'The Biggest Loser' recap: The True Prize

Right in the middle of a Subway infomercial — ''They give you all the nutrition information right here!'' — Shay suffered a mini-breakdown. In tears, she told her friends what she had realized by participating in The Biggest Loser: ''You have to do this for you, and no one else.''

She says that every week. It used to sound inspiring. I'm not so sure anymore. More than ever, Shay is using her difficult past as an excuse for her actions in the show. (By comparison, as several commenters have noted, Abby almost never mentions her own private tragedies.) Maybe because she's the Biggest Biggest Loser ever, Shay seems to feel that it's her divine right to be on the show. And she knows that everyone else thinks so, too. Who'd want to kick out Shay?

I think I made a big mistake with Daniel. I assumed all along that he was a devious gameplayer imitating a peppy mascot, a wolf in sheep's clothing. I was wrong. I underestimated him. Daniel isn't some minor schemer. He's actually a supervillain.

Jillian had noticed something strange: ''His numbers have been the weakest. There's something he's not telling me.'' She decided to completely break him down emotionally and physically until he was left crying on an elliptical machine. There followed a sad origin story: Daniel's mother always tried to get him to lose weight, which made Daniel feel inadequate, which made him gain weight, which started the whole vicious cycle again.

This was a humanizing moment for Daniel, a competitor who's been little more than a wink and a smile so far this season. And I think it spoke volumes about his genius, and his tragedy. He badly wants to lose weight. We know that he's a rabid fan of The Biggest Loser. He believes that the best way to lose weight is to stay on The Biggest Loser. So, he's doing everything he can to stay on the show, picking the instant cast favorite as his partner, maneuvering behind the scenes to control elimination rounds. In the process, though, he may actually be sacrificing his own weight loss; quite a few commenters have mentioned that people who play the game end up not losing as much weight.

I think that last night's weigh-in proved that to be true. The Blue team posted good, not-great numbers (except Rudy, who has lost 87 pounds in six weeks.) The Black team posted surprisingly okay numbers (especially Danny: 15 pounds!). But Daniel gained a pound, a big old Plus One. Jillian gave Daniel a brusque Klingon farewell, clearly thinking she'd seen the last of him for the second time. I thought so, too.

The Black Team sat down to caucus, and Dina broke down crying. I thought she might pull a Coach Mo sword-fall maneuver and say that she wanted to go home to her family. But just the opposite: ''I'm so scared to go home. It was so hard for me there.'' Let's run this down. We all knew that there was no way Shay would vote for her Orange teammate. And Amanda was on Team Pink, which was basically controlled by Team Orange. So when Danny and Dina both voted for Daniel, I expected a tie. But Abby, out of nowhere, voted for the person who was ''like family to me'' — Dina.

What? Just? Happened? Why would Abby vote for Dina, a consistent competitor, over Daniel, who zig-zags back and forth (on odd weeks, he's lost 29 pounds total; on even weeks, he's lost a mere 6)? Abby said some kind words about how Dina could keep going at home, but it all seemed pretty heartless, so soon after Dina literally broke down crying. Any theories, viewers? Am I alone in thinking that Daniel and his secret alliance got to Abby? And does that mean that Danny, dear sweet Danny, better keep winning immunity, or else?

And what were your favorite moments of the episode, everybody? Who had the best at-home wardrobe? Was Dina's son the coolest kid ever, or what? Do you think Rudy will make 100 pounds next week?