I watched the show faithfully last year, and will again this year. But one reason I watch it is because I'm fascinated at how mean-spirited, sanctimonious, judgemental and basically cruel the whole thing is. Don't get me wrong - it is on my must-see list. However, there are too many things I don't like, such as tempting people with food, bribing them with an opportunity for family contact, having people who are badly out of shape jump straight into demanding high-intensity exercise, Jillian's temper tantrums, the weekly vote-off complete with nasty comments about how the evictee fell short of the required perfection. I really, really wish that no one would be sent home, maybe just disqualified from the big prize, or maybe keep them all and have team and individual points awarded and tallied on the last day when the top competitor would be revealed.

I prefer the format of a Canadian show (season 4 re-airing now) called Taking it Off. Instead of being totally competitive, it shows how cooperative and supportive people can be. The participants stay in their communities, and the show runs over 6 months to the final weigh-in. It's a lot more like dieting in real life. It's also easier to like and identify with the people who become like old friends as we learn more and more about their lives. In that way, in fact, it's a lot like 3fc!

That being said, however, I'll continue to drive slowly past the tangled wreck of Biggest Loser every week, gawking and rubbernecking with the best (or worst) of them. Ah, these guilty pleasures...

t6hat sounds nice... i wish i could see that show

I prefer Taking It Off as well. Although I am glued to the TV whenever there is any sort of weight loss challenge, Taking It Off has the better format. I enjoy watching all the participants take their journey to weight loss together. I'm still watching reruns while I patiently wait for season 5 to start! Until then I'll be watching Biggest Loser with everybody else!

Well, I agree on all points about the cruelty of "Loser" but guess they gotta sell the show with a lot of big drama. But, the contestants stand to win a hefty amount of money and lose weight in the bargain, plus they do know what they are getting into. I think the elements like bribing them with letters from home, physical challenges, eliminations, etc., are just based on the formula reality shows like "Survivor," and I guess that's what the producers think people want to see. Actually, it probably is what people want to see.

I don't have access to "Taking It Off" ... to be honest, I think it would bore me, but maybe not. Guess it'd depend on how interesting the lives of the people are.

I do think "Loser" would be more pleasant if the eliminations didn't take place, or at least not as frequently. It'd be interesting to watch the whole group journey on together, but then the "game" element of the show would be taken out and I think that's what reality show watchers crave.

But I LOVE to HATE someone from the safety of my TV set....last year it was Lisa and Dave.....(an outlet for my REAL anger) This year, I only feel annoyance at the fountain licker...but it's early in the show and i don't get to watch it twice a week like last year.

I realize that a lot of it is reality-acting to up the audience interest....who would care to see Jillian feeding her cats or saying to one of the contestants, "Oh OK, your tummy hurts? then take it easy honey-pie".....

I love ta hate from the safety o' my TV also, Marble!

I wish they'd vote off Fountain Girl also, but I think the next woman will be Suzy 'cause she committed the sin 'o drinkin' the milkshakes, which I thought was a good idea, but ...

gotta love the honesty....

I can't deny the guilty pleasure either...it would be nice to see the canadian version...but the way US Television network operate i don't expect it anytime soon..'cept maybe from PBS....

I don't think the show is mean spirited at all. Our families frequently satatoge weight loss efforts. Temptations are all around us. I think they show is actually implementing some great tools to reinforce that your weight loss has to be the priority. If you are not serious about all the hard work involved, you will not succeed. This show is way more realistic that is was last season. I like that people seem a bit bigger and they have 'real' weight to lose!

Go Matt....you're a great hawkeye!

I dunno about 'train wreck'.

To me 'train wreck' would be a term far better suited (from what I've heard) to the current VH1 reality shows Breaking Bonaduce (the man is the living definition of a train wreck...shooting up steroids etc...), The Surreal Life, and My Fair Brady (though I must say that Christopher Knight is still a hottie - doing far better than Bonaduce).

Speaking of VH1...anyone been watching Celebrity Fit Club? I've caught a few snippets on the TV at the gym while working out. When I saw Kelly LeBrock (remembering her from the film Weird Science) I couldn't believe my EYES!

But I gotta say that Jose Canseco (Surreal Life) is in reeeeeally good shape...although he doesn't appear to have lost any of the pompus attitude he had back when he was on the Oakland A's...

Just to clarify my position, I'm not against the idea of a competitive weight-loss show. Even the "tests" designed to seduce them into eating. What I really don't like is the way the vote-off is done. Even on Survivor we don't always know how everybody voted. I know it's all part of the "game", but it seems designed to get the competitors to be mean to each other and make vicious comments. That's all.

Meanwhile, I like the doc and Suzy best so far.

Oooh, but sometimes I love me a good train wreck!! Case in point, Breaking Bonaduce. I almost hate to admit it, but I am completely hooked! Something about the raw, human emotional aspect that just reels me in every time. So, needless to say, I am a reality TV addict, I admit it! I love seeing the way other people react and interact with each other in times of stress or happiness, I always have. I automatically fell in love with COPS and The Real World when they first came out too. I say, to each his own. They put it out there, we choose whether to take it or leave it, simple as that.

Beverly

I don't like the whole concept behind "The Biggest Loser" at all. Let's turn weight loss into a competition! Let's make people feel bad if they don't do well enough! It's all about ratings, not about helping people learn how to lose weight at all. In my book, every pound lost is a victory.

I've seen clips from Bonaduce's show on "The Soup", and yeah, that looks like a train wreck to me as well. He and I do have the same birthday. Does that make us connected somehow? I kinda hope not...

And also saw some of Celebrity Fit club on the soup as well. Gary Busey, while incoherant as usual, looks fabulous!

I'd like to see the Canadian show.

I think that the US audience in general is all for flash and fast pacing.... like all the quick fix diet plans....... and not for the real life slow struggle of changing ingrained patterns of behavior and food choices.

That makes me feel sad for all of us trying to change our lifestyle patterns rather than just trying to change the numbers on the scales. It also explains how our friends and neighbors and just community members may view us overweights as being less than because we choose to not take some drastic quick fix plan but choose rather to face our long term bad habits of negative health choices.

I have watched a couple of the new shows, and find the woman trainer to be less than she was last year for some reason. Didn't watch this week's show, but have it on tape. But she walked out on her team last week. What's up with that? She's paid to motivate, not disappear when the going gets rough...... If she did that to me, I'd not want her around if I got a chance in Vegas to dump her. Turnabout is fair play. Good for them dumping her this week.

Did you watch the entire show (I think you're referring to Episode #2) to see just *why* Jillian walked out?

This was after the weigh in...Nick (who was eliminated the following week) was cooking up a humongus steak and some other stuff - and Jillian walked into the kitchen and did what she as a trainer SHOULD do - called Nick (and the others, since he was cooking for them) on it - let's refer to Gary's commentary on that week's show :

Also...I doubt if the trainers were living at the ranch 24/7 like the competitors were - it WAS nighttime and perhaps it was also time for Jillian to go leave for the day anyway...?

In retrospect, however, I believe that Nick was either trying to sabotage the rest of the players or by that time he had already decided "the heck with it" and was going to do whatever he wanted.

I personally think BOTH trainers are doing a great job - from what we have seen in the show they've spent a lot of time doing what trainers SHOULD do - instructing the contestants on making healthy lifestyle changes to help them AFTER they leave the ranch and in the years to come - in just these first few shows, the trainers have schooled their 'students' on crucial lessons like exercising while on vacation and making healthy choices while dining out or ordering takeout - maybe I'm being overly optimistic here but I would hope that at least a few viewers have learned something from this as well! (I know that here at 3FC, both 'eating out' and 'exercising while traveling' are HOT TOPICS.)

Of course - this is primetime network television fare, and in the reality game show format - so a certain amount of flash and glitter is to be expected. But looking closer at the show, I do think that the show has redeeming qualities and there are a LOT of folks out there in television land who will learn from it.