I just read the same thing on the NBC/Biggest Loser boards. Someone posted a link to
Can't comment as to how accurate the info in the article is, but it does make sense on several levels.
Resist the urge to feel bad for Tara Costa, Ali Vincent and Sam Poueu, whose return to "The Biggest Loser" ranch on Tuesday night was overshadowed by the biggest controversy in show history.
Rulon Gardner, The Former Olympic Gold Medalist Who Almost Died In Like Six Different Catastrophes, casts a pretty humongous shadow. Even when he's not going "totally rogue" and walking off the ranch and out of the game, as he did during the Week 17 weigh-in.
Side note to the makers of NBC's episode promo: Yes, the walk-off was who we thought. It was exactly who we thought. Also, we know Rulon didn't really leave by choice. We know, from talking to several reliable and knowledgeable sources, that he was disqualified for repeatedly breaking show rules.
But back to Tara, Ali and Sam for a sec. They're reality TV success stories. They made it out of that nutty world as healthier, happier people and are doing fine without the attention and the spotlight.
The same can't be said for Rulon.
Not right now, anyway. Right now, he's a reality-show cautionary tale who appears to have let life on "The Biggest Loser" eat him up.
Quick recap, in case you missed the episode, or the episode promos I mentioned before -- they said, "For the first time in show history, someone walks off the ranch...And it's not who you think." Rulon got up on the scale at the weigh-in and made a declaration:
"This is my last time on the scale. I'm asking to leave 'The Biggest Loser' for personal reasons."
And then he walked.
That touched off shock waves in the gym, as the trainers and contestants looked at each other, wondering (in the immortal words of Courtney), "What is happening now?"
What happened, in the end, is that a second contestant fell below the yellow line and had to go home. That was Kaylee, who missed getting a frizz-taming makeover from Tim Gunn and Ken Paves by one week. (Irene also fell below the line, but she only got one vote to Kaylee's two.)
Like I said before, very reliable sources have told me Rulon did not leave by choice. One source explained it as, he didn't think the rules applied to him, and he could sneak off the ranch and hide cell phones -- and yes, eat chips in his room -- at will, while his competitors remained isolated and stuck to the program. Biggest Loser contestants are forbidden to leave the ranch or use cell phones or have contact with their families. That's why challenge prizes are calls to and videos from home.
So we can certainly feel bad for the other above-board contestants who had to go home while Rulon stayed and messed around -- but only for a little while. Because folks like Marci and Courtney, Jen, Ken, Arthur, Moses, Justin, all the way back to Q and Larialmy, they're OK. They're going to be fine. They've more or less got it together. To what extent? Well, we'll see when the finale rolls around on May 24.
Don't feel bad for Kaylee. Not only did she want to go home for quite some time, but she left after gaining weight for the second time in three weeks. Also, after leaving, she found her first boyfriend (and it's VANCE, from the short-lived White team! As my Twitter friend @biggestloserlvr put it, THAT was the shock of the episode!)
We can feel bad for the Season 11 hopefuls who presumably didn't make the cut because the casting folks chose the Rulon/Justin team. That's valid. But Rulon is a famous former athlete, and this is a TV show that needs ratings to survive -- realistically, you can't blame them for making that choice.
In a way, I think we should feel bad for Rulon, because while he might be an Olympic champ who owns a gym and still let himself get to over 400 pounds (thus, not sympathetic), he seems to be a complete mess mentally. I can identify with his food issues -- most of us can -- as well as his need to find himself after losing his athletic career. The way his stint on "The Biggest Loser" ended, after all the hype and hoopla it started with, cannot be helping the situation.
At the same time, he's an adult who can choose to change and choose to take full advantage of "The Biggest Loser" opportunity. He chose not to, and he needs to be held accountable for that.
We said earlier that we saw this coming, and we did, based on Rulon's strange behavior throughout the season and what we heard from off-the-record and on-the-record sources (see Ken's exit interview). Well, it turns out the show's producers saw it coming, too.
The well-respected Sports Illustrated columnist Joe Posnanski wrote a column about Rulon earlier this season in which he revealed: "At first the show's producers were skeptical of Gardner's commitment to losing weight; after all, he had his own gym and he wasn't using it. They put him through 2½ months of interviews and auditions, alone and with other hopefuls. At one point Gardner was ready to walk away. But, in the end, the producers took him on."
Wow. They knew they were making a risky move, and it ended up backfiring. That's not their fault. It's Rulon's. He was given a chance of a lifetime, despite his obvious issues, and he couldn't or wasn't willing to get it together.
Like I said before, his is a cautionary tale. Those who would go on a reality show to change their lives had better commit to the process 100 percent -- or they might not change anything. They could end up worse off than when they started.
Finally, there's some concern out there that the Rulon controversy will ruin Season 11's mojo. Olivia tweeted Tuesday, "Please don't let tonight's @biggestlosernbc #BL11Shocker out-WEIGH the REAL value that is #BL11 #justsayin."
No worries, O. All this does, for me, is prove that reality shows aren't for everyone. You've got to be really strong and resilient and, again, committed, to handle the experience. And this season has too many of those strong people -- the author of the above tweet, for one -- to let one wayward contestant damage the season's overall legacy.
Especially when Makeover Week is coming next week, and the final 5 are all going to look so gorgeous that we'll forget Rulon ever existed.
But you can take the poll at left and make your voi...ugh, no, I am NOT using that word..your opinion heard.
Obviously, I'm going to forgo the traditional recap this week and just give you the numbers. I don't know about you, but I feel like I've contemplated this issue enough for one, maybe two, lifetimes.
WEIGH-IN: Irene lost 3 (157 to 154) to bring her total to 101 and become the first female in Season 11 to drop more than 100 pounds on the ranch; Olivia lost 6 (168 to 162); Hannah lost 5 (161 to 156); Jay lost 7 (265 to 258); Austin lost 7 (250 to 243); and Kaylee gained 2 pounds (163 to 165).
They did not reveal Rulon's weight loss.
And I'm pretty sure nobody minds.
She gained weight and went home. 
Looks like one of the girls goes blonde, three girls and two guys left.
in case people hadn't watched it yet.
I am so suprised by Rulon and his leaving....it seems since Justin left he has had a hard time focusing.....I really liked him in the beginning and would have liked to see his progress at finale. I have to admit Courtney was my favorite and I am hoping for her to win the at home prize (sorry don't know lingo I just started watching this season and I am hooked!)
