Blog #7

So I decided to watch the Biggest Loser for this week's blog.  The Biggest Loser to me is a show that shows real people with some real bad weight problems, who are trying to turn their life around for reasons such as health, family, love, and other personnal reasons.  It is a shame that some people let their weight get out of control, but this show seems to be a motivator for not only the contestants on the show, but also other overweight Americans.  This show is a competition among the contestants to see who can lose the most weight during the season of the show.  I never really watched the show until this year because one of the contestants is a role model of mine.  It is hard to believe, but Rulon Gardner is a contestant on the Biggest Loser and he is a former Olympic Wrestling Champion!  Rulon is a person who was on the top of the world a few years ago when he won the Olympics and now he is an emotional mess on a reality show. 

http://cdn.babble.com/famecrawler/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Rulon_Gardner.jpg
http://cdn.wg.uproxx.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/biggest-loser-rulon-gardner.jpg

I enjoy watching the show because I am a wrestler and I admire what Rulon did in the past as well as what he is doing now to save his relationship with his wife by losing weight.  That is the only reason I am watching the show.  Like all realtiy shows the Biggest Loser uses a suspensful attractant and cliffhangers to keep their viewers turning in the next week.  I'm not really a big TV guy, but I may tune in for the season finale to see if Rulon adds a championship from the Biggest Loser to his reseme.  If I was him I would feel ashamed of myself, but proud all at the same time.  I know this isn't where he wanted to be, but he is doing the right thing by getting back into shape.  That goes for all the contestants too! 

http://www.nbc.com/the-biggest-loser/contestants/rulon/
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?sid=13826433
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NdEg9hKmIs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trkMdEcnEms&feature=related

The only reason people watch this show is to motivate themselves or to feel better about how they look.  It's a shame that we have a competition to lose weight when we should just lose it on our own instead of trying to be a celebrity and be on TV or any of those reasons.  I know a lot of people who watch this show and it is kindof a disgusting show to watch overweight people work out and take their shirts off to weigh in.  It just goes to show how attracted we are to TV, not only for the violence and sexual shows, but also emotional and life altering shows such as the Biggest Loser. 

By watching this show I felt disguested, but also interested at the same time.  I would say mainly because of Rulon being on it, but isn't this what reality shows want?  I'm sure the producers just didn't say oh Rulon Gardner wants to lose weight sure I guess we can help him out.  Noway it is like an advertising plan because they could reach the audience of athletes and wrestlers.  Having Rulon on the show just gives them more viewers and a guarantee to have the show again next year.  It's a shame, but myself and others are just fueling the fire!  I think this is as real as a reality show can get because the contestants aren't getting paid to be followed around and the emotions of this show are on a whole other level, but these contestants may get benefits after the show or if they win so it is not only do they want to lose weight, but i'm sure their thinking of their future money oppurtunites too! 

Overall I feel that TV is a huge part of our lives and is making us lazy and overweight because we watch too much of it.  Isn't it ironic that there are lazy people out there watching the overweight contestants on the Biggest Loser fight obstacles to lose weight and better their lives because they didn't excercise enough and because they were lazy and watched TV?  Like the contestants on the Biggest Loser we need to change and better ourselves, but we will just keep watching shows like the Jershey Shore and Survivor because they have sex and violence in them and we are attracted to it.  What ever happened to spending time with our families and friends?  I am all for watching TV or playing video games every once in a while, but do we have to all the time. 

Here is an amazing quote from the website linked below.

"According to the A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than 4 hours of TV each day (or 28 hours/week, or 2 months of nonstop TV-watching per year). In a 65-year life, that person will have spent 9 years glued to the tube." http://www.csun.edu/science/health/docs/tv&health.html  

 

Is the TV really that important instead of working out and staying healthy or going out and enjoying life?