Most Controversial TV Show: The Biggest Loser's focus on weight loss and elimination fails to help contestants
From gut-wrenching backstories to impossible transformations, 'The Biggest Loser' had every ingredient required for the making of a successful reality show. We have all shed tears when we saw a contestant recount their hardships and the unfair treatment doled out to them. We have also cheered them enthusiastically when they shed blood and sweat at the gym for losing the extra pounds. The show has managed to be around for nearly a decade, and during its long stint we have witnessed things that make the show a worthy contender to be on the list of 'the most controversial tv shows'.
When 'The Biggest Loser' first hit small screens, we were greeted to a bunch of contestants who were willing to go to any length to shed their weight. The contestants from the early seasons worked out nearly all day in the gym and followed a strict diet. All those efforts and sacrifices paid off when they were weighed in the end and they saw the number of pounds they had shed. Working out for long hours and following a strict diet can be relatively easier to adhere to when on the show, but once the show's filming is done and the contestants returned home, things went downhill for many.
Many of them reported that they put on a lot of weight after returning home. This was mostly because they didn't have any support system to help them maintain their active lifestyle even after the show. The showrunners were also slammed for not providing any emotional support to the contestants both during and after the filming. The excessive emphasis on the physical aspects and more specifically weight-loss meant that a lot of other factors that indirectly contribute to weight-gain were completely sidelined. Most of these concerns were addressed in the reboot version, but even that had its own set of flaws. The reboot version provided all the contestants a year-long free gym membership and access to a support group. The show also shifted focus from just losing weight to getting healthy, so the emotional well-being aspect too was taken into consideration.
But the biggest shortcoming of the reboot version was the elimination of contestants. The contestants who didn't lose enough weight were sent back home. Several fans expressed their disapproval of the show's format and felt that all the contestants should have been allowed to stay on the show till the end and get access to the workout and wealth of knowledge shared by the coaches. Despite the changes to the show's format, we couldn't help but feel that a lot more could have been done to help the participants enjoy their fitness journey.
