Since the theme for the year is battle of the ages, the fifteen contestants, who are dropped in the middle of the California desert on their first meeting, are separated into three teams based on age: under thirty, over fifty, and those in-between. Each team will run a mile race across the desert as a team to be able to choose their team trainer: Anna's blue team, Bob's black team, and Dolvett's red team. At the end of the race, they learn that they will all be back to that spot just before the finale to run a marathon, the winner of that race to become an automatic finalist no matter if he/she has already been eliminated. The first workout is an eye opening experience for most, but especially for an ex-professional athlete who ended up being in worse shape than he ever imagined. In the middle of the week, one contestant receives some bad news from home, which ends up being a focusing experience. The first weigh-in yields mixed results, which in turn leads to the first eliminated ... Written by Huggo

There are fourteen contestants remaining after Debbie is voted off the campus after the first weigh-in. The fourteen return somewhat to the real world in that for the next week, they will only have access as a team to the gym and their trainer at one of three two-hour prescribed times per day: early morning, midday and late night. The winning team of a temptation challenge - eating the most donuts - will assign the gym times for all three teams. They find that training at a specific time not only affects them, but also their trainers, who have different energies at different times of the day. Beyond individual issues of training, one team faces an internal back stabbing issue. Each contestant with his/her trainer meets with Dr. Huizenga, who gives them the bad news about their health. One of the youngest, who has previously resisted visiting a doctor if only in the want not to know, has one of the worst results. The teams compete in a reward challenge - maneuvering a ball through a ... Written by Huggo

With Johnny being voted off the campus after the latest weigh-in, the blue team is feeling desperate having lost the first two weigh-ins and thus the only team to have lost members. The remaining thirteen contestants enter into NFL week, where the challenges are football oriented - one which will be done in competition with pro players - the prizes are football oriented, and the last chance workout is assisted by pro players. The first individual challenge, with the winner to receive $5,000, tests both speed and football throwing accuracy. The team challenge, styled after a football game, is a workout consisting of four fifteen minute quarters, the winning team, who will receive a spa day, being that that burned the most calories per team member. The winning team ends up making a unique decision. And the contestants learn that the one person who wins the weigh-in for the week will receive two tickets to the Super Bowl, a prize coveted especially by the many ex-football players, Antone... Written by Huggo

The red team's emotional elimination vote after the last weigh-in resulted in Patrick being the third contestant eliminated. Each team starts the week with some inspirational words and assistance from a Big Loser alumnus, each chosen to fit the appropriate age category of the specific team and each who has maintained their weight loss after their time on the show. The reward challenge is a relay where only the baton can move from person to person, while the person at the back on the chain moves to the front and so on. The relay takes the teams through extreme weather conditions, from heat to wind to snow to monsoon rains. The baton for each team is actually a box filled with the winners' rewards: letters from home. Alison announces bonus rewards at the race's end. The last chance workout takes each team to a different part of the ranch and a different activity, which especially for Anna feels like home. Written by Huggo

After the latest weigh-in when Coach Mike was voted off campus, the blue team is left with only two contestants. A game of Plinko - a game of total chance - provides the winning contestant a multitude of rewards. One, the contestant gets to go home for the week. Two, their trainer will go with them. And three, they receive immunity from elimination for this week. But these rewards come with much pressure as that winner will be the only person from his/her team whose weight will count for their team at this week's weigh-in. Many of the contestants voice their concern about possibly winning this reward, but the contestant who does ultimately win is excited, which is the exact opposite feeling of their trainer, who doesn't want that person to feel like this week will be a vacation, especially as their teammates are totally relying on them. The departure of that contestant and the trainer brings about a different vibe on the ranch. Cracks start to appear in all three teams, two based on ... Written by Huggo

Courtney being voted off the ranch after the latest weigh-in brings the remaining ten contestants into all-for-one Halloween week. They learn that they will be competing as one group, all with common goals. They will be aiming for a 100 pound total weight loss goal, which if met will mean that no one will be eliminated after the weigh-in. If they don't reach that goal, one person will be voted off, with only the biggest loser of the week having immunity. Their week long temptation challenge has a ten pound bowlful of candy in the middle of their kitchen. For every pound of candy they eat collectively, they will receive a one pound advantage at the weigh-in. And the team challenge has them collecting apples hidden throughout a maze over a ten minute time period. They will receive additional weight advantages at the weigh-in if they collect certain weight amounts of apples, but if any contestant is in the maze at the ten minute time limit, they will have a weight disadvantage at the ... Written by Huggo

With Jennifer's elimination after the latest weigh-in, there are nine contestants remaining. With three trainers and nine contestants, it is a perfect time for a team realignment with three contestants per team. The new teams will be based on each individual's knowledge of their favorite foods before coming to the ranch. There is much apprehension among the nine, as they know under the rules of the pop quiz, there is no way any of the teams will remain in their current state, which is especially difficult for couple Jessica and Ramon. The contestants also learn that whoever their new trainer, that person will be their trainer for the duration of their time on the ranch. The resulting teams have some rough moments, both because of contestants missing their old teammates, but also because of some animosity between some contestants and their new trainers. The trainers themselves are determined to get over these issues. The team challenge is a race using water slides and unscrambling a ... Written by Huggo

Jessica being voted off the ranch after the latest weigh-in causes some hard feelings by Ramon, especially against his blue team mates Joe and Sunny, both who voted for Jessica. This animosity is just the most blatant manifestation that the old team alliances are still stronger than the current team alliances. The fate of the contestants is in the hands of the trainers more this week as each trainer must pick only one person on their team for this week's weigh-in. Some contestants relish the opportunity to be chosen to have symbolically the confidence of their trainer, while others fear the responsibility. Beyond the week's training, the trainers also have to factor in history, especially in that most of the biggest losers of the season had huge weight loss last week which may not bode well for a huge weight loss this week. The week's team challenge is a cooking one, where the winning team will have its meal featured in the latest Biggest Loser cookbook, has a one-on-one session with ... Written by Huggo

Alliances are perceived to be breaking as Joe is voted off the ranch after the latest weigh-in. Those alliances take on new meaning for the remaining seven as they move into competing as singles, with this week's weigh-in being the first for the season with a yellow line. The challenge for the week is modeled on a pentathlon, with each of the five events garnering the contestants scores of up to 7. Events test athletic prowess (whether it be in the form of speed, strength, agility and/or balance), knowledge or pure luck. The contestant with the highest score by the end of the fifth event receives immunity for the week. The contestant with the lowest score receives a one pound disadvantage at the weigh-in. With those events where strategy comes into play, some contestants remain true to their alliances while others play solely for their own benefit. Dolvett uses the week to bond with the two he is training, most specifically John who he wants to open up more both to himself and to his ... Written by Huggo

After Bonnie's eviction from the campus after the latest weigh-in, the remaining six contestants enter into Thanksgiving week. Their temptation challenge has one hundred plates of Thanksgiving types of food in front of them, each plate with an unknown value from one to one hundred. In five minutes, each contestant is allowed to eat as many plates of food as he/she wants. The contestants who draw the lowest three numbers have their choice of the three prizes available (with one contestant conceivably winning all three prizes): $500 for each pound lost at this week's weigh-in, a $25,000 home gym, and a three pound advantage at this week's weigh-in. The latter is seen as almost a guarantee of immunity. The contestants get a Thanksgiving dinner of another sort: a healthier version cooked for them by their trainers. At dinner, Bob opens up about his own family for the first time. Much of the week's focus is on the one with that three pound advantage, and John, for who some have dire ... Written by Huggo

There are five contestant left at the ranch after Ramon is voted off at the latest weigh-in. The five hit two annual Biggest Loser milestone events. The first is the shedding the pounds challenge, where they symbolically place on all the weight they have lost to date, and shed that weight based on weight lost during each week of their stay on the ranch at markers along a race course, which this year is on a steep uphill trail. The challenge, which will award the winner a one pound advantage at this week's weigh-in, is an emotional one for most if only because of the memories associated with that extra weight. The second is makeover week, which includes their made-over selves walking the red carpet to attend a special presentation of Iris by Cirque du Soleil, and attending that event with a loved one. The loved ones also accompany the contestants back to the ranch, where the trainers take the opportunity to prepare them for their collective post-ranch life after this week, as this ... Written by Huggo

Sunny, the latest eliminated contestant, is not the only one going home, as life on the ranch has also finished for the four remaining contestants. Although all four go home to hero's welcomes and deal with how they will handle life off the ranch, Vinnie in particular deals with a painful part of his past, and makes an important decision about his future. Each of those four also receives not only a video visit from their trainer, but a real life visit from them as well, plus a video visit from an important person from their past who will hopefully be a reminder to keep them on their new life path. But their life at home is short lived as the four, plus all the eleven eliminated contestants are finally at the stage of competing in the Biggest Loser marathon. Alison tells them that the winner will not only be an automatic finalist, but that the top five finishers will also receive cash prizes, the winner receiving $25,000. One contestant opts out of the race due to medical reasons. The ... Written by Huggo