The Biggest Loser- week 3- "It's not Catfish. It's Cupcakes."

Remember that one time? That time where we were all unified as a team and we walked across balance beams and called our families and nobody got eliminated from the competition? Remember?


Yeah. About that.


Welcome to week 3 of The Biggest Loser, where the gloves have come off! And introducing the villian of the episode- crazy eyes Tracey- or as one fellow tweeter named her- Trazy. Because she is a hot bag of crazy biscuits.


Trazy was the contestant that collapsed in the first episode and was rushed to the hospital. And her partner, the lovable Coach Mo, had to compete alone to keep them in the competition. I was with Trazy when Coach Mo came to visit her in the hospital, and she seemed so happy and full of hope. And I was with her when she managed to lose 10 pounds when she returned to the ranch.



But I was not with Trazy when she literally stepped over the line.


Ali presented the contestants with a choice- the episode was all about choices: They could choose to work out with their trainers as usual OR they could forfeit the trainers and gain a two pound advantage at the weigh in. Everyone chattered amongst themselves, agreeing that that would be a foolish decision- who would want to give up Bob and Jillian?


Then Trazy steps over the line of choice, going against the wishes of her partner Coach Mo, and forfeits her right to trainers. She says she can do it herself, and who wouldn't want the two extra pounds?


When Bob and Jillian hear of this craziness, they take Trazy and Coach Mo aside and ask why she would "play the game". Trazy states she is nervous about being sent home, and she thought it would give her an advantage over the other contestants. Tears are shed, and Bob and Jillian give her priceless words of hope and love and support. We think that Trazy has learned her lesson and that life is all good.


Then it's time for the workout montage, and the first injury of the season- Abby has a stress fracture. She won't be able to stand on it for prolonged periods of time, and will have to swim for most of her exercise. Bob is secretly freaking out, but I personally know that if swimming works for Michael Phelps, that Abby should by fine. Plus, she is so sweet and needs this so badly, surely NBC wouldn't chose to get rid of her the third week in. Would they?


The team challenge involves more choices- carrying 5 pound weights up a ramp from a shorter distance, or carrying 25 pound weights from a farther distance up a ramp. I would have chosen the 25 pound weights myself, but I forget that the contestants are not used to running. And carrying weights. And doing those things at the same time together. Dan the man comes out of the gate at a blazing speed, and I am so happy to see him working it out! Especially from watching him last season when he could barely walk up the hill on the first challenge. That is the part of this show that I love and why I love the fitness community. Seeing someone get healthy and achieve what they set out to acheive is amazing.


The winner of the team challenge is firefighter Alan from the green team- incidentally he was carrying the five pound weights. Slow and lighter but steady wins the race!


And then comes the TEMPTATION CHALLENGE- the first one of the season! This challenge essentially changes the entire way the show runs, and really makes it into a strategy game and not just a weight loss competition. Under their silver platters the contestants have a single cupcake. Each cupcake, Ali tells us, is 100 calories. Whoever eats the most cupcakes gets to have control of what team falls below the yellow line by chosing one member of the team's weight counts at the final weigh in.


We see the contestants smell the cupcakes, drool over the cupcakes, threaten to rub cupcakes all over their bodies, (Sean! Don't do it! What will your parishoners think?) but will they eat the cupcakes?


Only two contestants indulge themselves- Antoine from the red team eats one cupcake. Crazy Trazy eats FOUR. She wins the temptation. And now she has control of the fates of the teams!
This is classic reality tv magic. Gone are the warm and cuddly feelings of the last episodes- now it is an ass kiss festival. Who can appeal to Trazy and her sense of right? Does she even have one? Dan appeals to her that Shay should stay in the competition- he wants to weigh in for their team. The pink team's Amanda knows that Trazy has her back and isn't worried about the weigh in. All along, I am wondering is Trazy going to be able to lose enough weight without the aide of the trainers to make it even worth all this trouble?


At the weigh in, the first few teams weigh in with no issue, and then we learn that Trazy is crazy because she betrays Dan, making Shay weigh in, and Shay is under the goal weight by 1 pound. Two pound advantage not sounding so bad at this point. And then Trazy betrays Amanda, by making her weigh in even though she promised her she wouldn't. And Amanda rocks it and makes it above the yellow line. Unfortunately, for the red team, Trazy proves she's not just crazy, but a little mean. Instead of choosing fellow cupcake eater Antoine, she chooses Sean. And he falls below the yellow line by one pound.

Again, the two pound advantage could have come in handy. Trazy, on the other hand, did not need the two pound advantage as she lost a whopping 11 pounds. She riled everyone up for nothing!!! And now she is hated at the ranch and on blogs across America.

The Red Team bit the bullet because they thought Shay and Dan needed the support of the ranch to make it. Shay's impassioned speech about not needing Trazy to validate her totally moved me- she is taking control of her life. And that is what one needs to make a signifigant life change like losing weight.

So, we say goodbye to the Red Team. On the follow up, we see Antoine looking fit and healthy, cupcakeless but not girlfriendless! He has made a love connection with the first eliminated contestant, Alexandria. Sean has lost plenty of weight and has a new baby girl named Jillian. Life is good for the Red Team, and I am eager to see the results at the finals!

But Trazy? I feel like it's only a matter of time before we are shown more than the whites of her eyes. Or the yellow of her belly.