The Biggest Loser - 16 ª Season

At the Los Angeles Coliseum, Alison introduces the twenty contestants for the season, they who are all former athletes, including some former professional athletes and former Olympians. She also introduces the three trainers for the season, who include now Biggest Loser training veteran Dolvett, and two newbies to the Biggest Loser family, Jessie and Jen. For their first workout at the Biggest Loser Ranch, the twenty contestants are under the tutelage of all three trainers, who get a feel for who are among the group. In general, Dolvett can see the former athletes come out as what he considers the best first workout he has ever been a part of on the show. The contestants are then thrown into their first individual challenge, which combines aspects of beach volleyball and an obstacle course. The prizes are the choice of trainer for the season, where there are six open spots per trainer. With only eighteen spots, the last two to complete the challenge are automatically eliminated. After the last chance workout, the first training session with their dedicated trainer, the contestants then enter into their first elimination weigh in as a team, the eliminated contestant being voted off the team with the lowest percentage of weight loss. What all the contestants on the ranch are unaware of is the existence of the Comeback Canyon which is led by a familiar face.

The first elimination weigh-in finds Zina leaving Comeback Canyon, and Andrea, as the voted eliminated contestant from the ranch, joining Vanessa at Comeback Canyon with Bob. Andrea is intimidated to be against a former professional athlete in Vanessa, but believes she is up to the challenge, which will only be proved at the end of the week weigh-in. The trainers at the ranch believe they have to share their own stories with their respective teams to get them to feel safe sharing their own stories, which are a large part of why they have gained weight from their previous athlete selves. Jessie in particular feels he needs to do so as the freshman trainer on the ranch who has already lost a team member and who feels the need to prove himself by ensuring that the Blue Team does not lose the next weigh-in. Each of the ranch trainers does have those problem team members who have yet to have that mental breakthrough. The team reward challenge is an obstacle course, but also entails both figuratively and literally knocking down the walls of excuses that people use for unhealthy living. The winning team has access to the gym for the week, with another team getting a surprise. Dr. Huizenga provides initial post-medical tests assessments to the contestants, which leads to perhaps one of the most emotional such sessions in Biggest Loser history. That emotion ends up extending to the last chance workout.

At the last sets of weigh-ins, Vanessa is eliminated at Comeback Canyon sending her home, while Emmy joins Andrea at Comeback Canyon. Bob learns that many of the reasons for Emmy's family's weight issues are external to her own home. At the ranch, the trainers provide what they hope will be longer term motivation for the entire contingent of contestants. Akin to baseball, Alison announces that this week will have a double header style of team challenges. The first challenge is a combination nutrition knowledge/food temptation one, the latter issue with a bit a of a twist that affects one specific team member. The winning team of the first challenge wins a two pound advantage at the weigh-in. The second challenge in the double header is a team cycling challenge, with the winning team the first collectively to get to the Olympic triathlon standard of 40km. Staying on the double header theme, the winning team of that second challenge wins a four pound advantage at the weigh-in. The first challenge ends up having an effect on the last chance workout. The ranch weigh-in ends up being an emotional one for the issue of letting a potential lead slip away.

Andrea is eliminated and Damien wins the lottery so he goes back home.

At the last sets of weigh-ins, Emmy is eliminated at Comeback Canyon sending her home, while Mike joins Chandra at Comeback Canyon. His arrival makes it a battle between youth and age, and between the biggest loser thus far against one of the people who has lost the least amount. Back at the ranch, the contestants learn of their challenge which is a four man relay pulling one's own weight across a 600 foot long rope suspended 10 stories over a canyon. The reward is more a penalty against another team, as the winning team has the choice to sideline one person from any of the opposing two teams from this week's weigh-in. Woody fears he may be a liability to his white team, who have yet to lose a challenge or a weigh-in, as he is deathly afraid of heights. However, it is another contestant who ultimately feels like the weakest link. At the weigh-in, the two teams that did not win the reward challenge feel the pressure as Alison tells them that this week will mark the first time this season that there will be a red line, the person falling below automatically being eliminated. However, if the winning team chooses incorrectly, it in turn may work against them.