The Biggest Loser Families - "Grand Canyon Road Trip" (Episode 603)

NBC puts its reality show stars up in only the best digs

Pity poor Jerry. We have seen this poor man fall off the treadmill every single week - the tumble is even immortalized in the show's opening credits, so even if he gets eliminated, the fall lives on. Ok, when we last left our losers, they were all about to head off on a road trip to the Grand Canyon. Amy P. is psyched because visiting there was on her "bucket list." Heba hopes the trip doesn't screw up weight loss because of the temptations that are omnipresent on vacations. (I don't think she really has to worry about that - Jillian and Bob will probably have these poor people going up and down the canyon sans pack mules.) Phil knows there's a "twist" on this trip. Vicky is nervous knowing she's going on a "Biggest Loser" trip.

Everyone loads up on sugar-free gum for the drive from California to Arizona. Shellay is hoping for a fancy-schmancy hotel and spa, chilling in the hot tub and maybe taking in some sights, but she knows that's not what's in store for them. Heba and Ed think the narrow and uncomfortable bus seats are a reminder that they should possible drop a few pounds. Everyone cuts up on the trip, poking and prodding their significant others and getting semi trucks to blow their horns. Jerry believes that Paul Bunyan created the Grand Canyon "with his mule." Coleen corrects her dad and tells him it was an ox, not a mule. The gang made a pit stop at a convenience store and were met by Allison in a luxurious RV. They take a mini tour of the trailer and when they come back out, they find a cot - "the other way to travel." Allison explains that part of a camping trip is actual camping, but two of them will be camping in style (it's "cot city" for the rest of them.) The convenience store is the setting of the season's first temptation challenge.

The temptation challenge is a test of the players' new knowledge about some of their old snacks. Each team has to guess the calorie count of some tasty snacks. The team that gets closest to the axctual number without going over gets a pack of sugar-free gum. Whoop-de-doo! The first team to win three packs of gum gets to stay in the air-conditioned trailer. There is, as always, one "inconvenient" rule - if you guess the calorie count incorrectly, you have to eat the snack. Heba doesn't want to take any chances because she and Ed have hovered around the yellow line since they've been on campus. The first snack the players have the chance to bid on is a lone, chocolate-covered caramel. The pink team and purple team are in. Heba decided that since she "knew" the piece of candy was under 35 calories, she decided to give it a go and the red team also joined in. Vicky and Brady decided to sit out, as did Coleen and Jerry (especially after last week's bad bet, which almost got them eliminated.) Everyone made their guesses about the candy - all around 25 to 30 calories. The candy was 26 calories and Heba and Ed won the first round. Pink, purple, red and orange are in for the next round, guessing the calories in a piece of string cheese. It's 80 calories and Heba and Ed win again. No one wants to play in round three, so Heba and Ed have to guess the count of the third item to get the third pack of gum. It's a "regular, all-beef" hot dog. Can't they just go the "Price is Right" route and guess one calorie? No one else is going to outbid them? And, they did, guessing 10 calories for a 240 food item. They won the luxurious accommodations. Ed feels like a "big pimp" riding to the Canyon in the RV while his competitors are crammed in the small bus.

Everyone arrives at the Grand Canyon and ooh and aah. It is awe-inspiring and on my "bucket list" for sure. Allison compares the players' journey to the river coursing through the canyon and carving it out. How poetic. I think they're going to be sloshing around in that river real soon. The gang arrives at the camp site which was pretty desolate. City gal Shellay was really apprehensive about the experience. Her daughter Amy thought the portable grill was a laptop. Jerry tries to appreciate his "room with a view" but laments that it's hot and there's no running water. Michelle can't believe people go camping voulntarily. Renee said it's gorgeous, but she rather be enjoying the view from a hotel window. They were left with some exercise equipment to use and engaged in a half-hearted workout with some medicine balls, one of which smacked Renee in the kisser. They all looked so lost without the trainers. They all decided to walk, which Shellay said was "the most creative thing they could think of." Jerry felt like a fish out of water. Brady wasn't worried about the weigh-in as everyone was in the same boat. Pimp Daddy Ed napped on his la-z-boy. It's time for the challenge, and, as I predicted, it's in the river.

There's a line of kayaks along the Colorado River. When Allison sounds the horn, one team member gets into the kayak and paddles for 90 seconds. After that, their teammate has to try to pull one of their opponents boats back to the dock. If the kayak touches the dock, the team is out. The last boat to reach the dock wins. Ed is confident for victory as he did a lot of canoeing as a kid. Jerry (who finally gets to compete this week) was on the US kayak team a few times - naah...he's just kidding. The winning team gets their very own RV. I'd like the gas money to fill up the RV myself. The teams get a few minutes to strategize before the challenge began. And...they're off. As the kayaks go out, the dock-bound team members feed the rope out. Not Shellay, she takes the entire rope and throws it in the water. The rope made Amy's kayak come to a dead stop. Great idea, Shellay. Michelle hit a current and her kayak came to a dead stop, but finally broke free. Shellay found a knot in her rope and tried to loosen it, but was quite unsuccessful. After the initial 90 seconds are up, it's time for some rope-pulling. Shellay makes her second bad decision of the day and tries to pull pimp daddy Ed back in. Phil pulls Michelle back in rapidly - at about twice the speed she paddled out. Pink was the first team out, quickly followed by purple, yellow and brown. It was down to the orange and red teams.

Ed is going to be a pimp daddy when he gets home, as he and Heba won the RV. Phil was bummed because he wanted the RV for his sons. Amy says winning an RV isn't going to help Heba and Ed stay above the yellow line. That night was Coleen's 24th birthday, so the gang gave her a cake. Happy birthday! You're going home! Actually, instead of cake, she gets complements from everyone. Jerry was emotional hearing all of the nice things they had to sayand couldn't vocalize his feelings for his daughter, but she knew what he was thinking. Coleen said it was an unforgettable birthday. Vicky wants to get back to the campus. Everyone else shares the sentiment. Heba doesn't want her successful run to end.

Everyone was thankful to be back at the campus. Ed and Heba are determined to stay above the yellow line and "dominate." Brady is looking out the window, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Bob, who they haven't seen for a week. Bob returns for the last chance workout and is eager to hear about all of the great workouts his team did while they were away. He was shocked to hear the trip described as "sedentary." Amy knew that Jillian was going to be upset about how they spent their vacation.

Amy was right - and Jillian thought they were joking with her when they said they just walked around and were confused about food. Jillian taught her team to cook all of their food for the week ahead of time. Bob uses his last chance workout to show his team that they don't need a gym to work out. Phil said it was the toughest workout they've endured. Jillian also shows her team how to work out without a treadmill - there's lots of jumping jacks and push-ups. Coleen noticed that her dad Jerry was in a lot of pain. Jillian noticed Jerry was limping, so she sent him to see a medic. He had to go to the hospital because the medic feared he had a blood clot. Uh-oh.

Jillian finished up her team's last chance workout in the gym. She wants to cram a week's worth of exercise in a day and promises that "someone's going to die." Amy says Jillian is doling out the beatings. Bob also completes his workout in the gym - "on a large coffee and ready to kill" according to Brady. Ed can't feel any part of his body. Michelle cries again while working out with Jillian. Jillian is beating the girl up and she has nothing to say to her. She's a doormat, just like her mother used to be. Jillian needs her to assert herself. She needs to have a voice. Jerry got back from the hospital and he was clot-free, but has a torn hamstring. Jerry sees it as a "minor setback on the road to recovery", but Coleen's really worried about the weigh-in.

The contestants head to the big scales for the weigh-in. Both of the trainers are worried about their team's progress. Allison says that this week no one will be voting at elimination - only one family will fall below the yellow line and only one person from the losing team will be heading home. The decision as to who stays and who goes is up to the family itself. Yikes. So, who's on the line? First, the tale of the scales.      

   
Red Team - Amy: 5 pounds, Phil: 10 pounds - Combined weight: 15 lbs./2.95%
Brown Team - Vicky: 3 pounds, Brady: 5 pounds - Combined weight: 8 lbs./1.51%   
Pink Team - Michelle: 3 pounds, Renee: 6 pounds - Combined weight: 9 lbs./1.91%
Orange Team - Heba: 6 pounds, Ed: 10 pounds - Combined weight: 16 lbs./2.72%
Purple Team - Amy: 6 pounds, Shellay: 3 pounds - Combined weight: 9 lbs./2.14%
Yellow Team - Jerry: +2 pounds, Coleen: 7 pounds - Combined weight: 5 lbs./0.89%

So, Jerry and Coleen have to decide who is heading home. Jillian had wanted a happy ending and Coleen can't celebrate losing 7 pounds and getting below the 200 pound mark. They have an hour to make their decision. Coleen says making the decision sucks. Jerry says it won't be a happy moment for him either. Jerry says this is her oportunity and showed her dad how to change his life. He wants her to continue on so she doesn't end up like him. He says he wants to go home but Coleen wants him to stay because he needs professional help in losing weight. Jerry says he couldn't function on campus without her.

So, who's it going to be? After much deliberation, and more kind words from the fellow players, the family came to the decision to send Jerry home. You knew that was going to happen, because with his limited mobility, Jerry would most likely be gone next week anyway. Since leaving campus, Jerry runs one and a half miles a day and rides five miles on the bike. Dr. H. came to visit him because he had such an amazing turnaround and has gone off of four of the five cardiac meds he was on. He's lost 70 pounds so far. You go, Jerry!