The Biggest Loser

The only part of the show they changed was the finale, and that was for the worse. I liked it when they came back in dramatic fashion. I love Bob Harper, but not as host.

I agree with the comment that the format needs to be changed. It's amazing that when the weight loss involves "famous people" they stay thru the whole show! As the people involved in The Biggest Loser know, some weeks are better than others because you've had great weight loss in a prior week or weeks; men normally lose weight faster than women; someone weighing 220 pounds will have a tougher time losing "big numbers" than someone weighing 320 pounds - and I noticed most of the women are under 300 pounds! While the team idea is okay, it should be put together by weight - trying to put together, at the beginning an equal amount of weight. But the final competition should be individual and the very final prize should be a year later - who has kept the weight off! In addition, I agree that there should also be a lot of stuff about keeping the weight off in a healthy manner. It has been inspirational to see how well most of these people have done and there is a lot of good about this - showing people they need to combine exercise with dieting.

Fat people are basically the last group in America but it's safe to demonize, and it's really hard to watch Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper gleefully abuse these people. But the worst part about this show is how blatantly unhealthy it is, not just because of the abuse, but because these "extreme workouts" and insane diets (contestants subsisting on sugar-free Jell-O and diuretics, trainers giving contestants amphetamines) permanently damaged the contestants' metabolism, and for what? They gained all the weight back as soon as the show ended because they never learned anything about proper nutrition, healthy eating and living, or how to lose weight safely and sustainably. In the end, only Bob, Jillian, and NBC benefited from this show. I hope they never bring it back.

I was dissapointed with the new finale format and for the at - home winner. I enjoyed the old show watching each person weigh in, seeing what they lost and giving each person one last time to shine. It makes me feel like the ones not in the top three didn't even need to bother to show up. And the setting? No formal stage and theater. No big audience. Just some folding chairs set up in the weigh -in room for family members. It's like having the academy awards at your backyard barbeque.

Before listing the numerous bad points I have to say there is one point about this show that is so amazingly good it almost makes up for the bad ones: it demonstrates with no doubt whatsoever that nearly ANYONE CAN BE ACTIVE no matter what their weight. A good deal more active than most people believe is possible. This is so important. It shows that change is possible. It also shows how people who do eat well and exercise can accomplish amazing things well before they reach their goal weights, that there are rewards for changing your lifestyle throughout the journey, not just when you reach that magical number you've been striving for on the scale.

Among the bad points are the cheap psychoanalyzing that goes on, which appears to be more for making drama moments than actually accomplishing anything constructive, product placements (especially for products one strongly doubts the trainers actually encourage the contestants to use), the necessity for some contestants to lose more weight than is healthy in order to win, and raising unrealistic notions of what constitutes an appropriate rate of weight loss or level of intensity of exercise would be safe for viewers at home without strict medical supervision.