First off, exposing severely overweight people to the public audience for entertainment is twisted. Contestants have to undress and weigh themselves in front of millions of viewers across the nation. We see everything from the sweat and tears to their deepest insecurities and regrets. Dr. Charles Burant, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System says, "I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars." The idea of losing weight for money is another flawed technique in The Biggest Loser. A person should be motivated to lose weight in order to benefit their health, not to become wealthier.
As for season one winner, Ryan Benson, the money wasn't enough. Ryan, who lost 122 pounds is now back to being over 300 pounds. There comes a point where there will be no more trainers or cameras and that is where The Biggest Loser fails. They fail to prepare the contestants for life outside the gyms and planned diets. The show also has a lot of medical risks. As the seasons continue, we see more and more people weighing in over 400 pounds. The show is taking in heavier contestants in order to keep the audience engaged. On the first episode of the past season, two contestants had to be rushed to the hospital due to a heat stroke after a one mile run. The extreme workouts and dietary changes is a lot for the body to take, in such a short time. Several contestants discussed dangerous weight loss techniques such as, self induced dehydration. According to medical professionals, rapid weight loss can cause many medical problems, including a weakening of the heart muscle, irregular heartbeat and dangerous reductions in potassium and electrolytes.
So what really is The Biggest Loser trying to do? It no longer seems that this is a show about helping people become healthy. Instead, it has turned into a unhealthy contest that creates physical, mental, emotional, and social problems. When this is the case, everyone loses.
Sources
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/business/media/25loser.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Katrina, I really enjoyed this post. This topic interested me because I have seen some episodes of The Biggest Loser and I always wondered why would anyone do such a thing to their body? I agree that it is sickening for the show to broadcast the contestants' weigh ins. There is no benefit for the audience as a simple number on the screen could be sufficient enough for the show's progression. I also agree that the driving factor for these contestants is the money that can be obtained. The money is waiting for the person who can lose the most weight in a short amount of time when the money should be for the person who has become the most healthiest. People without the drive to stay healthy will go back to their old habits as did Ryan Benson after winning the prize money. Your post has great specific examples that benefit your case. I believe that this post was well written and well organized. The conclusion felt solid (despite being a little corny) because it is true that when problems are created, "everyone loses". Overall, the topic was interesting and your take on the topic made me think about what it really means to be The Biggest Loser.
ReplyDeleteFirst, yeah, Matt is right. The final sentence is "corny." While it sounds clever to identify everyone as a loser, because you don't really include the show's effect on "everyone" throughout your writing, the conclusion comes across as random and cutesy. There are also a couple of pronoun errors.
ReplyDeleteOtherwise, this post is very strong. I have never watched this show, but I have heard of it. Based on your description, it sounds pretty awful and definitely exploitative. I wonder how many other examples there are of television shows that have deleterious health effects. This might be an interesting issue worth exploring in future writing. This also seems like it would be a great opinion piece for "The Elephant." Have you already submitted it? I haven't read the latest issue yet.