DIET COLUMN

I’m reporting live from the Biggest Loser: Families finale, with a recap of the show that made Michelle Aguilar the newest Biggest Loser, and Heba Salama the first female at-home winner.

See all of Bernie’s Biggest Loser 6 Finale interviews.

Dr. Huizenga is one of the first people the Biggest Loser contestants meet. He gives them a thorough physical to assess how healthy, or in most cases unhealthy, they are. He makes the determination whether or not they can compete on the show. In cases like Biggest Loser 6’s Jerry, there are strict limitations on what they can and can’t do on the ranch. Many contestants, like season 5’s Bernie Salazar, credit Dr. Huizenga with helping them regain their health and lives. Here Bernie and Dr. Huizenga visit immediately following the Biggest Loser: Families finale.

Biggest Loser Week 6 Recap from Diets in Review on Vimeo.

If it wasn’t evident before it most certainly is now, the game play is officially here! Episode 6 started off pretty normal, each team took a field trip. Bob’s team went to an ab strengthening acrobatics class, while Jillian’s team went to a ropes course. Coleen confronted her fear of heights, while back on the Blue Team Heba realized just how hard aerial acrobatics can be.

This week’s challenge tested contestant’s balance by having them race around a circular balance beam. For every completed lap by a team member a point was given, first team to 25 won. This challenge was a complete blow out!

We want to extend a congratulations to our very own Bernie Salazar and Matt Johnson. Both of these members of our DietsInReview.com team have completed marathons in the past week. It’s a tremendous feat, and one they’ve each persued with dedication and passion.

These guys trained for months to make sure they were physically ready to endure these 26 mile races.

Bernie Salazar completed the Chicago Marathon on October 12. His time was 4 hours, 15 minutes. (See Bernie’s marathon interview).

Matt Johnson completed the Wichita Marathon on October 19. His time was 3 hours, 23 minutes.

We’re very proud of their accomplishments!

Get up-to-speed with Bernie’s recap of Part I.

Due to the presidential debate last night, episode 4 of the Biggest Loser was cut short, however tonight the wonderful folks over at NBC aired the second hour of the show. The second half of the show proved to be worth the wait! In the second part of episode 4, we saw Jillian really get tough and rightfully so, her teams weren’t doing the homework that she was assigning, which on the Biggest Loser is just as bad as sneaking snack cakes in the middle of the night!

We also saw Bob take his team to SUBWAY for a quick bite to eat, which is good because trying to find a place to eat on the go in the “real world” isn’t easy. I love the fact that the show is sharing information with viewers about how to make smart choices when eating out.

At the weigh-in, we saw the orange team Ed and Heba fall below the dreaded yellow line. The orange team was then forced to decide who was going home amongst themselves. In the end, Ed wound up going home leaving Heba to continue on her own.

During his at home follow-up, Ed looked Great! I wish him continued success at home and consider him a real contender for this year’s At-Home prize.

Episode 4 begins with contestants receiving the prizes they received from the hill challenge on Episode 1. Amy and Phil got to go home for 24 hours and visit with their family; it was great to see them bring the lessons learned at the ranch in regards to diet and exercise home to their boys. Amy and Shellay won the incredible prize of spending 24 hours with their trainer Jillian. They spent their time at 24 Hour Fitness where with Jillian’s help we finally see Shellay begin to confront personal issues that are getting in the way of her weight loss journey.

Tonight’s challenge had contestants submerged in huge a water-filled tank where they were asked to hold their body weight up using a bar for support. Throughout the challenge the water in the tank was slowly being drained making it increasingly harder for contestants to hold up their body weight. After an intense battle that lasted 107 minutes, Vicky from the Brown Team won, and with it won a care package from home and a 3-day vacation to Universal Studios with her family. Host Alison Sweeney informed the Brown team that they could select one other team to receive a care package from home. The Brown team selected the purple team, Shellay and Amy, which I feel, was the right choice being that Amy finished the challenge in second place.

Then Episode 4 was cut short due to the presidential debate! Just like many of you I realize the importance of the upcoming presidential election, I’ve done my research on the candidates and come November I feel ready to cast my vote. However, part of me was definitely frustrated with the interruption. If this presidential debate has taught us anything it’s that patience and being informed are the only way to bring about change!

Don’t miss my Part II Recap and get the rest of the story!