The Biggest Loser: Families - "New Teams Compete in Must-See Season Premiere!" (Episode 601)

Jillian wants to make sure you know she's not the "nice one" (NBC)Just in time to remind you of all of your summer indulgences, it's time for the sixth season of "The Biggest Loser." This season, trainers Bob and Jillian have traveled the country to find their competitors, and it's all about family. They're even surprising them in their hometowns. Bob takes on four married couples and Jillian takes on four pairs of parents and kids. This season, the trainers seems to have a "take no prisoners" attitude (even touchy-feely Bob!) and the challenges are allegedly the "toughest ever" (one of which will last a whopping 14 hours.) But just like the previous five seasons, there can only be one winner, so, "born into it or sworn into it," there can be only one Biggest Loser, so away we go.

Our first stop tonight is Greenville, SC, where Bob meets his first couple, Amy and Phil. They have three kids, one of whom is autistic, so they have always put the kids ahead of them. They work and live together 24/7, and the stress associated with raising an autistic son caused the couple to feel the need to unwind in the evenings with a variety of unhealthy snacks. Amy and Phil's family and friends have gathered at their house to "support" them, while Bob is on his way over to "surprise" them (although it can't be too much of a surprise, as there's obviously a camera crew in the house.) Amy and Phil are now the red team and are off to California with Bob.

The next stop in the collection of contestants is Boston, Mass. Jillian is there to pick up Tom and Tom, "two average guys" who drive cabs for a living. The whole Tom and Tom family is overweight (mom, sister, another brother and even uncles) - ranging in weight from 350 to 550 pounds. Li'l Tom cooked up one of his favorite meals - three pounds of chicken, two pounds of pasta, four jars of alfredo sauce and two canisters of parmesean cheese. I'm hoping he shares that. Jillian hopes she can teach the Toms about diet and exercise so they can save the rest of their family. Jillian busts up a local recreational event (there's a bunch of folks roughhousing on a field, without a ball or bat in sight, so I have no idea what they're doing out there.) Tom and Tom (L.T.) are the grey team.

Bob heads to Raleigh, NC to pick up his next team. Ed and Heba, the newlyweds, a/k/a "my kinda people" as our first glimpse of includes some shot and beer action. They go out to eat three or four times a week. Ed is a chef who, instead of grazing on the food he cooks, seems to have an affinity for Cheez Doodles. They want to expand their family, but don't want to have kids in the state they're currently in. Bob wants them to have a long and healthy life, so he busts in via television monitors at their local watering hole where Ed, Heba and their friends are enjoying an early happy hour (3:45!) and the couple are presented with their orange t-shirts.

Jillian's next team is in Detroit, Michigan - a mother and daughter team named Shellay and Amy (C. to try and avoid any confusion). Jillian says they're "hilarious." They are caught trying on "large" pants in a store that quit at about mid-thigh. Our trainer notes that behind the laughs is a daughter who followed in her mother's unhealthy footsteps. Jillian called Shellay on her cell phone and informed them that they are now the purple team.

Next stop, Houma, Louisiana. Vicky and Brady, "the classic American fast food family." The couple and their two kids live on a diet of all things fried. Their four-year-old daughter already weighs 63 pounds, outweighing her seven-year-old brother by 13 pounds. Vicky feels "100% responsible" for her daughter's weight. The family gets a surprise at their local doughnut joint - Bob in a little paper hat (I would think anyone's day would be brightened by the sight of Bob in a little paper hat, but maybe that's just me.) bob thinks he got there in the nick of time - and they're the brown team.

Jillian is headed to Dallas, Texas to meet the mother/daughter team of and Michelle, who have been estranged for six years. After her parents divorced five or so years ago, 26-year-old Michelle said she just "gave up." Her mother left with her two sisters and she stayed with her father. She drowned her sorrows in food. Renee is hoping to catch up on a lot of things by competing together on the show. The pair are on some local TV show when Jillian enters and gives them their pink team tees.

Bob is in Washington, DC to surprise married couple Adam and Stacy, "co-workers and best friends" (if me and the hubby were co-workers, we'd hardly be best friends, so for that, I admire these guys already.) Stacy says that her hubby loves her just the way she is, but knows he'll still love her when she's smaller. Bob says he knows they're going to be "a force to be reckoned with." Bob shows up at their breakroom, where the couple is having lunch. This couple is our green team.

Jillian's next team is a father/daughter team from Cleveland, Ohio. Police sergeant Jerry has become so unhealthy and overweight that he can't do his job properly. Daughter Coleen is "Daddy's little girl" who is concerned her dad won't be around to walk her down the aisle. Jillian makes a dramatic entrance in a police car at Jerry's station and bestows them with yellow tees. And there, kids, are your teams for the season.

Allison is back this season (and she's preggers - congrats, girl!) and she welcomes the teams to the now-familiar Biggest Loser campus in Los Angeles. Ed confessed that he thought Allison was "a little hottie." The teams head into the gym, which is divided down the middle for the two trainers' teams. Tom confessed that he's never been in a gym before, Jerry's just looking for a bench to sit down on and Ed said "what a great gym...I'm gonna throw up all over this place." Allison says the uber-gym is the setting for a social experiment - blood ties versus true love. Both sides think they have an advantage. The evil scales are then revealed. Allison says the winner this season gets "a quarter of a million dollar Jell-O prize." Wait, do they get $250K worth of Jell-O? That's not much of a prize! Yeah, yeah, I know. This is just one of the many plugs that make up the show. It's time for the teams to weigh in for the first time. Here's what they're starting with:

Pink Team - Michelle: 242, Renee: 267 - Combined weight: 509
Yellow Team - Jerry: 380, Coleen: 218 - Combined weight: 598
Purple Team - Amy: 239, Shellay: 216 - Combined weight: 455
Red Team - Amy: 229, Phil: 331 - Combined weight: 560
Green Team - Stacy: 221, Adam: 340 - Combined weight: 561
Brown Team - Vicky: 246, Brady: 341 - Combined weight: 587
Orange Team - Heba: 294, Ed: 335 - Combined weight: 629
Grey Team - L.T.: 357, Tom: 314 - Combined weight: 671

Allison turned over the teams to the trainers, who immediately put them to work. Bob wants to ensure that these married couples don't end up back on the show in a few years with their kids. Jillian tells her teams to keep their hands off of the handrails on the treadmills, because if they do, she'll "freak out", which isn't a good thing. Jillian claims she's seen as "the nice one" in previous seasons. Has she been watching the same show I have? Jerry was already in pain about seven minutes in. Amy C. said she was crying during the first five minutes of her workout with Jillian. Vicky felt she was already the weakest link out of Bob's teams. Tom said working out with Jillian wasn't "hahd" (those quaint Boston accents!), it's "extreme." Bob tells his teams they can rest at the finale. Ed is pissed that the other couples, who are older than he and Heba, are kicking their butts already. Heba felt bad that her husband was already feeling so bad. Phil is trying to get accustomed to pain. Coleen said her dad won't quit until he couldn't move anymore - and then dad Jerry collapsed on the treadmill.

Poor Jerry's knees went out on him. He tried to apologize to Jillian, but she wasn't having it. She said he wasn't getting off the treadmill unless he died on it. She then told Coleen that when she was thinking of quitting to think of her dad, "ready to drop dead on the treadmill." Nice. Again, who thought Jillian was "the nice one"? Just in case you thought she was still a big softie, Jillian told her teams, "Unless you faint, puke or die; keep on walking!"

Dr. Huizenga shows up to check Jerry out. The good doc tells Jerry that he's the "sickest" person ever on the show. He's got "every risk factor known in medicine." Jerry's grateful for the information. Dr. H. then pulled Jillian aside and told her that Jerry could only do 30 minutes of exercise a day. Oh, that's going to happen. Jillian has a heart-to-heart and tells Jerry that he most likely won't make it if he has to leave campus prematurely. Coleen was unaware of what was going on with her dad's "inside stuff" and was terrified about his future. At the end of the day, all of the couples hit their rooms for a little rest.

The next morning, it was time for the teams' first challenge under the balmy, 110 degree California sun. The teams faced a sizable mountain and Heba was hoping they weren't going to have to climb it. She's obviously never watched this show before. Alliosn tells the teams that they will sometimes find advantages "in the most unexpected places." Everyone turns their eyes skywards and sees biplanes towing banners representing some of the prizes available in this week's challlenge - including two days of luxury, a phone call home, a 24 hour visit home, $5,000, an extra vote at this week's elimination, 24 hours alone with the trainer and immunity. There's also a "booby prize" - a two puund penalty at the weigh-in. The banners were all dropped in a designated spot and the teams had to traverse a mile-long stretch of mountainous terrain to get to them. Once both team members get to the banner of their choice, the team wins the prize. Tom and Jerry won't be competing for medical reasons, so Coleen and L.T. would be competing alone.   

And...they're off. Coleen knows it of the utmost importance for her to get the immunity flag and give her ailing dad another week with Jillian. Phil wants the 24 hour home visit and Heba just doesn't want the two pound penalty. There's a lot of huffing and puffing from Vicky, and she has to stop and catch her breath. Brady was irritated and yelled at her, before giving her a little encouragement to keep going. Ed dragged Heba all the way up the hill. Stacy was chugging along, thinking Adam was right behind her and she was way wrong. There's more huffing 'n' puffing as the teams went up the hill. Coleen hit the banners first and made it to the immunity banner. Stacy and Adam opted for a little luxury, Ed and Heba got the dough, the Toms got an extra vote and Phil and Amy got their visit home. It's down to the purple team and the brown team. Amy C. and Shellay got the phone call, while the brown team came in last - but at least they didn't quit.

Back at the house, Jillian schools her team on the devices they wear on their arms, that (when paired with a computer program) track how many calories they burn and consume during the day. It's pretty cool, actually. Dr. H. then meets with the rest of the contestants to discuss the results of the battery of tests they all went through when they arrived. Shellay and Amy are first. Dr. H. shows her a healthy set of pink lungs and then shows her what hers look like, surrounded by fat and blackened by cigarette smoke. He tells her "biological age" is 47, not 26. Dr. H. shows Renee and Michelle what her fat-encrusted heart looks like. Michelle is also not 26 biologically, she's 41. Yikes.

Vicky has acid reflux, breathing issues and thin bones. Her biological age isn't 37, it's 48. Brady knows they have to fix themselves before they can help their kids. Ed's liver is surrounded by fat. Dr. H said a cream layer rose to the surface of his blood sample. He's got pre-diabetes and hypertension. Heba was unaware that they had so many health problems. L.T. consumes a lot of food - and smokes. His "real age" isn't 23, it's 49. Wow. Alfredo sauce, breakfast subs and ciggies don't mix. Dr. H. tells Jerry that he's got 200 pounds of hydrated fat on his lungs. He's working out at the same level as a 90-year-old. His actual 51-year-old age hides the fact that his biological age is 76. Coleen knows his dad's weight is taking a toll on him. She wants to see him lose the weight.

It's back to the gym for the teams for the last chance workout. Jillian doesn't want to give her teams a secind to develop any negative thoughts. Ed said his secoind workout was like a "swift kick in the ass." Stacy still thinks she and her hubby are the toughest competition. Vicky doesn't like their cockiness and is worried she and Brady may be sent home. Heba thinks all of this working out may be more painful than childbirth because, "there's no epidural for exercise." Amy C. pondered quitting.

The teams head back to the scales for the first official weigh-in. The two teams who lose the lowest percentage of weight are up for elimination. Here's the tale of the scales:  

Yellow Team - Jerry: 17 pounds lost, Coleen: 10 pounds lost - Combined weight: 27 pounds
Orange Team - Heba: 12 pounds, Ed: 17 pounds - Combined weight: 29lbs./4.61%
Pink Team - Michelle: 17 pounds, Renee: 14 pounds - Combined weight: 31lbs./6.09%
Grey Team - L.T.: 18 pounds, Tom: 24 pounds - Combined weight: 42lbs./6.26%
Red Team - Amy: 16 pounds, Phil: 23 pounds - Combined weight: 39lbs./6.96%
Green Team - Stacy: 9 pounds, Adam: 19 pounds - Combined weight: 28lbs./4.99%
Purple Team - Amy: 17 pounds, Shellay: 12 pounds - Combined weight: 29lbs./6.37%
Brown Team - Vicky: 19 pounds, Brady: 28 pounds - Combined weight: 47lbs./7.67% (This includes their two pound penalty.)

The teams falling below the yellow line are the cocky green team or the party-hearty orange team. The remaining teams only have an hour to choose. Ed's angry that he's up for elimination. Stacy is disappointed that she lost the least amount of weight. Ed thinks his actions have spoken for the hard work he's done and he doesn't attempt to plead his case to any of his fellow competitors.

Allison assembles everyone in the elimination room to find out who is heading home. The brown team pick the "competitive" green team. The red team, "with heavy hearts," pick the green team as well. The Toms, a/k/a the grey team, casts their two votes for the green team. See what happens when you come in too over-confident? Since they left the campus, Stacy weighs 175 (losing 46 total pounds) and Adam is 286 (losing 54 pounds.) They have balanced working out with raising their family and even started a weight loss group at their place of employment. Adam says his goal weight is 220 pounds and Stacey says she'll be wearing a dress at the finale - the first one since donning her wedding dress. Next wee, it's the toughest week with the smallest losses and an emotional moment for Phil and Amy. Now I'm off to the gym!