The Biggest Loser: Season 8 (2009)

Sixteen contestants begin their weight-loss journeys in the premiere of Season 8, which is themed "second chances." Dr. Huizenga provides a health assessment for the players, including a military wife, a firefighter and the heaviest contestant in the show's history.

Chef Curtis Stone teaches the players how to make healthy meals during a kitchen boot camp. The instructions follow Ali's news that if the contestants have big losses during Week 2, no one will be sent home. Also: a balance challenge.

The players have a chance to win an advantage at the weigh-in, but it'll cost them time with Bob and Jillian. Later, the contestants have their first temptation; a player sustains an injury; and an incline challenge tests the group's stamina.

The kitchen on the ranch closes for the week, forcing the contestants to learn how to make healthy choices at restaurants. Also: A medical condition sidelines a contestant; a calorie quiz nets the winning team a big prize; and the players compete in an endurance challenge.

The contestants are divided into two teams, with a challenge winner making the team picks. The move prompts anxiety in some players, who worry about being separated from their partners. Later, a challenge requires teamwork; and a contestant gives another player a gift.

The teams hunt for buried treasure on the beach in hopes of winning a trip home to visit loved ones. But when members of the winning team are home, some struggle to continue making healthy choices. The team back at the ranch, however, focuses on losing weight and making the most of the time alone on campus. Also: The players work at a food bank; a contestant has a breakthrough.

Derek Jeter leads a baseball challenge in which the winner receives a healthy Mediterranean meal cooked by chef Curtis Stone. Also: the players compete directly with a member of the other team during the weigh-in; and a contestant breaks a show record.

The contestants, now competing individually, go to Washington, D.C., for a series of challenges. Included: a large-scale public workout with other volunteers at the Washington Monument; a meeting with members of Congress to discuss health education; a trip to the White House, where the players prepare a salad using ingredients from the garden; and a weigh-in by the Lincoln Memorial steps.

The players learn that two contestants will be eliminated at the next weigh-in, causing tension to soar within the group. Also: The contestants participate in a circus-themed challenge in which the winner receives immunity at the weigh-in; Bob conducts a last-chance workout using a trapeze while Jillian waits to lead a second round of exercise at the ranch.