9mo ago

Why do people hate TV shows like The Biggest Loser and My 600-lb Life?

I'm watching both of these shows in their entirety and I don't know why they've historically gotten so much backlash. One reviewer called TBL "a dumpster fire of a TV show" and others seem to think M6L is downright abusive. However, I can't find anything particularly bad in either.

Although it's true that in TBL the contestants are losing an egregious amount of weight each week, it's likely (actually almost certain) that most of this is water weight and it would have been more dangerous to instead not lose the weight. The intense exercise scenes seem pretty typical for anybody who's serious about athletics. Finally, the famous "damaged metabolism" study that shut down TBL turned out to be debunked due to "damaged metabolism" being a boring, normal adaptation under high physical activity.

And although there are tons of bare naked shower scenes in M6L, everyone knew that going in and they agreed anyway. Some also complain how the stars don't receive enough support for things like therapy and other cost centers. I would say that would actually have been a great thing to add, but it would be impractical at scale and have a high chance of bankrupting the production with how much healthcare costs, resulting in a net loss of benefit for those who need the surgery.

So, what's your viewpoint here?

68 comments

It makes public spectacle of acceptable targets of bullying. People laugh at them safely at home without facing consequences.
- That's actually weird, because I'm always thinking "wow, look how far they came! awesome work!" which is the opposite mindset.
  
  Look how far they came when they had access to social supports and the high quality food we deny to the poor - it's trying to shift the narrative from societal issues to personal responsibility... "look how easy it is - you too could lose hundreds of pounds if you got off your lazy ass" without regard to the fact that the personal trainers and dieticians are out of reach for normal people.
  Look at billionaires if you want the real proof - Jeff Bezos hasn't always looked like Vin Diesel, old pictures of Elon Musk are an amazing contrast, ditto for Gates - honestly Zuckerberg seems to be the exception here because martial arts a life long hobby of his... these are all people who already had a shit ton of money but even they struggled before they had a team dedicated to their body.
  
  Just because that is how you enjoy the show doesn't mean everyone is the same way.
  
  Yeah, in Bullyland that's not gonna be a popular attitude.
  
  I watch and enjoy m600L for the same reason you do. I want to watch the overwhelming motivation and winning that happens frequently. The fact that some people don't seem to be able to rise is what makes it not mundane though: you can't always predict who will knuckle down and kick ass. Lots of people here seem to maybe not have watched more than a trailer of it.
  Dr. Now with his hilarious diamond and gold plated stethoscope is definitely milking it though.

Because they are exploitative trash.

I remember when TV channels like TLC used to air educational content (The Learning Channel was actually an appropriate name). It has since morphed into a channel that airs "lets gawk at these people who aren't like us" content. It's no longer educational.
- So now they are The Leering Channel.
- I was SO surprised to find that out about TLC. I have only ever associated them with shows like say yes to the dress, cake boss and toddlers and tiaras.
  What typ of shows did they used to air?
  
  You remember Connections, with James Burke?
  John Romer/Roemer, whatever, his docu-series on Egypt?
  That kind of thing.
  
  Get this: The History Channel used to show documentaries about history. Everything is turning to shit. Capitalism rocks.

It's fat shaming for public amusement. It's a thoroughly awful concept from top to bottom... it doesn't offer advice for healthy weightloss or encourage a healthy life style... it's just making a spectacle of something people struggle with.
It comes from an entirely negative place.

These are television shows that exploit people who have the mental illnesses which result in obesity.
You wouldn't take a bunch of people with clinical depression and make a show called "smile, ya dipshit" about them.
Biggest loser is centered around the idea that losing weight is the answer to people's problems when it's not.
The one where they have these severely ill people living their lives is just so others can watch, leer, and feel quietly superior that "at least I'm not those people".
They are just exploitative, harmful garbage.
- Introducing our newest reality show, "Smile, Ya Dipshit." It's the uplifting tale of everyday depressed individuals as they battle their way through life while we prod and cajole them to find that inner happiness within themselves. Watch as these brave contestants attempt to smile against all odds, as our team of experts forces them into stressful situations meant to inspire joy. Will these victims of melancholy be able to overcome their debilitating emotions, or will the crushing weight of their sadness prove too much? Join us every week to witness the struggles and triumphs of those striving to become happier, one forced grin at a time. So sit back and enjoy the rollercoaster ride that is "Smile, Ya Dipshit!"
  
  forced to spill entire history of childhood SA and is depicted to have it resolved after brief pep talk with coach
- Sure people would watch that. Especially if some people got help and turned around. Hoarders, intervention, M600L, my strange addiction, love on the spectrum, wife swap to some extent etc etc etc all have similar themes and have huge viewerships. They are not mean spirited, though they are not super intellectual, and show different aspects of the human condition and humanize the people in those situations.
  If anything, at least if you watch a show like m600L you can see how under the weight there is a real person with deep trauma, instead of just thinking "Look at this guy who can't put down the fork".
  There are better things on TV for sure, but had OP said GoT the top comment would be parallel universe you saying something about it being just gore, sex, and revenge porn, or Sopranos and someone saying it's a wholesale misrepresentation of Italian Americans, or breaking bad being about glorification of drugs and reckless lifestyle. Maybe we should all just read instead.
  
  You seem to have overlooked the exploitative part.
  If these were charities, helping people manage health issues with no cameras, that would be great - but that's not what these are.
  Someone is making money off the plight of these people.
  It wouldn't be very engaging if it were "watch healthy normal Jane wash the dishes", would it.
  Additionally, producers put significant effort into fomenting drama. Just dirty tricks like long bus rides in the early hours followed by 3 hours of standing around waiting for something with no breakfast - hoping that some poor contestant will crack and say something snippy for the camera.

TBL is a show that proves if you have a nutritionist, personal trainer, and heavily restricted diet you can lose a lot of weight really quickly. It's still somewhat dangerous to do that, and almost guaranteed to not lead to long term success. People almost killing themselves to massive applause and congratulations isn't actually a good thing.
- Even with that supervision, the show encourages unhealthy practices like dehydration to meet a weight goal
  
  True. They essentially lived on water and vitamins while on the show.
- So I was fat (really fat, not chubby)and had a very good financial situation before COVID, so I hired a personal trainer, went to the most tech gym, went to the same nutritionist as the bodybuilding team , and the "star" dermatologist (with all her expensive treatments) No joke, in 1 year I was fitness and beautiful. You wouldn't believe. When Covid hit I got fat again but now I know, nobody is really ugly, you are only poor. If you have money you can be whoever you want in the time frame that you want
  
  I, honestly can't see how that is in any way the fault of your financial situation.

The correlation between weight and health is a lot murkier than media in general, and these shows in particular, represent. It's much more reliable to measure blood and vitals, such as cholesterol and blood pressure, to establish wellbeing and risk.
Rapid changes in weight tho, in either direction, are well established for having permanent harmful effects. It also tends to make it more difficult to maintain weight loss, and more likely someone actually increases in weight over time.
These shows make it seem like losing weight at any cost is desirable, and don't put focus on the actually accurate metrics of wellbeing, while ignoring the negative long term impacts of rapid weight loss. It's a very warped view of health that focuses on an aesthetic feature.
I strongly recommend giving this podcast a try if you want more analysis: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biggest-loser/id1535408667?i=1000505824482
- Spot on comment. "But, but, but obesity" Yeah correlation is not causation, when will people get off of the better than thou train.
  Being healthy is more than just how much people weight and it baffles me that so many comments here are tone deaf about how it is not as easy as CICO and criticize people who live in larger bodies.
- Shedding weight fast is a great method for excess skin that requires cosmetic surgery to remove. Slowly losing weight can reduce but not eliminate the requirements for surgery.
  Good friend of mine lost almost half his body weight in around 4 years, his arms, legs are all OK but his stomach area needs some work. I can't imagine the hardship people "competing" on the biggest loser need to go through once the season is over.
  
  That's true, I was simplifying a little bit because it certainly depends on how you lose it. Crash diets are the worst because they can really mess with your organs, but liposuction or more balanced changes can avoid the worst of that.
- Rapid changes in weight tho, in either direction, are well established for having permanent harmful effects. It also tends to make it more difficult to maintain weight loss, and more likely someone actually increases in weight over time.
  This is a valid criticism of the Biggest Loser, but My 600 Lb Life generally culminates with bariatric surgery, which has some of the best long term outcomes for maintaining weight loss.
  
  Yes, but also that weightloss from bariatric surgery comes with many unhealthy side effects:
  Dumping; calcium, Iron, folate, vitamin A, B1,B12,D malabsortion; malnutrition, ulcers, refractory late dumping; increased risk of postoperative abuse of alcohol; depression; anxiety; increased mortality from suicide (so much for decreased mortality for not being fat anymore); more risk of colorectal cancer; Barret's oesophagus (premalignant condition for oesophageal adenocarcinoma), etc.
  So how come this is healthier for someone? Is it a case or choosing a poison? How come anesthesia is a risk for life saving surgeries for fat people but that risk evaporates when it comes to bariatric procedures? So which is it? "We want you thinner" or "We want you healhy"?

why the fuck would you watch something like this

Just FYI, please don't downvote this question into oblivion... it may be obvious to you, but I think it's asked in good faith.
We're in NoStupidQuestions and this is a legitimate question someone might be afraid to ask.

It's vulnerable people that the general people laugh, mock and say "glad that's not me".
TLC is the new Jerry Springer only washed through a pseudo documentary style. There is nothing educational or informative about watching morbidly obese people ignore doctors and receive toxic "advice" from amateur fitness trainers.
Watch what you like, but understand that it's junk food trash TV. I enjoy trash like love is blind, so I'm no better, but at least that's affluent conventionally attractive people harassing each other. Not gawking at the vulnerable and suffering.

When I was more active in ED spaces, shows like these were really popular. I watched a lot of Supersize v Superskinny but didn't really bother with the others.
Came from a starved mindset where I so obsessed with food and weight that I only wanted to watch stuff that related directly to food and weight.
There was also discussion in ED spaces I was in about how the stuff that these shows were doing was unhealthy and fucked up but had been deemed entertainment and therefore permissable. But us doing similar stuff was (rightfully) seen as fucked up.
I want to stress that no one in the communities I was in was ever judging the contestants. The only people we were viewing negatively were the producers who were putting people in danger and also like, ourselves.
- Erectile Dysfunction?
  
  Eating Disorder

most people don't like trash tv, most reality tv are trash tv. both of the show you mention are trash tv.

Personally I think the contestants are forced to try way too hard. They get taught that extreme suffering is a necessary consequence of losing weight. Of course they are going to stop trying and rebound once their part in the contract is done. They don't know how to live a lifestyle that effortlessly maintains their weight.

"Hate"? No.
I just don't care about the shows at all

Some people are sick of reality shows; others aren't.

I wish there was an episode called, "So, I Married a Snacks Murderer."

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