Well, Tracey came back! I’m still unsure as to why she needed to stay in the hospital for a week, when it looked like the cause was overwork and dehydration. And I was concerned for her to not be able to pull her weight, being restricted in her workouts. But, the good thing for her was that it was more like a “week 1″ weight loss. Since she hadn’t really done anything, focusing on eating better, and at least exercising in some form or another was enough to get her a good number. But she is one of the lighter women, and I do think if she can’t start exercising more, she won’t stay around for long.

And Julio, although people were concerned about him, was also in for a good week. In the real world, losing 13 lbs in a week is absolutely amazing. But, because he was over 400 lbs to begin with, he probably could have pulled a number in the 20′s. And because there’s not much drama happening yet, they have to focus on who’s working out the least… and then they put them in the spotlight. It wasn’t until everyone won the phone calls home that I actually started feeling bad for Julio. Honestly, not everyone is self-motivating. And most of these people have been significantly overweight for a LONG time. So, I can’t imagine that I would be a “Tara” if I were there. I think the true test is a few weeks in… when we find out who can keep working out strong once they’ve gotten into a habit.

So, if you didn’t watch the show, they were all given a proposition: If they, as one team, lost 150 lbs, no one would go home. But if they fell short, 2 would be sent home. They were lucky and won a couple challenges to lower the amount to 115 pounds. However, they didn’t need it! They ended up losing 155 lbs! That has to be a record for week 2. I’m guessing next week will be significantly lower.

I just want to comment about 2 things that bug me- about the show’s producing. First, I almost jumped out of my seat when they broke for a commercial, and tried to make the balance beam walk the biggest cliffhanger ever! I think someone yelled “ABBY!!” Seriously, it actually scared me at how dramatic they made it. And, then it ended up being nothing… of course! (Side note: having been a gymnast, and having pretty good balance, I’ve always thought those would be the easiest challenges. However, if I were 200-300 pounds overweight, I can’t imagine how difficult it would be!) And secondly, it was a little anticlimactic for me by the end, since there was only 10-15 minutes left in the episode, and they were still weighing in. (Yes, I analyze these things too much.) But I knew at that point no one would go home because of how late they started the weigh-in. Lame…

Anyway, as the show gets going, I’m definitely finding that I like some people more than others. Personality, work ethic, family life, etc. So, over the next few weeks, I’ll let you know who I’m rooting for. Have you picked any favorites yet?