Last week: with Brett and the Red Team now defunct, the nine remaining contestants and their three trainers departed the U.S. for picturesque New Zealand. On the other side of the world, many or all of them got to plummet off of the tallest building in the country, take a turn at competitive yachting, and run a particularly tough 5K over variously difficult levels of terrain. At the weigh-in, both Kaylee and Jay put weight back on, but both were saved by the exceptional numbers of their teammates. Bob’s Blue Team had the toughest week, however, and only lost five pounds collectively. It came down to Olivia and Moses, and it was Moses who decided that the time had come to get back to the rest of his family, and he was sent home.
Last week’s preview showed that this week, the eight remaining players will be transitioned to the individual game. And in case you weren’t aware, if a player gains weight, then their official weigh-in weight will be listed as the weight they were at before the weight gain. Which means that, since Kaylee gained four pounds last week, she would have to lose those four pounds just to put up a zero. Given how close she is to her ideal weight, I would be amazed if Kaylee did not finish below the Yellow Line this week, and subsequently follow her dad out the door. Jay gained two pounds last week and so he also has his work cut out for him, but that’s a low enough number so he can turn it around. Hannah also reached “normal” classification last week, so high numbers from her are also probably no longer in the cards.
Queenstown, NZ. We rejoin the game as the eight remaining contestants (along with the trainers) join Alison on a vista that sports one of the most spectacular and beautiful views to be had anywhere in the world. It immediately makes you think of Middle Earth (for, as you probably know, the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed in New Zealand), it’s so lush and green. Alison talks about the adventurous spirit of individuals like New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to scale Mt. Everest. She then uses the word “individuals” to segue to the real day’s announcement; no more teams, it is now every man and woman for themselves, and every player will go back to wearing the colors they originally wore on The Ranch. Of course, all of them are more than a few sizes smaller now, a detail that hasn’t escaped their attention. It’s also a big relief to them to not have to rely on others to keep them safe, and Kaylee says that it’s fitting that she goes back to Gray after losing her father, for now it’s time for her to stand on her own.
Alison then announces that the contestants will be able to avail themselves of whatever trainer they want, including – wait for it – Brett, who drops down from above on them, having tandem para-glided from an unseen airplane. Gotta admit: nice entrance, dude. And nice move, show… eliminating trainers is simply not cool. Brett says that having his team eliminated out from under him was an experience that he used to do a lot of self-reflection, but that he used the time to pick up some pointers from other professional trainers and is now ready to get back to work.
Cara decides to take born-again adrenaline junkies Kaylee and Hannah to a very popular Queenstown attraction called the Shotover Canyon Swing, which bills itself as the “world’s highest cliff jump”, a staggering 358 feet high. After jumping, they will swing through the center of the canyon at speeds approaching 93 mph. (Yikes.) Even badass, tough Cara looks daunted, and it would appear she has a thing for heights as well, though maybe not as severely as Bob. But jump she does, screaming and flailing all the way down. Kaylee does one better by strapping herself to a cheap-looking plastic chair and tipping herself backward over the ledge, but instead of hollering, she just smiles. Hannah even does a flew flips on the way down, commenting in interview that fear no longer rules her life.
All of the trainers are determined to greatly improve from last week’s almost universally-disappointing weigh-in, so they proceed to put the remaining players through their paces. Brett decides to focus all his attention on Kaylee, who he knows has the toughest road ahead. He tries to impress upon her the importance of being mentally tough, because the last month-plus of up-and-down numbers prove that she’s not in the right headspace yet. She blames her gain on the meal that she and Moses had after their helicopter ride last week, citing that dining with her dad has always been a bonding experience, but they both had a tendency to lose themselves in the moment while that happens. End result: Kaylee gained four pounds, and Moses lost zero and went home. She pledges to make Moses’ departure work for her, because it’s high time she stood on her own. I remember feeling exactly that way when I was twenty years old.
Bob, meanwhile, works with Rulon and Olivia, who is still kind of pissed at Rulon for voting for her last week even after Moses told her not to. Cara is working with Hannah, who is struggling with the idea of going home (whenever that may happen). She knows she’s much stronger than she was, but uncertainty still creeps in. She says that she doesn’t have much of a support system at home – which is in Nashville, far away from NYC, where her sister lives. Cara tries to tell her that all it takes is hard work, but Hannah remains doubtful. I hope she gets over this soon, because the season is winding down and she’s going to have to deal with this before too much longer.
Challenge. Did you know that bungee jumping was invented in New Zealand? I didn’t! Alison appears on top of a bridge with a bungee around her waist, but before the contestants can wet themselves about a possible jump, she tells them that they will not, in fact, be jumping, but they will be river-boarding one-half mile down a river filled with freezing-cold water. The winner of the challenge will get another helicopter tour, this one to scenic and picturesque Milford Sound. Oh, and Immunity. Worth playing for? Yes! And then, after some encouragement from the contestant, Alison bungees off the bridge (141 feet). Good to see her doing something besides smiling, looking pretty, and rattling off numbers for a change.
As the contestants soon find out, the challenge is not all about leg strength, but finding the right current to take you in the right direction. Olivia pumps her legs as fast as she can, making sure to stay in the middle of the river where the current is strongest. Hannah soon joins her up front, and together they are determined to keep Immunity out of Rulon’s hands. It takes a tremendous amount of strength to hold onto the boards with your hands while navigating through the many eddies the river has, but Olivia prevails, and she wins, edging out a hard-charging Kaylee by a nose. You go, girl!
So Olivia takes the tour, and naturally, she brings Hannah, who frets that she is losing valuable workout time. However, the scenery soon pushes her doubts to the back of her mind, because it is just gorgeous. It is so majestic, better than any scenic tour they ever had on Survivor (and there have been some doozies, let me tell you). Truly picture-postcard country. The sisters compliment each other for still being there this late in the game, and revel in their new found strengths.
Brett decides to spend the day with Jay and Austin rock-climbing, truly a daunting task to some, but imagine if you were an overweight person asked to hoist yourself up a near-vertical rock-face. There are plenty of handholds, but even so, you don’t want to look down. Austin actually sounds disappointed at first that he’s no longer over the weight limit, but by the end, all three men stand atop the mountain, taking in the view and roaring in victory.
Bob has chosen Irene and Rulon to go bungee-jumping, the same won that Alison demonstrated earlier. Irene is a little freaked out despite having jumped the Sky Tower the previous week, but she still sucks it up and jumps. Rulon, if you remember, wasn’t allowed to participate last week, and he also expresses doubts, stating that today just happens to be the four year anniversary of him surviving a plane crash. Rulon was in a two-person plane that crashed into Lake Powell, Utah, and had to swim two miles in freezing water to survive. Bob is thunderstruck, because this is all news to him. Bob tells Rulon that if he can survive a plane crash and morbid obesity, he can survive anything, and so Rulon reluctantly agrees. He jumps, and even scrapes the surface of the water on the way down, coming out all smiles.
Time for the last-chance workout, their last before they return to The Ranch. Brett teaches Irene, Kaylee and Olivia some capoeira, which is an “Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines dance moves with self-defense”, and it looks cool. Kaylee works with Cara as well, and Cara is amazed at how hard Kaylee is fighting to stay, and has finally learned how to put herself first. Jillian concentrates on Jay, and Bob focuses on Rulon and Austin. And it just occurred to me that I’ve seen almost nothing of Ken this entire episode. Wonder why? Anyway, at long last comes the very first individual weigh-in, and here’s how it went. It was definitely the most picturesque weigh-in of all time: instead of taking place at night in a crowded gymnasium, it took place in broad daylight on top of a lush green meadow near a beautiful lake and with a gorgeous mountain in the background. At least someone’s last look in the game will be a pretty one.
Rulon - lost 10 pounds, -3.22%, now stands at 301 (-173 overall).
Kaylee - lost 9 pounds (-5 net), -2.98%, now stands at 163 (-70 overall).
Irene - lost 4 pounds, -2.48%, now stands at 157 (-98 overall).
Olivia - lost 4 pounds, -2.33%, now stands at 168 (-93 overall).
Austin - lost 5 pounds, -1.96%, now stands at 250 (-146 overall).
Jay - lost 7 pounds (-5 net), -1.85%, now stands at 265 (-135 overall).
Below the Yellow Line:
Hannah - lost 3 pounds, -1.83%, now stands at 161 (-87 overall).
Ken - lost 4 pounds, -1.62%, now stands at 243 (-134 overall).
Holy dirty word. These numbers just blow my mind, especially Kaylee, who proved me wrong yet again, not only avoiding the Bottom Two but cracking the TOP Two. Just unbelievable. Irene just continues to be a weight-losing machine, and Rulon is now firing on all cylinders.
Kudos. To Kaylee, for maybe the single-most-impressive Week 16 number of all time, especially given her current weight and four-pound handicap; to Jay, who also turned it around very nicely; to Rulon, for posting the first double-digit number in seven weeks; and to Irene, who has now dropped at least three pounds in TWELVE straight weigh-ins, and is in a great position to win the show.
Elimination. In the majority of the episodes this season, when a vote has actually been required, someone has come forward and volunteered to be sent home. It happened with Larialmy, Jesse, Marci, Justin and Moses. But neither Ken nor Hannah will be bowing out gracefully today. So, after a heartfelt speech by both of them, the vote is taken: Austin and Olivia’s votes cancel each other out, obviously. Kaylee votes for Hannah, but both Irene and Jay vote for Ken, and that is enough.
Standings. Irene is now up to 38.4% in weight lost, a full 1.5% ahead of Austin, who now stands at 36.9%. Rulon’s big week shot him into third with 36.5%. On the BMI front, both halves of the Purple Team, Hannah and Olivia, are now both below 25% and are classified as “normal”, with both Irene and Kaylee approaching that distinction.
Update. Well, since returning home, Ken has dropped only five additional pounds (now standing at 238), but the better news is that he has vowed to give up sedentary pleasures for active adventures, and the first thing he did was take his other children paragliding. He is ecstatic that his kids no longer have to worry that he won’t live long enough to see them become adults and start families of their own, which is really a great thing to know.
Next week: some well-known past contestants join the remaining seven players at The Ranch to offer their encouragement. And in a season of dramatic weigh-ins, this one promises to be the dramatic-est.
