Reality Roundup: The Biggest Loser Couples
It's pretty rare when I get an actual request for a blog posting, but hey, it does happen from time to time. And I recently got an email that said, partially, this:
Can you please post about "the biggest loser". I have always watched the show and this season is RIDICULOUS...I have to spout to you, cause you are the only person besides myself who I know watches this terrible show. I so wish I could stop this season as they annoy me every episode, but I am 2 close to the end now.
I'm not willing to say the show is terrible, but it's NOT good. Here are just a few of my complaints:
The show is generally two hours long, with maybe 22 minutes of actual content. It could be a half hour, realistically should be one hour, and has absolutely no business whatsoever being two goddamn hours long. It's brutal.
That being said, it's easy to fast forward through long portions of it, because there's a preposterous amount of product placement. It's one thing to watch people learn about healthy eating, it's another to watch a trainer have a "conversation" with them about why Quaker Healthy Start (or whatever it's called) is the best way to start each and every morning. Product placement is sadly a part of many reality shows, but it doesn't have to be forced down your throat.
Another thing we fast forward through? The earnest heart-to-heart talks with Jillian or Bob (the trainers) and one of the contestants is just way over the top and preposterous. And while I realize that it's a pretty intense experience for the contestants themselves, STOP WITH THE CRYING, ALREADY. Or, maybe that's a note to the editors - let those kids cry it out...just don't show it. We get it.
Speaking of earnestness (is that even a word?), newly departed Dan - a 21 year old kid who lost 112 pounds while on the ranch - just about slayed me. Not in a good way. It's amusing because he is so young (for me, that is, not all you youngsters out there) but the way he talks...oy, Dan. OY. He explains everything, because it's all new to him! So it should be to you! Too! Seriously. I also cut him some slack because he has to walk around for the rest of his life with a really bad forearm tattoo he somewhat got talked into. But the fact that he specifically requested a "Keith Urban haircut" (and got one) doesn't help him.
"1-2-3-PRIDE!" Enough said.
So...any rational person would ask...what the fuck are you doing watching this show?
Solid question. Well, here's my answer.
It's hard to not find what these people are doing amazing, and really sort of shocking. These people are cutting themselves in half, really. More than a handful of them have lost over 100 pounds just on the ranch, and that's hard to not find impressive.
And, of course, inspiring. Whether it's cause or effect of the weight they're carrying, most of these people start not all that happy with themselves, and that seems to change too. I'm not made of stone, people.
Not a lot of other things are on.
I do actually like that the financial prize for this show, while large at $250,000 is still way short of most major prizes. It's because there should be no one doing this primarily for the money. And that does always, always seem to be the case.
I just spent a few minutes trying to add to the list of why I like the show, and since I don't feel like spending much more time on that, I'll move on. But the show is worth watching. My friend who wrote the note above complained about the host, which is Allison Sweeney, replacing former host Caroline Rhea. I think they are both about the same - which is not terrible, but certainly not good. Sweeney is likeable (and easy on the eyes) but I will agree - when she calls challenges, it's just painful. Frankly, they should just clone Jeff Probst and make a rule that Probst-bots must host all reality shows from here on out.
I don't really care who "wins" the show - many people are predicting, they think Roger, who still has the most to lose, is a lock since he will have lost the most. And Mark at this point looks to be already at a very healthy weight - it's hard to see him being able to improve on an amazing feat already. It's more of a curiousity to see who wins rather than ever much caring about it one way or the other. Whoever wins earns it, and everyone else benefits a lot as well, of course.
Anyhow, it's certainly not great. It wouldn't be hard to convince me not to watch it next season, especially if -- okay, when my time is a lot less free. But in the meantime, it stays in the rotation.