Local ‘Biggest Loser,’ a teleserye in the making?
"The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition" is fast becoming another teleserye with the amount of tears that have been shed on the reality show. Consider the back stories of some of the contestants: Art Mendoza and his wife split up a year ago; Raffy Tan's loved ones were murdered; Angela Chico-Lupango cannot have a baby because she is overweight; some do not have romantic relationships; all of them have very low self-esteem because of their excess weight.
Even the host, Sharon Cuneta, had her own sob story to tell: "When I turned 40, I went through a mid-life crisis. I was very angry. I was everybody's sweetheart. Then, all of a sudden everybody changed. I lost all desire to look good."
At first, I felt that these stories were being given too much airtime. I wanted the show to start showing the contestants going through the many grueling activities for them to lose weight. I wanted to know who would be eliminated.
The Kapamilya network had other ideas. Since "BLPE" was going to be aired daily, the episodes had to be stretched. Last Monday for instance, after introducing the 12 contestants, Sharon announced that four more biggies were coming. However, only two of them were going to join the group. The four had to engage in a "crawling" competition to determine who would .stay. To handle the race, Sharon called on Derek Ramsay, who would be the Game Master for the entire series.. Ultimately, Larry Martin, a former policeman and Destiny Duarte, a Cebuana, won the race. And then there were 14 competitors.
It was now time to find out their starting weight. Each week, they would each step on the scale to find out how many pounds they have lost, percentage-wise. Initially, they will be divided into two teams. Each week, the team that loses the most weight will be safe from elimination. The losing team will decide who among its members should be sent home. Ultimately, only one will remain and he or she will win the grand prize of one million pesos and a condominium.
It took two episodes to show the 14 being weighed. That's because each contestant was given an opportunity to air his or her feelings and that's when the tears started to fall. I nearly fell off my seat when restaurateur Eboy Bautista stepped on the scale and displayed a weight of 481 lbs. Sharon commented that he was not only the heaviest in the group but was also probably the heaviest contestant worldwide. Eboy remaked that he did not want to hold on to that record. He once spoke to a doctor friend who asked him whether he knew any old obese person. The answer was no because no obese person lived that long.
Eboy was also motivated to lose weight because his dad died of cancer and he saw what the family went through to take care of him. He did not want his family to experience the same thing with him.
Not everyone shed tears at the weighing scale. How can you not think positive with a name like Winwin Cabinta? Asked why she shaved her head, the 18-year-old replied at least people would first notice her head before her figure. Some of the contestants thought she was a tomboy but changed their minds when Winwin confessed she had a crush on Andy Gomez, who was eliminated last Monday.
I almost switched to another channel when the contestants came out with their sob stories but as the show continued, I began to appreciate what I was hearing. Each one was highly motivated to lose weight and aspire for a better life after staying at the "Biggest Loser" camp. I realized that viewers would have a better appreciation of the show if they were familiar with the contestants.
It was also refreshing to listen to Sharon's own struggle to lose weight. Friends have told me that the Megastar was not the right host for the show because she too has weight problems. Not an ideal role model unlike the trainers Chinggay Andrada and Jim Saret. She should be one of the contestants, said another friend.
I have a feeling though that as the weeks go by and each contestant starts losing weight, Sharon may just embark on a weight loss program of her own. That would be the ideal development. I mean how will Sharon feel when the competitors start weighing themselves and start to lose weight. Wouldn't she feel out of place in the show?
At any rate, I look forward to the next episode when the contestants begin their hard work of actually shedding pounds through exercise and the right diet. There was a preview in Wednesday's episode and many were having a hard time. I even saw a shot of an ambulance. Was one of the contestants unable to continue?
