Biggest Loser on NBC

Labeled by host Alison Sweeney as the "Tiger Woods" of The Biggest Loser, 24-year-old Tara Costa won more challenges this season than any other contestant. Never once up for elimination through all her weeks on the ranch, the tenacious New Yorker was the clear front-runner leading up to the finale - yet ended up in last place of the three finalists. Despite the loss, the former model feels no disappointment: She still lost 155 pounds, or 52.75 percent of her body weight. Costa spoke to TVGuide.com about coming home from The Biggest Loser, how her competitive spirit keeps her going, and why she'll never go back to being the "fat chick."

TVGuide.com: You were the front-runner all season. Are you disappointed about losing?
Tara Costa: Standing on that scale last night, I knew that I did the best that I could. That's why today, I feel so great. I went to the extent that my body would go; I didn't want to look emaciated and unhealthy just to win a prize...

Helen Phillips knows age is nothing but a number. The 48-year-old mother from Michigan beat out 19-year-old Mike Morelli and 24-year-old Tara Costa to take home the grand prize on The Biggest Loser: Couples. The five-foot-six-inch Phillips, who went from a size 22 to a 2, lost more than half her body weight as she slimmed down to a svelte 117 pounds. She talked with TVGuide.com about her weight-loss secrets, how she plans to maintain her current frame, and why she calls her daughter and Biggest Loser partner Shanon a "rock star."

TVGuide.com: Congratulations on winning. How do you feel?
Helen Phillips: I feel wonderful. I feel like a winner.

TVGuide.com: How did you lose so much weight at home?
Phillips: I ended up finding a trainer, actually three trainers, and I went back to the old-school type of training [like]...

Tuesday's tallies:

8 pm/ET
American Idol's Top 3 performed for 21.79 million total viewers, dipping 7 percent week-to-week. NCIS netted second for the hour, with 15.78 mil (down 6 percent).

The Biggest Loser packed 'em in, averaging 11.76 mil over its bloated three-hour finale. That's a 29 percent surge from last week, and NBC's best Tuesday-night demo delivery, excluding the Olympics, since Dec. 6, 2005.

Trailing ABC's According to Jims, Reaper inched up a bit to flirt with 2 mil.

9 pm
The Mentalist topped the hour with 16.11 mil, down 570K, followed by Dancing with the Stars' results show (13.75 mil, down 810 thou). Boosted by some (seemingly unavoidable) Idol overrun, the Fringe finale drew 11.22 mil (up 21 percent week-to-week). But to keep things in perspective, Fringe finished the hour with an audience of 8.9 mil.

90210 dialed up 2.05 mil, up 210K.

10 pm
Without a Trace (13.43 mil) was No. 1 in total viewers, surging 14 percent, while Biggest Loser (13.18 mil for the hour) dominated the demos. ABC's Cupid closer targeted 5.5 mil, up 7 percent. Maybe we'll get a second reboot in another 10 years?

Crave scoop on your favorite TV shows? E-mail senior editors Matt, Mickey and Tim at mega_scoop@tvguide.com. Also, follow TV Guide on Twitter. read more 8 Comments

No other show on TV has as a rewarding finale as The Biggest Loser, and this season did not disappoint. Who did America choose to join Helen and Tara in the final three? Not just yet people, this is a three-hour show!

We take our first look back at this season's journey that began with 22 contestants hoping to change their lives. At first there was struggle, but once the cheesy music started playing we got to see how far they've come. After 179 days, it's now down to... read more 85 Comments