Choosing a winner on a series like this was tough. Obviously they've all proven themselves, but Stephen just stood out. He had the whole package: an ability to connect with people and understand what they need, whether it be financial help or someone to listen to their story; networking skills—I'm sure his business background helped him with that, and a certain level of maturity. That's not to say that the others didn't perform well, but Stephen had great delivery. If I had to pick someone to go out and raise money for a cause I was working on, he would be my first draft pick. He has all the intangibles—working well with others, creativity, and knowing when to step back and when to lead.

If there's only one thing viewers take away from this show, I hope it's that if you want to go out there and help somebody, don’t hesitate. Do it. It doesn’t have to be all about money. People want to be heard when they are going through a rough time, and sometimes a simple smile or listening ear is the best medicine. But get involved, because the feeling you get in return is indescribable. I really believe that it's what life is all about.

Well, it's been a really great adventure and I want to thank all of the loyal “Oprah’s Big Give” fans for tuning in each week. I hope you were as changed by this TV show as I was!

I think there's a big lesson to be learned from tonight's elimination. Sheg is a wonderful man whose heart is in the right place, but he made a poor decision when he decided to throw the Murphy family a dinner party instead of using his money for things that would really help them out in the long run.

When you decide to give back, it's your responsibility to get to the bottom of what people really need. Not just what they want but what they need. Doing this requires listening to those who you're helping and observing the situation they're in-no matter if you are giving back to an individual or an organization.

There's also something to be learned from Brandi in this episode. Watching her in action, it's obvious that the same skills that helped her win titles in the Miss America organization are helping her in this competition. First of all, she's super smart. And second of all, she's a charmer. She's so sweet and peppy that she can win over anyone - and that's her secret weapon. She knows what her strengths are and she uses them to her advantage in challenges. Let's be real, not everybody could have gotten Gary to start getting to work on the construction site, or gotten people to stop on the side of the road and start giving out flowers. Brandi knows, possibly better than any of the other contestants, how to really connect with people and get her hands dirty. And any good competitor knows that to win you need to play up your strengths. I really admire that in her.

Good competitors also know that to win, you need to be a team player. There's some serious drama surrounding that issue in the next episode, but there's also some of the most emotionally-charged giving I've ever seen. Ellen Rakieten, an executive producer on Oprah's Big Give has even more inside scoop in her blog: http://www.oprah.com/about/oprahsbiggive/episodes/episodes_faq.jhtml. Check it out.

Carlana is so enthusiastic. She's like a breath of fresh air. But, when it came to challenges, sometimes she got caught up in the back-and-forth with her own team members. Obviously, the ability to work well with others is important in a competition like this, so, while it was hard to say goodbye to Carlana, I'm confident it was the right decision.

Now to the really good stuff: This episode's challenge was so much fun. I've been an Andre Agassi fan since I was a kid. Plus I'm from California, where Tony Hawk is basically worshipped. So for me, the challenge couldn't have been cooler. As a professional athlete, it was great to see Andre and Tony come out and support what Oprah's Big Give is doing. At both of the events--especially the auction--you could feel the giving in the air. Andre and Tony were able to demonstrate how much fun giving back can be, and people totally caught the bug.

I think that if your face is recognizable, it's your responsibility to use that for good. Sure, not everybody is a world-famous athlete, but many people have influence somewhere--in their community, at work, at home. If you're in a situation where others might want to emulate your actions, the best thing you can do is use that power as a vehicle to encourage giving.

When I first heard that I was asked to be a judge for "Oprah's Big Give," I thought, "Oprah Winfrey wants me?" I couldn't believe it! I grew up watching Oprah—everyone knows the amazing things she does, so of course I was interested. And once she told me what the show was going to entail, I knew it was right up my alley.

I'm a competitive junkie—that's what makes countries and wins games and makes people successful in anything they do. It's a motivating factor. People want to win, so I knew Oprah was on to something. You don't often see people competing to give away and not to gain.

But I definitely didn't know what to expect as a judge on a reality show. I felt like a rookie all over again—I had confidence, but still, you never know. It was really exciting, and being with Jamie and Malaak made it a lot easier. We got along great, and it was really helpful to have them to bounce ideas against.

It wasn't difficult to kick contestants off in the beginning. We had to eliminate people for giving back, and that sounds difficult, but early on the weaker contestants weeded themselves out. They separated themselves from the go-getters who could really produce and think outside the box. Like in last night's challenge, I thought Brandi and Cameron had a great showing. What's interesting about them is that they are the youngest contestants, so I thought they would have trouble, but they were stars! They made things happen and really stood out to me as the winners of this challenge.

Marlene, on the other hand, I really thought she would do better. She was so excited and had such a high spirit. I thought she was going to do great. And yet when it came down to actually doing things, Marlene was somewhat lazy. I think Kim really wanted to go out there and get things done for Karl, and Marlene was holding her back. She was all talk and no action. That can be good sometimes, but this is a competition. In a competition there needs to be action.