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Winners & Losers
The first season of the drama television series Winners & Losers originally aired between 22 March and 23 August 2011 on the Seven Network in Australia. The season consisted of 22 episodes and aired on Tuesdays at 8:30 pm, replacing Packed to the Rafters.
Four old friends from high school have little in common, besides the fact that they were 'the losers' in high school who tried to avoid the attentions of the popular school bully, Tiffany Turner. Now twenty seven-years-old and content with their lives, the friends receive a surprise invite to their ten year reunion. Will facing Tiffany mean sweet revenge or a re-evaluation of their current lives?
As Bec, Frances and Sophie celebrate their eight million dollar lottery win, Jenny reacts badly to missing out. Despite Bec's best attempts to help talk Sophie and Frances into sharing, Jenny's over-the-top rant seemingly seals her fate. But when a series of events leads the girls to question the value of friendship in their lives, a collective decision is made to split the prize money four ways. Now all of them are multi-millionaires. And, more importantly, well and truly part of each other's lives once more.
As the arrival of the money looms, the reality of the win forces Bec, Jenny, Frances and Sophie to reassess direction of their lives. A misunderstanding, a friendship challenged and a relationship on the brink forces them all to make some life altering decisions.
Jenny throws a party to celebrate Bec and Matt setting the wedding date. The event brings everyone together for the first time - and with it, more than a few surprises. The morning after the night before sees all the girls dealing with ramifications of the evening, before Bec makes a shock announcement regarding her special day.
The girls take to the fields on Race Day. Launching their new business, Zach and Frances have organised a marquee, but some nasty advice from one of Zach's former female colleagues leaves Frances wondering if her new partner can be trusted. Meanwhile, a coincidental meeting with a former university professor reignites a painful memory for Sophie and she hits the races in anxious party mode. But her new-found sobriety means no alcohol, and she throws herself into any action going. Then, Tiffany Turner underestimates the girls' reformed friendship when she arrives with a big announcement for Jenny.
Bec is faced with a tough choice when Tiffany Turner reveals her life is in tatters and risks losing custody of her four year old son. All she needs is cash for a lawyer. Bec is left torn. Jenny doesn't buy Tiffany's sob story and advises Bec not to give her the money. Against her better judgement, Bec refuses to lend Tiffany the money. Having been asked to help organise Bridget and Wes' big day, Jenny gets a little too carried away and changes all of Bridget's wedding plans. Annoyed, Bridget accuses Jenny of interfering because Jenny's never going to find a guy and have one of her own. Sophie invites her parents over for lunch to tell them about her lottery win. Softening them with expensive gifts, Sophie's offended when her father concludes she's in the money because she's a prostitute.
When Bec, Frances and Sophie swap stories of their 'first time' Jenny is forced to admit she's still a virgin. Sick of feeling like it's a noose around her neck, Jenny sets out to find a man to do the deed with. Frances is stunned to realise she has romantic feelings for Zach. Jonathan insists it's been obvious for a while but it's thrown Frances. The realisation that Zach just sees her as 'one of the blokes' leads Frances to declare she's going to quash her feelings at all costs. Bec visits Tiffany to check how she's doing in the wake of her suicide attempt. Whilst helping her pack up her things, Bec realises that Tiffany's the only one of them holding on to the past.
Bec confronts Matt and demands to know if he really wants to marry her. Meanwhile, Frances's feelings for Zach start to get the better of her. Then, Sophie's lawyer presses her for information to provoke sympathy from the judge, but Sophie keeps certain details to herself.
Bec grapples with her suspicions over Matt's fidelity. Despite trying not to think the worst, Bec finally confronts him. Sophie faces the demons of her past but her increasingly reclusive lifestyle begins to affect her relationships with her friends. After shutting everyone out, Doug finally gets through to her via some harsh home truths. Meanwhile, Frances becomes caught in the middle of Zach and his father, and Jenny gears up for her first date with Rhys.
Bec and Matt's dinner proves to be a night of highs and lows for the four friends as they navigate very different romantic entanglements. Frances still has no clue how Zach feels about her dating his dad, Sophie is worried that Doug is distancing himself from her, and Jenny is falling hard for Rhys, despite opinions about his genuineness. Meanwhile, Bec tries to put the tension from the last few weeks behind them. For one of these women, the end of the night brings a shocking conclusion.
When Bec experiences an emotional breakdown, Jenny and Mrs Gross are there to support her, but it's Matt she really wants to see. JB's frustrated as Sophie negates his attempts to get to know her better. Will Sophie eventually let her guard down? Meanwhile, Frances is left to babysit Jonathan's niece and nephew, and after watching Paul and Zach with the kids, she realises just how different they are. But what does this mean for her relationship with Paul?
As a power failure hits the inner city, two relationships bloom and two unravel. A week after her breakdown, Bec's just getting back to herself when she sees Matt with another woman. Jenny is adamant about impressing Rhys's parents, but Rhys has a secret, and Jenny is devastated when she discovers what he's been hiding. The blackout sees Zach and Frances sharing a bottle of wine and stories about Zach's dad. Meanwhile, Sophie's decided it's time to take her and JB's relationship to the next level.
The girls' worlds are turned upside town when Bec and Doug are involved in a serious car accident.
Despite the horror of the car accident, Sophie is feeling in control but needs to end her relationship with JB, but she's never broken up with a guy before.
Somewhat splintered following the accident, the girls each grapple with their own separate game of real-life charades. Seduced by the lure of popularity and acceptance, Jenny throws herself further into Sean's party world, raising concerns for the Gross family. When Zach's grandparents arrive unexpectedly, Frances discovers he's told them that he and Frances are a couple, and while going along with the act, both are confronted by what feelings come up. Meanwhile, Bec and Doug are determined to take things slow and keep their burgeoning relationship secret — but this proves to be harder than expected.
After Callum inadvertently stumbles upon Bec and Doug's new romance, they're forced to tell Matt and Sophie that they're officially together. Publicly, Matt and Sophie take the news well. Privately, it's another story, which ultimately comes to the surface at Callum's 30th birthday party. While Sophie pretends she's okay with her two best friends dating, she's distracted by her thoughts that someone is stalking her. Meanwhile, Jenny shies away from Callum's bowling party, not wanting to show her face after being humiliated by Sean. Will her friends be able to convince her to rejoin the world?
When Jenny and her siblings notice Mrs Gross behaving in an unusual manner, they discuss the option that she could be menopausal.
Jenny struggles to keep a dark secret from her siblings concerning her mum's health, and Bridget and Wes announce some exciting news.
Zach organises a weekend away with Frances and Jonathan to discuss a strategy for their next big pitch. But with Sophie tagging along at the last minute, work takes a back seat as the foursome enjoy some fun and relaxation. Meanwhile, with Mrs Gross's impending surgery on everyone's mind, the Gross family are struggling, and when Jenny's sister Deidre arrives, disagreements and old tensions resurface. Plus, Doug's surprised to learn that Bec still holds a joint bank account with Matt.
Sophie is forced to face up to her past as she realises her stalker has been someone much closer than she could have imagined.
