I started watching The Biggest Loser occasionally when one of my clients started talking about it a few years ago. She seemed so inspired that I wanted to see just what all of the excitement was about. This season, I have been fully invested in the show; and have been able to I discuss it with my client the day after it airs.
Final three contestants: Danni, Jeff, and Jackson (photo taken from my TV)
As a trainer, the show sometimes drives me nuts; but overall, I think it’s been an inspiration for a lot of people; and therefore, is a good show. Here are my pros and cons:
- Pros:
- Millions of viewers are inspired to take charge of their lives and lose the weight they’ve wanted to for years.
- Viewers learn healthy eating habits from the contestants’ time in the kitchen.
- Viewers learn that trainers will hold them accountable and are a good investment. Note: If hiring a trainer isn’t in your budget, work with friends that have similar goals and hold each other accountable.
- People learn that they don’t have to belong to a gym to exercise.
- TV viewers are encourage to participate from home, and start their own weight loss challenge that follows along with The Biggest Loser TV show.
- Base-line measurements are taken on contestants at the beginning of their journey, and the lower overall cholesterol, lower blood sugar levels, etc. are impressive. In one episode, I was pleased to see the emphasis placed on the amount of muscle Danni had gained, rather than just pounds lost.
- Cons:
- Contestants are working out hours and hours per day… That’s their job while they are on the show and they don’t have to juggle working out with work, parenting, shopping, and everyday life.
- Doctors are just off camera, so participants can be pushed to levels not healthy for everyday people in a regular gym. I cringe when I see contestants falling off of a treadmill because they’ve been pushed too far.
- The emphasis is on pounds lost, so contestants have to lose weight quickly in order to stay on the show. Studies have long shown that gradual weight loss is best for keeping the weight off. I question with the rapid weight loss, if the pounds loss are all fat or fat AND muscle.
- Overuse injuries are always a concern when working with a new client, especially someone that has been inactive for a very long time. I don’t see the benefit of making someone extremely overweight run a 10K or half-marathon when they are still so heavy. My joints hurt just thinking about it.
- The show does not spend enough time showing exercises that people could try at home or at their gym. They could do an even bigger public service if they emphasized two or three new beginner’s exercises per week.
- It’s TV, so contestant-to-trainer and contestant-to-contestant drama is emphasized to make it entertaining, a turn-off to some viewers who would prefer to learn about healthy nutrition and exercise instead.
- Perhaps not enough emphasis is placed on long-term health and weight loss, and how to manage their new life-style on their own at home. I would like to see more previous seasons’ contestants who have maintained, and to somehow have them be a part of the show.
Here are some of the contestants that caught my attention:
Gina… On the very first show, I thought Gina might be one of my favorites to follow, but her constant complaining, walking out of the gym, and hogging the trainers’ time for constant pep talks turned me off to her very quickly.
Lisa… Lisa is a mom of sons, I’m a mom of sons; so I had an instant connection to her. She wanted to lose weight and get fit so she could keep up with her active boys. I liked that! She was a hard worker that seemed to stay focused and not get involved with petty distractions.
Danni… I focused in on Danni pretty early on; and as soon at Lisa left the show, I started pulling for Danni. She was a hard worker, and like Lisa, stayed focused and didn’t seem to get involved in any games. Danni also generously gave one of her challenge prizes of visiting with family to fellow contestants Michael and Gina. I admired that generosity.
Danni’s before and after transformation (photo taken from my TV)
Michael… Who didn’t want to root for Michael the second they saw his adorable little baby boy! I was so happy to see Michael persevere and get to a really good place in life so that he will be around to see his little boy grow up.
Jackson… Jackson was just fun! He had a great heart and got along well with everyone. I was pulling for him to make the final three, and happy he won the home vote.
In the end, Dani was cut, defined, muscular, and smoking hot, and was the overall winner of $250,000 with a weight loss of 121 pounds, almost half of her starting weight (46.9% weight loss). Jeff came in second with a total percentage of weight loss of 46.65%, and Jackson came in third at 42.07%. Gina won the $100,000 at-home prize with a weight loss of 113 pounds (46.12%).
- Questions:
- Did you watch The Biggest Loser grand-fanale?
- Who were you cheering for?
- If you had the need to lose a large amount of weight and the opportunity, would you put yourself “out there” and be a contestant on The Biggest Loser?
- What pros and cons would you add to my list?
I completely agree with your cons. One of the main reasons why I stopped watching the show was because they made the contestants so focused on the percentage lost and not on how to maintain a long term healthy lifestyle, to make the weight loss last. When they have updates on past contestants, I’m unfortunately never surprised when there are some that have gained all the weight back.
I rooted for Danni from the beginning! I instantly connected with her just because we are close in age. As the season went on and she was so hard working, liked to run, won challenges (and generously gave a few prizes away), I started really pulling for her. I also really liked Joe and I thought it was so cool that his (possibly twin?) brother was doing the same thing at home.
Even though you listed it as a con that these folks to get to “step out of their lives” and focus just on the exercise, I think it can also be a pro. They seem to have gotten to a point in their lives where they really need that opportunity to put everything else on hold, and completely focus on how to exercise, how to eat right, and making those habits before stepping back into the real world. It can go either way, in my opinion. I’d love to have that opportunity, although I’d miss my family, friends, and dogs. 🙂
I liked Danni very much, too! I loved that she ran with the young lady from the white team (child ambassador) that was trying to break a 10 minute mile. That was just another example of her character.
I absolutely agree with your second paragraph. My point is from a viewers perspective they need to realize that the contestants have a tremendous amount of time to spend exercising on the ranch each day, and that’s not realistic for the viewers at home, or even the contestants when they get home. Some viewers at home might be discouraged that they are not losing nearly as quickly as the contestants.
I feel the same way about your cons. Especially for a show that’s supposed to be about “Challenging America,” they spend very little time focusing on how normal Americans (who don’t have trainers or dietitians or all day every day to work out) can incorporate healthier habits into their lifestyles. I feel like all they ever do now is promos for their corporate sponsors like Subway, Progresso Soup and whatever the protein/granola bars they always chat about are.
i don’t really watch or follow the Biggest Loser that much but i agree with all of ur points. the biggest reason i don’t really watch is i get annoyed when the contestants constantly complain or just have a poor attitude…i just kinda don’t have the patience for it! haha…BUT for the ones that really do put in all the effort i’m really impressed. and i think on the whole the show is good as it does promote activity and a nice wake-up call to overweight Americans.
Thanks for visiting my blog, Cait. I’ll stop by yours and check it out! Yes, some of the contestants on BL can be SO annoying!
We loved Danni and Jackson. Lisa was one of my favorites, too, because she seemed so REAL.
The cons you listed are so true. Glenn and I (Glenn is an athletic trainer and I’m a former “I tore my ACL” college basketball player) both lament the fact that they don’t use the pool more for the contestants. Especially the ones with injuries.
I know, wouldn’t you think they would have had the policeman doing deep water jogging instead of rowing with his bad leg sticking off to the side? I do think they had him biking some, but still, if it’s available, the water is a great place to rehab.