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(S03E09) Teams are gone and individual game play begins. The two remaining (former) Blue Team members still hang out with their trainer Bob though. Bob redeclares his eternal commitment to his "boys," while Kim readily shed's her team colors and is initially shown giving individual training time to newbies Jaron and Adrian.

Adrian seems to be having trouble, still trying to adjust to the ranch. Though Jaron appears more acclimated now. Both of them came in doing great, in my opinion, considering they were greeted and treated like pariahs last week. Now Adrian has to go and have a meltdown before the race.

(S03E08) My hatred of two-hour episodes is on record in previous reviews, and as NBC used some of that time extra time this week for an extended Jello-cooking segment, I'll just move on before I get even more agitated. Anyway, there's much more to hate here tonight than running time.

We meet some new players, most of whom will be gone by the end of the second segment. As that's the case, pardon me for not caring. Since the producers, of course, know who weighs what, and that only the top two newbies will be staying, bringing the other four to the show for a "cup of coffee," so to speak, seems petty, even by reality television standards.

(S03E06) For some reason, they don't even show (as they have in past weeks) the aftermath of last week's elimination. I would have loved to have seen the look on Bob's face as the Blue team tried to explain voting off Amy last week. However, the players have lots a total of 550 lbs, and it is really starting to show.

This week the sadists who produce reality shows decide that whoever wins the calorie-calculation challenge will have the ability to make half players on the opposing team work out the first three days of the without their trainer -- and force the rest to eat meals outside the ranch and face the dangers of restaurant choices and vs. willpower.

(S03E05) The episode title says it all, when the producers take the players' gym equipment away, in another "surprise" twist. Since they've already spent other weeks working out with driftwood and sand buckets at a beach, and using alternate gym facilities on a cruise ship, this is really more of the same.

So far, the teams have lost 496 lbs going into this challenge. Players are starting to feel and notice changes for the better in their bodies. Kim, the Red Team trainer, echoes that observation, and the Red's begin tonight still buddy-buddy after last week's emotional encounters.

(S03E04) Going in, Red has lost 198 lbs, and Blue has lost 240 lbs. Red had to say goodbye to Nelson after screwing themselves with a tie vote last time. Ties get broken by the rival team -- which means rule number one for Biggest Loser should be: make sure your team's votes don't end in a tie.

Red reacts to having lost Nelson by revolting against their trainer, Kim. Kai wants to work out alone. Kim acknowledges (in voice-over) she's losing control of the team, and the others just mope through a run, until Ken collapses in tears. They manage to get Kim crying too. It's nearly unbearable.

(S03E03) The teams don't spend much time at the ranch. Last week the beach, and now a cruise, where they can learn to balance health and fitness goals in real -- well, semi-real circumstances. Unfortunately, they can already smell the decadent cruise-line food as soon as the board the ship. At the start of this week, so far the contestants have lost a total of 356 lbs.

It's the Red Team's turn to feel good about themselves for change, and maybe they are over the biggest hump of their mopiness now that they've made a good showing and avoided an elimination last time. Both team's have had a chance to adjust better to lifestyle changes -- so there's a lot less crying overall this week. I'm not crying so much either, as events move along at a livelier pace after two weeks of miserable marathon-length episodes.

The Workout: Veteran trainer Bob steps it up for his team again. Since this is supposed to simulate a vacation, he shows The Blues how to work out hard and fast -- a compressed time period leaving more time for fun -- in theory. And when they hit the buffet, Bob's proud that his team is aware of, and makes, the right food choices.

(S03E02) NBC, what're you trying to do to me? Another two hour episode this week?!?! You're testing my patience and the patience of the flood of fans who dropped by here at TVS last week to leave comments. Okay, there were exactly two comments last week, both from viewers who stated their intention to watch America's Next Top Model instead anyway. No doubt a double-sized Loser is just what is needed to reel viewers in. Here is my plea to reality show producers: if you're going to run two hours a night, make it two episodes -- that is, two challenges, two eliminations, don't just pad out an extra hour.

Anyway, here goes ...

(S03E01) I don't watch that much reality television, but I like this one because it seems to work for the contestants. And maybe for viewers too: last season I watched and got inspired, losing fifty pounds myself. So I've been looking forward to this.

But wait a minute: Jillian Michaels -- the tougher of the two trainers in earlier seasons is gone, much to my disappointment. Had I paid attention when she announced her departure months ago, maybe I wouldn't have tuned in tonight. I really like how she drove the men's team last year, and they seemed to love her too. That, and this time there are fifty contestants to wade through. One from each state in the union. The obese nation theme gets a lot a play early on. But fairly quickly they're whittled down to a manageable group of 14: seven men and seven women. Unlike last year, they are not divvied up into teams based on gender. The other 36 will continue the challenge on their own at home. However, the parade of fifty hopeful contestants marching down the hill to the Biggest Loser Ranch is an impressive sight. (Spoilers after the jump.)