"Reality TV was a wild west, and people were just doing the most outlandish things to keep it going. There was no roadmap. Gen Z wants to get in a time machine and fix the errors of 20 years ago, says Kristen Warner, a Cornell University media studies professor, highlighting how the industry operated without established ethical boundaries or understanding of potential harms."
"Co-creator David Broome recalls intentionally choosing a show title that defied expectations, luring audiences with the thrill of secondhand embarrassment and keeping them hooked on stories of personal triumph. But for all of its health-and-wellness sermons, The Biggest Loser was powerless against a craving for ratings, gorging on the lowest-hanging fruit of exploitative content."
"Contestants went from being pushed well past their physical capabilities to being subjected to temptation challenges that could erase their progression in exchange for fleeting family contact, all to win a $250,000 grand prize—prompting some to rely on dubious remedies and drugs to hit their fitness goals, demonstrating the show's prioritization of entertainment over contestant safety."
Reality television from the 2000s operated without established ethical guidelines, creating a landscape where networks prioritized ratings and shock value over contestant welfare. The Biggest Loser exemplified this approach, using humiliation and physical extremes as entertainment while promoting health narratives. The show's structure—featuring temptation challenges that could erase progress, extreme weight-loss methods, and a substantial prize—incentivized dangerous behaviors among contestants. Younger generations now scrutinize these programs through a lens of harm awareness, recognizing the deliberate cruelty embedded in their formats. While retrospective criticism is often justified, it also reflects contemporary media's tendency to weaponize outrage for engagement, creating a complex dynamic where accountability intersects with performative judgment.
#reality-television-criticism #the-biggest-loser #2000s-media-ethics #exploitation-and-humiliation #retrospective-accountability
Read at www.theguardian.com
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