Wow, what a scandalous last few weeks for the Biggest Loser. First, there was news that “They all gained the weight back”.
Well maybe no all the people but a large majority anyway.
Then this weekend a story broke in the New York Post that there were drugs being given out, weight loss drugs and ephedrine. If you are arrested on drug charges, the seriousness of your case and whether you will be prosecuted by state or federal law is dependent on two factors. Those factors are the kind and amount of illegal drugs or narcotics involved in your arrest and your prior criminal history of drug and narcotic convictions and arrests. For best and experienced attorney for drug crime see post here.
I remember a story a couple years ago about Jillian telling her team to take Caffeine pills to lose weight on the show, so these latest stories don’t seem too shocking to me.
In th? bodybuilding sport/industry th? idea ?f getting d?wn t? weight h?? gone ?n f?r a half century, ?? w?ll ?? ?n boxing, ?nd ?n? ?th?r sport wh?r? ??ur weight ?? important ?? w? shouldn’t b? super surprised.
Th? fact th?t Biggest Loser m?? b? encountering cheating w?? just ?n?th?r step ?n th? spectacle ?f reality TV ?nd especially reality TV w?th millions ?f viewers.
I remember wh?n th? Biggest Loser started ?t ???m?d t? b? a joke unt?l th? ratings quickly climbed ?nd w? saw people armchair quarterbacking ?nd cheering f?r th??r favorite ?v?n ?n th?t f?r?t season.
Building Expectations on TV
Th? trouble w?th th? excitement ?nd hype ?? th?t ?t ?? really hard t? k??? u?. A? w? watched ?nd b???m? excited w?th 10 pounds a week weight losses w? w?uld look f?r m?r? ?nd faster. 20 pounds ?n a week, throwing u? fr?m working ?ut ?? hard, losing 100 pounds ?n a season.
And then finally an anorexic looking winner that had to diet down that low to beat a man that could afford to lose 60% of his bodyweight.
I think th?t w?? th? episode th?t th? ?h?w jumped th? shark. Finally, w? saw ??m??n? willing t? sacrifice ?n?th?ng including th??r health t? win th? Title ?f Biggest Loser ?nd 1 million dollars.
But between the beginning and now there has had to have been a steady ratcheting up of pressure on the show to keep us tuning in and sadly the contestants on the show were the ones that weren’t really taken care of.
The Pain of Biggest Loser Success
Sure someone that is living a really sedentary lifestyle can have their body pushed and pulled to lose 100 pounds in just a few months but the damage to the spirit and body can’t be easily healed.
Ev?r??n? th?t gets ?n th? ?h?w ?nd und?r th? lights ?f network television wh?r? th? ?nl? people th?? ??n talk t? ?r? ?n ?n th? deal w?ll say th?t “Never Ev?r w?ll I eat th?t w?? again” ?r “Activity ?? m? new lifestyle”. But ?n?? th?? limo takes th?m home f?r th? l??t t?m? th??? poor contestants h?v? n? support ???t?m th?t w?ll k??? th?m working ?ut 6 hours a day ?nd eating 800 calories ?f food a day. Wh? th? hell w?uld want t? anyway?
S? h?r? w? ?r? w?th a ?h?w th?t h?? run ?ut ?f tricks, failed t? k??? helping people safe ?nd healthy dur?ng th? ?h?w let ?l?n? ?ft?rw?rd ?nd th? stories ?r? starting t? leak ?ut.
It w?? a fun ride f?r th??? ?f u? watching, but th? people th?t wanted t? turn th??r life ?r?und wh?r? ?n f?r far bigger stakes th?n th??r bodies ??uld really live u? t?.
I am guessing a show that follows people over a couple years changing their lives and losing a couple pounds a week would never do very well on TV anyway.
A? f?r th? ?h?w itself ?nd th? people th?t run ?t, th?? deserve ?ll th? punishment b??ng thrown th??r w?? n?w. Y?u can’t just g? ?l?ng w?th bigger ?nd bigger spectacles ?nd n?t expect t? hurt people.
Th? fitness ?nd health industry ??n b? terrible f?r selling a dream th?t ?? n?t attainable ?? quickly ?? ?t ?? sold.
- You can’t just cheat people on the show or in the audience by saying 1500 calories a day and instead, only let them eat 800 calories.
- You can’t have people taking ephedrine, which has been linked to heart attacks and strokes.Y?u can’t work people’s bodies f?r 6 ?r 8 hours a day w?th?ut knowing th?t ??u w?ll tear apart knees, hips, ankles, ?nd ?th?r b?d? parts, especially ?n sedentary morbidly obese people.
Th? producers ?nd trainers ?n th? Biggest Loser m?? h?v? h?d u? ?? ?n audience t? watch th?? train wreck but th? lives th?t th?? h?v? ?ut ?t risk ?r? ?t?ll entirely th??r fault