Did You Watch Fat March on ABC?
I managed to catch the series premiere of Fat March on ABC. I have mixed results about the show.
The premise is that 12 obese individuals start out for a walk that covers over 570 miles and 9 states. Along the way, they will be given healthy meals and support by two personal trainers. Oh, there is also a cash prize that is higher if more of them complete the entire march.
The first episode, two individuals already had health problems. One man had bad blisters on his feet and another man went to the hospital for dehydration.
Dehydration? Right there, that put me off from the show. Where are the trainers helping these people and making sure that the participants are doing things correctly? After he was released from the hospital, the gentleman said that it was his fault and that he now knows he needs to drink more water. I’m sorry…this is a TV show with “professional” trainers. They should be teaching the participants and they shouldn’t be needing to go to the hospital.
As for the other man who had blisters on his feet, he ended up being voted off the show by the other members. Again, I’m a little put off from the show because of the ability to vote people off. If I was on that show, I don’t see how I could deny someone the opportunity to lose weight and have a healthy life. That man really wanted to stay in and overcome his injury. Again, I think the “professionals” could have been more proactive here because this individual was over 400 pounds. I think the blisters could have been avoided.
There is a good part to the show. If I had the opportunity to do it I would. To be able to devote that much time to getting healthy would be awesome and to do it while walking across states would make it that much better. Sometimes, though, I wonder how people can take the time off from their jobs to do things like this. There’s no way I could do that.
In conclusion, I’m not watching this show. The producers are trying to follow the cookie cutter reality TV elimination / big money prize show mold and I don’t think it belongs here. As an obese person, I want to see every one of those participants succeed. I’m not so sure I can handle the heartbreak of when one of them has to go home when it’s not their choice. I can understand how badly those people want to be there and want to make a difference in their lives. I’m also a little disappointed in the supervision of the participants. They are trusting that they will be guided here, and with the blisters and the dehydration…it makes me wonder.
Perhaps I’m being overcritical. Anyone else watch it and have thoughts?
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Comments
They started out with each of them getting $100,000 each if everyone finishes. For each person that quits or is voted off, they lose $10,000. One person quit in the first show, and then they voted off the injured fellow. They now only will get $80,000 each if everyone finishes.
Because the injured man went to the doctors and lost some miles walked, I believe they said that everyone had to go back to where he stopped and start walking again (I’m not 100% sure on that, I’d have to watch the show again to make sure). Almost everyone voted him off.
The one woman who didn’t vote him off (everyone has the option of voting off nobody), pretty much shared my viewpoint. How could she deny him the chance to finish the march?
I haven’t heard of this show, but I did see a few episodes of the Biggest Loser a couple years ago. I felt the same way about that one - why do people have to get voted off? Ok, so it worked with Survivor and American Idol, but why does every “reality” show seem to need to follow the same model? When it comes to something as important as getting fit and healthy, voting people off seems just plain wrong.
Hollywood loves cookie-cutter. They don’t have to think too hard that way. Reality t.v. is just one aspect of it. Look at the made-for-t.v. films, the sitcoms, the movies. Once one formula becomes successful they think (oh, wait, I suppose they do that every once in a while) all consumers want to watch the same type of film, sitcom, movie. This is why indie movies are great, well, were great until the average celebrity started making them.
A suggestion would be for all them folks who are selected Nielsen households to stop watching this garbage. Of course, it’ll take many of you, one won’t make a difference, unfortunately.
You can watch the episode on NBC’s site if you’re curious. I was disappointed that they voted the man off — he had possible stress fractures and I think they were trying to do him a favor, but he should have been the one to make that decision.
I think that they probably shouldn’t have included a 500-pound man on the show in the first place, but they probably did it for the attention it would get them. Most of the other contestants are in the 200s.
I had mixed feelings about this show too. On the one hand, it has a good message — walking is a great exercise for people who want to lose weight, and there’s something empowering about walking 500 miles that will hopefully make the contestants feel really good about themselves when they’re done. On the other, the trainers seem to be completely clueless about the needs of overweight individuals doing intense exercise. I think the trainers were chosen for their good looks and not their experience — they are both young and gorgeous.
In short: Good idea, bad implementation.
I hadn’t heard of it, and if I had I would not have bothered watching it. “Reality” television holds very little interest for me, even less than other types of television.
I agree. Pro trainers should be right next to these people all the way. Like the show cant afford it. And to vote anyone off is dark. Id much rather see a show where everyone helps each other and isnt forced to make elimination votes. I liked the first episode but more and more im thinking of not watching it anymore.
I tried to watch it…but I thought the participants were not truely focused on their goals. And, as someone who has walked 60 miles over 3 days in the Susan G Komen Breast Cancer 3 Day (and doing it again in a month!)..I can tell you that the blisters go with the territory, nothing much you can do about it….BUT, they should have been pushing the water more! On the 3 day, they are constantly reminding you to HYDRATE!
I didn’t see it, but I’m confused. If there is incentive to keep as many people as possible, what is the point of voting someone off?