For a few years now I’ve been a pretty faithful Biggest Loser fan, but something always nagged at me about the show. While I admired the transformations these people were making in their lives, the method seemed a bit extreme. And watching their lives and bodies on display was uncomfortable at times.
But I let it go, because it was a game and it wasn’t hurting anyone. Plus, they were getting healthy! And motivating the country!
Right?
I’m not so sure anymore.
A debate has been going on since the recent finale, when 105 pound, 24-year-old Rachel Frederickson won the game with an incredible 60% loss of her starting body weight. Was she too thin? Did the show contribute to her developing an eating disorder? Will she gain some back now that she’s won the show and doesn’t need to maintain such a low weight anymore?
When I saw her walk out during the finale, my heart dropped a little bit. Her face looked gaunt. Her legs were stick thin. She just didn’t look healthy to me. Thinner, yes. Healthy, not to my eye.
But was it fair of me and everyone else to start forming these opinions about her new body? Plus, who are we to speculate about her health? It’s her body after all, not mine. And I don’t want people focusing on my body and health, so shouldn’t I extend the same courtesy to her? Well, yeah, except I didn’t go on a nationally televised weight loss show. She did. And discussion about the results needs to happen. Because people are watching these transformations as an example of how they should eat, exercise, and live. And I’m not sure the example of a woman who ate so little and exercised so much that she ended up underweight is one that needs to be broadcast to the world, at least not in a positive way.
Suddenly those nagging feelings about the show weren’t something I could ignore anymore, and I made the choice to stop watching. Here are the reasons The Biggest Loser will no longer find its way onto my TV lineup.
1. I don’t want to be entertained by other people’s mental and emotional issues. Many of the contestants come to the show with some serious baggage, which becomes a part of the “entertainment.” They go out of their way to expose these raw emotions, focus the camera on them, and wait for the waterworks. And we sit at home captivated by someone else’s pain. I don’t think it’s okay.
2. The weight loss depicted on the show isn’t realistic for the average person. The contestants are sequestered and their entire focus is weight loss. They don’t have jobs to go to, family to take care of, or even errands to run. Everything is taken care of for them so they can focus on the game. We’re expected to be motivated by huge weekly weight losses that we will never be able to achieve. And suddenly, even though we worked our butt’s off for it, the half a pound we lose in a week doesn’t seem to quite measure up. Isn’t this show supposed to be motivating? Yeah, it’s not.
3. At the end of the day, The Biggest Loser is a game. Both for the contestants and the producers. While they talk a good talk about the health aspects, ultimately it’s about that $250,000 prize and the millions in profits the show brings in. While I’m sure many of the contestants are happy to be there to lose weight, undergoing daily humiliation, and what seems like verbal abuse, has to take a toll. Suddenly it doesn’t seem at all like it’s about health and fitness, but more about using the stigma surrounding weight in this country in order to turn a profit. And we tune in very week to be reminded that fat is bad and thin is good. Thin is so good in fact, we’ll pay you to do dangerous things to get there. It’s sick.
I know there will be people who don’t agree with me, and that’s fine. I’d really like to open it up to you and find out how you feel about the show, especially after this recent finale. Did it change your mind about the show? Do you think what the contestants go through is worth it?
Let’s talk about it.
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This was the first season that I actually watched regularly. And I thought Rachel was doing awesome. Especially that last episode before the finale. She looked so strong and healthy. And then when I saw her on the finale I was so sad for her. She looked so frail and weak. And she won. I think that in itself is setting the wrong example. Someone who is officially in the underweight BMI category got the 250K. I won’t be watching anymore either.
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I have not been an avid watcher of the show but for some reason taped the finale of this season to see the results. Before I had a chance to watch it, I heard all the controversy about the results. I’m with you. I will no longer watch the show, even casually, for all the reasons you describe. When you think about the fact that the camera adds 15 pounds, imagine how gaunt the “winner” must have looked in person. No wonder Jillian and Bob looked so horrified!
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Thank you! I’ve never been able to get into the show for all of these reasons. It has never sat right with me. I’ve watched a few episodes here and there and almost always end up turning it off because I couldn’t stand the way the trainers were “encouraging” their team members.
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I quit watching a long time ago for those very reasons. In no way does the show encourage healthy habits — it encourages replacing their addiction to food with being overly obsessed with their weight, and the kind of weight they lose in such a short period of time is incredibly unhealthy. Healthy weight loss is two pounds a week. Two pounds, that’s it. They lose that in like a minute and make everyone else who’s doing it the healthy way feel worthless.
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I really like your point #2. It’s so unreal, and almost discouraging for others wondering why they can’t lose weight so quickly.
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I agree! I think that a lot of people have been motivated by this show but more often than not, it’s just used as entertainment. And how many of those contestants actually keep the weight off?
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I’m not a watcher or fan of the show and this is so sad to hear. As someone who writes about fitness and tries to encourage people to find the happy, healthiest way to get moving I find it so discouraging and sad. I’m a big fan of Chris Powell’s show though. I find him so encouraging.
L,
Vicky
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I have never watched the show because I really don’t care to see others put themselves through something like that and does it work for them after they leave the show. BUT, I saw the girl on the news and after reading a bit more about her it seems was a huge athlete before she gained the weight. He body was use to hard work and an athletes diet. I would think that would be the reason why she was able to loose so much weight. I read all the time how athletes can transform their bodies in a short period of time under the care of experts. Just a thought.
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Interesting thoughts for sure. I am a faithful BL viewer and will continue to watch. What they do is amazing. I think the mistake with Rachel went from turning her into a model and not an athlete.
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I’ve watched the show off and on and you’re #1 reason is the reason that I’ve never been comfortable with it. No matter whether others are comfortable airing their emotional and physical issues I just find it hard to watch. I have enough baggage of my own, I suppose!
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Trish
You make all excellent points and very eloquently I might add. I haven’t watched the show in a while, mainly for all the reasons you stated. However, I did tune into the controversy over the last week. I haven’t been able to make sense of my feelings yet and I don’t know if I will be able to. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Stopping by from SITS.
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I’ve never watch The Biggest Loser but I was pretty horrified by the comments in the blogosphere about the winner. I can’t judge anyone for going to such lengths for a quarter million dollar and possible endorsement deals.
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I’ve never been a fan of that show. I thought the premise was a bit strange. I’m surprised it took so long for someone to look underweight, to be honest. #SITS
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