Previously on The Biggest Loser Brett and Mandy got sent home despite the supposed final four pledge from the other teams.

Tonight the contestants are off to New Zealand to face their fears and compete for the golden ticket into the finale. Lots of tears and angry faces and jumping off of things ahead!

All the fatties are asleep in their beds… though conveniently most are in clothing or pyjama wear suitable for heading out to see the New Zealand maoris doing a haka. But first, a loud tootling horn wakes them up. The girls all think maybe it’s Todd playing a prank but it’s not. Todd’s in a UFC shirt and apparently wears his watch to bed. Weird.

Anyway in the foyer there’s a group of men and women doing a haka to try and scare them awake. Then a lady in maori clothes comes up to say kia ora which means hello in maori because I learned that in a previous season. She presents them with a gift but it’s just a letter that says they’re going to confront their biggest fears on the trip of a lifetime to Queenstown, New Zealand! Todd’s very excited, he’s never been overseas before. And you know, New Zealand barely counts. Robyn and Katie are from Tasmania and having the second head removed is more difficult than marrying a sheep.

They’re being treated well in the Air New Zealand lounge. Amber gets excited by the pancake machine. Richard actually eats a sausage. Twit!

The contestants are all sitting two to three seats, though it’s no longer because they’re enormous! Katie’s excited she has to tighten the seat belt and Robyn notices there’s even room between Katie’s sides and the arm rests!

Only a three hour flight to New Zealand. Quite a few people remark on the shortness of that flight. So I guess Air New Zealand sponsored this flight.

As the contestants disembark the plane they’re ushered off the runway by security and off to a hangar where Commando Steve is waiting for them. He tosses a duffel onto the deck in front of them and tells the contestants there’s a wetsuit in there for each of them. Put them on, then the helicopters behind him will be taking off and they’ll take a jump from them and into a lake. Time to take the new bodies for a test drive, Steve says.

Robyn’s nervous and scared. And Steve’s not going up with them! He says this is where they need to rely on each other – he doesn’t want any of them coming back on the chopper.

Todd’s still scared of heights, he tells us, but he’s got his Dad by his side so he thinks it’ll be awesome anyway.

They fly out over a lake that the trainers and Hayley are standing on. Flags on the beach fluttering in the strong breeze.

They’re a good 15-20 feet above the water and Gerald and Todd are going first. Shannan says Todd’s biggest weakness, by his own admission, is thinking about things too long before doing them.

Todd gets out on the running board but hesitates when told to jump. He tells us the noise of the rotors is the biggest thing for him. He’s not sure whether he’ll jump but he tells the instructor to do the three taps on his shoulder again and then he steps straight off. Well done Todd!

Gerald’s got a fear of heights too but he’s straight onto the board and off the edge and into the water. Good man!

Robyn’s next and by now she’s excited, not scared, she says. And she doesn’t hesitate on the edge and jumps off into the water and is fine. Katie’s jump goes a little less gracefully, landing on her face a bit but she’s excited afterwards to have done it.

Then the choppers go back to pick up the other contestants. Janet’s very excited but Kirsten’s getting a bit scared by how high it is. She’s panting as they hover in to position. Janet reminds us that Kirsten didn’t do the AMP Tower abseil and regretted that afterwards. But Janet’s encouraging her to do it today, saying she loves her and stuff.

She gets out on the edge and starts freaking out. She gets partway back in a couple of times, then partway out. Then says she can do it if Janet goes first. Janet agrees to go first.

On the three count Janet’s gone on two. And down the bottom she’s desperately hoping Kirsten will follow her down.

We have to wait through an ad break to find out!

They lower the helicopter a little bit for Kirsten’s jump and she gets on the edge again and freaks out. Again. And she can’t do it. And with the helicopter running low on fuel they have to go back and refuel. Will she get another chance?

Richard and Amber’s turn. Amber feels like she’s in an action movie about to do a stunt, apparently unaware she’s still hopelessly unsuitable for such a thing. But to her credit she gets out on the running board and is straight off and into the water with no drama at all. Richard, too! Probably the best effort out of anyone, surprisingly enough. And they’re quite proud, as they should be.

Then they’re all on the beach for a chat to the trainers. Shannan welcomes them to Queenstown, on the south island of New Zealand. Mish says they’re there to say goodbye to the things that have been holding them back in the past. Steve says it’s time to face their fears, again.

Hayley says they’re about to start a week long race with a great pay off. The team that comes first overall gets a free pass to the finale. And the team that comes last carries a 1kg weight penalty into the final weigh in. OUCH. The contestants all react accordingly. Everyone knows that’s a big deal at this stage of the game.

There are four legs in the race. If you don’t come first, your team gets a time handicap for the next leg. It’s one of the most beautiful places on earth but the challenge will be tough.

The start is to head down to the river across tough terrain, get across the river and go up heartbreak hill. And at the top is their first fear to face.

And one more thing, they’re going to be tethered together for the race. Lots of groans at that.

Richard and Amber take an early lead, followed by Robyn and Katie and Gerald and Todd not far behind.

Janet and Kirsten are way behind from the get go and they’re already arguing. Kirsten’s upset that Janet’s already taking a defeated attitude. Kirsten’s not taking any of that and then Janet’s not taking any of her sass in return, since she at least jumped out of the helicopter. More bitching and swearing at each other. And it goes on and on. Kirsten yanks on the tether and calls her a bitch. Etc. Good, family friendly fun!

Gerald says they can hear the fighting in the other teams which is bad for the other teams but good for them!

Robyn and Katie are struggling to cross the river with Katie falling down a lot. Gerald and Todd skip past them without holding the guide rope. And in the end Katie steps over the guide rope instead of going under it and they get stuck for a second, much to Robyn’s chagrin.

Then Janet’s convinced her and Kirsten have become lost. They haven’t, of course, and Kirsten says she’s being a bit of a princess about it all.

Not as much of a princess as Amber is being. Gerald and Todd have taken the lead and suddenly Amber’s moaning and groaning and crying about wanting to go home. And it only gets louder as Robyn and Katie start to go past them too. For some reason Robyn’s trying to encourage her. It’s a race!

Robyn’s getting very tetchy with Katie being too slow up heartbreak hill. Robyn says the pulling from Katie not keeping up is feeling like before they came on the show when she’d constantly be at Katie to get off the computer or get out of bed. So she’s cracking the shits and thinking of quitting, threatening to untether them. But Katie doesn’t want to quit so she grabs the line before Robyn can. Meanwhile Richard and Amber go past them again, somehow.

Janet and Kirsten are at the river crossing, finally! Janet’s complaining about the slippery rocks in the river. Kirsten’s not impressed, tells her if she falls over to just get back up and keep going. Kirsten then falls over and gets back up!

Richard and Amber have finally stopped arguing and even Richard’s puffed now, but they’re still trudging along, mostly in silence.

Janet, however, is getting mouthy again, saying she’s never bagged Kirsten for not doing the AMP wall or jumping out of the helicopter but here Kirsten is dragging her up the hill and bitching about her. But Kirsten points out that actually, Janet had just said something about her not getting out of the helicopter.

But first to the fear section of the program is Gerald and Todd. Gerald is absolutely knackered, again. He falls to his knees and takes in some big, deep breaths. But they’re both proud of each other for doing so well. Mish says they work so well together, they support each other and they just get it done.

Richard and Amber are in second place and get a pissy one minute handicap for the next event. Pathetic.

Robyn and Katie in third. Two minute penalty. Katie collapses to the ground by herself after the line and is sobbing on the ground. Robyn’s bitching about carrying Katie all the way, how about someone give her a break for a change, etc.

Janet and Kirsten finally finish, receiving a 4 minute handicap for the next leg. Kirsten’s furious and storms off afterwards. Janet tells us afterwards that it’s all her fault but Kirsten says she didn’t blame Janet once, so shut up!

Starting to wonder if maybe Janet’s the stepmother? Hrm.

Anyway. Time for the Face Your Fears section of tonight’s show. The Nevis Swing. 70 metre drop, 300 metre swing.

Richard doesn’t need to do that, doesn’t want to do that.

And they’ll be doing it as pairs. And if they refuse to do the challenge, there’s another time penalty.

Before they all get geared up we get a good shot of Kirsten’s bum. It’s looking pretty good these days. Thought you should know!

Robyn and Katie are first out onto the bridge to go to the Nevis Swing thing. Robyn’s freaking out just crossing the bridge but she still sees that as progress because back at the start she’d’ve never even got one foot onto the bridge.

But she makes it out to the centre for a chat with Commando Steve. He’s standing out on the platform without any ropes or safety gear because it’s got glass and a safety rail to stop anyone from slipping off. Robyn’s not happy to step onto that bit of the platform though, says she’s not attached to anything. She eventually scoots down the stairs on her bum while Katie happily walks out onto the platform beside Steve.

Robyn recalls the conflict on the way up the hill. She says throughout she’s been told she has to let go of Katie, has to let Katie be her own woman. She thought it’d be about learning how far she can push herself and that maybe she wouldn’t have to be the strong one for once, maybe this time someone could pick her up. And she knows it’s important that all that came out but she’s disappointed in the way she said it to Katie because it made Katie feel bad, obviously.

Robyn promises to try and be nicer when she says things and Katie promises to step up and not get as upset when her Mum says things.

Then Steve says they’re going to put the remote for the swing on Katie’s harness so she has control over when they go. The responsibility is hers, this time.

Then Robyn tells us they have to finish something together, but they got harnessed up and she was ashamed of her behaviour again. Robyn’s clinging on to the railing and doesn’t want to let go, then the safety guy says he can hold on to her while they go to the edge and Robyn wonders what he’s going to do. She’s getting a bit abrupt and rude, she tells us.

Steve’s told to be quiet and not talk to her, it’s not helping, it’s like childbirth. Lots of grins and giggles from everyone but Robyn at that.

Then they’re lifted out and over the edge so they’re just dangling waiting for Katie to press the release button.

Which she does on a 3 count but we only see a second or two before ad break. Boo!

As they get near the bottom of the swing Katie’s screaming in excitement while Robyn’s howling and then screams to Katie, “I love you, you little bitch!” Hah!

Then next up are Janet and Kirsten. Mish is out on the platform waiting for them. She can hear them coming as they walk along the bridge. Janet’s telling Kirsten to not look down but Kirsten’s still super excited they’ll be tethered together for the swing.

Their relationship has been tested and now they’ve got to do this because they can’t afford another penalty.

Everyone’s trying to calm Kirsten down but she’s having none of it. Janet’s trying to be helpful by saying it’s no different to big theme park rides and Mish says Janet’s just trying to help. But Kirsten doesn’t want to do it with Janet!

So Janet pipes down for a bit while Mish tries to have a chat with Kirsten. Mish says Janet’s upset because of the way Kirsten talks to her and Kirsten points out, quite rightly, that Janet talks pretty badly to her, too. Janet’s just playing the innocent victim. Mish says if she had a twenty year old talking to her like that she’d knock them back into next week.

Shouldn’t that be last week? You’d knock them forward into next week. Hmm.

Janet says she’s worried if Kirsten can’t do this stuff then nothing will change. Kirsten says she doesn’t see how swinging off a thing will change her attitude. Janet asks her if she wants to find out?

But Kirsten is just insisting she doesn’t want to do it, she doesn’t see the point, she can live with herself for not doing it.

Mish recalls Margie last year who didn’t want to do it either, baulked for the longest time at the edge, but in the end she did it and she felt so much better for having done it.

Kirsten agrees to go near the edge but only if they promise not to let her go before she’s ready.

But nope, she’s freaking out too much as she gets near the edge and finally pulls the pin. They’re not doing it. Janet still wants to do it but she decides she won’t do this because, as Mish says, while Janet’s angry she doesn’t want to rub having done it in Kirsten’s face. Which Mish thinks is a good decision.

And now a word from Commando Steve about Will Smith and his son facing their fears on some alien planet. Only it’s not really an alien planet it’s Earth and there’s some bacon they need to retrieve or something. I don’t even know. Why is Commando Steve being forced to promote After Earth? Heh.

Richard and Amber are next after the ad break. They’re both looking pretty confident about it all. Amber gets her GoPro camera strapped to her chest and switched on, then she makes a face into it. Heh. Amber’s pretty much ready to do it, bring it on, etc. Richard’s a bit nervous but he’s much better prepared to face it all now.

Commando Steve’s looking very neatly groomed today. Got his hair all slicked up, trimmed his beard and everything.

But then as they’re sitting on the edge and lifted off into the air Amber’s got the remote button on her shoulder and she’s refusing to click it. She doesn’t want to click it. She’s sobbing and won’t press it. So Richard’s going to have to press the button for them, take control again. Which he does on the three count. And as they swing around at the bottom Amber thanks him for pushing it. Awww!

She says once they started swinging it was amazing, one of the best things she’s ever done.

Next, Gerald and Todd. Come on, lads.

Shannan’s sure Gerald and Todd will be straight off today. They’ve shown him no fear and 100% throughout. Todd’s very adamant they check all his harnessing and so on. Asks how many seconds you drop and the safety guy says Todd can tell them when he comes back up.

Gerald and Todd are leaving their old selves up the top, etc etc.

Todd’s feeling fine when they went up there but when they get to the edge he’s very worried. Shannan tells him to think of all the bullying, leave it behind. Todd knows he can’t hesitate, that’s his problem, and he’s hesitating now.

Gerald reminds Todd that Todd’s always trusted his Dad, so trust him now.

Todd can’t do it. He eventually gets unhooked and Gerald will have to go by himself while Todd watches. If Todd then decides it’s safe he can go with Shannan.

Todd’s visibly upset when he steps down, thinks he won’t do it at all now.

But Gerald’s still stepping up. He’s determined to do it regardless, as always!

Gerald tells us the reason he never shows any fear is because Todd’s there too and if he shows fear, Todd will be worried.

Shannan says that ten weeks ago Gerald was a broken man. Had taught his son horrible life lessons, felt responsible for how heavy Todd had become. But he’s become a role model.

And Gerald gets to hanging out and then drops so smoothly and so happily. He just says it’s unreal as he’s swinging back and forth.

Todd’s still too scared to get out there, even though Gerald’s been winched back to the platform without any drama. Gerald says there’s a drop but it slowly takes your weight and you just swing out like a swing!

Todd still doesn’t want to go. He says he doesn’t want to do this one. Not this one. But Shannan says there’s not another one for them to do.

Todd’s still thinking he can’t do it but then something comes over him and he realises he doesn’t want to leave as the old Todd, he wants the new Todd. He wants to change his life.

Shannan gets harnessed up and linked up with Todd, arm in arm as they sit down at the edge and head off into thin air. Then the button is pressed and away they go. Shannan hollering like a loon while Todd is finally nervously laughing and enjoying it.

He tells us afterwards that it was an awesome experience. It was fun, wasn’t it, Gerald asks? And Todd admits it was pretty cool.

Tomorrow night! The second leg of the race gets going. Looks to include some rafting, both inflatable and self built out of planks and inner tubes. Plus some running. And some bicycling. And a whole lot more bickering for the pink team out in the middle of a chilly river…