For what age: 8+
How many episodes in 13 season: 18 episodes
A new batch of couples arrive at the ranch and are shocked to learn they\'ll be split up to compete against each other in the Season 13 premiere. The new round has a \"No Excuses\" theme, and the trainers address the reasons the contestants are overweight.
The stakes are high this week when representatives of each team bid on the percentage of weight they think their team will lose at the weigh-in. The highest bidder gets a five-pound advantage if they hit their number at weigh-in - or lose the advantage to the other team if they don\'t hit their mark. \"The Biggest Loser\" nutritionist teaches the contestants how to shop for healthy food, and the black and red teams square off in a fast-paced challenge in which they have to turn an anchor wheel to retrieve puzzle pieces and then race against the clock to put the puzzle together. And later, the players get a sobering wake-up call when Dr. Huizenga reveals their real \"inner ages, \" before the weigh-in leads to another player going home.
This week kicks off with a Chinese buffet temptation that will give the winner complete control of how contestants will be matched up for a face-off challenge in the gym - and also give them a two-pound advantage to use or give away. Later, trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince coach the contestants through a wild water-transfer challenge that will reward the winning team with the most coveted prize of all - video chats home. And one player makes a shocking decision that stuns everyone before another contestant is sent packing following the weigh-in.
The teams compete for exclusive use of the gym during a battering-ram challenge. Bob and Dolvett, meanwhile, try to get through to contestants they feel aren\'t putting in enough effort to shed pounds.
A lively challenge that involves bouncing medicine balls on a trampoline to get them over a wall tests the speed and coordination of both the black and red teams as they vie for a valuable prize - the ability to choose which player\'s weight won\'t count at this week\'s weigh-in. Then it\'s a blast from the past when aqua team siblings Adrian and Daphne, who were eliminated before they even got to the ranch in episode one, come back to weigh-in and reveal whether they\'ve lost enough weight to return to the competition. And a few personality clashes add tension in the house before the players decide which contestant will go home this week. Alison Sweeney hosts the series, and trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince also star.
In this season of "no excuses," this week's challenge addresses the excuse "I can't lose weight on my own." Trainers Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince are suspended over water in a wild dunk tank-like challenge in which the red and black teams have to use their strength to keep a weight from landing their trainer in the pool. The losing team has to do without their trainer all week until the last chance workout. Once the losing team is determine, one contestant admirably steps up to lead their group while their trainer is away, with none of them aware that he is secretly watching how they do in his absence. Later, a very heated elimination sends another player home after a tense weigh-in to see how both teams did this week.
Two players visit home with their trainers in tow, and their weights alone count at the weigh-in. Elsewhere, the teams compete in an obstacle course in order to receive letters from loved ones for Valentine\'s Day; the players at the ranch must fend for themselves, though one contestant turns to nutritionist Rachel Beller for help preparing a special meal.
A temptation-challenge winner reorganizes the teams in an unpopular move that creates tension and suspicion among the players. Elsewhere, the teams race to assemble a large puzzle in order to win a special prize.
This week, the 11 remaining players put what they've learned to the test when they all go home for 18 days and are given the chance to gain immunity by losing 5% of their body weight. They'll also compete individually in a home rowing challenge that will earn the winner ,000 when they are revealed at the weigh-in. While some contestants struggle with being back in their home environments, others prove they can stay on track, especially with the support of family and friends.
This week, the age-old excuse "I'm stuck in my comfort zone" is addressed as contestants are pushed out of their comfort zones by switching trainers for the week. The red team works out with trainer Bob Harper, while the black team burns calories with trainer Dolvett Quince. And one trainer gets out of his own comfort zone by trying ballet with his female contestants! Also, the teams get down and dirty in a 70-foot wide mud pit, filled with various weight plates they have to find in a messy challenge that will give one team a big advantage.
This week, the game goes to singles for the nine remaining contestants, so everyone returns to their original team colors. Their first challenge as individuals is a tug-of-war competition on the ice with a Yankee Swap prize system that will give one lucky contestant a shopping spree with singer, actress and fashion designer Jessica Simpson! One trainer helps a contestant tackle her fear of heights, and then the tables are turned when one contestant tries coaching their trainer. Later, a tough elimination sends another player packing.
The eight remaining contestants head to the tropical paradise of Hawaii for an action-packed week that will address the excuse \"I can\'t lose weight on vacation.\" After being warmly welcomed to Oahu with a luau, the players compete in a trivia challenge that awards the winner a cash prize which can be spent on a menu of items. Next it\'s off to the breathtaking Kualoa Ranch where \"Jurassic Park\" was filmed and there the contestants race through a challenge involving tikis and leis for the coveted prize of immunity.
To address the excuse "exercise is boring," trainer Dolvett Quince spices things up by taking contestants to a Zumba class, and trainer Bob Harper takes the players mountain biking. In this week's pop challenge, the seven remaining contestants try to load boxes of food on to seven trucks, with the contestant who finishes first getting the chance to pay it forward by donating the products to their hometown food bank. Then a cooking challenge, that begins at the market and ends at the ranch, finds the contestants racing against time to whip up a healthy, tasty and creative dish.
The eagerly-anticipated makeover episode is here, and this season, it\'s bigger than ever! After the six remaining players compete in a challenge by shattering glass pane images of their former selves from week one on the ranch, the makeover fun begins. Fashion expert Jeannie Mai helps each contestant find stylish new clothes to flatter their slimmer selves, but first she shares a very big surprise - a special video message from First Lady Michelle Obama inviting the players to come to the White House!
Michelle Obama discusses health and fitness with the six remaining players and meets with their families. She also joins the gang for a workout at the White House. Elsewhere, Bob counsels a player who turns to food for comfort; and Dolvett leads a last-chance workout in front of the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.
This week, a surprising turn of events shakes up the competition, and the contestants compete in a rough and wild short version of a "Tough Mudder" competition. But they won't be doing it alone - with them will be the show's three most recent winners John Rhode, Olivia Ward and Patrick House. Host Alison Sweeney helps motivate the remaining contestants by telling them the player with the highest percentage of weight loss at the weigh-in will win a Ford Escape SUV.
The stakes are higher than ever when all the eliminated contestants return to the ranch to compete in a fateful, four-part challenge. The challenge winner will secure a coveted spot as a finalist, and the chance to compete for the 0,000 grand prize, along with the other two finalists revealed in last week's episode. It's a fight to the finish with each player fiercely determined to get back in the game in a competition that will put their speed, knowledge and endurance to the ultimate test. In the end, the third finalist of season 13 will be revealed.
The contestants from this season return for a special reunion and a chance to weigh in one last time - and show America how much weight they've all lost since beginning their weight-loss journeys. Those who have been eliminated will compete for the 0,000 "at home" prize. Then it's the moment viewers have been waiting for, when one of the three finalists will be named this season's "Biggest Loser" and win the coveted grand prize of 0,000!
