Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Biggest Loser Final 4

The Biggest Loser Final FourNext Tuesday, May 12, The Biggest Loser will crown this season's winner of the $250,000 prize.

The final four contestants (Helen, Tara, Ron, and Mike) left the ranch for 30 days to continue their journey at home and after running a marathon (that's right - a marathon!), they went back to the ranch for another weigh-in.

The Weigh-In

Tara lost 10 pounds and Helen lost 7 pounds, which was enough to secure them a spot in the finale. GIRL POWER! Although Ron and Mike lost 10 pounds each, their weight loss percentage wasn't enough to place them above the yellow line.

"I absolutely want to be 'The Biggest Loser' now," Helen says. "I never thought I could come this far. Now that I have, there is no stopping me. I know that everything I have inside of me ... the drive that I have ... all of a sudden I am competitive."

Tara has the distinction of never falling below the yellow line all season. "Eighteen weeks ago, if you had told me I was going to make it to the final four, I don't think I would have believed you," says Tara.

The father-and-son team, Ron and Mike, won't learn until next week which of them will be competing for "The Biggest Loser" title. The decision was left to America. Ron asked everyone to vote for his son, even though last season, a similar plea backfired. "My son Michael has worked very hard and he deserves this opportunity," Ron says. "He has been a giver his entire life. He won a couple of prizes: his trip to St. Augustine, he gave to my wife and myself, and his year-long-supply of groceries he gave to Aubrey (a fellow contestant)."

Even though Ron wants his son to be in the finale, Mike said, "I have accomplished every single thing that I wanted to in this competition. I have lost 174 pounds (the most weight ever lost on the ranch). I set out to change my life. I have done that."

Alison congratulated the four finalists for their amazing achievements. Mike lost a total of 174 pounds and has the record for the most pounds lost while on The Biggest Loser campus. Tara lost a total of 135 pounds and has the highest percentage of weight-loss of anyone in Biggest Loser history. Ron lost a total of 151 pounds and has the record of the oldest man to ever make it to the final four. Helen lost a total of 110 pounds and holds the record of being the oldest female to ever make it this far in the competition.

Check out this AMAZING 18-week transformation (51 sec.) video of the final four contestants. Very cool. This show is so darn inspiring!

Going Home

Once the contestants left the ranch and got settled back in at home, they all had problems with either struggling with temptations or fixating on workouts.
  • Helen pulls her old clothes out and starts crying. "I can't believe that I thought this was okay," she says. When Jillian dropped in on her, Helen starts crying, saying she's worried about letting everyone down. Jillian makes her sit down and tells her to have a glass of wine and take a breath.

  • Tara tells Jillian that after a six-hour-long workout, she opened up a bag of chips and started eating them in the grocery store. Tara has gone from overeating to compulsive exercising, and Jillian told her she needed to find a balance. Jillian worked out with her and then took her out for a drink.

  • Ron feels responsible for the obesity problems of both of his sons. He wants to get his son, Max, on the same road he and Mike are on. Bob invited Max to join him and Ron at the gym. Bob gave Max a good workout, to the point that Max puked! Bob then took them to Subway to show Max how he can have a nutritious 600 calorie lunch and be satisfied. Max appreciated getting fitness and nutrition tips from someone other than his dad and brother. "Bob has some quality that makes you not want to let him down," Max said. "He just got my mind in the right place about what to eat," he added.

  • Mike, who used to be a closet-eater, now spends his days in the gym. "The thing I'm afraid of most is that I'm going to fall back on my old habits," he said. Jillian helped Mike sort through his lingering anger about weight gain and told him not to worry about his brother Max (Mike says he doesn't know how to help Max). I can't help but wonder if Jillian took Mike out for a drink. Oh yeah, he's underage. :) Four days before the marathon, Mike hurt his hip while working out and found that he would not be able to run the marathon but instead, would have to walk it.
Running a Marathon

Just as everyone is settling in back at home, a Biggest Loser box arrives at their doorstep. In it is a video of Alison explaining that in 26 days, they will have to complete a full marathon. "A marathon," Ron remarked dryly. "I don't think I've walked 26 miles in a year." Mike's response was, "Are you freaking kidding me?" I concur.

The Biggest Loser Final Four before running a marathonTara and Helen took the lead in the marathon, greeted by loved ones at the four-mile marker. Ron, with his bum knee, and Mike, with his sore hip, were forced to walk the course.

As the race went on, several past show and at-home winners, from Michelle Aguilar and Ali Vincent to Bernie Salazar and Jim Germanakos, greeted contestants and ran with them for much needed support.

Not surprisingly, Tara won the challenge, clocking in a time of 4:56:24. Helen clocked in at 5:49:09 and Mike completed the course in 8:58. The suspense was waiting to see if Ron would be able to complete the course or not. There was a point that it looked like he was going to be taken to the hospital, as his blood pressure was high. In a determined effort, Ron managed to finish in 13:16:19. For their efforts, each of the contestants received a $10,000 check to give to the charity of their choice.

America Decides

Since Ron and Mike both fell below the yellow line, it was left up to America to decide which one of them would compete in the finale. I figure America will vote for Ron out of spite. I admit I tried to vote for Ron but I never could get through. Mike's a good kid and I'm extremely proud of everything he has accomplished, but I want Tara to win.

So tell me, who did you vote for... Ron or Mike?

Thanks for reading!

Laura




P.S. Tune in on Tuesday, May 12 at 8 p.m. ET for the three-hour "The Biggest Loser" finale, when all the contestants return for one final weigh-in, which will also determine who will win the at-home prize of $100,000.

Related Posts:

Felipe Fa Is Not The Biggest Loser

Kristin Steede Is Not The Biggest Loser

Laura Denoux Is Not The Biggest Loser


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2 comments:

Paul Eilers said...

That Tara is a machine, is she not?

I thought Mike would win the title as America's Biggest Loser, since he has lost the most weight. But since he's now hurt, I'm not so sure.

Paul

Eat Well. Live Well.
PurpleGreenPops.com

Laura said...

Paul - That, she is! I can't wait to watch the finale tomorrow night!

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