It makes public spectacle of acceptable targets of bullying. People laugh at them safely at home without facing consequences.

Because they are exploitative trash.

I remember when TV channels like TLC used to air educational content (The Learning Channel was actually an appropriate name). It has since morphed into a channel that airs "lets gawk at these people who aren't like us" content. It's no longer educational.

It's fat shaming for public amusement. It's a thoroughly awful concept from top to bottom... it doesn't offer advice for healthy weightloss or encourage a healthy life style... it's just making a spectacle of something people struggle with.

It comes from an entirely negative place.

These are television shows that exploit people who have the mental illnesses which result in obesity.

You wouldn't take a bunch of people with clinical depression and make a show called "smile, ya dipshit" about them.

Biggest loser is centered around the idea that losing weight is the answer to people's problems when it's not.

The one where they have these severely ill people living their lives is just so others can watch, leer, and feel quietly superior that "at least I'm not those people".

They are just exploitative, harmful garbage.

TBL is a show that proves if you have a nutritionist, personal trainer, and heavily restricted diet you can lose a lot of weight really quickly. It's still somewhat dangerous to do that, and almost guaranteed to not lead to long term success. People almost killing themselves to massive applause and congratulations isn't actually a good thing.

The correlation between weight and health is a lot murkier than media in general, and these shows in particular, represent. It's much more reliable to measure blood and vitals, such as cholesterol and blood pressure, to establish wellbeing and risk.

Rapid changes in weight tho, in either direction, are well established for having permanent harmful effects. It also tends to make it more difficult to maintain weight loss, and more likely someone actually increases in weight over time.

These shows make it seem like losing weight at any cost is desirable, and don't put focus on the actually accurate metrics of wellbeing, while ignoring the negative long term impacts of rapid weight loss. It's a very warped view of health that focuses on an aesthetic feature.

I strongly recommend giving this podcast a try if you want more analysis: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biggest-loser/id1535408667?i=1000505824482

why the fuck would you watch something like this

Just FYI, please don't downvote this question into oblivion... it may be obvious to you, but I think it's asked in good faith.

We're in NoStupidQuestions and this is a legitimate question someone might be afraid to ask.

It's vulnerable people that the general people laugh, mock and say "glad that's not me".

TLC is the new Jerry Springer only washed through a pseudo documentary style. There is nothing educational or informative about watching morbidly obese people ignore doctors and receive toxic "advice" from amateur fitness trainers.

Watch what you like, but understand that it's junk food trash TV. I enjoy trash like love is blind, so I'm no better, but at least that's affluent conventionally attractive people harassing each other. Not gawking at the vulnerable and suffering.

When I was more active in ED spaces, shows like these were really popular. I watched a lot of Supersize v Superskinny but didn't really bother with the others.

Came from a starved mindset where I so obsessed with food and weight that I only wanted to watch stuff that related directly to food and weight.

There was also discussion in ED spaces I was in about how the stuff that these shows were doing was unhealthy and fucked up but had been deemed entertainment and therefore permissable. But us doing similar stuff was (rightfully) seen as fucked up.

I want to stress that no one in the communities I was in was ever judging the contestants. The only people we were viewing negatively were the producers who were putting people in danger and also like, ourselves.

Personally I think the contestants are forced to try way too hard. They get taught that extreme suffering is a necessary consequence of losing weight. Of course they are going to stop trying and rebound once their part in the contract is done. They don't know how to live a lifestyle that effortlessly maintains their weight.

most people don't like trash tv, most reality tv are trash tv. both of the show you mention are trash tv.

"Hate"? No.

I just don't care about the shows at all

I wish there was an episode called, "So, I Married a Snacks Murderer."

Some people are sick of reality shows; others aren't.