Biggest Loser, Weigh in on a New York Times Article

personally i love the Biggest Loser and how it motivates so many others to lose weight, me included, 50 pounds i've lost having been motivated by one of the contestants.

Reviewing the article, you will find that the "dangerous" practices contestants took part in were of their own doing and not recommended by the show. Ali, a former contestant, chimed in that contestants would drink as little water as possible within 24 hours before a weigh in. The contestants have been informed this is not healthy and yet still do it of their own free will.

Looking at the quotes from the release forms, it seems to me (having been a legal secretary for 10 years) like they are boiler-plate, general forms that any reality show would have contestants fill out.

The New York Times also brought up the fact that interviews of prior contestants were supervised by an NBC staffer. I would hope so, since it's kind of sounding like things the contestants did to further themselves in the show that didn't follow protocol of what they had been taught, have been tauted as general practices of the show, so.. yes, if i were NBC, i think i'd cover my ass too.

And, by the way... direct quote from the article:
Ali Vincent, a fifth-season contestant who became the first female winner of “The Biggest Loser,” said she believed that her involvement in the show was “definitely worth it.”
“I went from a life of nothing to being active every day, six days a week,” said Ms. Vincent, who started the program weighing 234 pounds and finished at 122. She now weighs about 125 pounds, she said, and is a spokeswoman for products and ventures related to “The Biggest Loser.”
via: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/business/media/25loser.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&src=twt&twt=nytimeshealth

So, if the contestants choose to take it upon themselves to do unhealthy things to further themselves in the game, let them not bring Biggest Loser down. I don't condone the unhealthy behavior or the thought of risking your health to win a game show. What i do condone is the fact that the Biggest Loser is still on the air and inspiring millions to lose weight. As a personal trainer, I do not have that reach. At times I do not agree with things the trainers say or do on the show, but I do agree that they've made a huge difference.

So, I ask you to Weigh In... what is your opinion of the Biggest Loser and things being said about the show?

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