Episode Overview: Halloween candy gives trouble to some of the kids, who once again must do the Presidential Physical Fitness Test to see how they're doing halfway through the challenge.  Shaq faces yet another obstacle in his effort to bring physical education to the school systems


NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal and his health specialist, Carlton “Doc” Colker, pay a visit to the house of 14-year-old Kit. Kit dropped out of the program in the last episode of Shaq's Big Challenge, citing her parents as the reason. Shaq and Doc hope to convince Kit’s family that being back in the program is the best choice for her. Kit’s father is immediately upset, demanding the cameras (and his unwanted guests) leave. Shaq steps in to talk to Kit’s father one-on-one on his level to try to change his mind. He works his magic and Kit has been let back into the program. The kids are thrilled to see her especially Ariel, who is happy to have girl power back in effect.

Only 6 percent of nationwide schools have mandatory physical education. Shaq has come up with a plan to change that in at least one school system. Doc’s suggestion is 20 minutes of exercise during homeroom, which means getting the teachers on board to do this program as well. Shaq’s celebrity status was crucial to the success of the pitch at the school, but he had to fly out with his team on some official business. Doc’s pitch goes south real fast, so Shaq’s college coach, Dale Brown, is brought in to seal the deal. Coach Brown gets all the teachers on board to try the exercise program. Despite a few skeptics, most of the kids were into the exercises and had fun.

On tonight’s episode, an evil day strikes: Halloween. Walter spends his night handing out candy and attempting to play video games, but he keeps being interrupted by those pesky trick-or-treaters. James takes home a giant loot of candy, laying on the floor and eating everything in site. Because of his indulgence, their trainer (Tarik Tyler) takes it a little harder on everyone the next day, especially James. Perhaps those Reeses weren’t worth it…

Mr. Tyler sits Shaq down after weighing all the kids to give some feedback. To date, Chris has lost nine pounds, James has dropped eight pounds, and Kevin has only lost three pounds. Ariel and Kit have both lost 11 pounds each and Walter loses the most, shedding 15 pounds. Not all of the kids are performing up to the program’s standards. It seems some things need to change.

Shaq has a bigger issue first. He suffered a knee injury, perhaps forcing him into surgery and out of playing ball. Doc pays him a visit to deliver some bad news: there’s a new superintendent in town and he doesn’t want Shaq in his schools anymore. Despite the setbacks, it’s not time to lay down and die. He fights to meet with the new superintendent but he can’t get a meeting to save his life.

He turns his attention on the kids. He asks the kids to lose 20 pounds each and if they do, they’ll be sitting in box seats at his next game. Someone get me a treadmill! Mr. Tyler takes the kids outside for some strenuous exercise but can’t seem to connect with James who is “sick of being treated like crap”. Concerned that he’s shutting down, Shaq and Mr. Tyler pay a visit to James’ house to talk it out. They put their differences aside for the common goal of getting James in shape.

Shaquille does receive some good news. The program is back on and Shaq is welcome in the schools. The kids will need Shaq more than ever as it’s time for a second try at the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. The last time these six attempted it, they failed miserably. They don’t show much when doing their sit-ups and push-ups but they still have the mile run to redeem themselves. James comes in first, with a time just under 13 minutes. Everyone beat their previous time and at the halfway point, they’ve shown some growth.

You can join Shaq’s family challenge at: shaq.abc.com


-Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ABC)