of the later teams.  They got a little pushy which the ticket agents didn’t really care for.  Christina tries to intervene when her dad gets mad and bawls out Nick for being rude to the ticket agents.  He’s frustrated and she’s got to be embarrassed.  Nick takes it in stride, though admittedly he should have been nicer to the agent.

The first teams to fly to Amsterdam take off, while the remaining teams jockey for standby and tickets in the airport.  Marianna and Julia make it to Dublin before the rest of the teams are able to depart which makes them feel better but everyone else feel worse.  So the second flight to Amsterdam leaves and the teams take off at a dead run.  Azaria and Hendekea get the first train to the train station and are already halfway to the bridge by the time the other teams get to the train station themselves.  Detour!  Hoist It or Hunt It.  One requires brains and brawn, but the other requires persistence and agility (not to mention keen attention to detail).   Azaria and Hendekea choose Hunt It, while the next two teams Hoist It.  A&H are floored when they see the number of bikes they need to search through.  Shana and Jennifer choose to Hoist It, trusting in their upper body strength.  Hoisting is all about the knots, it turns out.  Lorena and Jason burn through the Detour and finish first.  Now they have to travel by bus to a rural village and find a clue box in a field somewhere.  Nathan and Jennifer are having issues with their knots.  Rather, Nathan is.  Kynt and Vyksin finish next and take off in search of the bus.  Shana and Jennifer finish next, impressive considering the strength required.  Nathan and Jennifer finish without further incident.  There’s some bunching at the bus stop but Kynt and Vyksin haven’t found it yet and get to it just as it’s leaving.  Doh!  Meanwhile, A&H and Donald and Nick are on their bikes.  TK and Rachel are having a heck of a time with their hoisting.  He’s not so good with the knots, turns out.

TK and Rachel switch spots and she’s able to finally master the knots.  So they finally finish and are on their way.  The first bus makes it to the rural village and they find a Roadblock.  One team member must Ditch Vault.  HA!  Of course, they have to fault over a muddy river so you can only imagine.  Jason does it for his team and makes it over in the first try.  They’re on the way to the pitstop, driving a bike-like contraption.  The last teams gets to the Detour at last when Shana makes it over the muddy river.  Ronald is the voice of pessimism.  He doesn’t like either Detour tasks.  Lorena and Jason make it to the pitstop in first place, making me wonder where A&H are.  They have won (each of them), a sport bike which sounds an awful lot like a tricycle.  Nate and Jen and Shana and Jennifer get to the mat at the same time and are teams 2 and 3 respectively.  Ronald continues freaking out at his poor daughter.  He’s not even happy when he finally finds his bicycle.  Ah, A&H were on the second bus!  “Pinky” is nervous of getting dirty and falls in.  And that’s not Vyksin we’re talking about either.  Ronald continues to berate his daughter, blaming all their being behind on her.  Nice!

Finally, Christina has had enough and vents on her dad, crying.  And he hugs her so maybe he feels bad.  We can hope.   Kate and Pat finally get their bikes and JUST miss the bus.  They are “superscrewed”.  According to my husband, the best kind of screwed to be.  For some reason, Donald is doing the jumping for his team and doesn’t quite cut it.  Kate and Pat take a bus-like vehicle.  Donald strips down to his skivies to jump and everyone is kinda of horrified.  TK and Rachel get a little lost on the way to the pitstop and Kynt and Vyksin make it to the mat in 4th place.  A&H and TK and Rachel make it to the mat in 5th and 6th place, respectively.  Donald is still trying to cross.  He finally makes it but he’s practically black with mud.  Marianna and Julia make it in 7th place, closely followed by Nick and Donald in 8th place.  Apparently Donald completely stripped at one point which makes it SO much worse.  Ronald is bossing his daughter around.  Again.  I just want him to shut up.  I can only imagine how she feels.  She makes it and he tells the camera he thinks he could have done it better. OMFG.  He volunteers to drive the bike-thing and they tip over.  GAH.  They make it to the mat in 9th place, finally.  He dares to tell Phil that the key is communication skills.  Kate and Pat are trying and trying but it’s already known they’re in last place.  Still, they have fun.  That’s great.  It’s too bad they’re last to the mat and are eliminated.

That’s all, folks!

If you want to know what I thought about last week’s show and the incredibly satisfying ousting of Jaime, then read this post.

You have to admit, it was great seeing Jaime get sent home last week.  Jeff tossing the “fake” idol into the fire was one of my favorite “Survivor” moments ever.  Hae Da Fung is the Chinese name for the new tribe and after Tribal Council, JR is feeling the effects of the ouster.  Relieved he was saved by the “fake” idol and nerve-wracked by so many people wanting him gone.

The new credits, by the way, are pretty cool.

James is concerned people aren’t trying to win the game, that they’re trying to win a high school friend contest instead.  Meanwhile, he’s hard at work fishing for the tribe.  Amanda recognizes that James is a strong player and because of that, is a threat.   The tribe arrives for a reward challenge.  They’ll be divided into two teams of four and the object is technical but it involves trying to sink the other teams boat.  The winners will win a trip to an ancient village where they’ll get to have an authentic Chinese meal.  They’ll also get another mysterious scroll to open in the village.  PG is captain of the red team, JR the captain of the yellow.  They divvy up the teams and then get to work.  At one point I do believe Courtney tells Jeff to shut up with his commentary which causes me to giggle.  Yellow team wins the first round after Courtney is literally sunk.  Yellow wins the second round too and thus Todd, James, Jean-Robert and Amanda win the reward and leave right away to this village.

The winners visit the village and and are impressed by the age of everything and the history.  The scroll is opened and it’s an idol clue.  But I thought both clues were already found?  So what’s the point of this?  So of this group of four, JR is the only one who is clueless and they all grin behind their hands at him.  The food is delivered and I have to admit, it looks damn tasty.   Some is a little less appetizing in appearance, but I’m sure these people are so hungry they could care less what it looks like.  Todd kind of makes fun of JR a little bit and the bunch of them enjoy taunting him about the idol and everything.  Which, you know, is kind of cruel.  I don’t like JR that much but come on.

Back at camp, the teams are eating food that looks a LOT less appetizing.  Denise is upset that she wasn’t picked for the challenge and she feels she wasn’t picked because she’s big and fat which makes me feel bad for her.  Denise takes this opportunity then, to talk up wanting to get rid of James.  They argue about who is should be gone, JR or James.  JR is the bigger target, obviously, because no one likes him.  Denise kind of enjoys the position of power she has as a potential swing vote.  The four winners return to camp at night and crawl into bed.  Jr is having a hard time sleeping so he gets up and looks for the idol.  Oy.  He takes a plaque off the pagoda, a la Jaime and saves them aside to study later.  So now he didn’t get any rest and doesn’t have an idol.  What a mess.

The next morning, everyone is having breakfast and talking about how hungry they are.  Somehow, this devolves into an argument.  Todd is annoyed with everyone.  He hates JR and James (and he doesn’t like James having both immunity idols) both.  Why won’t James offer at least one of the idols back to him, since he gave it to him in the first place?  He talks to Amanda about wanting to get rid of James.  The plan, apparently was to get rid of PG next, followed by Erik and Frosti.  Amanda is hesitant to deviate from the plan.  Todd tells Frosti about wanting to vote out James and he’s more than happy to play along as long as it suits him.  So the new plan is: not let James win immunity.  Cuz it’s that simple, apparently.

The tribe arrives at the immunity challenge and learn the challenge is largely endurance-based.  Sounds easy enough.  Also sounds to me as if a lighter person might have an advantage, but I don’t really know the physics of it all.  JR complains right off and gets a snarky comment from Jeff.  10 minutes in, JR is pissing everyone off by talking about how everyone must be so itchy.  He gets cocky, plays around, and falls off.  He’s out.  Denise is in the water next and is out too.  As I thought, heavier people are having a rougher time with the challenge.  20 minutes in and James falls in and is out.  Shortly after, Erik falls in and is also out.  Then, surprisingly, PG falls in as well and she is also out of the challenge.  Amanda accidentally touches the structure and is eliminated.   Todd falls in the water and it’s now Frosti versus Courtney.  Frosti fumbles and falls in and is out.  Courtney wins immunity!

Everyone is congratulating Courtney on her win.  PG is disappointed she didn’t win because she knows she’s a big target.   JR is feeling confident and tells Erik that he has the immunity idol so he’s not worried about Tribal Council.  Erik says he doesn’t think JR has it and tells JR what he knows.  Which is that James has the idols in his pack.  JR is stunned but recovers and wants to pull a fast one on James.  JR confronts James about having two idols and says no one told him, that he figured it out himself.  Riiiight.  He tries to intimidate James into working with him because it’s better than working against him.  And James knows it because JR has NO power in this game.  JR can’t stop talking and then talks to Todd about it and is against surprised that Todd already knew about James having two idols.  Lucky for him, Todd is all for voting out James.  However, he admits that he could change his mind in two minutes.  So he goes to talk to James and decides to toss JR into the fire tonight instead of James.  And let’s not tell Denise.  Why?  Not sure.  Courtney is fine with whatever they want to do.  She’d like to think he’s going home, but she knows better than to trust in it.  As James says, “You never know.”

At Tribal Council, everyone gathers and the first member of the jury is brought in.  Jaime looks good, all cleaned up.  But she’s still an idiot.  Jeff asks everyone the usual questions and the answers are the usual answers.  Nothing surprising here.  Everyone votes and I’m pretty sure we all know how it’s going to go so it’s rather anti-climactic.  Denise, of course, is out of the loop and votes for PG.   And I think JR voted for James.  JR looks surprised that James doesn’t play his idol before Jeff reads the votes.  And despite it being a close call for James, JR is voted out.  Todd can barely contain his glee.  And that’s that.  So much for tribal loyalty!

So on Monday night we saw some great performances but to put it plainly, some were better than others.  But just barely because we are getting into the part of the show were pretty much everyone is a fantastic dancer.  And I genuinely enjoy everyone that is left so I don’t feel like there’s anyone to root against.  Which is nice, but it makes these results shows kind of sad because I hate to see anyone leave.

Anyhow, here are some recaps if you need to catch up:

• TV Squad
• Buddy TV
• MSNBC.com
• Television without Pity

Tuesday was a rather short results show.  And there was a somber mood owing to Marie Osmond’s tragedy.  If you haven’t heard, her father passed away that morning and she had to fly back to Utah to be with the rest of her family.  So she was of course absent from the results show.  The good news, however, is that she was safe from elimination as Samantha pointed out right away and she will be back for the rest of the competition.  Geesh, this is the second family member that has died during this show, you can’t help but wonder what is next.

The important thing from this elimination show was that the bottom two were Jennie and Derek and Jane and Tony.  Thankfully, Jennie was safe from elimination and that’s the way it should be because she really has some good potential in this competition.  Of course, that meant that Jane Seymour was going home.  I’m sad for it, because I enjoy Jane quite a bit but her performance lately has been quite a bit behind the other dancers.  She was the logical choice but I’ll miss her presence on the show from here on out.

We’re getting down to the wire here.  If you want to see what happened last week, check out this post.

For some reason, we have a two hour episode tonight, but it looks like a big one.  Bryan is sad that David is gone.  Amy defected and now he feels like the only red left.  Neil ponders the giant target on his back.  Not like he put it there or anything.  Isabeau is so happy to be this far in the game.  It is far, isn’t it?  Everyone is starting to get that lean look.

Allison congratulates everyone for making it to week 9.  She also tells them this is “Green Week” and they have new green t-shirts to wear.  They’re also going to be doing some recycling.  Trios are going bye bye.  Duos are the new Trio.  And then she tempts them with a large meat pizza and soda.  Everyone is going to guess how many calories are that meal and the person who guesses the closest will get to choose their new teammate.  Then the new duo will pick the next duo, and so on and so forth.  Neil wants to control the game and I want to kick his face in.  We can’t always get what we want.   So who guessed the closest?  It’s Nicole!  Surprising no one, she picks Neil.  Bah.  They put Isabeau and Ryan together.  And then they put together Julie and Bill together (one purely black team!).  They decide on putting Hollie and Bryan together.  So the last duo is Amy is Kae and Kae is decidedly disappointed.  She hasn’t forgotten that Amy wanted her gone.

This week, working out on equipment that doesn’t use any electricity.  It’s Green Week, remember?  Wee!  They’re not too happy about it.  Kae decides to run off her angst about her new teammate.  She’s even more upset when she comes back from her run to see Amy taking a nap on the couch.  She doesn’t want someone to think she’ll carry her and she doesn’t want someone to pull her under the yellow line.  And honestly?  I think Kae needs to settle down a little.  I see her issues and it’s not that they’re not well-founded but shoot.  Just go with it and embrace the now.

Jillian comes and is so happy to see Hollie is there.  She envelopes her in a huge hug.  Bob is worried for Kae now that she’s with Amy.  Kim seems unhappy and could be because she only has one team member left to train.   Honestly, I think this reflects on Kim.  I haven’t ever really liked her and she’s obviously the weakest trainer of the three.  She tells him she’s frustrated with his nutrition.  It’s not that he’s eating too much, it’s that he’s not eating enough.  And if he doesn’t have those calories, he doesn’t have anything to burn.  I think it’s hitting home to him.

Bob talks to the remaining blues and again the focus is on Kae.  I love Kae, and have from the start.  But shouldn’t she be proactive instead of negative?  So what does Bob do?  He takes black tape and puts a big X on her bag to show that she knows she’s a target but she’s going to embrace it.  YES.  This is what I want her to do.  PROACTIVE.  Awesome.

Jillian talks up the black team (plus Amy) and she talks about organic food and how it can be so important.  She’s a big organic fan so that’s what she feeds her team.  She’s a big believer in how organic saves the planet as well.  Bob sends his team up the hill, to no on on the blue team’s surprise.  No gym equipment this week!  Except, that Kim shows Bryan how he can use the treadmill without turning it on.  Jillian has her team stand on balls, jump train, strength training, etc and so on.   Julie says, “It’s not easy being green.”  Especially not when you’re on Jillian’s team!

Jennie-O turkey is this weeks big time product placement and Bob shows his team how to make turkey burgers on the grill.  These segments are so goofy.

Time for the challenge!  And we see lots of recyclables.   And not just that but they’re examples of the unhealthy eating choices they’ve made in the last year.  And then these big ol’ dump trucks start pouring out about a bazillion empty soda cans, something that everyone there indulged in far too much of.  148,000 cans, to be exact.  Neil admits to the camera that all those cans could be his.  Today, they’re going to recycle a lifetime’s worth of cans in one hour.  Each duo will have to run up a ramp and deposit as many cans as they can into a bin that is on top of a scale.  The duo with the most cans in weight will win.  Wee!  The winners will get something totally awesome though.  It’s a 2008 Ford Escape hybrid (natch).  Hot damn!  And who wins?  Bill and Julie (easily!) and that’s awesome because Julie had to give up her car when she became a stay-at-home mom and she wanted this SO BAD.  So good for her.

Neil and Julie are chowing on their subway lunch (product placement! Jared would be proud) and discussing strategy.   Then Bryan talks about how nervous he is with Kim and why he is falling short on his calories.  Still, Kim seems a little too worried about herself where I think her focus should be 100% on Bryan.  She’s supporting him, yes.  But she’s trying to put herself in his same boat.  And she’s just not.

Bill and Julie took great pleasure in showing Jillian their prize.  She’s bitching about the challenge not having to do with the weigh in.  But they drag her outside with her eyes closed to show her the cars.  And she has to admit, “That’s a pretty good prize.”  She still wished they’d won immunity but it’s hard to argue with the cars.

And we’re at the last chance workout now.  We see the usual clips of each trainer working their teams into the ground.  Sans electricity!  It’s rather pathetic to just see Kim and Bryan alone.  But whatever works.  Jillian is psychotic and loves the last chance workout.  I’m amazed that the teams aren’t limping into the weigh in, but they all look strong.  And you know what?  They’re looking good.  Allison congratulates them on this too.

Kae goes first for her duo and this week she lost 5 pounds.  She tries not to be disappointed.  Amy goes next and she lost 9 pounds.  Very nice!  And Kae admits to having a changed perspective of her.  So that’s 14 pounds total for their duo and  3.32% lost.

Hollie goes for her duo and she lost 6 pounds and she feels good to have lost that.  Bryan goes and he’s very nervous.  He lost 11 pounds which is awesome!  It also saves his team from elimination.   That’s a total of 17 pounds and 3.35% lost.

Nicole goes next for her duo and she lost 6 pounds and she’s happy to be below 230 pounds.  Neil is up next and he lost an amazing 18 pounds.  Which makes him only the 5th contestant in history to lost 100 pounds on the show.  He’s just thrilled with that accomplishment.  That’s a total of 24 pounds and 4.18% lost and in first place.  Kae and Amy are sweating it.

Isabeau goes up for her duo and she lost 9 pounds which is su-weet.  She is happy not to let Ryan down.  Will Ryan lose more than 8 pounds?  Alas, this week he lost 6 pounds which means they definitely NOT safe but Kae and Amy are.  That’s a total of 15 pounds for this week and 2.66% lost.

Bill goes up for his duo and this week he lost 9 pounds which is very decent.  Julie needs to have lost more than 2 pounds and this week she lost 6 pounds so they’re good to go!  She’s just thrilled, of course but this is sad for Isabeau and Ryan.  That’s a total of 15 pounds for the duo and 3.43% lost and second place in the weigh in.

Right away, the talk is all about Ryan.  Isabeau doesn’t seem to have as big a target on her back as he does.  I’m not entirely sure why this is.  Bob is sad to hear that Ryan is on the block and is disappointed to hear he only lost 6 pounds.   It’s just not looking good.  Even if it goes to a tie, he would go home as he had the lower percentage of the duo of weight lost.  It’s just not likely that he’d get votes to stay from the black team.  Isabeau, however, is still very nervous.  She’s not sure who to trust.  I don’t think she has anything to worry about.  I can see how she’d worry, seeing what happened to Jez and all.

We get to elimination and it’s quick and painless.  It’s pretty much unanimous to send Ryan home and home he goes.  It’s sad to see him go because I’ve always liked him.  He’s the strong, silent type.  But of the two, I’m glad it was him.  It is what it is.

Since arriving at the Biggest Loser campus, Ryan has lost 109 pounds and he looks AMAZING.  Good for him.  I love seeing these transformations.