(S09E09) This was a very emotional week for the contestants. Remember when O'Neal thought Sunshine had been eliminated, and the producers made him wait until the last possible moment to see that she was still there? They were at it again this week with Daris, only the news wasn't so good. Why they can't just let the first person in say, "Sorry, bud," and put him out of his misery, I don't know.

Actually, I do. It's good for ratings. Also good for ratings is a sexy chef, which is why they brought Curtis Stone back for a food-themed week. Even the blatant product placement in-show commercials were food-based, covering avocados, milk and a silent shout-out to Subway.

There were two challenges this week, and I'm going to go ahead and spoil right here that the black team finally won a challenge, though I won't tell you which one -- or if it was both. It was a much needed boost of confidence for the team, coming off of that brutal weigh-in loss last week on top of all those challenge losses.

(S09E07) With Olympic fever finally over, we can get back to the real competition on NBC prime time: the one involving weight loss. 'The Biggest Loser' returned, dropping us right back to the last new episode, the competition between Darrell and Cheryl to stay on the Ranch.

From there, we get one of the nastier temptation challenges with the highest stakes yet. The winner of the challenge would get to divide the remaining contestants into the Blue and Black teams, as well as assigning Immunity to one player. They could even choose themselves for that latter position.

To say the winner's selections were interesting would be one of the bigger understatements of the year. Thankfully, this person was able at least to secure their own position on the Ranch into the next week, because there's no guarantee anyone else would have done so.

(S09E05) This was the week the Blue and Yellow teams have been waiting for. After four weeks at home, working out without their trainers, both teams were back on campus to see which would be allowed the chance to return to the show. It came down to which pair had the highest percentage of weight loss.

But before they got on the scales, Bob and Jillian treated them to their first -- and for one of them, their last -- "Last Chance Workout." I couldn't help but feel for the team that was going to be heading home again. Twice they'd come to the Ranch to participate in 'The Biggest Loser,' and twice they'd come up short. At least they still had the chance at that "At Home" prize.

This week also saw Alison handing out immunities like they were going out of style, as well as a two-pound penalty to the team to finish the week's challenge last. I'm a huge proponent of this element being added, as it keeps the incentive on the contestants to give it their all until the finish.

To start the new season, the 11 teams were told that they would have to participate in their first weigh-ins at home, in public, in front of their friends and families.

Upon their arrival at the Ranch, the first challenge began. Teams had to pedal a combined 26.2 miles (the length of a marathon) on stationary bicycles. The last two teams to finish would not even make the journey to the house, and were told that they would be going home. It was Yellow and Blue, but they learned they weren't through yet. They had 30 days at home, and then they would face off against one another back on campus. The team with the highest percentage of weight loss would be allowed back in the game.

At the first weigh-in, it was the self-proclaimed "half-ton twins" who slipped below the yellow line. While both tried to sacrifice themselves for the other, it was James' knee injury that was considered, and he went home.

I haven't watched this season of Hell's Kitchen since the second episode. But I have them all recorded just in case I wanted to get back into it and maybe I'll take one of these weekend days and do a marathon. Of course, since I'm writing this post I already know who won, but it won't ruin the season for me. It's all about the journey (and a chef yelling at people).

So were you surprised by who won?

[Watch episodes and clips of Hell's Kitchen and other shows at SlashControl.]

(S08E05) It's been a lot of fun seeing Bob and Jillian working together to help everyone on the Ranch lose weight and become better people. It was a good idea to pair up these total strangers as teams of two, so that they could develop a personal support structure. Everyone was in a good and happy place, and things were moving along.

Everyone except for Tracey. It is amazing how soundly she is despised in this game by nearly everyone there.

But still ... one big happy family, right? Wrong! This week everything we thought we knew about this season was thrown out the window, and once again a single contestant was given ultimate power in how the new face of The Biggest Loser would play out. At least until they change it again.

I was really enjoying this season of The Biggest Loser. The addition of the "Couples" formula created a built-in connection for the contestants and established a bigger one with me as well. There was something special about rooting for these friends and family members to go for it together. The show was inspirational and generally uplifting, unlike most reality competition shows. These guys knew they were there for a much bigger and more important reason than the money.

Then, a few weeks ago, all that got kind of tossed out the window when the pairs were thrown into two competing groups, even splitting up father and son duo Ron and Mike. Suddenly everybody got really intense and competitive and got their "game" on. Filipe summed it up pretty well this week saying that when he was training with Bob he was thinking about his family and his reasons for wanting to lose weight and be on the show. Now that he's on Jillian's team he thinks about the game. And this week it all went so wrong.

This week on The Biggest Loser, Alison switched things up turning this from a "couples" game into a "team" game. In an effort to balance the playing field again, the ten remaining contestants were being split into two teams, determined by the flip of a coin. What this meant was that the chance existed that one team may be split up. There were two contestants, Dane and Helen, who'd already lost their partners, so teams could have stayed intact but it was unlikely.

Ultimately, of all the teams there was one that absolutely needed to stay together. I've been a big fan of the Brown Team for a few weeks now. We've gotten to watch some pretty touching moments between Ron and son Mike, and Mike has proven himself to be a genuinely decent kid. However, Ron has really been struggling to hold his own. Their trainer Bob even told Mike point blank that he was going to need to carry his father through the weigh-ins. If ever there was a team that needed one another, it was the Brown Team.

(S05E01) "Who cooked the diapers?" - Chef Ramsay

So, another year, another group of supposed chefs, battling to see who gets $250,000 and a position at a top restaurant. This season it's the head chef position at the Borgata in Atlantic City. First off, can we talk about the names of some of the contestants this season? The players this season include J, LA, Ji, and Coi.

J? LA? Ji? Coi? Those aren't even names, they're Scrabble words. Luckily, we have a Charlie, a Ben, and a Danny to balance things out.

This season, we don't get to know the contestants before they arrive at Hell's Kitchen (except for a scene of the contestants being picked from the group of finalists). There's no video of them making the trip to L.A. and no disguises by Chef Ramsay to infiltrate the group. After a roundup of the previous seasons (and a big preview of this season), we get a promise that this is going to be the best season of the show ever (I think they say that every year) and go right into this season's action with the cooking of the signature dishes.

(S02E04) Finally! Chef Gordon Ramsay says what I - and most of America, I'm sure - have been saying since the first episode: these contestants aren't chefs, they're just a bunch of fast food cooks, and none of them are fit to run a multi-million dollar restaurant at a billion dollar hotel. Yes! One of the truer moments in reality TV show history.

This week the teams not only have to get through their fourth service, but also have to make lunch for the first time - for several screaming, hyper kids.

(S02E01/S02E02) As the second season of this reality show begins and the players are introduced, I'm really not sure who the hell deserves a multi-million dollar restaurant at a billion dollar Las Vegas resort (Red Rock). Seriously, which of these people would you entrust that kitchen to? Maybe Heather? The others don't really impress.

Here's the rundown on the other contestants and the first meals they make for chef Gordon Ramsay: