Previously on The Biggest Loser Challenge Australia Ararat The Fattest Town In Australia… Shannan and Steve collected a handpicked crew of “champions” to come back to Camp Biggest Loser for special training, challenges and a bunch of weightloss!

Tonight, Michelle finally shows up! Maybe. Not sure. Who cares what else is happening?

Well, also tonight there’ll be a challenge involving giant chains of doom being dragged across a beach. The champions will hear their bio age (maybe?) along with, for the first time, their expected date of death. Ouch!

But first a tough challenge, walking up and down the front steps of the Opera House… and Mr Voiceover Man is suggesting someone’s journey may be over as a result. DUN DUN DUNNNNN.

As the episode picks up we’re getting a short replay of what happened on Monday, with the champions turning up and meeting Hayley. Hayley immediately sets them a pre-house-warming challenge. She’s calling it “The Punisher”.

From the top, to the bottom, to the top of the steps again is 144, says Hayley. In pairs they need to get to 10,000 steps. Lots of rumbling and doubtful grumbling.

The last two pairs to finish the challenge will face elimination tonight, before they even get inside the house. Eep!

Mary’s in tears. She doesn’t do stairs, she says. She’ll give it her best, she says.

Time to pair up and head to the starting line. Shannan says the champs with the best mental strength will be the ones that are safe.

Mary’s paired up with Cal, which is a relief to her as she knows he’s a lot fitter than her.

The other pairs are: Matt and Caitlin, Rodger and Sharon, Shannon and Jane, Natalie and Craig, Kerry and Toni, Katrina and Cam.

The 10,000 steps can be divided however they choose, so some pairs will be relying more heavily on one than the other.

Cal starts out fast, looking to get a good lead early on and show Mary they don’t have to come last, necessarily. He’s competitive by nature.

Cal’s first to finish a lap and he sends Mary off next. She’s bad at steps and she’s freaking out from the start, she says.

Steve says he loves that the first challenge is named The Punisher.
Shannan says it’s good to have them working in pairs from the start because they have the life of their partner in their hands.

In last place early on is Shannon and Jane. One of them is complaining about being useless, she can’t even do stairs. Steve’s right in her ear saying she is doing it, she’s not useless, what’s she feeling pressured about. She fears a lot of things, she tells us, in the requisite underpants-mirror-shot. It’s Shannon, apparently. She knows she needs to do this now because she can’t go on like that much longer. She’s hiding away from everything. Her kids have never had a happy Mum, which Shannon knows isn’t great for them. The kids have had a good life, but it’s not the best it could be.

Shannon’s complaining that she’s going to fall but Steve says if she can talk she’s fine. She pauses on a step and wobbles a little but doesn’t really look like she’d topple.

Red team, Cam and Katrina have taken the lead. Cam knows he needs to step up after failing a bit when climbing the mountain. Katrina’s just amazed she’s in a team that’s winning!

Hayley says they’re all doing well, after they all get to the 3,000 mark. Rodger’s getting a bit chatty, saying it’s a wonderful day, where else would you be. In the pub with a long neck beer?

Mary’s gotten to the bottom of the steps again and has a short break. One of the other guys is encouraging her to keep going, because she won’t get back up if she stops. Shannan joins her partway back up for further encouragement. Cal’s calling down encouragement from the top of the stairs, too.

At the top Mary’s struggling to catch her breath and having a drink while consulting with one of the crew. Cal gets back up after another double run and he wants Mary to go again, but Shannan says he’s seen something in Cal and he can do it. Cal tells us he knows Mary needs to be there, there’s no sense packing her back on a train right away. Shannan’s very impressed when Cal powers through three laps in a row.

Meanwhile Caitlin’s struggling to catch her breath. She’s 17 and she knows she should be in the prime of her life, but she’s not. She dropped out just before finishing Year 10 and got called a lot of names during her final year at school. But The Biggest Loser came to town and she figured that was her chance to change. She wants to be healthy and fit!

She says during the challenge there was times she would have given up in the past, but not today. She completes another lap and is sucking in deep breaths up the top of the stairs. And then BARF!

Matt’s having to do another lap because Caitlin has to have a bit of a sit down after that. Shannan tells her it’s just water, she’ll be fine. After she’s recovered a bit he offers her a hand back up and she says he probably doesn’t want to touch her, but Shannan’s not fussed. Shannan gets her to promise she’ll do another lap, even if she goes slowly, she has to do another one. They do a pinky promise on it and everything. Shannan’s a dork!

Craig and Natalie aren’t doing too well either, Natalie in particular. She finishes her lap, tears off the next lap counter thing, wanders behind the podium and then FLOP, down she goes. MEDIC!

The medic comes to check on her and she’s muttering she knows she has to get back up. But the medic is busy taking her pulse, so none of that just yet!

Natalie has four kids. Jackie, the youngest, was a surprise as they didn’t think she could even have children after having had cancer. At 36 weeks in the pregnancy she was sent to Ballarat for tests because the foetus had fluid on the brain. Doctors advised her on a number of occasions to terminate the pregnancy but no, it’s their little girl.

So Jackie was born. She has a “genetic deletion”, which means she’ll learn things slower than other kids. She’s nearly 2 but won’t be walking for a while yet, apparently. But she’s “a good little girl”. Because she’s not mentally developed enough to be a terror, really. That’s still to come!

Craig’s having to do another lap. A second in a row. So he does that and pushes a bit harder because Steve’s pushing him along. He gets to the top but Natalie’s still on her butt getting treated by the medics. So Craig had to do another. But he manages it without too much drama, much to Steve’s delight.

Cam and Katrina are still in the lead with a few laps to go. They’re both chuffed with their success today.

Shannon’s the lightest contestant, Shannan says. But she’s struggling the most by far because her mind is getting in the way.

Mary’s down at the bottom of the steps again. Her brain’s hurting, her face is pulsing, her legs are shaky and every step hurts. Shannan’s encouraging her to keep going, the blue and yellow teams are one lap behind them and that can’t happen!

Cam and Katrina do the last half of the last lap together. Green, Sharon and Rodger finish in second. Sharon’s looking a bit barfy too, as they finish. Not made any better by Matt barfing in the background!

Toni and Kerry come in third and Kerry’s very proud of her. Especially since it’s the first time he’s seen her exercise in 25 years!

Matt and Caitlin are in second last place so they’re in danger of elimination. Matt’s going to go hard and try to catch up and he’s surprised how well his body has responded.

So light blue’s chasing down dark blue. But either way orange is going to be dead last, it seems.

Caitlin finishes another lap but says as she got near the top she lost feeling in her legs, had trouble breathing and she collapses on the top step. The medics come to attend her while Cal and Mary finish off their laps. Mary tears off the final slip of paper and throws it away and they’re done.

Matt and Craig are in a race for the second last lap with Shannan trying to encourage both of them. Matt collapses near the top of the steps too, thinking it was done after that but there’s one to go and Caitlin’s still slumped on the top step. So it’s yet another lap for Matt!

Hayley, Steve and Shannan are all telling Matt he’s got to go again. Caitlin feels devastated she can’t do the last lap like she should have been doing.

But it’s Natalie’s turn and she’s doing well… until just before the first flat bit where she takes a tumble with a loud swear. But she’s back up and fine and gets the rest of the way up. Craig and Natalie make it through safely, too.

Matt and Caitlin manage to finish off their laps together, too.

Jane and Shannon are still going, not giving up either. Some of the other champs come down and do some of the laps with them, encouraging them to get through to the end.

Steve says it’s great to see the camaraderie. It might be a competition but it’s about the town of Ararat, so it’s not every man for themselves.

Matt and Caitlin, Jane and Shannon will face elimination first. It’ll go down to a vote from the other contestants for which pair they want to save and which they send home.

Shannan says it’ll be harder than ever to vote someone out because they’re all from the same town.

Back at Camp Biggest Loser the champs walk out to the lovely lawn area, fiery torches all round. Hayley tells them that up the stairs is the Biggest Loser house. But before they can get in there a tough vote needs to take place. Also, for every kilo they lose in the house it’ll contribute to a kitty for the town of Ararat. Money to keep the town healthy, health education and money for exercise initiatives.

Each individual also has the chance at taking home the title of Biggest Loser along with a bonus prize of $50,000. They’re all pleasantly surprised at that.

Caitlin’s devastated at the thought of going home tonight. But she’s ready to fight to make the change. She may not always win, she might come last every time, but she’s always going to give 100%. Matt doesn’t want to leave, either. He’s ready to lose the weight. Jane’s journey has just begun, doesn’t understand herself or how she got to that point. Shannon’s glad she finished the challenge but she knows she struggled a lot. She’s been afraid to leave her house so coming to another city is a huge step by itself.

Jane’s actually known Caitlin her whole life so it’s hard knowing one of them has to go. Jane says she’d give up her place for Caitlin if she could. Caitlin’s only young and she deserves the chance. Caitlin says they all deserve it.

Mary’s relieved not to be facing elimination personally but it’s hard knowing they’ve got to choose someone to send home.

Katrina’s in tears because it’s just hit her that it’s all real. She has to vote out someone who deserves to stay.

Voting is done as individuals for a pair. Secret ballot. Nobody will ever know who you voted for.

But there’s one final catch. Whether someone goes home is entirely up to them. They have three choices when voting. They can vote for Matt and Caitlin. They can vote for Jane and Shannon. Or they can write No Vote. If everyone writes No Vote, nobody goes home.

But if just one person votes, the pair with the most votes goes home. So it could come down to literally one vote. No conferring with anyone else before the vote. It’s a choice for you and you alone!

Time to vote! Will we see the votes? Because then people will know when they get to watch this…

Cameron’s voting first. Big community man. Can he do it?
Then Katrina. Someone is shown writing No Vote and saying it’s too soon. The implication is it’s Katrina but we can only see their hands so it could have been anyone.

Lots of dramatic music. Oooh!

Time to reveal the votes!

Hayley opens the ballot box and the first vote is for no one. As is the second. Third is a no vote. Fourth, no vote. Fifth is also no vote. Sixth, no vote, no i in team. Seventh, no vote. Three to go!

Eighth, no vote. Nine… no vote!

Tenth? No vote. Hooray! Well done one and all. It’s a competition but you still have to live with yourself.

Jane’s relieved. She thought they’d be sent home because it makes it easier for everyone. Cal says it’s easier with all of them there.

Matt’s not surprised nobody voted. It’s a competition but they’re doing it for the town. Shannon says they’re doing it as a team for the town, no matter what.

So that’s it, they’re all in the house.

Tomorrow night on The Biggest Loser it’s down to business. Time to get to work.

Time for Cam to fall off the cross trainer and thump his head on the wall. Whoops.
Death predicting Dr Swan will pay the house a visit.
And guess who’s back? I don’t know, it might be Michelle or you might string us along for another episode. Fuckers.