Did the Biggest Loser premiere go too far?

aka from a trainer's perspective now...

I write articles for examiner.com/atlanta on weight loss and will be reviewing The Biggest Loser each week, but I wanted to take it a step further and maybe a little bit more politically incorrect here, because I can...

First, read my first review: http://www.examiner.com/weight-loss-in-atlanta/did-the-biggest-loser-premiere-go-too-far

Okay, now let's talk about the trainers. Bob and Jillian. Everyone loves them.

• They train. 
• They motivate. 
• They help all these people lose weight. 

Okay, that's all good. But let's look in between the lines.

• They are paid performers. 
• They do what they need to do to get an increase in ratings. 
• They [well one of them does] sponsor and advertise for fat-burning supplements or "speed pills" as I call them. 

But that's just MY opinion, let's see what they say out of their own mouths: [comments from Tuesday night's premiere]

"Your body wants to be healthy and will respond with small changes" - Bob - totally agree
"I manipulate her with every card I've got" - Jillian, in talking about pushing client Anna when she wanted to give up
"Patrick, I'm going to break your legs and beat you with them. Now get up" - Bob training a client
"Don't roll your eyes at me girl, I will ruin your life in this place" - Jillian training a client

Okay, you've heard worse at the gym, right? Uh no. Not at any gym I've been to. And I know - this is "reality TV" - it's for the ratings, it's supposed to be dramatic and get people's attention. But, here's some of the things that bothers me the most:

• The training scenes that they show. Bob standing on the chest of a person while he's holding the bars of the treadmill, screaming at him. Jillian on the back of a person who is trying to walk/run across the gym, screaming at her. In the face, yelling, belittling, disrespecting. Get my point? Do you know what would happen if I did that to my clients? I would get fired, I would lose my insurance. Period. 
• The emotional devastation they put their clients through. "I feel like I failed and my life is over" says one of the contestants who didn't make it through one of the challenges. Yes, overly dramatic, but is it worth it? Will these contestants KEEP the weight off? Will they learn to LIVE a healthy lifestyle or is it just for the show. 

You've seen the people from past seasons. They don't always keep it off. Yes, they have some very successful past participants and I love them, I think they are great role models. But they also have a lot more that they DON'T show or when they do show them, you realize that person still has issues and has NOT kept the weight off.

• My job is to change lives. 
• My job is to change bodies. 
• My job is to EMPOWER my clients, to EDUCATE them, to HELP them live a healthy life. 

And here's my biggest gripe:

The average person sitting at home watching it. Will it motivate them to get off the couch? Or is it just entertainment? Do they eat the same bowl of ice cream - while watching the show - that they do every other night? Will they look at the crazy antics of the trainers and think "I can't do that" or "I'm not ready for that" or "I'm not strong enough for that" or other unrealistic, negative emotions that will keep them STUCK and not moving forward towards a healthy lifestyle.

Okay, that's it in a nutshell. I will continue to be honest. I will continue to tell the truth. I will continue to educate my clients and anyone else that will listen. This show is not an answer-all show, but it does have some good outcomes that I will highlight, along with the bad, which I will also highlight. But every week after I watch it, I am more and more convinced and more and more dedicated to what I believe - that it TRULY STARTS WITH THE INSIDE. Do you?