Biggest Loser 13 - A Kinder, Gentler Episode

I have to admit, I'm starting to like Conda a little bit.

She hasn't completely won me over yet, but this week we at least got to see some of what makes her tick. And that turns out to be a very scared little girl that has lived inside of her for years.

Of course the show began with Daphne being upset about her brother going home, which was pretty much expected. And I'm grateful that this is the only part of the show with any smirking or eye rolling going on.

Once that all settled down, Alison informed everyone that the trainers would each pick one person from their teams, and they would go back home with that person for the week. Only those two players would have their weights count on the scale. I just knew Dolvett was going to pick Conda...at first I thought possibly to get her out of everyone's hair and lower the stress level on the ranch, but then I realized he wanted to get Conda by herself so he could find out more about why she had such an attitude. Bob picked Daphne, which surprised me at first - but really, who better to go against Conda than the sister of the person she harrassed the whole time he was there?

The rest of the players would have to work out without their trainers. Red had just done this the previous week, so they had somewhat of an advantage in knowing what to do on their own. The Black Team was not happy, especially Chris. She felt dissed by Bob because he didn't pick her, but he also didn't pick several other people. I can see she still has her anger problem to work on...and I'll bet there's some abandonment issues at play here as well.

While Daphne and Conda were gone, there was a challenge to win a one pound advantage for the person weighing in this week. After watching this challenge and having buried-in-the-sand nightmares, I was glad I didn't have to do this one. Red won the pound. (And some very moving letters from home!) Also, Ali let everyone know that whichever team had the highest percentage of weight loss would also win a one pound advantage for their teammate. This made me happy, because it forced them to still work hard...no slacking just because eveything rested on one person!

In Chicago, Bob worked Daphne harder than ever before. He kept reminding her that she was trying to beat the person who sent home her brother, so you could say he took a page out of Dolvett's book and channeled her pisstivity. We learned about her heart condition and how scared she was of being a burden to her kids. That has to be hard, especially being a single mom. It was a sweet victory for her when Bob had her climb 103 flights of stairs in just under an hour...proving to her that she can do anything she sets her mind to.

Meanwhile, Dolvett went to Michigan with Conda and met her family. Her daughter is just adorable! Dolvett spoke to her mom and sister about their family, and he found out that Conda's dad had drug problems and wound up splitting from them. I guess he's still trying to straighten himself out, but Conda grew up forming walls around herself because she was embarrassed about their family. Her defensiveness and attitude came as she attempted to keep from getting hurt any more than she already was. (I knew there was more to her than what we'd seen before!) When Dolvett confronted Conda about this, she finally broke down and explained why she acts the way she does.

Dolvett also gave Conda a night out with her girlfriends while he babysat her daughter. Conda admitted that her daughter has an attitude just like her, and it was funny to watch him entertain a two year old while Conda enjoyed herself. I also noticed that she was a completely different person with her friends - these are the people she doesn't have to be defensive with and it made a big difference.

Both Conda and Daphne received letters of encouragement from their teammates, which was a breath of fresh air this season. It made Conda really want to work hard for her team. Dolvett also had her work out with a high school girls' basketball team to show her what teamwork is really all about. I think he made the right choice this week with Conda, because getting her away from the ranch helped her and made a big difference in her attitude.

At the weigh-in, the Red Team got the highest percentage of weight loss so they secured the second pound advantage for Conda. Even with Daphne, Conda seemed more relaxed. Daphne wasn't as calm, not just because she had the disadvantage but also because she had no idea that Conda underwent somewhat of an attitude adjustment back home. But even with the advantage, Conda fell one pound short of winning the weigh-in. She seemed genuinely upset that she had let her team down and Dolvett said he was proud of her and glad he chose her.

Red was back in the elimination room, and they decided to send Roy home. It was kind of a shame, because they kept judging him on previous weeks' efforts even though he had an amazing week now that helped his team tremendously. Roy was very gracious, and back home we saw a much thinner Santa exercising with grade school kids. That was definitely a mind-blowing experience!

I was hoping the major drama would be over after this week's changes and revelations, but the preview shows more of the drama for next week. I hope it doesn't come from Conda, because I really hope she turned the corner on her attitude this week. My guess is that Chris will be upset because Roy went home...and Daphne looks none too happy either.

Please tell me the preview is more dramatic than the actual episode - I want more of this week's good vibes!