‘Extreme Weight Loss: Love Can’t Weight’ for Shane and Marissa

On Extreme Weight Loss: Love Can’t Weight, the second of three companion pieces to the fifth season of Extreme Weight Loss on ABC, the June 30 episode focused on Plant City, Florida, couple, Shane and Marissa. They met in 2007 and have been together for years. Shane and Marissa got engaged nine months before they appeared on the show, but they were putting off their marriage because neither one wanted to go down the wedding aisle until they lost enough weight that they could put their arms around each other.

Shane and Marissa decide to ask for the help of transformational weight loss coaches, the husband and wife team of Chris and Heidi Powell, and spend six months on a weight loss journey before they embarked on their married lives together. One of the three couples, it has been publicized, decided just days before their wedding was scheduled not to go through with it — will that couple be Shane and Marissa?

At the beginning of Extreme Weight Loss: Love Can’t Weight on ABC, Marissa says, “I don’t want to be a fat bride.” She and her fiance, Shane, will be spending the first 90 days of their six-month-long weight-loss journey with the Powells in Colorado at the Anschutz Health and Wellness Center in Aurora, Colorado.

Marissa said that she was the one to propose to Shane, and did so at a Jennifer Nettles concert. Nettles, of Sugarland, helped her propose. Marissa later found out that she has MS, but that has not deterred Shane from staying with her.

Shane related that he had been previously married and had a daughter. However, later DNA tests proved that he was not the father. Depressed, Shane turned to food and quickly packed on over 170 pounds.

Marissa’s mom told of how her husband, Marissa’s father, had committed suicide. Marissa tearfully said about Shane, “I don’t know what I would do if I lost him. He’s my best friend. I don’t even want to imagine it.”

At another Jennifer Nettles concert, Shane and Marissa had seats in the third row. Nettles helped the Powells surprise Shane and Marissa during the outdoor concert. They were called up onto the stage, and the Powells told them that they “had been chosen for the transformation of their lives.”

The next time Shane and Marissa were seen, they had been flown to Colorado. Marissa was 5’10” and weighed 255. Before Shane’s weight was revealed, Extreme Weight Loss went to a commercial break.

Back from the break on Extreme Weight Loss, his weight was revealed. Shane weighed 457 pounds. Chris Powell gave them the joint goal of losing 200 pounds in the next 90 days. Heidi Powell told them that the next 90 days after that, they would be split up, one would be going home, and the other would be coming back with them to Arizona for three months.

Both Marisaa and Shane underwent a lot of medical tests on Extreme Weight Loss. Dr. Holly Wyatt, at the center, was especially concerned about Marissa, as she has MS. The doctor recommended that Marissa wear a “cooling vest when she exercises.”

The Powells gave Shane and Marissa the challenge to carry four kettlebells weighing a combined total of 150 pounds. Heidi Powell told Marissa to not keep carrying the weight for Shane. The fitness advisor also told Shane if he has to sit the kettlebells down, they both would have to do five burpees. “No matter how much she tries to carry the load, don’t let her,” Heidi Powell told Shane.

“I need to take care of myself and take care of her,” Shane told the cameras. Then, Extreme Weight Loss headed to another commercial break.

Back from the break on Extreme Weight Loss, both Marissa and Shane were “killing it,” as Chris Powell put it. Shane was dropping clothing sizes by the week.

Celebrity chef Rocco DiSpirito challenged Shane and Marissa to come up with a day’s worth of meals and try to make them as healthy as possible. A smoothie was included in the planning. Shane suggested adding “peanut butter.” They got the meals ready in under an hour.

Then, Shane and Marissa showed the Powells and DiSpirito their meals, and Chris Powell said, “When it comes to creativity, I’d have to give you an A+.”

On Extreme Weight Loss, Heidi Powell surprised Marissa by taking her out to shop for a wedding dress. Heidi again surprised Marissa by having her mom there to help Marissa pick out her dress. “I can’t believe how girly I look,” Marissa said. She told Heidi that she had “felt like a linebacker.”

The dress that Marissa picked out looked beautiful on her. It was a size 14. Heidi Powell told her she will be losing even more weight and dropping more dress sizes before the day of the wedding.

Following more commercials on Extreme Weight Loss, Shane was feeling stronger and doing well, but Marissa was having a difficult time. She said every song that came on the radio “reminded me of my dad.”

Marissa started crying and she opened up about her fears about Phase II on Extreme Weight Loss, which would entail going home and dealing with being by herself, and also dealing with the trauma of her dad’s death. She told the Powells, “I’ve been stuck in the anger phase this whole time and I just want to let it go!”

Marissa suggested “doing a 5K in honor of my dad.” Chris Powell told her, “Done,” and that helped Marissa feel a little bit better.

Shane kept getting stronger, impressing Chris. The goal of losing 200 pounds, Chris said, “was the biggest goal that they had ever given anybody.” At the 90-day weigh-in, Marissa weighed 193 pounds, and had lost 63 pounds; almost 20 percent of her original body weight.

Then, it was Shane’s turn to weigh in on Extreme Weight Loss. If the scales said 330 pounds or less, they would have met their Phase I goal. Of course, Extreme Weight Loss went to yet another commercial break before Shane’s weight was revealed.

Shane had lost 139 pounds, for a combined weight loss of 202 pounds. They had done it together, exceeding their 90-day weight goal of losing 200 pounds.

The Powells then had Shane and Marissa meet with wedding planner Dave Tutera. He would help them plan their wedding. Marissa wanted “dark teal and ivory,” for the colors.

Shane said, “David Tutera is my best friend. Any guy who wants to come in and plan my wedding — he’s my best friend, I swear to God.”

On Extreme Weight Loss, Chris Powell told Shane he wants to see him meet the Phase II goal of weighing 255 pounds. Heidi Powell told Marissa that her weight loss goal for Phase II would be to weigh in at 175 pounds.

At Marissa’s homecoming, her brother introduced her to a large crowd of her friends, family, and supporters. They all gave her a standing ovation. Marissa admitted to the crowd that, “Shane and I enabled each other a lot.” She asked the people there, “Who’s ready to go run?”

The 5K was a big success. Marissa said that she had called her brother up and he helped her organize it. They had set up markers along the route to bring back positive memories of her father for Marissa.

At mile marker number 2, there was a photo album of their dad with Oldsmobiles, his favorite car. Marissa told the camera, “It’s been a long time since I’ve talked about my dad in a good way.” The 5K and the entire process helped Marissa “make a step in the right direction,” as she put it, to let go of her anger towards her dad.

On Extreme Weight Loss, Shane also had some baggage to deal with. He set up a meeting with his ex-wife and daughter, Abbey. He and his daughter got out in a paddle boat and had fun together. Abby said “his attitude towards everything has changed.”

Marissa said while being on her own, she “feels unstoppable.” Shane was continuing to work out with the Powells in Arizona.

Chris Powell surprised Shane with a bachelor’s party on Extreme Weight Loss and flew in two of his friends, as well as two past season members who had become friends with Shane. They all got in a tank together to “crush things.” Then, Extreme Weight Loss again went to a break.

The very first thing that they ran over with the tank was a car. Shane and his friends also got to shoot machine guns.

Also on Extreme Weight Loss, Heidi Powell planned a bachelorette party for Marissa. She told Heidi that her wedding would be “in a barn.” Marissa liked the idea. She got to meet with Duff Goldman, owner of Charm City Cakes, who helped her plan her wedding cake using healthy ingredients.

Marissa told Goldman she wanted the cake to look like it had “tree bark” on it. Goldman asked them if they wanted to “try out some samples of the cakes.” They all wanted to, and Marissa chose “the red velvet.”

After the bachelor’s party, Chris Powell flew Shane back to consult with a skin removal surgeon in Denver, Colorado. The doctor told Shane he needs to lose a little more weight before he can be a good candidate for the surgery.

Marissa was depressed because she had not been losing weight like she used to lose it. She confessed to the camera that yesterday, she had worked out hard, but her brother brought home cookie dough ice cream and she ate some. She said, “What is so wrong with me?”

After more commercials on Extreme Weight Loss, Heidi Powell went to visit Marissa and surprise her, saying, “You’ve had three weeks of no weight loss, nothing. You just don’t go back to those patterns for no reason at all,” Heidi said. She asked Marissa if being away from Shane was making her feel depressed.

She told Heidi Powell, “I found out who the real Marissa is, and I don’t think the real Marissa needs Shane.” She said she does not want to feel as if she “is attached to his hip any longer.”

Heidi Powell asked her, “How do you know it’s not wedding jitters?” Marissa told her, “I feel like I’m happier without Shane, but I feel so bad about it.”

Heidi Powell told her, “You have wedding jitters. This is normal. Do you feel any better?” Heidi said if she felt the same way in the next couple of weeks, she would have to talk to Shane about it.

Marissa told the camera, “I don’t know if I’ve ever been so confused about anything in my entire life.” The Powells had Marissa flown out to Arizona to meet Shane, and…Extreme Weight Loss headed to still more commercials.

Marissa hugged Shane. She told the camera that, initially, when she walked in, Shane looked so great, but she said that the separation made her feel like she had changed. She told Shane she figured out who she was, and did not think her future included Shane anymore.

“I found who I am and I like who I am,” Marissa told Shane. Chris Powell suggested that he and Heidi “step away for a few minutes,” so that they could talk together.

Marissa started to cry, and said to the camera, “Talking with him was really, really hard because his face was screaming out pain. At the same time, it was what I knew I had to do.”

Shane told her to just tell him. He said, “I’ll get over it.” The Powells came back into the room and Shane told them, “It’s just a part of life. I’ll be okay.” He told Marissa, “You’re happy now. That’s all that counts.”

Marissa said, “As hard as it was to do that,” he was not the right guy for her. She said she was excited what would happen next.

Shane took the news as well as could have been expected. He told the camera he just “wanted what was best for her.”

When Extreme Weight Loss returned after another break, Heidi Powell drove to Ohio to meet Marissa at her house. Marissa’s mom answered the door. When Marissa came into the room, she looked very different, with a different and shorter hairstyle. She told Heidi that she had moved back in with her mom and got a job at the Suicide Prevention Center. She said that she was not dating anyone yet, and told Heidi, “It’s fun just being single.”

Her mom said she did not see the break-up coming, but she did not want her daughter to feel as if she was “trapped in a marriage.” Heidi Powell took Marissa to get weighed.

Back in Arizona, Chris Powell drove to where Shane was now living. Shane had decided that he liked Arizona so much, he wanted to live there. As Chris knocked at Shane’s front door, Extreme Weight Loss headed to another break.

When Shane answered the door, Chris said, “Dude! You’re lookin’ lean and mean!” Shane had moved his stuff out, was working construction and was continuing to work out doing Krav Maga.

Chris Powell asked Shane how he was doing. He said, “Alright,” but he confessed that, “It’s been a little rough.”

It was the day of Shane’s final weigh-in. If he weighed 232 pounds or less, he would qualify to have the skin reduction surgery.

Back in Ohio, Heidi Powell was with Marissa at her final weigh-in. Marissa’s mom said that she “looked beautiful, like a movie star.” There was a lot of people there to see Marissa. Heidi told her it was time for her “to pay it forward,” and handed her a certificate to give to anyone she wanted for a week-long stay at the Colorado Boot Camp. She gave it to her aunt.

Marissa’s final weight was 169. “I was stoked, and super-proud of myself.” She had lost 89 pounds in all.

In Arizona, Chris Powell had arranged for some of Shane’s friends to be there at his final weigh-in. Chris said that the number he was looking for on the scales was 233 pounds or less. “No way!” Chris exclaimed when he saw the weight. “225 pounds! You now hold the record for the most weight lost in six months!”

Knowing that this Extreme Weight Loss: Love Can’t Weight episode did not end with Shane and Marissa getting happily married was kind of depressing, but knowing that both of them met their individual weight loss goals, Shane now has qualified to get the skin reduction surgery he needs, and that each has the chance to still live “happily ever after,” just not with each other, helped. At least, though it hurt Shane at the time, Marissa was honest with him, and now neither of them will feel possibly “trapped” in an unhappy marriage to each other.

Written by Douglas Cobb

Edited by Jennifer Pfalz

Sources:
Extreme Weight Loss on ABC