Episode Overview: The kids continue to progress, chef Tyler Florence aims for a successful healthy school lunch, and Shaq works to get an exercise program implemented permanently in the schools.


Chris is up before the sun rises, on the stairmaster, working out. His parents stay on top of him to make sure his workout is complete. For those who don't have that luxury, trainer Tarik Tyler is there to make sure their work gets done every day. Mr. Tyler is feeling the pressure to get these kids ready to meet the governor in less than 30 days to show the progress they've made.

Shaq buys all the kids stairmasters to help keep them working out at home. This should come in handy since Mr. Tyler takes them to climb flights and flights of stairs outdoors the next day. While they have a great workout, Shaq visits the school to try to get the 20 minute physical exercise implemented as a full-time program. The school is on board but they can't give up 20 minutes of instructional time every day in favor of exercise.

After last week's dud, celebrity chef Tyler Florence is back for another try at healthy school lunches. He finds out that the budget is one dollar per meal, leaving him an uphill battle to climb. The kids, meanwhile, see how their own uphill battle is going by paying a visit to Dr. Munos for an update on their health. Chris, Ariel, Walter, and Kevin show great progress while James and particularly Kit do not show as much progress as they could make.

James and Kit lack a strong support system in their parents as does Walter but he has managed to continue to progress. Dr. Munos promises Walter, who is dealing with an ill mother, that the team will help Walter in any way they can. He says the program has saved his life and he hopes he'll be an inspiration to others. Walter suggests that each kid brings a friend to the next workout to see what the program is like.

The word begins spreading and more kids start showing up to the after school program. The original six motivated the others, leading the pack, and stepping up. Before Shaq can go see what Walter has started, he meets with the principal again who has come up with an extracurricular course to help promote a healthy lifestyle. Score one for Walter, score one for Shaq.

But will we score one for Tyler Florence? He's back to try another day in the school cafeteria. It's not another win for Tyler. The kids threw away most of their broccoli and the school isn't looking to spend any more on the lunches than they currently do. Perhaps the third time is a charm and he's on a mission to succeed. Finally, Tyler's up on the board with a point. His meal goes over well and the kids are happy.

The kids meet with Carlon “Doc” Colker, Shaq's health specialist, to get ready for the meeting with the governor. They try the presidential fitness test again to see how far they've gone. In pushups, Chris is the first kid to beat the national average, followed by James. Situps are a little bit of a disappointment but it's time to see if they can beat the average in the mile. The kids continue to improve upon their time but Doc is worried it isn't enough to impress the governor.

Shaq meets with his entire team to see if all the goals can be met in the next month. His team is not optimistic but Shaq speaks to the families to see if they will stay on board for four more months of hard work. The kids are more than willing to stay with the program and continue on their path to wellness. It seems things are looking up…

Join Shaq's family challenge at shaq.abc.com


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