Biggest Loser: It is finished.

You know life must be crazy when I tell you that I completely forgot that tonight was the finale of this season of The Biggest Loser. Have no fear, however, my trusty DVR got it all for me.

The final four were Koli, Daris, Ashley and Michael, with the latter two guaranteed to be in the running for the money and the title of "The Biggest Loser." America voted between Koli and Daris to determine who should be the 3rd to compete for the money.

Daris has a girlfriend -- and it's not Ashley as some folks speculated. Her name is Heather and she's very cute. Koli was rocking the pink pants and looking more like a fashionista than a football coach.

I loved the special effects that had the "new" contestants walking next to their old selves. The difference was remarkable.

The winner of America's vote was Daris, which left Koli still eligible to win the at-home $100,000 prize.

Before they began weighing this season's contestants, they brought back Shay who started last season weighing in at 476. After last season's finale, Subway offered her $1,000 for every pound she's lost to encourage her to keep moving toward her healthier self. At the end of last season, she weighed 304 pounds.

Her current weight last night was 252, a loss of an additional 52 pounds, earning her $52,000 from Subway. Her big ol' check was presented by Jared the Subway guy. The check was blank because Subway offered that if Shay could finish a marathon with Jared, they would double her earnings to $104,000. And of course to help her, they're giving her free Subway breakfast sandwiches and subs. Hey Shay, wanna meet for lunch?

After Shay weighed in, the moved on to bringing out the voted off contestants and weighing them in. To be honest, I fast forwarded through most of the stories -- just show me the scale. Unfortunately, I didn't catch everyone's percentage of weight loss, but I did get the total pounds lost which was phenomenal.

Cherita - From 277 to 186 (-91)
Victoria - From 358 to 222 (-136)
Sherry - From 218 to 119 (-99, 45.41%)
Maria - From 281 to 167 (-114, 40.57%)
Patty - From 243 to 170 (-73, 30.04%)
Stephanie - From 264 to 165 (-99)
James - From 485 to 357 (-128, 26.39%)
John - From 484 to 335 (-149, 30.79%)
Melissa - From 233 to 143 (-90, 38.63%)
Lance - From 365 to 237 (-128, 35.07%)
Migdalia - From 265 to 213 (-52, 19.62%)
Miggy - From 240 to 149 (-91, 37.92%)
O'Neal - From 389 to 230 (-159, 40.87%)
Sunshine - From 275 to 161 (-114, 41.45%)
Darrell - From 413 to 224 (-189, 45.76%)
Drea - From 298 to 214 (-84, 28.19%)
Cheryl - From 227 to 151 (-76, 33.48%)
Sam - From 372 to 230 (-142,
Koli - From 403 to 188 (-215, 53.35%)

Melissa looked buff and healthy. Miggy looked happy. O'Neal looked like a totally new man. Darrell looked amazing. Cheryl looked beautiful. Sam looked like a stripper dressed as a policeman. Then there was Koli in the pink pants...

Of course, as the winner of $100,000, I guess he can wear whatever color pants he wants to.

Then it was time to bring out the final three. Michael got to choose the order of the weigh in, so he put them in age order.

When Daris weighed in, there was no trace of the old, fat Daris to be seen. He went from 365 to 178 (-168, 48.55%).

Ashley looked amazing, but that dress was not the most flattering. However, she went from 374 to 191 (-183, 48.93%) and should be (and admitted she is) incredibly proud.

Finally, Michael - WOW! H-O-T. HOT! But that belt buckle. must. go.

He very sweetly gave a rose to his mom, his "#1 inspiration and motivation." Amazingly, he went from 526 to 262 (-264, 50.19%) Did anyone else feel the sparks between Ashley and Michael? I'd like to see something happen between the two of them.

Ok -- my boss is hounding me to stop what I'm doing and pay attention to our meeting. The nerve...

Biggest Loser: Hang in with me HOWIE - The finals edition

Top 15 Moments of the Biggest Loser Finale

1. Danny won the Biggest Loser! He started on the ranch weighing 430 and lost 239 pounds for a total percentage of weight loss of 55.58%!
   
   **** The rest of these occurred chronologically from the beginning of the show to the end.****
   
   
2. The side-by-side walking of the then and now. Pretty cool effect.
   
3. Liz looked great - healthy and happy (but, see #2 in the worst list below)
4. Julio -- now he's one HOT tamale!
   
5. Jillian looking Fergie-licious (ok, that one was contributed by my husband)
6. Replays of Jillian's "encouragement" of Julio at the ranch: "There's no crying with tractor tires...Every time you lay down, I'm going to think "dead father."
7. Abby. "There is always hope." 'Nuf said.
   
8. Dina - My biggest obstacle to conquering that box was fear. Boy, can I relate.
   
9. Shay looks beautiful. She certainly has more work to do, but she is striking. And statistically speaking, she's added 13 years to her life!
   
10. Rebecca and Tracey both looking amazingly toned and fit.
11. Shay invited back Season 9's finale - for every pound she loses, Subway will pay her $1,ooo! She could earn $100,000!
    
12. Antoine proposing to Alexandra. Predictable, but sweet nonetheless. "I've accomplished the impossible in my life because I had you by my side."
13. Rudy BROUGHT it!
    
14. Danny's ear-to-ear, brilliant smile - he looks fabulously amazing!
15. Danny talking about what an inspiration Rudy was to him. I could see the mutual admiration.
    

Worst Moments of the Biggest Loser Finale

1. Amanda getting picked. It's ageism, I tell you. Or stupid men mesmerized by long, blonde hair and boobs.
2. Liz may have done a great job at weight loss, but she needs a better bra!
   
3. That purple monstrosity of a dress that Tracey was wearing.
4. Rebecca lost a ton of weight -- and her common sense. Where are your pants and what's up with that hair, girl?
   
5. Dr. H's hair. Can you say mullet-ish? Nothing new, but next season maybe they should include him in the makeover episode.
6. "America chose me." Everytime I heard that tonight, it was like fingernails on a chalk board."
7. Nine at-home players had higher percentages of weight loss than Amanda, who was in the finals.
   
8. Only the Biggest Loser gets a cash prize. I think the top 1 and 2 from the ranch and the top 1 and 2 at home should get some green.
   

The Stats
Alexandra - 309 to 218 (-91, 29.45%)
Antoine - 367 to 215 (-152, 41.42%)
Sean - 444 to 289 (-155, 34.91%)
Julio - 407 to 227 (-180, 44.23%)
Coach Mo - 355 to 263 (-92, 25.92%)
Dina - 253 to 174 (-79, 31.23%)
Abby - 247 to 147 (-100, 40.49%)
Tracey - 250 to 132 (-118, 47.20%)
Shay - 476 to 304 (-176, 36.13%)
Daniel - 312 to 201 (-111, 35. 58%) (from his highest of 454!)
Rebecca - 279 to 140 (-139, 49.82%)
Allen - 325 to 209 (-116, 35.69%)
Liz - 267 to 176 (-91, 34.08%)

The BIGGEST Loser Finalists:

Rudy - 442 to 208 (-234, 52.94%)
Danny - 430 to 191 (-239, 55.58%)
Amanda - 250 to 163 (-87, 34.80%)

Thanks for joining me for The Biggest Loser this season!

Biggest Loser finale: Surprise Ending

The finale of the Biggest Loser last night delivered a surprise ending -- a surprise especially to me because I fell asleep in the commercial break before the final weigh in, which is why I am finishing this blog at 4:30am.

Flying in and snatching certain victory from game dominator Tara was Helen, who clinched the win by losing 54.47% (140 pounds) of her total body weight.

In fact, with a 52.72% weight loss, Tara ended up coming in third place after both Helen and Mike, who lost 53.35% of his total body weight.

If it's any consolation, Tara looked healthier (read: better) than Helen. But Helen obviously worked her butt off (literally) and deserves the congratulations.

The competition between the eliminated players was handily won by 64-year-old Jerry who posted a 47.97% weight loss of 177 pounds.

Now that I've gotten the big news out of the way, I'll run down the show as it happened. (I wrote this as it happened, which is why it is written in present tense.)

Mike is the first up. He is crazy skinny. I think he must be burning 200 calories a minute just by smiling.

Ron's next. Holy smokes! I cannot believe how good he looks. But which one did America choose to be the 3rd finalist?

It's Mike! That's gonna make the race to the title pretty interesting. Mike, Tara & Helen. I'd like to say that it's between Tara and Mike, but I could see Helen sneaking in for the win. (ETA: Did I call that or what?!)

New vote: Two people vying for final spot on the next season. America gets to vote which one should be on the show. It's between Erinn, who is a senior at Ohio State, and Amanda, a 19-year-old from New Jersey. They look very similar, both in size and physical appearance -- pretty blondes. They are going to work out with Bob and Jillian during the show. Amanda looks tough in the workouts. Reminds me of Tara II. Seems like Erinn needs the help the most. But what do I know? Because Amanda was voted in as the final contestant on the next season of The Biggest Loser.

Estella and Jerry: They both look great, but definitely older. Annie thinks Jerry is dressed pretty sharply.

Damien and Nicole: He did ok. She is smokin'! When she walks down the aisle in August, her wedding dress will be a size 8.

Pound for Pound challenge. Please leave a comment if you participated -- and how much you've lost! Across the country, nearly 3 million pounds lost! Plus, if you pledge to pounds to lose this summer, General Mills will donate up to 1 million more pounds of food. Last chance pledges will be accepted through the end of this month.

Finally -- time to start weighing in...

Estella: SW: 242. CW: 159 (-83 pounds). 34.3% weight loss

Jerry: SW: 369. CW: 192 (-177 pounds) 47.97% weight loss

Damien: SW: 381. CW: 245 (-136 pounds) 35.7% weight loss

Nicole: SW: 269. CW: 146 (-123 pounds) 45.72% weight loss

Sione: Totally hot! SW: 372. CW: 226 (-146 pounds) 39.25% weight loss

Filipe: Needs some fashion advice. SW: 364. CW: 229 (-135 pounds) 37.09%

The newly buff Filipe and Sione did the Tongan dance again. It was awesome!

Carla: SW: 379. CW: 251 (-128 pounds) 33.77%

Joelle: Really looks beautiful. SW: 309. CW: 229 (-80 pounds) 25.89%

Blaine: SW: 365. CW: 249. (-116 pounds) 31.78%

Dane: SW: 412. CW: 258 (-154 pounds) 37.38%

In the three weeks before the finale, Blaine and Dane completed a 1/2 marathon, a full marathon, and a 1/2 iron man competition!

Mandie: SW: 263. CW: 171 (-92 pounds) 34.98%

Aubrey: SW: 249. CW: 194 (-55 pounds) 22.09% -- 11 pounds for each of her 5 kids! In the scheme of this game, 55 pounds doesn't seem like much, but I wouldn't turn it down if it came my way.

Cathy: SW: 293. CW: 198 (-95 pounds) 32.42% weight loss

Kristin: As a blonde! Not sure I like that so much. It reminds me of that crazy Susan Powter woman. SW: 360. CW: 193 (-167 pounds). 46.39%. She missed overtaking Jerry by just 5 pounds!

David: SW: 393. CW: 350 (-43) 10.94%.

Daniel: I love this guy. When he came out, he said "I can lose 100 pounds and I'm still obese. Then I can lose another 100 and 50 more if I gotta. The point is don't ever give up." SW: 454. CW: 312 (-142 pounds) 31.28%.

Laura: SW: 285. CW: 199 (-86 pounds). 30.18%

Jerry just needs to beat Shannon and Ron to win the $100,000. He's got Shannon, no problem. Ron...I'm not sure. As Jerry said, it comes down to the two old guys.

Shannon: SW: 283. CW: 191 (-92 pounds) 32.51% A lot of us felt like Helen should have let Shannon stay on the ranch when the choice was between the two of them. But Shannon has lost almost 100 pounds on her own, so kudos to her.

Ron: SW: 430. CW: 238 (-192 pounds)

Jerry wins the $100,000! To celebrate, he hoisted Jillian up in his arms. At age 64, he's the oldest competitor ever on The Biggest Loser!

Now on to the three finalists:
As I said earlier, Mike looks super skinny. Helen, well, she looks a kind of wrinkly, but skinny. Think she could have chosen a more tasteful dress. Then Tara, again with the ugly dress, but she looks amazing. If I had to guess, I'd say Mike's gonna take the prize. (ETA: Guess I wasn't so sure earlier...)

Tara chose the order of weight loss, based on percentage of weight lost on the ranch:

Helen: SW: 257. CW: 117 (-140 pounds) 54.47% Freakin' amazing!

Mike: SW: 388. CW: 181 (-207 pounds) 53.35%. Not enough to beat Helen, but close. He needed to lose another 5 pounds.

Tara looks like she knows that Helen has won it. She needs to lose more than 160 pounds. Did she do it?

Nope.

Tara: SW: 294. CW: 139 (-155 pounds) 52.72%

I know that Tara (and all of the contestants) have "won" by earning their lives, back. But I'd be lying if I said I was ok with the outcome. Helen beating Tara in the final weigh in was kind of like the New York Giants beating the then-unbeaten New England Patriots in the 2008 Super Bowl, except that I was happy with the Super Bowl outcome.