A classic Southern belle, Tracey grew up by the coast of North Carolina. Always full of energy, she is the life of the room from the moment she walks in. You can usually find Tracey shuttling kids back and forth to school and sporting events like softball, basketball, baseball and gymnastics.

Tracey did not start gaining weight until pregnancy, going from 113 pounds to over 250 by the time she had her fourth child. A combination of unfiltered eating during each pregnancy, and her husband being deployed for long periods of time with the Marines led to a constant struggle with depression, which led to more eating. Food was a crutch for Tracey and she turned to it constantly. She would not eat in front of others and when she did, it was a meager salad.

Weight loss to Tracey is something she has on her brain when she goes to bed at night and when she wakes up in the morning. She wants to be able to run with her husband, who was a Marine, and not be completely out of breath. Tracey would like to take on the burden of providing for their family, and the prize money would be a great help to her husband's business.

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I hope Tracey recovers after being in the hospital.

I know!!! I was really concerned, especially after she didn't even make it back for the weigh in.

I was suprised they didn't mention her in the preview for next week. I hope she is ok & recovers.

Please do not post about tonight's episode until after it has aired on the West Coast. Thanks!

What happened to Tracy during the first challenge should be an eye-opener to all; not only as a caution light not to over-exert oneself the first time out for exercise like she did but what can happen to us over time if we don't look after ourselves. I'm really hoping she pulls through and kudos to her partner for having lost enough weight to keep her on the ranch.

One thing I can appreciate about Tracy is that she is a fighter. She kept up with Daniel almost to the finish line. I believe after she fully recovers that she will be a force to be reckoned with on campus.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but why can't the people wait to log on until the show has aired in their time zone? I think the other people should be allowed to post, even though others haven't seen it yet. Otherwise some east coasters will have to wait until after midnight, or the next morning, to post.

Personally, if I hadn't seen it yet, I wouldn't log on. Same goes for if I DVR a football game. I'm not going near the internet until after I watch, otherwise I know I'll end up seeing some stats.

Seems pretty simple to me.

Sorry, my bad. Yes, you can post.

She just may be our next Tara Costa! She wasn't always heavy. I think she is going to succeed in weight loss even if she gets voted off. She just needs at least a couple of weeks on the ranch to learn the ropes like Alexandrea did.

About Tracey's hospital stay


EDIT
here the Doc tells her what happened, I should have put this video first.

Could someone please let me know what happened to Tracey and why she ended up in the hospital? Unfortunately, I can't view any of the videos since I'm not in the US.

The doctor either said Heat Stroke or almost Heat Stroke; I've forgotten exactly which already. She was not acclimatized to the heat plus she was not yet fit so her sweating ability wasn't up to the job of taking care of her while she worked as hard as she did. He also talked about how her fat layer contributed to the heat exhaustion, but that applies to all the contestants so I think it was more about her trying to win the competition and working harder than she was ready to work (Is this our new Tara? That would be cool.) Dan (Daniel?) has already been working out so he was able to deal with the heat just fine.

The other link shows the doctor talking about some muscle injury she has.

If you have a chance to view the first episode a second time, you will notice that Tracy talks about her participation in the challenge after the fact; i.e. we see her OK after the incident.

Thanks for the info AnnaRose. I'm surprised to learn that heat stroke can be so serious and keep you in the hospital for such a long time.

I really like Tracey and I hope she does well.

I believe I can shed some light on Tracey's hospital stay, based on comments from Dr. Huizinga in the video clips above, and comments Bob made in episode 2.

This is my opinion -- Tracey had rhabdo (wikipedia article).

This condition is not caused by being fat -- anyone can get it if you exercise major muscles to failure, then continue to exercise them beyond that. The muscles get damaged, begin to break down, and the broken-down muscle then becomes a danger to the kidneys and liver and sometimes can even be fatal. Earthquake victims get this condition. Burn victims get this condition. Unconditioned people are especially in danger because weaker muscles are more likely to fail and get damaged. However, top athletes can also get this condition.

The treatment for rhabdo is an extended hospital stay on IV fluids, that flush the broken-down muscle out of the body and prevent kidney failure. The muscle damage has been done though, and the muscle will now be much weaker than before and will need time to build back up to the point before the damage.

Here are the items from the video clips and the show that make me think this was Tracey's problem.
* Bob said she broke down muscle in episode 2
* Bob said Tracey can't do the workouts like everyone else can (I think this implies leg muscle damage)
* Tracey had very weak legs on the balance beam in episode 2
* Tracey had an extended hospital stay that appeared to last 7 or more days. I could not find info on the average hospital stay for heat stroke, but rhabdo CAN require 7 or even 14 days in the hospital before the muscle is finished breaking down and flushed out of the body.
* Dr. Huizinga mentioned muscle injury and muscle irritation
* Dr. Huizinga mentioned the need to flush Tracey's body

I hope this info helps clear up what happened to Tracey. I am not sure on this -- make your own conclusion.

If rhabdo is what Tracey had, then I am disturbed that the show let this happen to her. I doubt she had rhabdo when she first fell to the ground -- I have a sinking feeling it happened when the other contestants were helping her from that point to the finish line -- that's when her failed muscles were being damaged beyond normal recovery. I also feel Bob and Jillian had no hand in that 1 mile run and would have stopped Tracey the moment she first went down, most likely preventing this problem.

That makes sense Yakky.

In watching the episode, it makes no sense to me that the medics didn't do something sooner. When she first went down, a medic went over to her, yet they let her continue. She didn't look in any good shape to continue, even at that point.

But we have seen people go down every single season during the first episode, and most of the time it is just in their head. Have you ever been on a sports team and had that one kid that exaggerated how hard it was and pretended to be giving it all they had to get the attention for falling down or for working so hard? Obviously Tracy was not pulling that, but every season we have people who in the first episode get very melodramatic about how hard it is and that they just can't possibly keep going. How are the medics to tell?

Ryan,

That is a good point. Medics are generally not trained in recognizing or considering exercise-induced rhabdo.

Highly qualified trainers are, because one rhabdo lawsuit and their insurance costs could shut down their gym. They would never set up a contest in which tremendously heavy people that don't exercise need to race as fast as they can on a hot day for 15 minutes, with unknown hydration (don't remember seeing anyone drinking) in order to win a great prize. Heat and dehydration can worsen rhabdo.

If this contest was several weeks into the show, under the supervision of the trainers, with everyone having their water bottle, that is safe. But straight off the bus was irresponsible.

My hope is for Tracey to make a full recovery. She has great spirit and I wish her the best.

I wonder if the medics are told when to wait and when to jump in. Considering she was the one who started out running, someone should have intervened sooner and given her immediate attention.

Tracy insisted on going ahead on her own even if she had to crawl. Just like anywhere else, there's nothing anyone can do because they can't force anyone to stop or get on a stretcher. People have to make the choice. Just like in reality where no doctor can force a patient to stay in a hospital or take medication - it's up to the patient to follow recommendations.

Tracy, however, is not yet out of the woods. Given that it was reported that she had suffered a heat stroke which can be fatal, it can take up to two years for complete healing. I really hope she continues to lose weight despite not being allowed to do strenuous exercise.

You're right, we all have the universal patient right to refuse treatment. However, Tracey seemed quite disoriented to me and medics do have that little loophole that in a true emergency with a patient who is not able to make rational decisions, they can step in regardless of patient refusal. It can be a tough call. Being a cardiology nurse, I kept hoping to see them pull out a heart monitor because it looked like she might have been having an issue with an arrythmia. That happened to me once. I went full out on a bicycle and suddenly stopped. I had a "vaso-vagal reaction" (heart rate falls, blood pressure follows) and fell face first onto the floor.

As agressive as these contestants get with exercise, it seems like an impossible feat for her to remain in the competition without being able to do the intense workouts. That's what will make this even more interesting, imo.

I'm pretty sure that all the contestants have to sign papers authorizing the show to seek medical attention on their behalf in the event that the contestant is not able to do so on their own. I'm also pretty sure that if they refused to seek attention when the shows staff urged them to that they would be dismissed from the ranch immediately. No way the producers want the liability if a contestant won't follow medical advice.

Obviously I wasn’t there so I can only make observations based on what was presented in the episode. However, she had already appeared a bit “out of it” when she decided that she wanted to crawl the rest of the way. Almost as if whatever medical condition she was dealing with was not allowing her to think completely clear.

I am not sure I like her.

I'm very sure I don't like her.

I didn't like Tracey before tonight's show ---- and now I especially don't like her!!!

Her "game play" is doing nothing to help her cause ---- I just feel bad for Coach Mo --- I like him and feel bad that he got partnered with her just because they were both in the hospital.

I have to agree honestly. If she had a partner who was used to her antics and who could rein her in, then it wouldn't be as much of a problem. Yet Coach Mo isn't used to her antics, and despite being her partner in this game doesn't seem to matter very much to her at this moment. I don't want to paint her as a rogue cannon at this point, but her actions tonight really showed a complete disregard for his interests on her part. Your team mate is your rock in this competition. Without them you cannot succeed, and I hope that Tracy learns this soon because it's only a matter of time before it comes back to bite her in the arse.
I just hope she and Mo are no longer culpable for one another when it finally happens, because I would hate for him to be dragged down by her impulsive behavior.

I think they were too hard on Tracey this week. Would they have been as hard on anyone else? It is a tv show and if they didnt want to play the game they would not be on the show they would hire a personal trainer and nutritionist and do it on their own. Also the pink team used to be who I pulled for until this week they really let me down. They asked Tracey to scratch their back but said they wouldnt scratch hers in return. They should have put themselves in Tracey's shoes. Her decisions helped them out more than anyone because they would have been in the bottom two this week if Tracey had not had control of the weigh-in and everyone knows they would have went home over Shay. All in all Tracey lost her 11 lbs this week and kept Coach Mo in the competition.

Another thought didnt Tracey win the team an extra 2lbs but they didnt mention that at the weigh in????

And you guys thought Vicky was a big old bad gameplayer. she aint got nuttin on Tracey!!

Hee! Well played sir, well played. As for her, poorly played.

She needs to be the next to go. She doesn't really seem ready to be there on B.L. Emotionally, she seems unstable.

And it's obvious after tonight that she is burning her bridges with the other contestants, and embarrassing herself with her choices.

And the way she did her thing, not thinking of her partner... not cool.

SEND HER HOME!!!

Poor Mo.

Oh yes Vicky does. Vicky was a smart gameplayer. She stayed really quiet about her plan and it wasn't until later in the game that you really saw it coming out. You saw it some early with vicky, but mostly it wasn't until later that Vicky showed her true colors. Vicky kept friends until the end, she was smart about it --- she didn't stab anyone in the back until later in the game. When she made alliances, she kept those alliances through most of the game. Tracey was stupid, she put a target on her back in wk 3. That isn't smart gameplay. It isn't like most people had an opportunity to make friends with her when she was in the hospital for over a week. She had the pink team as friends, and then she stabbed them in the back tonight because they wouldn't do what she wanted. That isn't using you head.

You know things are bad when you lose 11 lbs. and you can't even smile about it. There was not one happy face when Tracy lost 11 lbs... not even Tracy because she knows she has burned her bridges and is the least liked person on the Ranch.

What a SHAME that someone else has to go home and Tracey gets to stay. OUTRAGED!! Can't wait to see her leave. It's truly, truly a shame that she is staying and someone else is leaving instead.

I have no problem with the game play at this point. Sure, I think she was completely moronic with how she handled it this time around but it's going to take a lot more for me to start truly hating her.
My issue is that she prevented Coach Mo from working out with the trainers this week through a snap decision on her part. Maybe she consulted him before she jumped and the producers cut it out to create more drama. Who knows, but given his reaction to her choice on that matter it seems rather obvious that she was only thinking about herself in that moment. That's the problem I currently have with her. She did not consult with her team mate and only seemed to think of her own chances to further herself in the game. If she had talked with Mo and he agreed with her choice to take the 2.lb advantage, then I wouldn't have taken issue with her - and I think most of the people on this board would be feeling the same way.

It should also be noted that we don't know if her actions tonight truly saved Mo from elimination. Yes, he only lost one pound. However the question remains - how much would he have lost had she not taken away his chance to work with the trainers? Mo's a big guy with a lot of heart, and despite the slumps that most contestants go through during this stage of the game he could have easily lost enough to keep them afloat if given the opportunity to work out with the trainers. The problem is we just don't know what would have happened.

I like how you summed this up. That was my biggest problem with her as well, that she didn't consult with her teammate on what their strategy was. I was glad that Jillian spoke her mind (as God bless her, she always does) and told Mo that supporting his partner "no matter what" was NOT his obligation nor in his interest as Tracey obviously is not looking out for him. Remember in the conversation with the Pink team that she was soliciting their vote if she and Mo fell below (at that point I don't think they realized the entire team would go, so she was perfectly willing for Mo to leave instead of herself).

Usually I am blaming editing at this point when the "villain" of TBL is so clearly defined, but all her statements and actions tonight were pretty cold-hearted. It was a stark contrast to the red team stepping up and asking to be voted off so that Shay could stay (and Tracey threw her under the bus even after Daniel asked that she count his weight instead of Shay's, so Tracey didn't really care if Shay went home or not). From the clips, it doesn't appear she even "gets" why people are mad.

I actually don't mind gameplaying to an extent, but the hypocrisy is what really throws me. If you are going to do that, don't lie, because it fools no one (as we saw at the weigh-in) and at least you could be honest that you're out for yourself. Of course, with zero alliances, even for gameplay it was just dumb. Or as Jillian phrased it, "not the brightest bulb."

I don't wish anyone on the show ill, but to be out a week sick, then choose to throw away your trainers for 2 pounds and then heartlessly put the heaviest person on the show under the yellow line....yeah, I'd say if she doesn't stay above that yellow line, she's toast. I feel sorry for Moe being paired with her and hope they let him separate from this disaster of a partnership.

And it wasn't just her statements and actions, it was her overall demeanor. She seemed mentally and emotionally unstable. It was things like the way her eyes would get real big and the way she talked to her hand while moving it like a puppet. She could not even smile at her 11 lb. weight loss. She knew she'd burned her bridges, and she has formed no close relationships with anyone on the Ranch while meanwhile, most of them are all pretty close to each other.

I agree with you... she's toast the next time she falls below the line, and I'll bet when she goes, no one will be sad to see her go, and I'd bet that she will have formed no close relationships with anyone by then.

People are WAY to hard on Tracey... I do think she took things a tad to far with the shay situation, but I mean she played the week beautifully!

Think about it... she won the power with only 400 calories! That is nothing compared to the temptation last season with the only vote at the elimination with Tara eating i believe 5000+ (could be wrong on the number). She did not waste this power either, whether she did this on purpose or not i do not know, but she got the biggest threat of a team out of the game. two guys one 400+ one 350+, and the only thing she should have done was respect a few more wishes of the other teams and not Tick them off ( Pink...) but putting orange and red below the yellow line was a great for every one. Shay stayed, (thank god as she really needs that support) and the big threats are now gone. Now green,orange and blue all have a great shot at winning weigh-ins more often.

anyway that is my two sense, i personally still love purple and i hope Moe and Tracey can keep on trucking. Anyone who loses 11 pounds while Ticking Jillian off is some one i respect xD lol. <3 you Jill but seeing you mad makes me smile

Yes, she did, but it came at the expense of her partner, who missed out on a week's worth of training. It also came at the expense of both her own self-respect (pretty obvious as she could not even smile at her 11 lb. weight loss) and the respect of the others. And, she's burned bridges real early on, at a time when she has built no close relationships with anyone on the ranch. So, from here on out, she's probably on her own in a big way. She's alienated people and angered the trainers. They'll still help her no doubt, but she's gonna find herself without the support system that the other contestants have with each other.

So, sure she played the game. But seriously, was it worth it?

Jillian summed it up best....it was just...gross.

I think everyone (especially people who work on the show, i.e. the trainers) should not be so hard on Tracey. Yes the show promotes happy, touchy-feely we are one ideals. BUT -- it was the producers or directors decision to make the "2 pound" advantage choice, and the "person in charge" choice. I hope they don't continue to blame her for the duration of her time on the show; but ... we'll see. Mean decisions often lead to reward -- something Jillian preaches.

Lets see... have to be very careful in how this is phrased so as not to violate board rules.

Tracy got caught up in the game playing WAY too soon. Not only that, she did not play the game in a smart way. Some one compared her to Vicky (She who must not be named). Vicky was a smart game player, people did not necessarily know when she was playing. Tracy just kind of draped a giant target on her back.

We are not allowed to say that any contestant is stupid on this board, but lets just say, it doesn't take much brains to realize that such an open display of game play and backstabbing is going to hurt you way more than it could possibly help.

I don't dislike Tracey and I appreciate the fact that this is a game and they're all here to win. I don't think she did herself any favors with her decisions last night and she may find out that they'll hurt her in the end, but that was her choice.

What I do find interesting was Coach Mo's one pound loss and that I keep hearing that it was Tracey's fault it was only one pound because she took away the trainers. Sorry, but I don't buy that. There is no reason why they can't lose, even big numbers, without the trainer, given they've had access to them and their methods for 2 weeks. And it seems to me that every other contestant, including his own partner, proved that!

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I think if Trazy wants to stay on BL she has a lot of damage control to do. Nobody and I mean nobody trusts her as far as they can throw her. She needs to make amends. It is going to take a long time to build the trust she has broken down. She may not have enough time to do that. She had better work her butt off to make sure she does not fall below the yellow line because I know that she would be voted off without hesitation her fellow BL contestants if she fell below the yellow line in the next couple of weeks. I feel bad for her partner because by her rash decision she had drug him down with her and I think he's really a nice likeable sort of fellow. He is the one everyone loves and she is the one everyone dislikes at the current moment.

I havent made up my mind about Tracey yet. Yes, she was too focused on game play. Let's not forget Antwoine also ate the cupcakes with the hope of having power over the weigh in. Would we be talking about Antwoine this way if he had won the temptation??? Also, about Mo only losing 1 pound and it being Tracey's fault because he didnt have the trainers. Well, if I am not mistaken, Tracey didnt have the trainers either and she still lost 11 pounds. That's pretty impressive to me.

However, I feel as of right now, her purpose on making the blonde girl on the pink team was not because she believed the girl (amanda, i think) could do it, but because she(amanda) has lost little weight that she thought it would be an easy elimination. And, I think she was totally wrong in having Shay's weight count after Daniel told her to allow his weight.

On a side note, had Tracy kept her word and let Daniel's weight count, considering they both lost 6 pounds, would he have kept him and Shay safe???

She does things impulsively, and does not think about the effects on others... She is going to learn big time that this leads to conflict. A wonderful personality only goes so far... And on the ranch, the trainers will break that down and rebuild it.

If she can learn to not be so impulsive, then she has learned a lesson. And that will hopefully help her kids.

You also wonder if that the prize is a way out of her life. AKA... money means that she can be independent.

The thing that upset me about Tracey is I can understand the first panick and taking the 2 pound advantage......even though it was still wrong in my eyes to do it without consulting with her partner. But I can understand the panick. But then Bob and Jillian had the talk with her. And I thought they got through. I don't think in ANY way that they were nasty or rude at that time. They needed to get through to her, but they didn't go off the handle.

But my problem is that she then did it again at the next challenge. And what bothered me is she should not have told people that she had their backs and then thrown them under the boss. She should have said she couldnt committ to anything. She rubs me the wrong way.

I realize this is a game, however, in all the past season's I don't believe I have seen anyone behave the way Tracey has this week. When it comes down to it, she could have won honorably regardless of the backstabbing she did to the other players. She should have learned something from the time Jillian and Bob took away from the other players to try to help her, the way everyone rallied around Mo to help him finish the challenge, the HUGE amount of unconditional acceptance and support Mo has shown her, and the fact that 1 team sacrificed themselves for Shay.

This show is supposed to be about changing your life, addressing your addiction, and all of the things that come with it. I feel Tracey is not ready to change and has not recognized she has to deal with her own demons and not project her issues on to others.

Ultimately, each player is trying to be the one to win a million dollars, and there has been some manipulative play in the past, but this is only week three. She stated to two or three other players that she felt they should feel confident in the work they had done during the week. Why couldn't she take her own advice?

I am beginning to wonder if Tracey's "health scare" on Week 1 was really a health scare at all. Looking back, it seemed rather staged to me and a bad acting job to boot. I may not be a PhD in psychology but I do know a con artist when I see one. She lures people to feel sorry for her and then all of a sudden her true colors come out with her manipulation and backstabbing. Call me mean and callous if you must, but I'm just saying look back at the previous two weeks and you can see that this does not smell right at all. I hoping she gets the axe real quick because if she burns through people like this on the show, I cannot imagine what she is like with her off screen friends. It's making sense because the food she gorged down was her only friend and source of comfort that couldn't talk back to her. Unlike people who can call you out on your behavior and actions and you can't eat them unless you are a cannibal. And if she is going to have any long term success with the weight loss, it is not going to be accomplished through diet and exercise alone.