Throwing "coins" in a fountain
This week's backstory reveal focuses on David, a law enforcement officer with seven children. Seven! And it's his fear of not being around to take care of them, especially his eldest daughter, who has debilitating Rett's syndrome.
In his meeting with Bob and Dr. H, David assures them he understands the situation; he's afraid he won't be around to take care of his kids, and the very thing making that likely to come to fruition is his weight. But unhealthy eating is the way he tries to "stuff down" his demons, Bob tells him, and advises David that he needs to be willing to show his emotions and ask for help, so he can deal with his physical and emotional frustrations once and for all.
Unfortunately, David's knee injury renders him once again unable to compete with his team in the weekly challenge, which offers more fantastic prizes.
Three fountains are set up in a lake. Each team -- meaning Danni by herself -- have to swim back and forth from the shore to the fountain, pick up "coins" (which are actually five-pound metal discs) and swim back with the discs, depositing 40 of them (10 for Danni) into the fountain.
The first team to do so gets 10 one-year memberships to Planet Fitness to share with family and friends, as well as a choice of a two-pound advantage at the weigh-in, or a phone call home.
The Red Team and Danni were neck-and-neck most of the race, but then … eh, we'll just spill: Danni won, by just a split second, but she still won, versus teams of four and five people. Impressive. And because she's on a team of one, Danni chose that weigh-in advantage as her extra prize.
The weigh-in
Last chance workouts again found the Blue Team struggling, and Bob had yet another run in with Gina, the complaining lawyer whose whining so frustrated her teammates that one of them, Jeff, very publicly rolled his eyes at her at the fountain challenge.
Bob also yet again warned his contestants that their lackluster commitment to working out during the week was going to spell trouble at the weigh-in.
And he was wrong. Sorry Bob.
In fact, the whiny Blue Team members turned in very impressive numbers for week five, losing 55 pounds amongst the five contestants, for 3.9 percent of their weight. Jeff and Michael each lost 13, followed by Alex and David with 10 each and Gina, who feared she had actually gained weight, dropping nine pounds.
Danni stole the show from everyone, following her challenge win with a weigh-in win. She lost nine pounds, or 4.95 percent of her weight, and brought her five-week total to 45 pounds.
That left the Red Team, then, in last place, with a 31-pound, 2.97 percent collective loss. And when it came time to vote one member home, Francelina, Jackson, and Joe sent Lisa packing, because they felt she was the one most ready to leave the ranch and maintain her motivation.
Were they right? The at-home update proved they were, as the special education teacher, who began the show at 246 pounds, now weighs 170. She's happier, healthier, more confident, and, most important to her, more active with her sports-loving children.
Another happy ending, but a preview of next week's episode suggests those troubles between Bob and Gina and her teammates -- the word "meltdown" was bandied about -- get a whole lot worse.
Watch the full episode:
"The Biggest Loser" airs Tuesdays at 8 PM on NBC.
