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Last time on "The Biggest Loser" (3-minute recap):

The contenders started this week with a different form of exercise: a quiz challenge. Members of either team faced off against each other answering health and nutrition-related questions in pursuit of winning a gourmet dinner and spa treatments at a luxury hotel. For the losing team, the night would be filled with kitchen and gym cleaning detail. Team blue started off strong, as the black team members didn't ring in in time or answered incorrectly (as was the case with local hopeful Andrea, who missed a question about omega 3 fatty acid). Team black managed to tie the score, but blue ultimately prevailed.

As team black channeled their inner Cinderellas, team blue enjoyed their high-class prize. Losing the challenge was a particular disappointment to Ashley, who works at a spa in her life outside of the show. Teammate Sam, who did his best to psych up his all-female teammates last week (this week down to Andrea, plus Ashley, Stephanie and Sherry), reminded them this week that they're strong and hardworking. If only pep talks had the restorative properties of spa treatments and gourmet food. Back with team blue, the members enjoyed relaxing massages and healthy fine-dining fare.

Entering a cooking challenge, team blue's Michael momentarily stepped away from the competition to attend to a family emergency. The remaining contenders focused on creating a nutritious, tasty meal (appetizer, main course, dessert) using only 12 ingredients. No challenge comes without a twist, and this one's was a doozy: once a team selected an ingredient, it was not available to the other team or for use in more than 1 dish. The teams alternated choosing ingredients and had 30 minutes to put everything together. At stake was a 5-pound advantage at the weigh-in.

• Team black menu: shrimp ceviche w/ red pepper, onion & lemon; salmon w/ wild rice & broccolini; goat cheese & pears w/ strawberry drizzle

• Team blue menu: spinach salad w/ feta, pomegranate & balsamic vinaigrette; pork tenderloin w/ cauliflower; raspberries w/ dark chocolate drizzle

Appetizer victory went to team black, whose ceviche was flavorful and much lower in calories than blue's offering. Vice-versa for the main course, in which team blue's pork struck the healthy-tasty balance. Coming down to dessert, team blue's chocolate-drizzled raspberries hit the right marks, but lacked originality (during a cooking challenge on a previous season, a competitor served up this dish). But team black's goat cheese and fruit offering was unique and even healthier than the raspberries, earning them a much-needed win.

The weigh-in looming, Michael returned to the competition with a heavy heart as his ailing grandmother's condition worsened. But his head wasn't totally out of the game; he made time to exercise twice a day during his absence.

At the weigh-in, if they hadn't struggled so much since the competition became black vs. blue, it would've seemed that the 5-pound advantage made team black complacent. Local hopeful Andrea lost 5 pounds, bringing her overall total weight loss to 60 pounds and contributing to team black's weekly loss of 30 pounds (2.5%), but she and her teammates were generally disappointed by the week's results. Conversely, team blue stepped up their game, with Daris dropping 10 pounds and Koli, plus father and daughter O'Neal and Sunshine, knocking off 9 pounds apiece. With Michael still left to weigh in, team blue already lost enough weight to tie with black, but Michael proved just how much his grandmother inspires him as he shed a whopping 11 pounds. In total, team blue lost 56 pounds (3.11%) this week.

Preparing for another elimination, the members of team blue pleaded their cases. Andrea talked about how the "Biggest Loser" experience has helped her learn about herself and surrounded her with people who encourage her. The votes were tied between Andrea and Sherry, with Stephanie casting the deciding ballot. Stephanie had ties to both women; Andrea as a friend, Sherry as a mother figure, both as motivators. Her vote was a strategic one, eliminating the competitor who she thought was the bigger threat, and fans of Ann Arborite Andrea breathed a sigh of relief as Sherry was sent home. Time will tell if Stephanie made the right call by breaking up mother and daughter Sherry and Ashley, but you can see Sherry's amazing post-show weight loss now (tomorrow, anyway, via NBC Video Rewind).

Chrysta Cherrie is the entertainment producer/copy editor for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at chrystacherrie@annarbor.com or 734-623-2526, and follow her on Twitter @chrystacherrie.