The Biggest Loser: Recap!

The Biggest Loser: Couples has learned its lesson.

After the sneaky, evil, backstabbing ways of last season’s blue team, the series has pulled a 180.

Now the blue team are the underdogs you’re rooting for. (Though it’s hard to hate the hard-working members of the black team.)

After Mandi sacrificed herself so sister Aubrey could stay on the ranch, Alison announced that all the players would be returning home.

Usually I fast-forward through the sentimental schmooze on Loser. But Mike, who had lost 110 lbs. up to that point, returned home to his obese brother.

There was some sibling tears shed over seeing how much weight Mike had lost as Mike vowed to help his brother get healthy. It was heartbreaking to watch.

There was something also mesmerizing about watching the players deal with their diet and workout routines in the real world. No more greasy pizza and fried calamari for them!

This week’s challenge was a half-marathon, a 13-mile run. We knew Tara was going to take that. The girl is a machine!

Unfortunately so did Helen, who took the temptation challenge of eating a cookie to add five minutes to her teammate Tara’s run time.

The penalty obliterated Tara’s one minute-plus lead over Sione, who then won the $10,000 prize.

So yep, the game is still on, if only a little.

Back on the ranch, the players worried about the weigh-in since they had been home for the week. There were some surprise big numbers, Laura pulled a seven, Ron pulled 10 lbs.

But it was disappointment for Tara, who only lost two pounds. Jillian tried to break it down for Tara by telling her she was overtaxing her body by overtraining it, and it was rebelling. Tara didn’t want to hear any of that.

And then there was Kristin who actually gained a pound off the ranch – even after a 13-mile run! Bob put it best when he said that’s exactly the reason Kristin still needed to be there.

Her mom Cathy saw that too and instructed the blue team to vote her off, including her daughter.

Like any supermom, Cathy is doing fine.

She’s gotten her other two daughters, who are battling their own weight issues, off the couch and on the spin bike, and both are losing the excess.

Well done, Cathy. Well done!

Catch more episodes of The Biggest Loser: Couples Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC,