Love/Hate Relationship With Biggest Loser

Biggest Loser is one of those shows that recently I can't decide if I love it or hate it. I haven't watching this season, but since I was up early this morning and didn't have to work until this afternoon, I decided to go online and watch a few episodes.

First of all, here's why I love the show.
- Bob and Jillian. I want to know them, and not just as personal trainers, but as people in my life. I want heart-to-heart conversations with them, not just about fitness, but able everyday life.

- Allison. I think Allison is an awesome host. Partly because I think she genuinely cares. Whether the contestants do good or struggle, she always seems extremely empathetic.

- Most reality TV shows take months to air hour by hour. However, they are usually filmed in less than a month, perhaps shorter. Biggest Loser actually takes months and months to shoot. And I appreciate that as a viewer.

- The product placement is so painfully obvious that it's actually kind of funny.

- Finally, let's be honest. The shows is inspiring. Although it may not be weight, I think we all have areas in our life that we have let spiral out of control. And the show never fails to make me want to be a better person and make changes in my life.

Now here's where I kind of abhor the show:
- It seems like the personal struggles and heartbreaks of contestants are exploited for ratings. A few seasons ago I was inspired by a lady on the show who had lost her husband and children in a car accident. However, part of me felt like I could hear producers in the editing room high fiving. I realize it's TV. It's REALITY TV. Expect some exploitation. But knowing that things are being arranged in a way that is going to tug at my heart strings makes me feel like I am being man-handled.

- Weight loss methods on the show are not reality for the rest of the world. Normal folks can't lock ourselves up in a resort for months at a time, complete with nutritionists, trainers, a huge gym, and no real world distractions. So when people are on the show dropping a ton of weight per week, let's face it, that is a rare occurence in reality, and when it does happen, you have to wonder if the person is losing weight in a healthy, long-term way.

- One of the show's underlying themes is that people are unhappy and miserable because they are fat. Yes, weight issues may be a symptom for depression or other inner struggles. But sometimes I worry that viewers may be translating into their own lives that THIN = HAPPY, which isn't always true. A few of the contestants seemed to have just swapped eating for excessive exercize...in a Matthew McConnaughey sort of way. Which just means they are now getting social approval for their crutch. (Like the lady on the right. Loved her on the show...but she looked Madonna-armed at the finale.)

- Viewers may also be influenced to push too far. One of my main complaints about Before and After photos in general is when the after looks so muscley or so skinny or so fake tanned that the person in the before is far more appealling. As I once heard a person say - the after shots for most guys makes them look like closeted Baptist preachers prowling gay bars. AKA...they should haven't pushed it so far.

- Product placement. Yes, I think it is funny. But it is kind of out of control. This season when Bob and Jillian were discussing the rising obesity levels in the country, I couldn't help but wonder how the show's sponsers felt. They were probably high-fiving as well, knowing that now they could market diet products to a whole new generation of people who have been convinced thinness is happiness.

- When the post-show updates are done months after the show has aired and the contestant has gained back the weight, it definitely cheapens the show. Because, hey...that is the story of diet culture. And that has happened to multiple winners. Now, as a side note, Bob the Trainer went and visited a former winner that gained back all the weight, and I was really impressed with Bob's kindness. He didn't shame the guy, he just pointed out that weight was going to be a life-long struggle, and that part of being human is that sometimes you aren't at your target weight in weight loss world, but that it was important to keep working on being healthy.

- It defense of plus-size folks that are happy with their bodies...I feel like if I was a big person that the success of the show would push people around me to pressure me. Which can be good if you wanted and needed to lose weight. But I am a fan of doing whatever feels right for you. If you are happy and healthy, then by all means stay the amazing person that you are.

So my final thought: I probably won't watch the show much anymore. Yes, there are episodes that are beautiful and make me want to cry. And I appreciate the concern for health. But in general, I think that it exploits personal struggles and shames people who happen to be a bit more on the curvy side of things.