The NBC television series “The Biggest Loser” apparently has captured the interest of sufficient viewers over the years to warrant rival ABC’s investment in more aggressive series on the same topic: obesity. Who would have ever believed that America’s fascination with fat-loss and struggles over obesity would evolve into popular entertainment?
“Biggest Loser” pits the determination and will of obese contestants to see who can lose the most weight over a given period of time. Never mind the fact that those who go on crash diets through severe fasting and exercise almost always “fall of the wagon.” Crash diets and high-intensity exercise is a recipe for eventual relapse followed by depression, shame and self-loathing. In some cases, it can also be result in medical emergency or sudden death.
Purportedly, eight candidates for “Biggest Loser” were actually too fat and had to be turned away “because intense workouts might have been a health concern.” These people are technically classified as morbidly obese, topping the scales at 400-500 pounds.
The new show, called “Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition,” has been one year in the making. Executive producer, J. D. Roth, is quoted as boasting that some contestant lost “north of 150 pounds in 90 days.”
This contest pits morbidly obese participants who willingly subject themselves to physical punishment and public humiliation while being driven by aggressive trainer, Chris Powell. Powell boasts, “It’s the severity of obesity that makes this show different.”
In my 50 years in the health promotion and physical fitness profession, I have been witness to the strange and bazaar, but I must say primetime television shows claiming to entertain viewers while exploiting morbidly obese individuals takes the cake.
How can this kind of public humiliation of people with massive issues around food, self-image, shame and denial be tolerated? Where is the public outcry? Why are the show’s medical consultants not protesting the exploitation? What will the long-term emotional and physical ramifications be to the contestants? And what professional health-and-fitness association are going to challenge the program sponsors?