Once upon a time, we had Jack LaLane. But TV was not in every home yet, nor was America experiencing the ill effects of processed foods or marketing-inspired gluttony. Fast-forward 40 years & Biggest Loser (a term coined by Greer Childers, from what I can tell) burst onto Prime-time just as Americans are in the early stages of an obesity epidemic - - the snow-balling effect of over-consumption on foods low in nutrition & void of enzymes.
I remember watching the series early on & feeling how motivational it was. Even though we weren't overweight, we tuned in every week. But it's clear the series went through various growing pains: It tried focusing on self-centered competitors, spotlighting yammering into the camera; moving to focusing on uber-sappy emotional themes, no longer inspired by cut-throat prizes. The bottom line was always to eliminate contestants quickly to arrive at the finale.
It also took some time for the producers to realize the trainers were the real stars where in S3 we finally see more of how the trainers interact & find them rightfully next to their teams at the weigh-ins. But the trainers are still missing for huge chunks of each episode. I'd like to see more of the workouts & meal prep, but those basic elements are oddly vague, presumably in hopes of motivating sales of their workout videos & personalized meal plans.
But through it all, Jillian Michaels quickly becomes & remains the audience favorite. We can see the ratings going up & down depending on whether Jill is featured.
Both original trainers became house-hold words. But as the producers began putting in twists to give the illusion the trainers were equal the audience had to endure never being able to root for just one team. That, in my estimation, was why the ratings slid even after Jillian agreed to return.
S11 becomes a no-holds barred stand-out as the producers brace for the 2nd loss of Michaels. But in their carefully-planned attempt to introduce new trainers, they made a fatal mistake by pitting Brett & Cara against our beloved favorites rather than having Bob & Jillian welcome them. This backfired, which was difficult to recover from.
Nevertheless, the ratings tumble until S13 when our fitness guru makes her final return.
Meantime, marketing experts & tabloid crackerjacks work hard to press prior contestants & quasi professionals into saying negative things about the show, regurgitating well-known facts as if epiphanies of careful research, such as that obese people often regain the weight, or that losing weight quickly isn't healthy (traditionally associated w/diet pills & starvation). But more true is that being obese is deadly & the smart thing is transform under the careful guidance of experts.
Binge-watching creates irritations that probably weren't there when watched once a week, like the torturously long beeping to get to the final weight on each contestant, or the renaissance-inspired war-choir music. I also was sad to see the iconic theme song omitted by S11.
As well, the fact that people are still told over-eating is a lack of discipline often related to emotional torment is a bit sad considering that debilitating self-loathing is really a result of food gluttony, not a cause; nor do most emotionally traumatized people become obese. Over-indulgence in food is now recognized as an addiction defined as a disease, not a lack of self-control. Well-researched data indicates that fast-food & processed food companies spend billions to learn how to manipulate consumers. Yet it's still popularly thought of as a lack of personal determination.
However, like w/ any addiction, we see on BL that w/ the right motivation, environment, education, & implementation the human will can overcome the most difficult obstacles.
Thus, BL is an iconic series that will make sense to those who are not intent on making excuses rather than resolutions. And so, I give it 10 out of 10 despite whatever small criticisms I might have.
I remember watching the series early on & feeling how motivational it was. Even though we weren't overweight, we tuned in every week. But it's clear the series went through various growing pains: It tried focusing on self-centered competitors, spotlighting yammering into the camera; moving to focusing on uber-sappy emotional themes, no longer inspired by cut-throat prizes. The bottom line was always to eliminate contestants quickly to arrive at the finale.
It also took some time for the producers to realize the trainers were the real stars where in S3 we finally see more of how the trainers interact & find them rightfully next to their teams at the weigh-ins. But the trainers are still missing for huge chunks of each episode. I'd like to see more of the workouts & meal prep, but those basic elements are oddly vague, presumably in hopes of motivating sales of their workout videos & personalized meal plans.
But through it all, Jillian Michaels quickly becomes & remains the audience favorite. We can see the ratings going up & down depending on whether Jill is featured.
Both original trainers became house-hold words. But as the producers began putting in twists to give the illusion the trainers were equal the audience had to endure never being able to root for just one team. That, in my estimation, was why the ratings slid even after Jillian agreed to return.
S11 becomes a no-holds barred stand-out as the producers brace for the 2nd loss of Michaels. But in their carefully-planned attempt to introduce new trainers, they made a fatal mistake by pitting Brett & Cara against our beloved favorites rather than having Bob & Jillian welcome them. This backfired, which was difficult to recover from.
Nevertheless, the ratings tumble until S13 when our fitness guru makes her final return.
Meantime, marketing experts & tabloid crackerjacks work hard to press prior contestants & quasi professionals into saying negative things about the show, regurgitating well-known facts as if epiphanies of careful research, such as that obese people often regain the weight, or that losing weight quickly isn't healthy (traditionally associated w/diet pills & starvation). But more true is that being obese is deadly & the smart thing is transform under the careful guidance of experts.
Binge-watching creates irritations that probably weren't there when watched once a week, like the torturously long beeping to get to the final weight on each contestant, or the renaissance-inspired war-choir music. I also was sad to see the iconic theme song omitted by S11.
As well, the fact that people are still told over-eating is a lack of discipline often related to emotional torment is a bit sad considering that debilitating self-loathing is really a result of food gluttony, not a cause; nor do most emotionally traumatized people become obese. Over-indulgence in food is now recognized as an addiction defined as a disease, not a lack of self-control. Well-researched data indicates that fast-food & processed food companies spend billions to learn how to manipulate consumers. Yet it's still popularly thought of as a lack of personal determination.
However, like w/ any addiction, we see on BL that w/ the right motivation, environment, education, & implementation the human will can overcome the most difficult obstacles.
Thus, BL is an iconic series that will make sense to those who are not intent on making excuses rather than resolutions. And so, I give it 10 out of 10 despite whatever small criticisms I might have.