#ExcessBaggage recap (Tue 21/02/12)

Excess Baggage – Mon-Thu 6:30pm, GO!.
http://channelnine.ninemsn.com.au/excessbaggage/

We’re back in the Hunter Valley for another day – and because it’s Tuesday, that means it’s Breakthrough Challenge time… oh, and Nathan “goes missing” and Dipper loses his nut at Trainer Christian. I know who I’d back if it got down to tin tacks (sorry Dipper).

Kate’s worried about Ajay & Lana, who today will face their fear of flying in the breakthrough challenge. Cue opportunity for Ajay to self-analyse in her piece to camera. Lana notes Ajay’s scared of crashing but that she’s scared of not being in control. She really should have applied herself in the “World War II pilot’s licence” challenge in week 1. As the team’s prepare for a training session, Nathan has a meltdown with Christine – he needs Dr Tim to work this through but Christine feels that an exercise session would be better for him. The look on Christian’s face suggests he thinks the same.

Christian takes the teams (by “teams” we mean John) to task over the size of their portions. “You’re eating too much,” he says. “You made the time to get fat, now make the time to get healthy.” Dipper thinks Christian’s being a bit harsh in a set up for his run in later. So today’s training session is about personal ownership – own the push ups, runs on the spot, punches, mild cardio infarctions. Ownership. He works them pretty hard, and even finds time to talk with Ajay about her fears about getting in the plane – she’s scared about leaving her son if the plane crashes yet he reminds her she’s dangerously overweight and that could leave her in the same position. Ajay, chin, ground.

Dipper & Lana are working together n their training session, and he’s yelling at her and geeing her up and she loses it a bit at him. “I know he’s trying to help,” says Lana, “But I just didn’t need it at that moment.” Dipper runs a punching bag session with Christian which develops into Christian being the bag and two very strong, hard men sizing each other up. It’s actually really interesting to watch as one man expresses his frustration and the other is as cool as a cucumber. You can decide which one is which.

All the other teams stop to watch ’em face off, with Dipper challenging Christian to punch him. “I don’t wanna punch you,” offers Christian calmly. “I think it just brought him back to his old playing days. No hard feelings.” Dipper pushes through and doesn’t end up on his back. Time for the Orange and Purple teams to head off for their Breakthrough Challenge – flying in a WWII Warbird plane as they go through an aerobatic routine. Lana & Ajay are packing death. Ajay has somehow temporarily joined the pink team and is really teary about the challenge. Dr Tim is very gentle, talking her through how she’s feeling.

Back at Camp Baggage, the boys are having a lazy tennis session led by Team Grey’s John. Christian has a shocker – Brant notes that “We’ve found his Achilles’ heel!”. It comes down to the final point and Christian serves – poorly. How the mighty have fallen. Meanwhile the Breakthrough briefings are proving to be educational for the teams as they learn what they’re about to do… stalls, rolls, freak out. Dipper & Lana accept they’ll have to go first and are straight out to the planes, all the while Lana is battling her inner demons but she wants to overcome it. She wants to conquer this fear. The briefing by the pilot joking about where the eject button was funny for everyone else but her.

The other boys are bonding, the other girls are getting spa treatments – yeah, this weight loss gig is tough work. Christine suggests the girls should go to a Korean baths and walk around in the nude, very sneakily ensuring they won’t be followed by the cameras. All the girls share about how hard that would be though – Sarah finds it hardest as she’s always covered up. She admits she’s not comfortable in her own skin yet. Someone else’s skin is fine, just not her own (yes Clarice…).

The Orange Team hit the skies, and everything is OK until they’re in the air. Lana’s finding it very hard, and Dr Tim is talking Ajay through what’s happening and helping her pre-process her flight. The aerobatics start for the Orange Team and Dipper’s all for it, while Lana’s struggling but getting there. She survives her fall, her four-point hesitation roll, and Ajay being paranoid about crashing (even though she’s on the ground). They finish their flight with a simulated dog fight, and just as they land, Lana vomits. Better late than never. It was a purging of more than just her stomach contents.

Now it’s Ajay & Matt’s turn. Matt’s nervous but pumped; Ajay’s heart is pumping and her nerves are frayed. It doesn’t help her that her plane stalls when starting on the ground. Twice. You couldn’t script it better. Before the plane moves Ajay has her eyes closed and she’s into her breathing exercises. The pilot promises her she’s gonna come down thinking this was the greatest thing as Ajay tears up. They’re in the air and Matt’s loving it. Ajay’s pilot is really nursing her through it, possibly just to stop her from screaming into the comms. She screams through the entire stall turn but at least she kept her eyes open.

They land – successfully – and Ajay greets Matt, Dr Tim & the Orange team with a simple statement: “That was the most terrifying thing I’ve done in my entire life.” But she did it! She just can’t get out of the plane. It’s high fives all round. Cue Top Gun-sounding anthem. As they return to Camp Baggage everyone’s excited to hear how they went, and Gabby’s hair has turned vivid green from her spa treatment(!). Lana reveals in her personal video diary that while she’s supportive of the Purple team she hasn’t bonded with them at all – she sees them as their major competition. Meanwhile John is giving Green Team’s Ben a “home made facial”. But tomorrow… the teams have to give some hot air balloons a pull start. Or something.