Episode 4

Thanks to the millions of you who are watching Oprah's Big Give! Next week it's a wild ride! Superstar racing champ Danica Patrick speeds into the Big Give and send the contestants off on a challenging mission! But first, here are answers to some of your questions about Episode 4.

Why weren't the contestants allowed to give away any cash and restricted to spending no more than $500 on any one person and only up to $10,000 at one place?
We did this to protect recipients of the give from having to pay taxes. We always intended for these Big Gives to be a true gift to people. And, what many people do not know is that many times a large gift can bring along a large tax hit. The $500 limit is what the IRS will let an individual receive without paying any tax. The last thing we wanted was to give someone a pile of money, and then get hit with a large tax bill after the show airs.

If you weren't able to partner up in this challenge, how did Stephen get to work with his father?
While the rules for this episode did state that the contestants couldn't work with one another, they did not prohibit them from asking anyone else for help. Sometimes, a big part of giving back is being able to effectively engage others in your efforts. By asking his father for help with this challenge, Stephen was able to double his work in those 24 hours and reconnect with his father!

Why didn't Eric just pay for Ralph White's funeral while he was there?
Let me start this by saying-though I'm not an official judge-the rules are what they are. The rules were created by all kinds of people who work on these shows including lawyers, accountants and broadcast standards people. Eric needed to figure out a way to pay for the funeral that was within the rules. That didn't happen. Also, as Eric said at the end, it came down to time management. I guess he could have left the women from COPE Center North and paid their bill at the store, so that he'd have enough time to meet Ralph White's family by noon as promised. The great news is the Maloof brothers paid for Ralph White's funeral on Monday's Oprah Show!

What were some of the supplies that Rachael gave the Christopher Ricardo Cystic Fibrosis Foundation?
Of course with an hour show, we can't show every detail of giving. Remember, the point is to inspire you at home to give big any way you can. I wish we could show everything! You can check for deleted scenes-sometimes we put things that didn't make it on Oprah's Big Give on Oprah.com. While we couldn't show all of the gives throughout the show, here's what Rachael gave: Items such as trampolines and exercise bikes, which will help the kids with their breathing; gift cards to CVS for their medications; air purifiers for their homes and gift certificates to McDonald's, as children with cystic fibrosis need as many calories as they can get. All of this added up to a total of $10,000.

During that scene when Stephen and his father were handing out things like iPods, computers and printers in the Miami neighborhood, how did the $500 rule per person work?
Think of it this way, if there were 7, 10 or 12 people in a house, for instance, they could each get $500 dollars worth of a big give, and during the show Stephen makes this very point.

Why was Eric sent home from this episode, when Brandi, Cameron and Rachael gave away less money?
I know many people are sad to see Eric go. Check out the judges' and Nate's blog for their rationale. Remember, producers could not influence the judges in any way. Those are the rules of the contest. I hated to see him go. He was so great and truly embodies the Big Give spirit on the show. Remember those balloons in Episode 1? That was Eric's idea. Plus, there's good news-you haven't seen the last of Eric, Kim, Carlana, Marlene and Angelo on Oprah's Big Give. There's a surprise in the finale! Stay tuned!