The Biggest Loser: Suze Orman and the Obesity Money Pit

Week 11 at "The Biggest Loser" was swimming in sweat as five players attempted to burn off record weight to avoid the last player-controlled elimination. But first, Suze Orman stormed the ranch to teach America why obesity is a major financial drain. Find out why obesity is a rip-off, listen to an NFL Hall of Famer's advice and reflect upon the final five's heartfelt insights on their warm and fuzzy road to thin. Other than early cursing and Week 10's spat between Rudy and Rebecca, Season 8 feels more like The Waltons -- minus the country gravy.

Did Rudy Tell the Truth? When Jillian Michaels confronted the clan about Rebecca being voted off because she was the biggest threat, Rudy didn't budge. He held firm to his claim that it was a lack of trust that sent her home. The real question is will America buy it if Rudy's ever lands in the yellow hot seat? It's probably irrelevant -- he's Season 8's biggest loser to date. And no worries about Rebecca, she's kissing Daniel Wright.

Suze Says Obesity Steals Your Money. You might be wondering what financial wizard Suze Orman has to do with Biggest Loser weight loss. In a creative treadmill trivia contest for cash, contestants discovered obesity is a money pit. For every correct answer, contestants earned $1,000, while wrong answers upped the speed and incline.

Take a spin with these trivia questions, then make a date with a spinning class:

• Research shows obese employees earn less than their fellow workers. On average, how much less do obese employees make than peers in one year? $700, $7,000 or $17,000? Cha-ching to you if you answered B like all the contestants.
• If a family of four swapped one meal at a restaurant for one meal at home every day for a year, how much money would they save? $876 $8,760 or $18,760? Answer is $8,760. Orman says if you eat at home one meal a day, beyond the cost of food, you're saving $24 a day. A healthy cooking class is a great investment.
• Approximately how much do Americans spend on gastric bypass surgery annually? $44 million, $440 million or $4.4 billion? Wow, it's 4.4 billion. Orman says 220,000 people get gastric bypass surgery a year at an approximate cost of $20,000 per surgery. Don't forget the risky complications, too. Another wallet sucker, Americans spend $147 billion on obesity-related health issues each year. Orman says Americans spend $57 billion dollars more annually on obesity than cancer. She pointed out the O-word should scare you as much or more than the C-word.
• How much moola will you save over the next 40 years if you depart obesity and maintain your ideal weight? $10,000, $100,000 or $1,000,000? With all these billions floating around, that one is easy. You'll have $1,000,000 more for retirement, and most likely a longer and more fruitful life.

Financial Control is Weight Control. Orman says focus on your finances for less anxiety and more power to exercise healthier choices. Allen, Liz, Rudy and Danny won $4,000 each, while Amanda took home $3,000. Plenty of prize money to fuel them for the finale. If the green stuff motivates you, perhaps Orman's wisdom is the final push you need. No wonder Suze is waving her finger around Biggest Loser, she knows a good investment when she sees one. See unseen one-on-one footage of Orman's chats with Biggest Losers on her show this Saturday.

Warm Fuzzy Feelings. In one feel-the-love moment after another, the final five kept saying that weight is off for good. Reality TV is nothing like the reality of home, but "The Biggest Loser" undeniably boasts a growing flock of thin former contestants. If the thought of diet failure is holding you back, check out NBC's "The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now" special on tonight at 8/7c. Looks like Mike's brother Max from Season 7 is losing big.

NFL Challenge. Season 8 continued the challenge tradition of contestants lugging their weekly weight losses around, this time for an NFL prize. Hall of Famer Rod Woodson sprinted onto the challenge field to deliver the message, "What you believe you are or what you're going to become, you can become." Allen left it all on the field and beat Rudy for Pro Bowl tickets and athletic equipment for his daughter's school. Danny felt like the true winner -- he can now sprint onto the field when he returns home as coach of his son's football team. Before he could only walk through the tunnel.

Ratchet Back Your Workout For Perspective. Didn't you love Bob and Jillian training contestants with Week 1 cardio and weights? The final five flip up Week 1 barbells like toothpicks. Trying a workout from your early fitness days is a great way to reflect on how far you've come.

Don't-Miss Trainer Gems
Jillian stressed the importance of a healthy cereal. No one could miss the Multigrain Cheerios product placement, but still, the message is a good one. Are you pouring milk over a bowl of sugar every morning or whole grains? Toss sugar cereals now.

Positive change begins with the choices you make every day, Bob and Jillian said. Like water. Drink it throughout the day.

At final weigh-in, Danny nailed a new record for consecutive weeks of double-digit weight loss after dropping 16 pounds. Rudy lost 12 and Amanda squeaked above yellow by losing 7. That left Allen and Liz floundering for votes. Swing-vote Amanda sent Allen home, claiming even though Liz is the greater threat, she respected their friendship and welcomed the competition. Was this a play to put America in her corner or a vote from her conscience? Remember, there's $250,000 yet to be awarded. Allen is a rock-hard firefighter, losing 10 more pounds at home. He also inspired 275 gym-goers to enter a Biggest Loser competition resulting in 2,368 pounds lost in six weeks -- that's nearly nine pounds per person. See you next week as America's vote will help determine the finale three.

The financial burden of obesity is real. Check out these obesity-related expenses over at AOL Health.