Is “The Biggest Loser” Running from Reality?
Posted
March 2, 2009 at
10:19 am by
Hillary
One could say losing weight and maintaining weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint.
So, imagine the irony when the word got out that Dane, one of the eliminated Biggest Loser contestants shown completing a marathon on a recent episode, actually didn’t run the entire race. A field producer picked him up and drove him three miles so he could be shown crossing the finish line.
And, what about the race clock showing a finish time of 3:53? That was also wrong. Some of the lightbulbs had went out; the time was actually 5:53.
In full disclosure, I’m not a fan of “The Biggest Loser.” That’s not to say I’m not inspired by people who lose a lot of weight. I’m not sold that the way they do it on the show is healthy. Hundreds of pounds off in eight weeks? The people I know who’ve lost a lot of weight and maintained it over time took off the pounds slowly. They made lifestyle changes that could be sustained in a real-world environment.
But still, why would someone, be it an overzealous field producer or Dane himself, want so desperately to be shown completing a marathon? If the dude weighed 100 pounds more just weeks earlier, isn’t it inspiration and accomplishment enough that he’s out there running? Trying his best? We don’t need a faux marathon completion to see that Dane made great strides through his time on the show.
Way to take the “real” out of reality, NBC.
Tags: cheating, deceiving viewers, marathon, reality-tv, The Biggest Loser, weight-loss |
5 Responses to “Is “The Biggest Loser” Running from Reality?”
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Leave a comment
Comments are moderated and may not appear immediately in an effort to remove commercial messages, irrelevancies, excessive foul language, racist/sexist/hateful comments, spoofed/cloaked IPs and/or personal attacks and will be edited/deleted at our discretion. Thank you for your patience.
1. Stacey S_MOD
March 2, 2009 @ 1:28 pm
I actually enjoy watching ‘The Biggest Loser’. To see the transformation these individuals go through with hard work & diet is amazing. It’s a shame that the show took away some of the credibility with Dane & possibly the other contestants. I agree with your statement whole heartedly that just the fact that he was running is a feat in & of itself, they didn’t have to amp it up any more than that.
I personally would like to see an update show to see if these people are able to maintain the weight loss after months & years of completing the show. I know they have a vigorous work out schedule followed by a closely watched diet. Let’s face it…they’re in fat boot camp…so I would imagine that it’s easier to find the will power to get up off your arse & work out when you have someone screaming at you, you have a buddy there, you have no place else to go, your “real life” has been put on hold, & there’s that big check as incentive. Not to say that I don’t think they do the work that warrants the weight loss, or it’s not difficult for them…I just think the environment makes it easier…which is why they signed up to begin with. I do think it has been statistically proven that slow & steady wins the race & increases the chances of keeping the weight off exponentially.
On a side note…why is it I always get the night time munchies when I watch this? I too would like to loose at LEAST 50 lbs. but the only thing I’m inspired to do while watching the show is raid my fridge. Does this happen to anyone else?
2. Allison G-MOD
March 2, 2009 @ 2:09 pm
Don’t worry, Stacey. I’m snacking right there with ya. (albeit, on a 3 hour time difference, so by the time I’m snacking, you’re asleep for the night
)
I enjoy watching the major weight-loss successes of people on tv. I was watching the Celebrity Fit Camp last year (hey, i like my trashy reality shows!) and it was the season with Tocarra. Now, I never saw her on America’s Next Top Model, until her season had a marathon on Oxygen last week. I can’t believe how much weight she lost! When you compare her from ANTM to Fit Camp, she lost a lot!! You go Girl!!!
My neighbor is nutty for Biggest Loser. She’s a fan!
3. Allison G-MOD
March 2, 2009 @ 2:13 pm
Sorry, it was Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp.
And Dustin Diamond makes for some great, guilty-pleasure reality tv.
4. Hillary
March 2, 2009 @ 2:24 pm
Is Celebrity Fit Club coming back on the air at some point? Dustin Diamond is quite the drama king.
5. Stacey S_MOD
March 2, 2009 @ 3:23 pm
OMG! Dustin is nothing but a dick with ears! If I were face to face with him I would have a really hard time resisting the urge to pop him in his pie hole! He’s an ass! When I think of him doing porn I vomit a little in my mouth!!!