Previously on The Biggest Loser Rick was sent home leaving David with the Double Bracelet.
Then they all went to New Zealand and went abseiling down a waterfall. It was awesome!

Tonight their challenge will involve a sailing boat. Climbing it, swimming around it, jumping off it… swimming under it?

All the contestants walk down the beach to meet Shannan and Michelle’s nipples. With Michelle attached, I guess. But I’m mostly just staring…

Oh, a tall sailing ship rounds the nearby headland. It’s the R. Tucker Thompson and it’s where the next stage of their adventure begins.
It has a Biggest Loser flag at the top of the main mast and a Biggest Loser flag on one of the sails, too!

Shannon says that Michelle reminds them it’s not a holiday they’re here for, they’ve always got a surprise for them.

Personal challenges all round!

Phoebe and Lisa are going with Michelle. Phoebe’s first up and she’s going all the way to the top of the main mast.
“Fear of heights, here we come!” Says Phoebe while giving double thumbs-up to the camera.
She’s going to climb up the outside of the rigging stuff. She’ll be harnessed in so she’ll be nice and safe but still, it’s a good test to show how far they’ve come, Michelle says.

As Phoebe starts climbing the ladder up the rigging, Michelle says she’s doing well. So Michelle starts climbing up after her.
Phoebe’s getting a little terrified when she has to let go with one hand to move further up. She’s not the most steady of people ordinarily and the boat is swaying back and forth and she’s telling herself under her breath, “I’m not scared, I’m not scared, I’m not scared.”
It’s so windy up top that Michelle’s hat goes flying off.

They finally get up near the crow’s nest and Michelle explains you have to lean back and move up to get up there and Phoebe is all, “Oh duuuuuuude?!”
She has a little scaredy-cat moment, she says. She’s lost her focus a little and then she regains her focus and climbs up the last little bit. Yay!
Michelle says she’s amazing. Michelle’s grinning at the view from up there and then Phoebe squeals after Michelle asks her how she’s feeling. Then she screams “I CAN DO ANYTHING!”

Then it’s time to get back down. She’s done now. Right?

No no, says Michelle. When they get about halfway down she says Phoebe’s feeling so strong and so empowered and so on… so she thinks Phoebe should jump from the rigging and into the water.
Eep!

Michelle thinks Phoebe still has a lot of self doubt that arises when things get challenging.
Phoebe tells us she’s talked herself up and now she has to put it into action! She’s not sure she’s brave enough.
Lisa calls up to ask her what she’s doing and Phoebe calls down that she’s jumping and Lisa laughs.

Phoebe’s trying to come up with a way of backing out gracefully but then she remembers saying she can do anything, so she has to jump!
She finally jumps after a three count and once she comes back up she can’t work out whether to smile or cry.
Her legs are full-on trembling though I think that might be partly the cold water!

Michelle grabs her after she gets a hug from Lisa and Phoebe’s all, “NO MORE?!” Michelle says no… Now it’s Lisa’s turn. To do what Phoebe just did.
Lisa’s off to a good start though she’s talking up a storm.
Michelle asks her what she was thinking while watching Phoebe do it and Lisa says she thought Phoebe was so brave and now she’s scared she’s doing it herself.

Lisa gets up to the bit Phoebe freaked out a little at but she keeps right on climbing. Then says “HOLY FUCK!” when she gets to the top. Heh. Michelle cracks up laughing. I guess Lisa doesn’t have much of a potty mouth, normally?

She’s really happy to have made it all the way up. Michelle asks her what her husband would say to see her up there and Lisa says her husband would think she’s gone insane!

They get to the jump-off point and Lisa says it looks like a bloody long way to jump. Michelle’s a little worried she might not go through with it…

Lisa unhooks her carabiner and takes her arm off the rigging and then without waiting for a three count she just jumps off the side of the boat. Michelle says she made a perfect dive, exactly how she’d told her to do it.
She comes up out of the water shivering too but she’s got a massive grin on her face at having done it.

Shannan’s got the lads for the challenge. David’s up first and he’s feeling a little nervous.
Shannan tells us to complete the challenge you’ll need courage and trust which are two important qualities for men.
David likes to think he’s shown plenty of courage.

Shannan explains the challenge. They’re going to jump over the edge of the boat. They’re then going to swim from one side of the boat to the other side of the boat. Unaided.
David’s never been diving, he says. Snorkelling as a teenager once.
The boat is 5 metres wide and 3 metres deep at the keel. Shannan says if you lose focus and swim into the keel you’re in all sorts of trouble.
They have divers in the water with scuba gear.
But David’s still a little concerned. Shannan seems totally up for it though.

They have a look under the water at how far down it is and David’s surprised it’s a bit deeper than he thought.

But he takes a big breath of air and under they go…
As he gets under the keel he can start feeling a little pressure on his lungs but he goes underneath and comes back up to the surface with no dramas. David’s pumped at succeeding.

But the big challenge will be getting Shannon to do it. Shannan explains it to him and Shannon’s face falls. He’s never been a big fan of water. Worried about drowning as a kid in pools and the ocean and so on.
Shannan says Shannon is about to face a life long fear.
Shannan asks Shannon when was the last time he swam 5 metres underwater?

Never, says Shannon.

Eeeep!

Shannon’s never been able to swim downwards at all. He’s been okay at keeping himself afloat and so on but he’s never been able to swim down.
Shannon tells us there’s two possible outcomes. He’s either going to swim under the ship and come out a better man or worst case scenario he’s going to go under, possibly freak out and drown.

I think we’d have heard about that if it’d happened.

Shannon starts freaking out a little when he gets in the water but Shannan’s there to relieve the tension of the moment. He laughs and says they’re in the ocean, floating beside a tall ship!!

Shannon’s still about 140kg so he’s naturally very buoyant. So he’s struggling to get the duck-dive down-pat.
Shannan then figures if they give him a pair of flippers and add a little weight to him he should be able to give himself enough propulsion. Shannan also gets a pair and they hold hands as they swim underneath but Shannon manages it fairly easily in the end and he’s absolutely stoked to make it. He’s shocked to have made it all the way.

Shannan congratulates him. Lifetime of fear, gone!

Big day, all in all then.

But tomorrow’s another day. Some kind of race is on. A treasure hunt race. The treasure is something that will benefit them in staying on the show and rah rah rah.
Race involves swimming and kayaking and some running and digging in the sand. Looks like a lot of fun!