Why This Skinny Scrawny Punk Loves The Biggest Loser

A few years back, my daughter and I stumbled upon the Biggest Loser mainly because we were too poor to pay for cable tv, and aside from Public Television, the Ranch provided the best show on. I unexpectedly became quite a fan, but more about that below.

The reason I write this is because of an experience I had regarding the show. I had dropped my daughter off at her school in Chicago then went to do some work at a nearby coffeehouse. Two of the baristsas there were having an argument about the show. One stated she was trying to lose weight and liked the pointers about exercise and diet. Which was strange in that she was a pretty skinny thing. The other girl (also waif-ish) was complaining this was just another embarrassing show about overly fed Americans who are lazy.

I chimed in as I often do, with my take whether they liked it or not. I said, "Well, I just like that you get to watch these people improve their lives."

Funny thing is, ever since I said that statement, that moment in time has been burned in my memory ever since. I think many of us, who are skinny or at least a little more fit, somehow feel we have the right to put overweight people down. As if to say, well it's not correct to blame the poor, or the addicted or the jet setting wealthy in our world. But fat people? They are just lazy. It's almost as though, fat people are the last people the world is happy to blame.

What I have learned, and why I enjoy the show so much, is that you see that these people have to bear their weakness for all the world to see. Now the drug addict or alcoholic, many of these people can hide their problem, although not all, which leads to another great show, Intervention, but that's another story for another time. Or say for example, greedy people. It's very easy to hide your greed. Say if you employ a large staff who labor and toil for you and when your business does well you reap and hide away all the profits for yourself while your employees scrape by. Or how about clothing? Lots of people run out and buy very expensive clothes and live in communities where some children don't have very good items to wear. Or sexual addictions? Many people are quite able to hide their proclivity for sexual perversions. What about physical abuse? There are many parents, husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends or even people employed in positions where physical abuse is rampant but hidden away.

My point is not that the Biggest Loser or any other such program is going to rid the world of all it's problems any time soon. My point is that all of us, and I mean you too! All of us have some sort of problem, weakness, addiction or indulgence that doesn't help us or the world at large. We live with it. We hide it. We blame others for the worlds problems. But with people having trouble with their weight, there's no where to hide.

So you have to pardon my expression here, but the men and woman of the Biggest Loser have serious balls of steel. Can you even begin to imagine, if you took your most embarrassing weakness, whatever it is in your life that may hold you back, cause pain to your family, or might even kill you, then hold that issue out to the entire world on network television! The mere thought of all that ridicule would kill some of us. But not these people, or the people inspired by the program. That's what inspires me about the show. I've never had any weight issues, but I am not ashamed to admit I've had many problems and obstacles of my own creation, to overcome. As for those people who don't think they have any weakness or problems, they do too, it's called hubris.

As I mentioned above, my daughter and I started watching the show years ago. It is a good show to sit down with your children and explain about overcoming adversity in life. For some people it might be that weight is the problem, for others it could be anything else. The show offers a great mix of humor and challenges that are adventurous and rapturous in the contestants personal discoveries and revelations. You get to watch them slim down their weight, the whole time watching shape up their attitudes to match. As my old art history professor Larry Ball used to say, "It's powerful stuff." Unsure how he'd react to me quoting him for a network television program about obesity, but anyway there it is.

Ok, alright, so it doesn't hurt that gorgeous sexpot Alison Sweeney is the host, could her smile get any brighter? Or that Jillian Michaels might be your answer to some bizarre sultry, work-out fantasy you have played out in your mind. Am I projecting?  Or that Bob Harper reminds you of the fun loving Uncle you never had. What's more, both trainers are unbelievably strong in their ability to physically motivate the contestants, and emotionally diffuse the ticking time bombs these weary souls have in their heads. Lastly my hats off to the writers and the producers who continue to make the show interesting and engaging. I am shocked that the Biggest Loser has yet to Jump The Shark, but somehow seems to have actually gotten better over time.

You won't like every contestant, but that's life, and that's what my family and I enjoy so much about the show. We root for our favorites as though we are watching some sort of playoff game. You might not even like the winner! Although so far, I have liked them all. I think the producers of the show have changed the character types over the seasons. In the begining it seemed like the majority of the crew was antagonistic, competitors chomping at the bit to beat one another. The last few seasons it looks like they have picked people who, although they still are competitive and want to win, are a lot more supportive of one another, and of the philosophy of making better decisions in your life.

As for me, sadly, I have started working nights on Tuesday so don't get to watch the show with my family anymore. But they tape it for me, that's right I said tape, as in on a VCR. It's not as much fun as watching it with my family, but at least I get to stay in tune and connected with them on this unusual game. If you're looking for inspiration on how to better yourself and make positive changes, The Biggest Loser is the place to be.