If you’re a Biggest Loser fan, you might want to sit down for this. And if you’re a Biggest Loser aspirant, you’re already sitting down: some of the show’s physical challenges might be dangerous to the sweating whales subjected to them.
The New York Times has already run a piece detailing the show’s “dark side”: contestants dehydrating themselves to the point of urinating blood; tempting heart failure with grueling exercise; watching a sitcom without a big bag of cookies on their lap. ABC tried to further blow the lid off with their own 20/20 investigation, but much like when they’re on the show, the ex-contestants have been ordered to keep their traps shut:
A “20/20”: investigation into “The Biggest Loser” was quashed after producers of the hit NBC reality show made it clear to past contestants that unapproved cooperation with the ABC newsmagazine could subject them to legal action.
While “20/20” staffers were cautious and tried to keep their investigation quiet, executives at the show’s production companies (Reveille, 3 Ball Prods. and 25/7 Prods.) and NBC found out about it — and took action.
Specifically, producers contacted past contestants to remind them of the confidentiality clauses in their contract and the requirement that they go through proper publicity channels before talking to reporters about their experiences on “Loser.”
Yeah, ex-tubbies, you can’t just hop on the horn with a reporter from a rival network and start dishing about how little mochi you got to nosh on without a CBS mouthpiece on the line, clearing his throat every time you start to say, “Boy, my heart sure hurt.” Read the contract – it contains that exact phrase.
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