Biggest Loser: Scott Dodges A Bullet

Scott Mitchell, former NFL player from Mapleton, Utah.
Scott Mitchell, former NFL player from Mapleton, Utah.

On last week’s “The Biggest Loser,” Scott Mitchell dodged a bullet. The red team lost the weigh-in, and had to vote someone off the team. Scott seemed a likely candidate; although he pulled a big number to save the team the week before, he had only lost 7 pounds this time around, the lowest weight loss percentage of the team members. Although he seems very personable and a team leader, he also is a major threat as far as winning the end game and the prize money. Savvy players would want to take that opportunity to get rid of him.

But then, Mike decided to sacrifice himself and take a hit for the team. He said he felt as if he was their father, and he wanted to save them. As a viewer, there are conflicting emotions. You have to admire the selflessness, and hope that the rest of the team really appreciates the gift he  gave them. Not only were they able to stay at least another week at the ranch, but they didn’t have the baggage of guilt and bad feelings that comes when you have to vote off someone who is pleading to stay. Mike called them his sons, and perhaps their experiences together helped fill part of the hole in his heart left by his son’s death in 2008.

But on the other hand, this is a competition, and as a viewer, you want to see people give it all they have to stay in the game. Mike had proven that in spite of age and injuries, he was a force to be reckoned with. He had lost 66 pounds in four weeks! His son had always wanted him to lose weight and get his health back. Although 66 pounds is a lot, he still weighs over 300 pounds, and still has some weight to go. That’s why Comeback Canyon is such a great twist. When there are contestants who seem to be eliminated prematurely, we know they still have at least one more week! Let’s hope that Mike takes full advantage of this chance and goes the distance.

As far as the “lottery” twist, was it any surprise that Damien lost a great number for the blue team when he was home for a week? After all, he had personal trainer Jesse in his face 24/7. This twist of sending one person home for a week has been done in past seasons, and I can’t recall any time that the contestant didn’t do well. It was nice to see the blue team have a winning week. They seem to be the underdogs of the season.