Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you haven't yet watched NBC's The Biggest Loser Season 14 Episode 6.
The Biggest Loser contestants made it to the midway point this week, accumulating enough overall weight loss that the success of their workouts was writ large on their faces. Everyone looked rosier -- almost glowing. Danni, in particular, showed incredible fitness acumen -- with the agility to make it through a "Wipeout" style obstacle course -- and earned a nod from Jillian, who said with great pride and affection that she almost considered her sole remaining contestant to be a workout buddy as much as a pupil.
Things like wipeout-style obstacle courses can seem humiliating and cheesy -- and are often cited as reasons why many won't watch the show. Which is a shame, because last night's episode had one of the more complex and true narratives of the season.
The teams faced an initial surprise when they found out that their weigh-in would be different this week: instead of being judged by a cumulative team score, a random member of each team would be selected to represent everyone. The losing team would be the result of one person's loss, in other words. Gina initially balked, saying that she hoped it wouldn't be her, resulting in a pretty serious dressing down from Trainer Bob.
They subsequently talked and Gina revealed that her fear of standing out had prevented her from taking pleasure in many of her life's accomplishments, including her professional success. Much of that came from feelings of inadequacy instilled from an early age. Bob worked with her to accept challenges and to see herself as an athlete.
But Gina wasn't the only person struggling with fear -- Danni also met a roadblock when she felt unable to flip into a foam pit. She decided not to let fear hold her back and jumped in:
Meanwhile, the teenage contestants were tasked with finding a way to be of service to their peers. Sunny and Biingo opted to create a fitness circuit and an activity club, respectively, for children in their community. But Lindsay decided to deliver a talk to her peers -- telling them about her experiences with weight-related bullying and how it had held her back. It was easy to draw a connection between Lindsay's experience and the repercussions for someone similar, though 30 years her senior, like Gina.
At weigh-in, Jeff was chosen to represent Blue, Joe was chosen for Red and, as the sole remaining White teammember, Danni represented herself. Jeff and Danni posted big percentages -- nearly three percent each -- but Joe came up short. His team decided to send David home, mostly because they felt that he was able to maintain his weight loss pace without the added support of the ranch.
What did you think of this week's episode? Tell us in the comments! And tune in with us next week as we continue our live tweeting!
Here's what everyone was saying last night: