Ken Andrews

Two new trainers and a compelling new twist deliver a game-changing season like nothing viewers have seen before when season 11 premieres with twenty-two contestants -- eleven family and friend teams of two. After the first challenge, contestants are given the unprecedented opportunity to choose whether to work out with trainers Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels at the ranch - or work out at a secret location with two unknown trainers and get four weeks of immunity. What ensues is a riveting ride of intense emotions, surprising turns and "can't miss" moments as the two groups fight their weight loss battles separately with two sets of trainers equally committed to giving these players a new lease on a healthier life. The contestants include an Olympic gold medalist, identical twin policemen, a pastor who wants to spare his overweight son from the challenges he faced because of obesity, and a woman who has lost pregnancies because of her weight and wants more than anything to be a mother. Alison Sweeney hosts the series.

The nine remaining contestants arrive in New Zealand and embark on the adventure of a lifetime, starting with a visit to Sky Harbor, a popular tourist attraction known for its breathtaking views. Awaiting them are 51 flights of stairs to climb followed by the adrenaline rush of sky-jumping for contestants and trainers. Then it's on to a 5K challenge New Zealand-style, with the winning team getting an unforgettable helicopter ride to gorgeous Waiheke Island. The trainers take contestants to the Auckland Fish Market, where they talk about eating healthy while travelling abroad, and Jillian has a lively lobster encounter. Later, the contestants charter an American Cup racing boat to sail around Auckland Harbor, and one player with a special connection to New Zealand gets a very generous gift. Alison Sweeney hosts the series, and trainers Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel also star.

This week kicks off with host Alison Sweeney issuing a challenge to the ranch-based contestants: if they have a higher percentage of weight loss than the "unknowns" -- the contestants working out with the two new mystery trainers -- they'll all have immunity this week. The "unknowns" fuel the competitive spirit by delivering messages and surprises to the contestants at the ranch reminding them just how tough their competition really is. Then Dr. Huizenga gives sobering news to contestants about their health risks and their real ages vs. their chronological ages, but this time, loved ones from home are involved to really help drive the message home. Later, the ranch contestants' ability to work together as a team is tested when they try to beat the time of the unknowns in a wild bridge-building challenge using rafts. Then a tense weigh-in reveals whether the ranch contestants are safe from elimination, or whether they'll be sending another player home.

The two teams of contestants are all tied up this week -- literally -- in a rope challenge in which teamwork will determine which group of players will get to use the gym this week, and which team will have to be creative and find other places at the ranch to work out. One trainer moves into the house to try and get a contestant to open up, and later, one team wins the chance to block someone's weight on the scale at a wild physical and mental challenge that finds them pushing a train 800 feet while answering food fact questions along the way. Then one player reaches a milestone at the weigh-in before another contestant is eliminated and sent home. Alison Sweeney is the host, and Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel are the trainers.

This week kicks off with a pop challenge in which contestants have to estimate the length of a mile. The winning team gets a night out on the town, Hollywood style, while the other players have to stay behind and clean the ranch. Later, the teams race to light up a "Biggest Loser" board in a challenge that gives a stiff penalty for the losing team -- no votes at the elimination. Then one trainer gets shocking news at the weigh-in, and after an emotional elimination, host Alison Sweeney delivers some very exciting news to the contestants. Trainers Bob Harper, Jillian Michaels, Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel also star.

The contestants are excited to hear from host Alison Sweeney that they will all be going home for two weeks. Each player returns home to emotional reunions with friends and family, after which they navigate the challenges of being back in their real lives, facing the same temptations that brought them to the ranch and realizing all of the things they are capable of doing now that they couldn't do before. When they come back to the ranch, they'll compete in a 5K challenge on a treadmill just as they did in the first episode of the season, but this time, they're going to run the 5K all by themselves. And just as before, each will pick who they want to train them -- Bob Harper and Jillian Michaels or Cara Castronuova and Brett Hoebel -- in the order in which they finish the challenge. Then a few contestants reach milestones at the weigh-in, after which another player is sent packing.