Previously, on The Biggest Loser.
Tonight, on The Biggest Loser… the contestants face The Maze!

“Who can plot the right path? Who can hold their nerve? And who’s about to hit a dead end?” – Mr Narrator’s career?

Would you like to know more?

John said they got out of bed and they realised “It’s time”, Monica had gone home and the game was starting. Nicole says everyone got the idea to start exercising because nobody else wanted to be sent home. Michael is feeling gutted, really flat. And the friendships you form early on are really vital.
Michael has some kind words for Sam. Sam in an aside says that he feels like Michael is his brother because he’s been a rock. Michael says he reminds him a bit of his little brother, who he’s missing. Michael suggests to Sam that they could go for a run on the road later.

Cosi and JJ are out doing some exercise in the grounds, taking it in turns to run up and down a set of stairs while they discuss who they’d like on their team. They like Nicole, she’s heavy but fit. Garry seems a good bet to them too. Debbie doesn’t impress them. JJ suggests Cosi but Cosi is unimpressed by Michael thus far and isn’t sure he can be trusted.
JJ’s hoping he’ll get control of choosing who is on his team. Ultimately they’re trying to work out a strategy to stay in longer.

Shannan says that when he picks his team he likes them to be fit and healthy.
Sean says that the first training session started out very badly for him, every step he was taking was like a red hot spike driving through his heel and up his leg and up his back. He didn’t know what was going on.
Shannan sends him off to radiology. And it turns out there’s no fracture but he does have a heel spur.
Shannan tells us to think about the logistics – every time Sean runs, five to seven times his body weight comes down on his heel. That’s almost a ton. So he thinks all the contestants will see him as a weak link, so Shannan takes him aside for some reassurance. He doesn’t want Sean to see this as a reason to give up.

“Do you consider yourself to be brave?” Sean, naturally, says yes. It’s takes a brave person to admit you’re a coward!
Shannan tells him he’s got to be brave with himself and stop to fix the situation which is out of control. “Make me proud!”
Sean says when he shook hands with Shannan, he’s convinced he’ll push through the pain barriers.

After they finish training for the day they get in the not-so-minivans and head off to “Destination Unknown”. Do do do de do.
Everyone’s very intrigued. Except us at home who saw what would be happening before the ad break.

It’s a challenge, hooray!
They’re at Sydney Olympic Park to participate in their first Biggest Loser Challenge.
It will be a punishing and intense mission, but the reward on offer will change the course of your JOURNEY forever.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to choose teams!”
Garry’s excited, Michael has a look around to work out who he wants on the team.

Then Shannan and Michelle run up in their blue and red shirts. Shannan’s way more pumped up than the contestants. “First challenge! Yeah! Bring it on!”

Then they notice someone is missing. :-(
Shannan feels sorry for Monica but thinks Kirsten made the right decision since Monica did have an injury that wouldn’t be going away.

Here’s how it works:
Run 800m up Olympic Boulevard.
Run one lap of the stadium to the entrance of The Maze.
There are 3 entrances. But only one will lead right through to the other side.

The Maze is 350m long. Presumably if you go the right way from the start.
Shannan says this is a perfect test – physical and mental.

The first two through the maze will get to pick their trainers… And also their teammates!

Cosi says he’s hoping that either himself or JJ will win so they can head up a team and pick the other, then pick Garry as well – he thinks that would be a “Perfect Storm”.
I think he’s forgotten how that movie ended.

Michael says he’d like to pick Sam in his team, because he gives 100% to everything.

Ajay says that because John has a pre-existing medical condition. John says it was pretty tough to not be able to take part, but I suspect dying would have been tougher.

Ajay gets a gun! A starter’s pistol but nevertheless. BANG!

Michael heads out pretty quick and gets a decent distance ahead of everyone.
Sam says it was obvious JJ and Cosi had a plan. Bingo!
JJ says that once one of them was sure to get first or second, the other would hang back to come third or fourth so the “team captain” could pick them.

Debbie expresses some surprise after an ad break at how fast Michael took off.
Sean took off pretty hard but as soon as his foot hit the ground it was screamingly excruciatingly painful.
Garry says he’s seeing Sean as a weak link.
Sean says Shannan has talked about pain before, pushing through it and achieving what you didn’t think you could. Sean’s striding along and telling himself that so long as he keeps going and can get to the maze, he’s in with a chance.

Sam sees JJ and Cosi overtake Michael. Cosi says it was great overtaking him because Michael was obviously knackered but Cosi had plenty of energy left.
Debbie says her calves and shins were burning, but she refused to stop.

Shannan is not at all surprised to see JJ and Cosi enter the stadium, shoulder to shoulder. Cosi is really pleased with himself since he realises that he could actually run for ages and maybe even win a race!
Michelle is very pleased with Sam coming in third. Nineteen years old, 154kg and he’s third!

Cosi and JJ had discussed that JJ would take the left entrance, Cosi would take the right.
JJ says the only glitch that could happen was Sam coming out of the maze before either of them.
Sam plays smart and watches which entrance the other two use and he was going to go through the centre one but as he gets closer he sees Cosi come out of the right hand entrance, so Sam figures his chances are much better now, more like 50-50. It’s unclear which he picked, probably the centre one.

Kirsten gets to the maze and can only see three guys in front of her so she thinks she can do this, she might yet win.
“Yeah! Come on the girls!” – Michelle

Alison says the rest of them were sort of the tailenders.
Shannan says they were tired and sore but none of them even looked like they would stop.
Nicole says she was absolutely exhausted!
Sean is talking to himself some more, thinking he can’t go on, yes he can, he can’t, he can, etc.

Michael’s getting a bit annoyed, running into the same dead ends over and over. He gives a big yell.
Garry thinks it’s rigged!

Shannan says he and Michelle could see people’s feet come right up but then give up when they were very close to the end. Very frustrating!
The last person into the stadium was no surprise to Shannan – Sean-y!
He reminds us that Sean is running with a heel spur. Sean’s in agony, he says. But he figures if he can get into the maze and get his bearings, he might be in with a chance.
Michelle is cheering him along now too. Sean enters the maze and still nobody has found the way out.

This is mind blowing. Have none of these people never heard how to beat a maze? Run your hand along the left-hand wall and never leave that wall. You will always find an exit if there is one to be found if you do that from the entrance. Maybe they should have an IQ test as well as the BMI?

Nicola hit dead ends seven or eight times she thinks.
Garry’s getting more than a little despondent.

Sam and Cosi continue working together and finally find an exit. HURRAH!
They both pelt out of the maze. And by happy coincedence, Cosi goes for Michelle and Sam goes for Shannan. “Like it was meant to be,” Shannan says.

Cosi takes his shirt off – exposing the fact that they do indeed wear heart monitors for all the doubters out there – and puts on the first red shirt of the season!
Sam gets to Shannan, and Shannan is really glad, congratulates him. Shannan says there’s so much he can teach Sam. He’s hoping to send him out a good young gentleman.

Now Cosi and Sam have to choose the teams. Cosi gets first pick as he came in first.
But first they have to wait for everyone else to come out.

And who came third, you’re wondering?

SEAN.

Seriously. What the hell is wrong with every other contestant on that show? Did they all stop for milk and cookies or something? That is just plain crazy, it shouldn’t happen!

Sam is really impressed. As are Shannan and Michelle. “You’re walking the walk, buddy.” – Shannan
Sean says what will really count is when they go to weigh in and put the numbers on the board, and he’s going to give everyone a big surprise.
Shannan says Sean has earnt his respect and he’s proud of him. He’s proven to everyone what you can do when you cut the excuses and cut the crap.

JJ tries to act like it was all a plan to come out this late.
Sheridan is the first girl to come out, then Alison and Debbie finally make it out. Nicole strolls out a little later.
Rachel gets out and thinks it’s awesome!
Michael’s a little frustrated when he comes out, because he busted his gut in the running and then they beat him anyway!

“Come on Nics, we’re down here darling!” “Am I last?!” Nicola’s skipping and bouncing along. Good to see she kept her spirits up.
She says her friends at home will be laughing because it’s very much something she’d do, come last in a challenge.

Sean’s having a sit down to take his shoe off, he’s obviously in a hell of a lot of pain. The medic put some ice on it to let it settle down.
John says that yeah, Sean does seem like a weak link. But Sean’s no more a weak link than John is. John’s very impressed with what he did.
John and Shannan help him up and off into the waiting ambulance to seek further treatment.
Sean’s worried he might have to go home. He’s achieved a lot since he’s got there.

Now it’s finally time to choose teams!
The future of the red team, the future of the game, rests in Cosi’s hands.

Rachel is hoping Cosi would pick her, Debbie wants to be on the Blue team… and Nicola is just hoping she won’t be picked last!

Sam doesn’t know whether to pick strategically or to pick his friends.
Choose your friends. A team that works together well will always do better!

But we don’t get to find out tonight.
Except for Sean, who appears to be Blue Team, going by the scales from his weigh in display. Hmmm.

Also, one of the Black Team is going to give Bob a fireman’s lift! Funny!