Biggest Loser Season 16 Week 2 Recap: All of the Feels!

The white team delivered a blockbuster win in the challenge. Credit: NBC

* SPOILER ALERT!* We’re recapping tonight’s episode, so avert your eyes if you don’t want to know what happened.

Tonight’s episode had the week 2 (see our week 1 recap here!) dread mixed with sadness, anger, anxiety and frustration — all of the feels!

The episode opened with trainer Bob Harper welcoming Andrea to Comeback Canyon and to her competitor Vanessa. “I’m scared!” Andrea said to Bob as he stood there all dressed up.

Back at the ranch, Jessie and his blue team were making Waldorf salads and weeping. Jessie was missing his wife and son and that got them all wistful and feeling blue (team blue!). “I’ve only cried twice,” said Damien, the lone man on his team, “and this estrogen over here is getting me. Man, I’m getting in touch with my emotions!”

More tears at the gym — Jen confronted Matt about why he was slogging through his workout. It seemed he was feeling the enormity of what he had to do at the ranch to get back to his former hunky self. Blake opened up to Dolvett about her past of anxiety attacks but didn’t want to talk about why she did lose weight once and gain it back. Frustrated with her, Dolvett sent her out of the gym as she nervously laughed down the walking path.

Quote of the Week

From Dolvett: “This workout is irrelevant. Anybody can do this — it’s the other hard stuff that we’ve gotta tackle.”

After Dolvett opened up to his team about his difficult childhood, Blake finally felt that she could tell him her story. She has struggled with her weight since she was a 100-pound 5-year-old. She went on her first diet at age 7 and in high school her parents put her on the cross-country team and set a weight goal for her — 125. While she got down to an athletic 150, she said she never felt like she had succeeded because she didn’t hit that number.

At Comeback Canyon, Bob had Andrea and Vanessa lifting all the heavy things. Andrea felt a little overwhelmed going up against a former WNBA player, but she said the challenge made her work even harder.

The Challenge

It was a block-busting fight to see who would get to use the gym this week. The obstacle course involved smashing through four walls of excuses for not getting healthy — food, work, responsibilities and fear. But between those walls are tires, balance beams and a maze of bungee cords to run through. The white team won that challenge and got to choose the other team to join them in the gym. They chose the blue team to join them, and the red team had to figure out how to get their sweat on in some other way. So they headed to the living room to play Extreme Furniture Rearrangers!

If it’s week 2, it’s time for a visit with Dr. Huizenga, who always brings the scary early on. Scott’s blood sugar was sky high, and he was on the fast track for diabetes. That hit home for him because his father died of diabetes and obesity complications, and Scott wants to stop that from happening to him. But no one got as emotional as Rob, who stormed out of Dr. H’s office when he didn’t want to sit in a wheelchair that Dr. H brought out to show Rob what would happen if his knees kept deteriorating.

More anger at the gym — Jessie wanted former cheerleader Gina to ditch the happy, smiley “game face” and feel some intensity. So she took out her frustrations on a punching bag.

Even though they weren’t in the gym, Dolvett got a great workout for the red team at an athletic field — on the track, the stadium steps, the turf and even the Gatorade jugs held high while they ran the track.

Comeback Canyon Weigh-In

Vanessa lost 5 pounds and Andrea lost 6, which let her stay on another week. Vanessa was sent home but she’s determined to get the weight off.

Ranch Weigh-In

It’s the usual scenario – the team with the lowest percentage of weight loss goes to the elimination room but the person with the highest percentage of weight loss is immune. How’d they do?

Red Team

• Blake: 8
• Emmy: 5
• Mike: 9 (proof positive that diet trumps exercise for weight loss; he’s been injured and still pulls big numbers)
• Jordan: 8
• Scott: 10
• Rob: 12

White Team

• Toma: 8
• Sonya: 7
• Rondalee: 8
• Matt: 10
• Woody: 12
• JJ: 12

Blue Team

• Gina: 6
• Lori: 5
• Chandra: 9
• Jackie: 10
• Damien: 14

That put the red team in the elimination room. Blake had the highest percentage of weight lost so she was safe. The team went with the person who had the lowest percentage of weight lost and that was Emmy. But, of course, the Elimi-Limo took her to Comeback Canyon, which is a much more upbeat way to end the show every week, isn’t it?

Vanessa’s Update

She started at 366 pounds and now she’s down 45 pounds and feeling successful in all aspects of her life. She went back to her alma mater at the University of Florida (go Gators!) and played a little basketball with the Lady Gators — something she hadn’t done in awhile.

What to Expect Next Week

There are two challenges, and the prizes are advantages at the weigh-in. One challenge tests their nutrition knowledge — but in a new twist, their trainers have to scarf down food for each incorrect answer. Then the “Wall of Glory” is revealed in the gym, showing contestants when they were at the top of their games.

Which is the tougher battle in weight loss: Diet, exercise or dealing with the mental stuff? — Gail