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Meeting Jerry Rice and Steve Young was so cool. They are both really nice guys, and so enthusiastic about being part of the show. Steve introduced me to his wife, and she is a really big fan of BL. Steve said when he mentioned to her the opportunity to appear on BL she immediately demanded he do it! It was really cute.
But of course, being from LA I don’t know a lot about the NFL. So, before I met them, I was texting and IMing with Kyle Brandt (former Philip) and Bryan Dattilo (Lucas) about Jerry and Steve. I asked them all sorts of questions, and got tons of info about their careers. They both helped me out, and of course, couldn’t believe I was going to be meeting them. Better than that – I brought Ben with me that day. We were shooting that challenge on a Saturday, so Ben came to enjoy the afternoon on that beautiful campus with me.

And Steve Young taught him to throw a football!!!! How cool is that? Someday, I bet he’s going to love that story. I got a couple cool shots of them in action too. But all in all, it was a pretty spectacular day.

The saga continues with the all the drama in the house. Vicky pulled the same strategy twice and won both the football drill prize with Steve and Jerry, and the NFL challenge, so she and Brady are going to the Hawaii in style to see the ProBowl. Pretty awesome prize, and I’m glad they really love football, that’ll be so cool for them.
There were some pretty incredible numbers on the scale this week. I mean, shocking. Amy has done so well all season, not only does she look great, she was the ‘biggest loser’ in the house so far. And to lose 5lbs and still fall below… that’s a tough blow. Also, because looking back on the first few seasons, how hard it was for the girls to lose weight… but now, how everyone has been hitting pretty impressive numbers, pretty consistently, it really is amazing. But obviously it was not the outcome Amy was hoping for… I’m sure she was hoping/expecting to not fall below, as she’d been so consistent throughout, so she wouldn’t be relying on Vicky’s vote.

But that’s the thing about reality tv. You can’t change the outcome. As Phil (Season 4 Phil) always used to say on the scale “it is what it is”. And believe me… there are times when you’re watching things happen, and you just know what the outcome SHOULD be, and then it doesn’t go that way and there’s nothing you can do.
I’m so happy to see how fantastic Amy looks now. And how cute was her dad? I love Shellay too. They are cute mother/daughter duo. And I can’t wait to see them at the finale.
Can you believe the finale is COMING UP!!!! Dec 16th. It’s going to be amazing to see how everyone looks, the changes they’ve made in their lives. Keep watching!

I hope everyone has an awesome Thanksgiving!!!
gobble, gobble
Ali

p.s. for those Days fans – I TOLD YOU I was going through a pickle obsession phase in my pregnancy!! Yes, that was the one and only time I actually drank the pickle juice. But man, it was worth it. (if you’re reading this thinking what the hell is she talking about, see back to my blog about pickles.)

How hilarious were those 80’s outfits???!!! Hideous, right? I mean, the teasing, the crimping, the rubber bracelets… it was all working. And I loved Bob’s step class. Jillian’s team break-dancing?? All of it was just fantastic. Ed and Bob in competing short shorts. And Jill’s leopard stretch pants were stand-outs for me. And I gotta admit – I was sent back in time getting to drive that Delorian. Because who doesn’t LOVE that movie??? A side note, is that my hair was teased so high, that I literally had to scooch low in the seat so as not to ruin my hairstyle by rubbing it against the roof of the car.

we had so much fun dressing up, and getting into the 80’s spirit. And it probably couldn’t have come at a better time. On the heels of all that drama and stress in the house, it was nice for everyone to have a break – to get their minds off of the game and the voting was a welcome relief. And even then, as you saw, emotions were still riding high. At the weigh-in you saw a lot of that. it's so hard to see them all work so hard - to see such continued success on the scale, and yet it's not enough to stay above the yellow line. it's heartbreaking.
I've watch a couple reality shows (yay, Top Chef is back!!!) and yet, i imagine no matter how many you've watched, being in one is so different. when you're in the middle of the drama, drowning in it, it must be impossible to get a full perspective on the big picture - and what the best decision is in that moment. so many factors weigh on you, that I'm sure later seem so minimal. I ran into Jackie and Dan (BL5) at Bob's birthday earlier this year. Jackie said it best - it's so easy to look back and see what would have been the smartest move, the best way to vote, things you could have done differently. But when you're in the thick of things? not always easy to see clearly.

i love coleen!!! she was so great to get to know on campus, and I was so happy to see how fantastic and happy Coleen seems. Celebrating her new life, her new body with her boyfriend and her family. And Jerry look so great too! She had such a great shopping spree at Macy’s, and all those clothes looked so good on her. Yay coleen! I’m so happy for her!

Wow. Talk about drama, huh? I thought that was just part of my day job! Having now been through several seasons I am often reminded how important it is to put things in perspective. Bill, Julie, Neil (season 4), not to mention the emotion we saw from the boy s in blue in Season 5, all talked about how extraordinary this journey is. Being a part of the Biggest Loser is such an overwhelming experience.

It’s pretty tough on me, and I’m not there every day. And the contestants are living it 24/7. Remember those intense friendships you developed at summer camp when you were a kid? It’s like that only a lot more. Sometimes it’s tough to understand why they do the crazy things they do on the show, or why they take things so personally and get so emotional, but you gotta remember what they’re going through – and how much more crazy and brutal and intense it is than real life. And at the end of it all, weight loss is an emotional journey for most people. There is so much underneath the obvious reasons people are on the Biggest Loser campus, turning to Bob and Jill for help. I’m not here to justify anything or anyone, and if you know me at all, you know I’m not going to take sides, but I just thought it’d be appropriate to include some of the insight I’ve gotten into the world of reality competition shows since becoming part of the Biggest Loser family.
That being said: who else wanted to give Stacy a big hug!!! I can’t tell you how many members of the crew commented on how inspiring she is, and we love Ed, but to see Stacy get eliminated in week one, and do so well at home, and then come back to create one of the most high-octane challenges I’ve ever witnessed, well, that’s impressive. She is a rock star. Seriously, the step up challenge and the stair challenge from Season 4 are probably the 2 best challenges I’ve seen.
I can’t wait to see everyone at the Finale. Brady looks fantastic, and they still have like 6 weeks to get ready for the big day!! So, I can tell you now, the eliminated players are going to have some steep competition. It’s going to be awesome.

That “Eat This, Not That” book is SO interesting!!!! I swear, you find yourself reading every page learning all about all your favorite restaurants. Some calorie counts are so horrifying!!! It’s such a conversation piece. A must read.

I brought my family to that challenge – Ben told me to “be careful up there”. And I’m not really afraid of heights, but man, that cherry picker was a bit wobbly. And we were REALLY high up there.

How sweet were Phil and Amy??? It was obviously so tough on Phil to be without Amy this week, and I loved how he talked about her, realizing how much he loves her. And didn’t they look fantastic??? It was so amazing to see them, and what a special way to celebrate their new, healthy lives together. I am so happy for both of them, and can’t wait to see them at the finale.

Weren’t those fieldtrips cool? I loved Bob’s team out there doing that crazy Cirque Du Soleil stuff, and learning self-defense. And Coleen making that huge break through, dealing with her fear of heights. It’s so incredible to see how much they’ve changed. Especially when they talked to Dr. H. In 6 weeks, the flashbacks help you remember what they looked like on Day 1… how much they’ve changed their bodies in 6 short weeks. And, not just on the outside – Dr H had such amazing news for all of them. It was obviously so encouraging for Heba, Michelle, for Phil & Amy, for everyone to know that all their hard work was paying off on the inside too.

That challenge was quite a blow-out, huh? Not at all how I expected it to go. And I thought the prize was pretty awesome. It was great watching the look on Coleen’s face, seeing her dad, seeing her boyfriend. Getting to talk with them. And you could see how it invigorated Michelle, seeing her dad obviously had a big positive impact on her mentally, and helped motivate her – can you believe her success on the scale this week?
So many great one-liners from last night. And Vicky and Heba were on fire, right? It’s one of the weirdest parts about my job. I’m not there for all the game-playing strategy stuff that goes on in the bedrooms at night, so I totally related to Bob’s reaction to Brady’s 3 lb loss. And it’s always hard for me to say good bye to everyone on campus. In the elimination room, it’s always tough for everyone to cast their vote, and I know they each have a different way of playing their game. I feel it’s my place to be as completely neutral as possible, just a cheerleader and supporter of every player. But I often wonder how the players feel watching the show at home later, are they happy with how they played the game? Do you all of a sudden see a different decision they could have made that would have spun the game in a completely different direction? It must be such a surreal experience.
Speaking of watching yourself on tv, though – Ben had the biggest smile on his face watching himself in the ‘host tip’ we did for Halloween.

He was so psyched about his red/yellow (“It’s like a fire, mommy!”) faux-hawk. It was so cute to see him up there. We got so many emails and texts from my friends. I loved sharing that with him.

I was so nervous and excited to share my news with Bob, Jill the contestants and crew of Biggest Loser. I didn't tell the producers or anyone I was going to do it! I talked to my husband about it - we both agreed that I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret much longer - so he helped me figure out how to say it, and I surprised everyone at the weigh in! It was so sweet - Bob swears he knew it all along, and Jillian was like "no way!"
You can even hear my friends on the crew freaking out! My make-up artist, Corina, has been doing my make-up since I started Days in 1993. She's the one who screamed in the background! :) It was a really special moment.

Tonight’s temptation was crazy wasn’t it? I really didn’t expect all the drama that unfolded from it. And the tension between Heba and Amy really amped up. I often wonder – watching this stuff later on tv, how the contestants feel about it now, looking back on it. If they would have done things differently if they had a do-over.

And now, thanks to Heba’s swapping Phil and Amy, Jillian has a guy on her team.
Bob and Jillian have both done such an amazing job reaching their contestants this season. I love this season because we have gone deeper into the emotions that have led to their obesity more than ever before. Bob helping Amy get through her new team situation, and then Jillian’s heart to heart with Michelle, exactly what this show is all about. And it’s amazing how many people at home have already been affected by all these emotional stories. Fans come up to me all the time telling me how they relate to one of our contestants, and how their stories inspire and motivate them. One of the crew members on the Bonnie Hunt show brought in a photo of her ‘old self’ cause she knew I was going to be on the show, to tell me that she had lost 87 pounds, and how the show encouraged her and kept her focused on her goals every week. How amazing is that?
Can you believe how early that challenge started??? Holy early call time, Batman! We started that challenge at 6am, and they were at it ALL DAY. They weren’t exaggerating about the heat either. In that area of LA the thermometer can really climb up there!!! And they all did such an amazing job throughout that unbelievably tough challenge.
This was the episode when I announced my pregnancy at the weigh in. Everyone was so excited – and it was such a special moment for me to share with everyone.
As you can see black vs blue really changes up the dynamics between the players. So things are going to heat up even more now. And some incredible weight loss…

How much did you love Bob ripping up that ‘yellow line’ in the middle of the gym. Seriously. He’s awesome. And I have so much admiration for Jerry – sticking it out, given everything he’s up against, medically, he is so dedicated.
And didn’t those water slides seem like so much fun??!! 200 feet?!

The hike up was so brutal, but the ride down a total blast. I’m so into challenges like that. But man, it was so physically challenging on everyone. Doubly so for Coleen and LT who had to go twice as often on behalf of their dads. It was so intense to see them go at it.

I loved Rocco’s cooking challenge.

It was so incredible the way he transformed all those recipes to make them low cal and healthy. And I love that all the team members who don’t like to cook were the ones doing the cooking! I am so trying those recipes! (I swear, my pregnancy cravings are so weird. It seems when people bring up certain foods, all of a sudden I HAVE to have it. Like a camera guy at Days yesterday was talking about how he home-makes hot sauce. Literally, my mouth started watering. He promised to bring me some!!)
LT ‘s comments after the elimination were cracking me up. He is such a cool guy. It’s so great to see how awesome they look now.
Yup – next week we’re going to the Grand Canyon. Can’t wait for you to see how that went.

I hope you all are having a fantastic summer. It has been fun, exciting and certainly jam packed for me. I am typing this blog while sitting at a lovely tea shop in Martha’s Vineyard, MA, on vacation (finally!).

Both shows are on hiatus right now, so I headed out to the east coast to get a little r&r with the family.

I’ve never been here before, but we chose this spot because I needed to be close to New York City, because I hosted a live auction, literally in the middle of Times Square to help Clothes Off Our Back. They have an online auction going on right now ( www.washingmyjeans.com has all the info)!

Check it out!! Up next, I’m flying to Las Vegas!!! Again this year I will be co-hosting the MDA telethon. Tom Bergeron and I are in charge from 12pm – 8am Labor Day. So watch! Enjoy the show – and of course, please call in!!! We need your help if we’re going to help Jerry Lewis exceed his goal of “One dollar more than last year!” also check out their website, www.mda.org. They’re running an online auction during the telethon broadcast and I donated a VIP tour of the Days set. So get bidding!!!
The Biggest Loser is premiering on September 16th. This season is all about Families.

We’ve focused our teams by choosing 4 teams of parents and their children and 4 teams of husbands and wives. Because of the intense family dynamics being added into the mix, it allows Bob & Jillian more than ever, the opportunity to really get at the root of what has led these people to obesity and given them the tools to help them get healthy. There are some really special people this season. As we go through shooting each episode, I feel I really get to connect with the contestants and their journeys. And I know you will feel the same way I did – rooting for them to believe in themselves, to give it everything they have, watching them appreciate and take advantage of the incredible opportunity to train with Bob and Jillian on this amazing ranch. Each and every season, I am grateful to be part of such a powerfully positive, inspirational show. Just last night, a woman stopped me to say she felt the show had helped change her life. She explained to me that for her it went beyond weight loss, that watching people overcome such difficult obstacles, pushing themselves to the limits, motivated her to believe she could do that for herself, even though her personal problem had nothing to do with weight loss. How amazing is that?? Well, I hope you are looking forward to watching this season as much as I am. The breakthroughs, successes, and struggles will astound you.

Hey everyone!!! Hope you all have been having a great summer. I'm in my second trimester now, and feeling great again (knock on wood) because I have a lot going on! We are just now wrapping up Biggest Loser, which will premiere on Sept 16th, can't wait for you to meet the new contestants. But - even sooner than that - I have an event coming up in New York City that I wanted to let you all know about.
Come visit me on Tuesday, August 26 at 10 a.m. EST in Times Square for the “High Profile Pair in the Square” auction of jeans worn and donated by celebrities. All proceeds benefit the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation. The lucky auction bidder awarded the first pair of jeans will also receive the new GE Profile Frontload Washer and Dryer with SmartDispense Technology (approximate value: $3,500). For those unable to attend the event, a separate sweepstakes for a washer and dryer will be held at www.washingmyjeans.com, and the celebrity jeans auction will be available at www.clothesoffourback.org immediately following the live auction. I'm getting all my friends on board to donate jeans, so definitely check out the auction!!! Hope to see you there!

XOXO
Ali

WOW!!!! What a night. And our first Female Biggest Loser. And it couldn’t happen to a better person. Ali is so incredible, and genuine and hard working… I am so thrilled for her. I love all the contestants. So proud and impressed with their transformations – Bernie is so hot! Brittany, steamy hot! Jackie looks fabulous?! How cute is Jay??!!! And Roger is so handsome!

We all went out after the show to celebrate. I loved meeting everyone’s families. Mark & Jay’s sister explained to me that Jay used to watch Days when he was younger, so that’s why he couldn’t talk to me without blushing for the first several weeks! Lol. And I have my very own ‘Bern-dana’ now. I met Kelly’s incredibly supportive and funny family. They were all so fun to hang out with.

And, I needed to unwind. Those are the two most stressful hours for me!!! Mostly because I want it to be such a perfect experience for the contestants. I want them to enjoy themselves, show off their fab new bodies, but we have to put a show on! And that’s my job.. to keep the show going, keep things moving. And frankly, it wasn’t off to a great start when the teleprompter went out about 12 seconds into the live broadcast. I mean, come on. Actors worst nightmare. Luckily we made it through okay. And once I started introducing everyone, and the crowd was so wildly supportive and fun, it just all became such a party.
Ali was off on a plane to NYC that night to do the Today show on Wed morning. And then back to be on Ellen today – which will air on Friday (4/18). I went over to visit her on the set of Ellen.

. It is shot on the same lot as Days. Ali was FANTASTIC on the show. So cute, sweet and positive. She has such a great message to share with everyone. Afterwards, she asked if she could see where I work. I took her over to the Days set and it was the quickest spreading gossip. Cast and crew came out of the woodwork to come meet Ali give her a hug and congratulate her on her success. Ali is a big hugger. :) She walked through Salem, met Peter and Kristian (Bo and Hope).

Kristian gave her one of her bracelets of her own design. Hopefaithmiracles.com the bracelet has a charm on it that says “believe” and it gave me chills to see how it affected Ali to receive such an appropriate, and meaningful gift. She is such a sweetheart. And everyone loved meeting her.

So there you have it. The final episode on Campus. It’s always sad to say goodbye, but especially this group – they’ve been through so much, fought so hard, and accomplished so many amazing things. They are true champions. All of them. And it was an honor to share this experience with them.

It's Rocco so great? I love him. And I love how he was able to re-create those yummy dishes to make them lower calories. it was fun to see them all in the kitchen learning new techniques to share with their families.
That final challenge was pretty incredible. We couldn’t have asked for a better day – the weather was perfect at the beach, and I’ll tell you what… they gave me a run for my money getting up that mountain. Because while they were running down the beach, I had to go around the back way to get to that same path they ran up to meet them at the top of the mountain. And we couldn’t see how the race was going from our perspective. So the A.D. I was walking with was communicating with the producers to know how much time I had to get up to the finish line. Well, about half way up, all of a sudden he says “here he comes. Mark’s around the corner!” So John, the A.D. and I had to seriously RUN up the rest of the way to beat him.
It was so cute the way Roger included me in that final “pride on 3”. I guess in some ways, that sums up the entire season – I try to stay impartial, I care about everyone, and I want to see them all succeed, and I can’t get involved in the game play or decisions the contestants make. And ultimately, I admire how Ali, Kelly, Mark and Roger have played this game – each in their own way, they have proven that anything is possible, and that they all are winners. Is that incredibly hokey and cheese-ball or what? I just typed that and already I’m cringing. But come on, who wasn't moved by those great videos re-capping the whole season? It was so crazy to see Roger on the first day talking about wanting to be a sexy husband for his wife. And Ali, with Bette-Sue, day one, and how hard she's worked. Seeing how BL has changed Kelly & Mark, Ali & Roger - each of them gaining a new strength both physically and mentally - well, it's just incredible. Sorry, but I guess I can’t help but get all mushy about this show.
And I can’t help but be SO incredibly psyched to see everyone next week at the finale. From what I hear, they all look pretty spectacular, and we have some pretty major prizes to give out! The producers promised to go easy on the confetti this time. Ha.

Now, that you’re done reading this blog, please proceed directly to the BL home page and VOTE!!!

XO
ali

I can’t begin to describe how fantastic Australia is. Not only is it a beautiful country, the people are SO nice, everything about it … just blew me away. I can’t wait to go back, it was the most spectacular place, there are so many things to say about our trip, I don’t even know where to begin.
The Bridge Climb was just incredible. In the gift shop, they have a wall of photos of celebrities who have climbed the bridge: Robert DiNero, John Travolta… Drake Hogestyn, Deidre Hall!! So I knew I was in good hands. I talked to Dee, Drake and Thaao about traveling to Sydney – they went to promote Days last fall – and they couldn’t stop raving about it. Thaao grew up there, so he had many recommendations for us, including suggesting that I call (flashback to 2002) Justin Melvey (he played Colin on Days). Justin spent an hour on the phone with me, recommending places, and offering all sorts of advice. He was so nice about everything and it was the perfect way to get ready for our trip.

Okay, so 15 hours later, we arrived in Sydney. We all traveled together – the contestants, the crew, and me and Dave. We got there early Friday morning and spent the day just getting acclimated. Dave and I decided to walk around for a bit, do some sightseeing, stretch our legs, immediately behind us out of the hotel come Ali and Mark. Out for a jog. We ran into Jay and Roger doing visiting the Sydney Opera House. Every time Dave and I were coming or going from the hotel we ran into one of them on their way to or from the gym. They all worked SO hard in Sydney. I can only begin to imagine how heartbreaking it was for all of them – to bust their @sses so hard all week and see such low numbers on the scale.
But before we get to the weigh-in/elim … how CRAZY intense was the challenge this week??!!! I mean, seriously. Walking up to the top of the Sydney Harbor Bridge was amazing. Beautiful, and even though I’m not really afraid of heights, it is intimidating. I think something about looking down and seeing 6 lanes of flying traffic beneath your feet makes you feel very fragile. But that’s nothing compared to what Mark was going through. And to watch him face his fear like that – confront it head on – I think we were all impressed. And then the triathlon was incredible to watch. Truly epic. The way they all just dove into the harbor water… I was frustrated because it was the first challenge I couldn’t really watch. I had to get a move on back to the shore, so I could get up to the top of that building before they got there. Ha. It was so sweet to see Mark wait for Ali like that. For such a competitive person, it said a lot about how much he’s grown – that he was able to achieve his goal – he had asked the challenge producer what his time was on the course, and set that as his personal goal – he beat that time, but that was all he needed, he wanted to cross that finish line with Ali, his friend, and work-out partner. They have been through so much together and it was a very fitting finish. You didn’t get the chance to see in the episode how much Ali was touched by his decision to wait for her, but she was.

Okay, I’ve had like 5 people email me tonight to say they were bawling during the elimination. Of course they were – seriously, it was a tear-jerker. I was totally choked up. Seeing the bond between Mark and Jay, and hearing Jay talk about his decision to ask to be voted, it’s a tribute to the man he is. Not to mention the impact he’s had on Roger, Ali and Kelly. He is a great guy, and it was really hard to say goodbye.
It’s great to see Kelly’s attitude change over the last couple weeks. She has constantly been on the chopping block – since she started the show she’s felt that if she fell below she’ would be the one to go – and finally her successes have given her the confidence she deserves. I loved hearing her say she knew she was a threat, so what? Just gonna work that much harder.
Only 4 people left. 3 finalists. Who’s it gonna be??

XO
ali

p.s. For more about my trip to Australia, please visit alisonsweeney.com, I'm going to post more photos and stories about my expereince in Sydney on the message boards there. xo

Seriously, he was so amazing. What a fantastic person, he was so genuinely enthusiastic about helping the contestants. And so committed to making their ‘make-overs’ the best experiences possible. I just love how he embraced Dan’s rock-and-roll side. His haircut is so FAB! And showed Roger a fabulous suit, right off the rack. And ultimately, the best moments were when they all saw their make-over clothes and how small they are!

Last night, Dan protecting his slice of cake was cracking me up. He is so funny – and that cake sitting on the treadmill was classic. It reminded me of that classic high-school project where the kids have to carry an egg around with them, and take care of them like a baby.

I have to admit, I agreed with Ali. The boys’ behavior at that challenge this week came across a bit arrogant. And I didn’t get the concern they had about jeopardizing their friendship by playing against each other. My friends and I would SO have fun piling up on each others tables. They key is you have to be fair, and gang up on everyone equally… play to win! The ‘snacking’ as they played definitely added to that impression. I think in retrospect the guys saw that. Roger, Danny, Mark, Jay, you know I love you guys... am I the only one who always finds myself rooting for the underdog??
And after everything, not only did Ali and Kelly survive another weigh-in – they kicked @ss! They came in 1st and 2nd! How rad is that?! (okay, I know I have pulled ‘rad’ directly out of 1987, but I can’t help it.) I was sad to see Danny go. He’s a good guy, and it’s been so amazing to see his inner growth as well as the outer loss.

Am working at Days today. yay! As you may have noticed, I haven’t been in a lot lately. Which, I must admit, has been nice for me personally. I have been playing with Ben… being my old wanna-be Martha Stewart mom. We had such fun with our Easter crafts!! And Ben has been growing so much lately, He started pre-school!! Can you believe it? It’s so weird to talk about Ben being on Spring Break.
Back to Days – Ari is BACK!!! YAY!!!! You know how much I heart Ari Zuker. She rocks. And we have SO MUCH FUN working together. SO, I can’t wait to hear your feedback of Soul (Sami/Nicole) the sequel. I think Nicole is coming back just in time to remind Sami of who she really is. :)

XO

p.s. Please check out Dan's music!!! http://www. myspace. com/danevansmusic

How cool was that, seeing everyone back??!!! Wasn’t it so amazing to see how well everyone has done at home. Curtis blew me away – 100lbs, in 10 weeks, after only being on campus for 2 weeks. Ali, I was so thrilled that she won a chance to come back to Campus. She obviously has succeeded at home (how HOT is she!!), and made such a huge change in her whole outlook, but it was so awesome that all that hard work paid off, and that she gets to come back and compete again.

Lynn told me that he didn’t go home right away ready to change his ways. That it was a struggle for him at first. And actually, it was seeing the season 4 finale that ended up making the difference for him. That when he saw all the successes of Phil, Jerry (they’re the same age), Neil, etc, he felt that he could do it too – and now he’s on his way! He is helping Jenny and they are making great progress.

And, of course, I was so torn – watching Bernie weigh-in again, I so wanted him back into the game. But I felt the exact same way about Mark. I adore them both. And at the same time, Curtis would have been fun to have back at the ranch since we didn’t get enough time with him, and he’s such a cool guy. I was rooting for them all. But, of course, am delighted to see Mark reunited with his blue team.

Roger had to tease me about my reaction to Curtis losing 100lbs. I don’t usually high-five people during at the weigh-ins! It’s not really on purpose, but I guess because I want to be fair, and make sure everyone knows I’m equally happy for them all, I try to keep my reactions to their #s on the scale contained. But when that number – 100 exactly – came up on the board, I was just so caught off guard that I was already high-fiving him and celebrating with everyone before I realized what was happening. So, at spin class the next day Roger and Jay had to do their impression of me cheering him on, and being so happy for him. I took their ribbing well, but reminded him I was just as happy for him – but Curtis didn’t have the advantage of being on campus when he lost all that weight – that is pretty spectacular, right?!

I heart Jillian.

Bernie’s reaction to the temptation was hysterical. He told me after that he felt so vindicated getting all that money out of the vending machine after putting money into a machine like that for so many years. Lol. It was pretty shocking to me that everyone participated, but with so much time before the weigh-in, I guess they all felt it was worth the calories. No one seemed to much enjoy the snacks they got. Watching Kelly forcing herself to eat those candies, was like that movie when the little boy gets caught smoking, and his dad makes him smoke until he gets sick to teach him a lesson. She hated every minute of it.

That zip-line challenge was SO COOL. The first thing I said when I saw it was “I want a turn!!” lol – that is so my thing. The whole time we were up there shooting it was so windy. Seriously, we were being sand-blasted up there. But it was so worth it for the coolest challenge ever. Jay and Kelly both had to face major fears to accomplish the task. And they succeeded. Everyone was so proud of them for doing such a great job.

And afterwards, I leapt at my chance to take a turn on the zip-line. Maggie didn’t get to participate because of the uneven teams, so she and I both hiked up to the far side of the set-up, and got to just fly down-hill across the whole 500 foot canyon. We had so much fun!!! Maggie and I were screaming and laughing the whole way. Seriously, the coolest thing ever. Even though we were all tired and dirty afterwards, it was such a fun day.

Saying goodbye to Bernie was so difficult for everyone, the black team and the crew. We all loved having him around on campus, making everyone laugh and being such a great competitor. He’s such a great guy, and I was so sorry to say goodbye to him. But, wow, he left campus in about the most honorable, classy way you could go. He sacrificed himself for his teammate, and didn’t regret it for a second. The whole time it was just concerned for his teammates, showing that he is the strength and the support-system for that whole team, not just through his words but his actions too. I couldn’t help but notice how they were all holding hands during the voting, and that he had nothing but encouraging things to say to his teammates as he left. Bernie is truly a great guy.

Jay put up such huge numbers on the scale last week! Not only did he help lead his team to a resounding victory last week, but he won Biggest Loser of the Week. And what a great reward! It was so cool seeing all those boys in blue head off to Vegas for a night. They really have bonded – and are just as tight as they seem on the show. And they had an awesome time – who doesn’t have fun in Vegas? Gotta admit, I’m impressed by how much they worked out while they were there, not sure how many times I’ve worked out while in Vegas.

What is crazier than those tattoos? I told Dan I don’t envy him having to show his mom that ‘guardian angel’ on his arm. I guess I’ve never been much of a tattoo person. It’s not really my thing. A bunch of the actors I work with at Days have tatts. It’s such a pain for the make-up dept to have to cover them up in scenes, and you can always sort of see them anyway. So I guess I’m biased. Lol.

The obstacle course was pretty tough, right? The black teams fate seemed sealed when I saw Roger grab like 5 sandbags in each arm to hustle them up to the blue table. Uh huh.

This week the teams were all hyper-aware that this weigh-in was going to make a huge difference in the outcome of the entire game. Four vs four, the elimination was going to put one team at a huge disadvantage. And neither team wanted to be in that situation. Mark is right – he’s lost so much weight, that his numbers aren’t going to be as high as he needs them to be to stay in this game.
The emotion, the heart and the team spirit these guys showed in the elim process was really special. Now you know why I love these guys. They are such tough, honorable men, and I really admired the way they handled such an impossible situation.

I’m sorry I haven’t blogged in a while. I’ve had a pretty hectic schedule, including some travel that made it impossible to post. But BELIVE ME, I have had some SERIOUS feelings about the last couple episodes. As I think was made clear tonight, Mark is NOT a bad guy. From almost the very beginning, I totally relate to how competitive he is, and I understand how that can overshadow other sides of his personality that we all saw being on campus, but don’t come across. Just as an example, here’s a side of Mark you didn’t see on tv.

The very skilled (and nice) caterer at the Biggest Loser prepares very delicious but not always healthy meals for the crew. The cast eats in their house, separate from the crew, of course. And normally, I eat before I come to set, but when I’m there, I can usually find a fish, or chicken dish that is reasonably health conscious. One night, however, I was left debating between pasta with cream sauce and chicken dumplings. I couldn’t even have the salad because it was a Caesar salad. So, the lightbulb went off (this would be the perfect place for a Days of our Lives style ‘flashback’ to the cooking challenge, lol) and I hiked over to the contestants kitchen to scrounge around and find something healthier for dinner.
Who was there to save the day? Mark!! He happened to be walking by and asked what I was doing. I explained my predicament, and he offered to make me dinner. I didn’t want to put him out, but he insisted he had nothing else to do and wanted to do it. So… I said “yes! I would love something healthy!” especially now knowing how delicious Mark’s cooking is (the scallops were perfect, according to Rocco)! And it was DELICIOUS. He made me a swordfish filet and vegetables. Perfectly cooked and the perfect portion. I had to ask him – what’s the deal? You clearly enjoy cooking, and you’re great at it… why didn’t you do this at home? We talked a lot about how life and family can get in the way of your health before you even realize it. I ended up hanging out with Mark, Jay, Dan, Brittany, Roger, Jillian and Jackie for a while that evening and we all had such a good time. It was so much fun to just relax and chat without the cameras rolling.

(p.s. Amanda, I shared your post with Mark. He really appreciated Trentin's support, and was so happy that you posted. He asked me to relay the message that he'd love to write him a note if you want to email me your info privately, go to my website, Alisonsweeney.com and u can send me a private message there. I'm happy to be the messenger! thanks for watching!!!)

This week started off with a bang. At the end of the last elimination I warned them that this week things were going to change – and that only one person was going home, no more team eliminations. They had a ton of questions… which would be answered at the challenge.

I have to say, I was shocked by Jillian’s reaction to the news that we were going to black and blue teams. I’m not sure what I expected, but as Bob claimed Orange, Black and Grey teams as the new blue, the tears running down Jillian’s face said it all.

I know all the teams feel really close to Bob and Jillian, and they have had the unique experience of being trained by both of them for several weeks now. And even though it has still been a ‘competition’ to the contestants, Bob and Jillian were happy to take a break from competing against each other. And then, the midnight announcement in front of the escalators at an LA mall, it’s ‘game on’.

Bob had the unenviable position of winning the right to choose the teams. And it’s pretty clear that he stacked the deck in his favor – physically. He chose teams that have been clearly marked as the biggest ‘threats’ on campus. But knowing Bob, I know he was also considering the best fit for each contestant, as much as he was thinking about putting together a great team. And again, Jillian has a team of ‘outcasts’. Though as was proven by Jillian last season, you can never discount her band of misfits. And truly, there are no underdogs in this game. Because so many different factors come into play. I mean, who would have guessed that Orange Team would have won the Biggest Loser Team of the week, twice? Who would have thought that from one week to the next, the Yellow team could have gone from almost being eliminated to winning the weigh-in?

And lets talk about Brittney, staying strong on that escalator up against the boys in blue. She held out for more than 20 minutes. That was truly impressive. And while I think Jillian was trying to save Brittney’s legs to, with a ‘live to work-out another day’ mentality, I could see that Brittney did not want to give up. I totally relate to that competitive spirit. I told her too, I totally get why she didn’t want to give up. I’m like that too … I hate working out, and certainly stair-steppers are the devil, but make it a game? And I would’ve kept walking until I passed out rather than give up. Brittney has been working hard for weeks now, but she shined in that challenge and earned new respect from everyone out there that night. I think the blue team knows the black team isn’t giving up without a fight. Which was why it wasn’t surprising but certainly impressive that no one was ‘tempted’ by the strategy advantage at the Cola Wars temptation.

Ultimately, everyone is at the BL ranch for the same reasons. To lose weight, get healthy, to change their lives. But at the end of this experience, only one person gets to ‘win’, and only one person gets the $250,000. So it is understandable, that even though this is a truly unique bonding experience, no matter how the teams start out, it is, in the end, an individual game.

I was sad to say goodbye to Jenn. She and Maggie have been such a fun team to get to know, they both work really hard, and Jenn was starting to have all that work pay off on the scale. We spoke briefly before she went home and it was hard to see how disappointed she was to be leaving the ranch so soon, but I knew she was committed to getting healthy, and seeing how great she looks now was so inspiring.

The Yellow Team

Wow. What a turn around. Last week they were below the yellow line, and in one week the Yellow team turned it around to win the weigh-in. And on the heels of that success, they get the majority of the votes from the other teams as the team they would most like to vote out right now.

Now, a word about that. Let’s all agree that BL isn’t the kind of show that would just send another team home for no reason. So each team had to go off by themselves for a couple minutes, and speculate about what we were going to do to the team they picked. I would have done the same thing, trying to outwit the game. But sometimes you can think to much. I mean, I sort of assumed the teams would vote for the Black Team. And, actually, I don’t know why they didn’t. Everyone likes Mark and Jay, they are great guys, but they’ve been the obvious threat from day 1.

I felt bad for Kelly and Paul because they didn’t have any time at all to enjoy their reward before they were handed the unsettling news of being pitted against the rest of the teams for the whole week. Not an easy task. Even with Jillian focusing exclusively on them. Which by the way, I wouldn’t wish on anyone. Jillian and Bob both, are unbelievably tough in group settings. One-on-one? Watch out.

It was amazing to watch Paul bound across that balance beam in the pool. (How hilarious was the gong they kept playing?) He was cautious the first lap. Maybe even the second… but he quickly took the lead and never looked back. And never gave Kelly a chance, either?! She told me she kept trying to get a chance to do it, but Paul was on a mission – which would serve as a foreshadow to the weigh-in, he was determined to show that the Yellow team could beat the group.

And Kelly looked so torn up about giving their prize to the other teams. It was an extremely generous decision, as well as a politically wise one, but Paul seemed to be truly focused on his goal and not interested in the distraction. Kelly seemed much more upset to give up the letters, but she didn’t hesitate to agree with Paul when he made the offer. And the other teams, seemed genuinely taken aback by the offer. They were truly overwhelmed to know they’d be hearing from their loved ones, thanks to Paul and Kelly. They’ve been away from their families for a month now, and I can only imagine the toll that takes of everyone. Hopefully the letters will inspire them to stay strong and focused on their goals.

Once again, I was pretty surprised by the decision at the Elimination. Black clearly avoided the noose by winning BL Team of the Week. Without that immunity, Paul made it clear at the weigh-in and at the elimination table that the Yellow teams vote was going to be Mark and Jay.

There was obviously a lot of strategy and gameplay going on all week. And while Kelly seemed upset by some teams coming forward during elim with how they’d ‘taken it easy’ which ultimately helped the Yellow team secure a victory at the weigh-in, they have clearly formed tight alliances with certain teams.

Clearly, the teams of two are diving into the strategy of Biggest Loser early on. Jackie and Dan selected ‘Gameplay’ as their reward for being Biggest Loser Team of the Week with barely any hesitation. And then they asked me if I would reveal what their prize had been. I said it is their prize to share, or keep to themselves if they wish. But that, the other teams would definitely find out what they’d won at the next elimination. So, they must have re-thought their story, because I was working out in the 24 hour gym on campus when Dan and Jackie rejoined the group. And they announced that there were three envelopes, they explained what they’d won, but they chose to mislead everyone and claim that the envelopes were not marked. That it was a blind choice. It was definitely an interesting maneuver on their part. But I love how they work out as they scheme!

The challenge led to some interesting discussions and certainly was revealing of all the early alliances that have crept up. I was surprised by the reaction of the other teams to the interaction between Mark and Jay. I must admit, I was standing 15 feet from them and I didn’t find their argument to be so out of line. I guess I have brothers, and I’m extremely competitive as you can clearly see Mark is. So I guess it seemed like a moment of frustration to me, and it caught me off guard the way that it was interpreted by Brittany and some of the others. I did catch the by-play between Jackie and Jay. Again, I just think that challenge brought out a lot of strategy and emotion that people weren’t quite ready to admit to? And in the end Gray won. Who would have guessed that? They seem like such an obvious ‘threat’ to me in this game. While the black team is more in the ‘limelight’ the Gray team has a tremendous amount of weight to lose, and the numbers they’ve been putting up are impressive. I was surprised that no one thought of them as a threat to take out early if possible. How long they will succeed in staying below the radar.

I loved how Jillian dealt with Ali and Bette-Sue. It was so amazing to see the breakthrough in their relationship. And to see how honestly Ali faced her emotional struggles with her weight. And I love Bette-Sue for acknowledging her weaknesses, and wanting to change, and loving her daughter SO MUCH. They are such great, strong women. I really admire both of them and am so proud of the huge changes they have made, in such a short period of time.

What can I say about Neill and Amanda. I love how Jillian reached out to him. She has an amazing way of getting through to people, and figuring out what is mentally and emotionally behind the weight is just as important as the nutrition and exercise. But I have been in the gym when she punishes everyone because he was walking or holding on to the treadmill. And it’s understandable how infuriated everyone was by his behavior. Amanda never gave up. While I was in the gym with everyone this week I never once heard Amanda complain, or saw her slow down. She committed 100% to this competition and I was not surprised at all to see how well she’s succeeded at home.

The twist for the next week? You’ll have to wait and see!!! :)

The challenge this week looked like so much fun – obviously not for 100 ups and downs, but I really wanted to try the giant see-saws and see what it felt like to be 12 feet up in the air. I was so bummed not to get that chance. Next time!

Anyway, it was impressive to see Mark and Jay, again dominate the challenge. Their communication skills kept them going as they got tired, and again Blue team was making the Black team fight for victory, but in the end the outcome was clear. Black team wins again. But most of the teams wanted to keep going, to reach the 100 mark. Bette-Sue wasn’t as excited to keep it up as Ali, but Ali kept her going. Purple team were closest to me, so I got the chance to see how well Maggie and Jenn support each other. They were great at inspiring each other, when it was needed, or giving a verbal kick in the pants, when that was what’s called for. That’s what friends are for, right?!

I love Jillian, and believe me – I’ve worked out with her, and she is a bad@ss. But it was hilarious when she said that Bob is a ‘kinder, gentler’ trainer, and then they cut to him in the gym kicking Roger’s butt. Because I know Bob seems sensitive, and he is, but he definitely doesn’t let that stop him from getting the job done. And then we definitely saw that Jillian has a ‘softer’ side too…

Neill’s struggle with the gym was such a key part of the episode. While I can only imagine how hard it was for him to watch, it shows how real and how tough this experience is. Weight loss is not just about counting calories and running on a treadmill – there is huge emotional and psychological aspect that is dealt with every day. And Jillian’s talk with Neill was just one example of the way that Jillian and Bob work with everyone they train to help them change the rest of their lives.

Everyone dealt with very low and frustrating numbers on the scale today. And the temptation the night before the weigh in didn’t help. Though Mark, Paul and Mallory all took into account their calories and spent extra time at the gym they all were thinking about that BBQ when then got on the scale. But the weigh-in was a wake-up call to everyone that weight loss at the Biggest Loser campus in some ways, is just like at home. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve experienced that same feeling myself – I spent a whole week, eating right, working out for what? No lbs gone?! And then it’s so much easier to just throw in the towel. I have so much admiration for everyone, dusting off their disappointments and renewing their efforts with Bob and Jillian to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

The elimination this week was so emotional. Each team had a different approach. Purple went with the numbers, meaning they voted for the Brown team because they had the lowest percentage of weight loss. Other teams went with the bonds they’d formed – some were clearly so close to Curtis and Mallory and some have tight friendships with Kelly and Paul. Amanda and Neill seemed very upset to be losing their roommates. They obviously had a lot in common, and the friendships that are formed on campus become very close very quickly. I have to say, on that subject, having watched reality shows for years, I never really understood why contestants would become so emotional about voting someone off after having only known that person for a few weeks.

But having lived through, only partially, what they are going through, it all makes sense now. They are living in each others pockets… 24/7. they have no outside support system, so they immediately bond with the people they click with. Bottom line, you have to trust someone, somehow. And with everyone at Biggest Loser, ultimately trying to achieve the same goal, it is easy to see how such tight friendships form so quickly. And it was heartbreaking seeing Jay hug Mallory goodbye, and Neill show such emotion at saying goodbye to the brown team. They walked away with the pride of knowing they do have the inner strength to continue – and that everyone in the room, crew, host included is supporting them on their journey and wishing them the best of luck.

Biggest Loser, Season 5 is here! It seems like just yesterday I was saying goodbye to Bill, Holly, Julie & Isabeau. (oh, right… the finale was only 2 weeks ago.lol) And here we are again. A new ranch again this season. With 20 new contestants. 20!!! I mean, that is a lot of people.

Right from when we first started discussing the possibility of doing teams of two, I loved the idea. To have a teammate with you, going through this experience, would add so many interesting dynamics to the show. First of all, you have a built in support system. Some one who will love you no matter what happens on campus. But, then in some ways maybe it’s harder too. And gotta love Jillian’s comment – they may be bringing their ‘enabler’ with them…What’s harder: getting on the scale in front everyone in America, or getting on the scale in front of your husband?

It’s a little bit difficult to get to know 20 new people right away. Some personalities stand out more than others. Paul for example… he teased me and let me in on his sense of humor right away. And I am, of course, fascinated by his relationship with his ex-wife, Kelly. They both seem like great people, and its so interesting that they are ex’s who decided to team up for an experience like the Biggest Loser. Obviously they still care about each other a lot.

Right away, I love Dan – he is hilarious, and very charming. He and his mom are so boisterous and they have a very loving relationship. Talking to all three parent-child teams really struck home for me. I have a young son, and I am trying so hard to teach him healthy eating habits and getting him outside to play all the time, so I know how tough it is. And I relate to these Bette-Sue, Jackie and Lynn, feeling like they are responsible for their child being in this situation. But I love the pro-active attitude both members of these teams have taken. The kids aren’t letting their parents take all the responsibility, and they are definitely all taking on the challenge of getting healthy.

I look forward to getting to know all the other teams as well… based on the challenges this week, the Black team is setting a pretty high standard. They are clearly going after everything on Campus no holes barred. And Bette-Sue seemed to struggle with her confidence when facing our very first challenge. But when she finished in the middle of the pack at the balloon challenge I could see her confidence go way up. It was just too bad to see the purple team, Maggie and Jenn have such trouble out there on the course. They are such great girls and great friends, I am glad they have another week here. It’s hard to say goodbye to anyone, but I was so sad to see Lynn and Jenny leave. The father/daughter bond they share is obvious, and Lynn clearly made a positive, strong impression on the house. During the elimination, Bernie, Mark and some others really tried to help motivate Lynn to go home and continue his road to health, for his family. They were all really rooting them on.

We’re starting off on another great season of Biggest Loser!

The FINALE – where to begin? First of all, I gotta admit I was pretty nervous to do a LIVE two hour finale. My first real experience hosting live tv. But, as soon as we started talking about the contestants, Jim, Phil, Nicole, B, Amy… seeing their successes, everything else just faded away. It was so thrilling to be up on that stage with everyone – and hearing their families cheering from the audience. And weren’t their transformations just unbelievable?! I was blown away by everyone – how great they looked and how confident and proud they seemed – as well they should! They all clearly learned so much from Bob, Kim and Jillian, and they took it home and have transformed their lives.

Kae looked fabulous and adorable in her sleek little black dress. Amy totally rocked in her fab short hair cut and sassy dress. I could go on and on about everyone and how great they looked – how hot did Phil, Neil, B… how hot were all the boys! Jerry, ripping his shirt off?? That was definitely unexpected! Lol. But man, he worked his butt off, and he deserved a moment to show off. I’m so glad I got the chance to ask Neil about those 17lbs. seriously – how do you tell your family about that? “see, mom, dad… what happened was…” But, Neil is a really great guy, and everyone in the house – even the black team – loves him. That’s when you have to remember it’s a game, too… Honestly, if I didn’t’ have a million things to concentrate on I would have been crying with everyone with pride over all 18 of them.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t sit back and enjoy the show because I was working! Ha! Since the contestants didn’t get a real rehearsal, I was basically in charge of making sure everything went smoothly out on stage. So, I had about a million things on my mind – but when Julie popped through that old photo, in her gorgeous pants and strapless top, she took my breath away. As did Hollie, Isabeau and Bill. The final Four were all dressed to kill and looked ready to take on that scale one last time.

How cool is it that Isabeau is a personal trainer? I loved her ‘pay it forward’ attitude about wanting to share what she’s learned from Jillian. And I hope you all see how sweet, awesome and funny Julie is. I love her attitude towards life, and her quick wit. Nicole and I spoke during a commercial break about how weird it was that some fans thought Julie was being mean about Nicole’s ‘accident’. Nicole definitely dishes it out to everyone, she should practically do stand up, and she can take it too. Julie just has a funny, clever way of commenting on everything that’s happening, and certainly can make fun of herself too, as you saw when she talked about speaking before Congress… I love that you saw Hollie’s emotions when she talked about making it all the way to the final four with her teammates. Bill and Jim doing their ‘dance’?? How insane is it that the TWINS won? So amazing. Everyone deserved all the applause and cheering and love that was in that room – and I was so glad/lucky to be a part of their journey. I am going to miss them SO MUCH!!!

I care about everyone in the house so much, and had such a good time with them for four months, they are all such special people, and I’m so glad you got to get to know them, and see them as I do… And we’re in the middle of shooting season 5, another awesome group of people, so tune in January 1st, to meet them!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!
Happy New Year!!!!

Oh and – the confetti tasted great. Ha ha. Seriously? What can you do? Rehearse it a million times, and there are still some things you just can’t control. lol. That's live tv for you! :)

Okay, so I gotta say, that Trampoline challenge was SO tough. I tried it after we were done, and when they started raising those bags up higher and higher?? It was impossible to get a rhythm going. I was so impressed with how Hollie seemed so comfortable up there – here cheerleading background obviously gave her the edge! And once again, Neil didn’t win the challenge. I mean, he is so jinxed! But that one round, when Bill knocked him out? It was neck and neck the entire time. I was calling out their numbers, so they would know how close they were… that one of them was going to have to step it up to beat the other. And in the end, it was all about the timing of when that bell sounded. A second earlier and it could have been Bill knocked out. Seriously, it was that close. But ultimately, the Black Team girls had that challenge locked up. They were smoking past the guys up there.

It was obviously such a tough night for Nicole at the weigh-in. Usually she is filled with laughter, and always upbeat, but she felt the writing was on the wall as soon as she saw that -1 on the scale. And in some ways, it seemed like an obvious decision for the Black team. To protect their teammate, Julie, and stick to their original alliance, but its never an easy decision for anyone. And Hollie, Isabeau, Bill, Neil and Nicole have all become close – they’ve been friends and living together (and working together, how funny was it to see Neil doing dishes?!) so it’s never easy to vote someone off. It’s also tough because so close to the end of the game, in some ways, it’s less about ‘needing’ BL Campus, and more about the people you are so close to, your new support system, Bob, Jillian, and Kim, as well as the ultimate prize. Nicole and I talked about how hard it is to leave knowing you were one week away from making it to the finales. It’s brutal! And being a competitive person, I totally relate!

I saw Bob tonight and I had to tease him about hilarious he was in the episode last night. Dave and I are major tivo-ers. We often rewind shows to replay funny lines again and again. Especially funny things people say on reality tv. So, for example, Bob was our winner last night! When he called out Neil during the work out "roll your eyes, I don't care. I can see through your @ss." Or words to that affect. classic. and the other was after Nicole and Neil got back from an exhausting day of 'work', and Bob was there to train them. He teased Nicole about her long day "awww, did Nicole have to make pizza today. waaa waa waa." Bob is so awesome. I love him.

I really liked the montage in honor of the Red Team. Kim had a tough season! And I really enjoyed that little trip down memory lane, and it just got me even more excited for the finale in two weeks because I can’t wait to see how Amber, Lezlye, Phil, Cowboy and B look - will Amy sit with the Black team or the Red? I have no idea, I’m looking forward to talking to her about all that too.

The Extra-Long Lasting Challenge had a tiny over-bite. Nicole took on-going teasing about chipping her two front teeth by diving into the shallow end of the pool with a great sense of humor. In fact her jokes were just as good if not better than everyone else on the crews. Have I mentioned that Nicole does a hilarious impression of me? Well, I should clarify that she does an impression of everyone on set, the crew and other competitors. So I am just one of many… and she’s really good, and very funny. So, even though she’s totally making fun of you, you’re totally laughing right along with everyone else.

I found a fellow Harry Potter fan in Hollie. We shot that challenge right when book 7 was released, so I snuck a copy in to Hollie. After that it was impossible for the production team to get us to be quiet because we were whispering back and forth for days about the characters and the story. And what you may not know, is being on a reality show is exhausting – All the players are up and working out with their trainers early, all day every day. So, it took Hollie forever to get through HP, and I was seriously dying for her to have time to read so we could talk about it. As you all know who’ve read it – there is just SO MUCH to discuss… but that is for a different blog. Lol.

Anyway, I was sad to say goodbye to B this week. And the red team. It was a really hard time for Kim as well as B. He has done an amazing job on campus and it was so sweet to hear him talk about how being a part of BL has changed his life.

How AWESOME were the make-overs??? Didn’t you just cry with each reunion?! And how fantastic everyone looks?! I was so excited for everyone! Even though I had to shoot Days at the same time, I was running back and forth to the wardrobe area and I got to see Hollie, Kae and Isabeau trying on their new clothes. They all looked so great – and happy to be out of work-out gear! But Kae surprised me the most, she was all giggly and so excited to be girly – I guess I’m just so used to seeing her so focused, she is ‘Bob’s soldier’ after all!

It was also fun for all my Days’ friends to come over and meet the contestants. Kristian was SO sweet – she brought a necklace from her jewelry line, Hope, Faith Miracles (www.faithmiracles.com) for each of the ladies. They were all so touched! Also, they were excited meeting their first fans! Because I’ve spent so much time talking about them – without giving anything away! – with my castmates, that Martha (Belle), Brandon (Shawn), Julie (Billie) and Jay (Philip) couldn’t wait to go over and meet them because they are such huge fans of Biggest Loser. Talk about world colliding! I was all over the place that day – maki