Reality TV in general is full of drama and crying especially
my guilty pleasure the
bachelor. Although reality TV
is amongst the trashiest of TV, I still get sucked in by the manufactured
stories. That being said, one
reality show that I watch brings a bit more to the table, The Biggest Loser.
At first glance it seems like it’s a way to shame fat people
by making them work out for endless hours and screaming in their faces. Which admittedly is why it took me
until the 10th season to give it a go. In reality, overeating is a form of self
-destruction. These contestants go
through grueling physical work-outs and mental revelations as well. Like any kind of behavior modification,
the show helps expose their underpinnings to the behavior and then gives them
tools to improve upon them.
There are bloggers and people who believe the show is
forcing starvation and dehydration, which I don’t believe. I’m sure a lot of things aren’t shown
on the aired episodes, which Jillian
Michaels addresses on her podcast.
Since it is TV, many of the “healthy eating” segments are a bit like
commercials. And the beeping as
they weigh in seriously drives me a bit nuts.
I enjoy watching the show because it’s about overcoming a
large psychological obstacle to become a better person. Not only do they feel better about
themselves mentally but also they have the tools to become healthier, and share
that with their families. Our
country is in need of this type of change since about 2/3 of people are
overweight.
The season introduces a challenge for kids to get
healthy. Impressively, the show so
far has been able to do this in a manner that is constructive to the
children.
In the end, The Biggest Loser is a reality show, which means
it doesn’t really show reality, but it provides the message that you can
overcome your mental obstacles and be a better version of you.
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