It’s not really saying much to say that I’ve never really followed “The Biggest Loser,” given that I generally don’t tend to follow any reality shows; in fact, I’d probably have to go back to maybe the third season of “The Apprentice” to think of one that actually served as appointment television for me. Now, with the writer’s strike, I’ve finally been handed a perfect excuse to watch the show…and, yet, if I’m to be honest, my interest in it is less because there’s nothing else on and more because A) it’s the new year, B) I always threaten to try and lose weight at the beginning of a new year, and C) I think I’ve gained more weight over the course of 2007 than I have in previous years.
Yeah, that’s right: I feel guilty, and by watching these people lose weight, I’m hoping to find some sort of inspiration.
There’s a twist to this new season of the show that makes it a little bit more interesting: it’s a team effort. It’s a little reminiscent of VH-1’s “Celebrity Fit Club,” albeit without all that messy celebrity bullshit getting in the way, but watching pairs which consist of mothers and sons, fathers and daughters, longtime friends, and husbands and wives certainly makes you stop and think about just how much teamwork can assist in a situation like weight loss. Of course, it can also throw a wrench into the works, too, since you’re talking about a fair amount of baggage, too…which is particularly evident with the divorced couple who’ve decided to re-team for the show (although it isn’t ’til late in the first episode when the husband throws out an off-the-cuff comment that gets him chastised). Thrown into the mix for variety’s sake, however, are a pair who’ve never met before, and, as you might expect, it’s interesting to see how well or poorly they’ll end up working together.
I don’t think I’m telling tales out of school to say that, if only from a health standpoint, it wouldn’t kill either myself or my wife to drop a few pounds in 2008…and when I saw clips of the parents among the contestants as they worried about their kids, well, that’s all it took to convince me that it was time to pick up a new scale. Thankfully, my wife’s behind me on this. On the whole, though, I think we’d do better if we had the same cash incentive that the show’s contestants do, so if anyone wants to contribute to a fund, be sure to let me know in the Comments section…
