Just What We Need: More Weight-Loss TV
Bravo has been showing commercials for a new show called Thintervention. Just the title alone makes me want to dry heave. One of my favorite Twitter friends, @GinAndPopcorn, sent me this link, describing the show thusly:
The new series is Thintervention—yes, that’s it’s real name, not Andy Cohen screwing with us—“will track the stories of people struggling with ongoing weight issues” as Jackie “works with them in their real lives surrounded by the every day distractions and stresses of family and work,” according to a Bravo press release. “Each episode of the one hour series will feature a grueling workout with Warner pushing her clients to their emotional and physical limits, a therapy session to get to the root of their weight issues, and a life lesson in nutrition such as grocery shopping or surprise raids of their home kitchens.”
As Gin said, “I cannot imagine this being anything but horrific. Pushing to physical & emotional limits? No. Just…no. ”
Today, @GinAndPopcorn also alerted me to this: a show from Jenny Craig spokesperson Sara Rue called–wait for it–Shedding for the Wedding. How timely, and also, vomit-inducing!
[T]he show puts 10 overweight couples in a the same house, where they’ll vie to lose the most weight over three months. Each week, the couple that loses the least amount of weight gets sent packing, and the last two standing get their wedding paid for — and possibly televised.
At least it’s not just targeting women?
And here’s another preview of Mike and Molly, which shows Molly exercising (hey, that’s something) but also has the obligatory fat jokes.
At least we have Huge. OR DO WE?
Posted by mo pie
Filed under: Celebrities, Fatism, Huge, Mike & Molly, Sara Rue, TV
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My jaw dropped at your opening line, but thankfully you either typo’d or misread–the show is “Thintervention”, not “Thinspiration”. Awkardly close, yes, but perhaps a few iotas less horrific. But yeah, overall depressing.
On the Huge/Camp Shane thing, it’s not actually related to Huge, the televised drama production, so much as it is Nikki Blonsky, and the Huge marketing beast. Yes, I am unabashedly disappointed with the whole thing, but it won’t affect my enjoyment of the series, as it’s simply not a part of the show I watch.
Huge co-developer Savannah Dooley has explained her perspective in the comments of Fatshionista:
http://www.fatshionista.com/cms/index.php?option=com_mojo&Itemid=69&p=503#comment-19352
She’s fairly negative about fat camps in general while maintaining the “BUT POSITIVE THINGS CAN HAPPEN EVEN THOUGH IT’S HORRIBLE” attitude which, while true, doesn’t justify the existence of collective self-hate camps for fat people. But that’s another issue.
a therapy session to get to the root of their weight issues
Of course, more reinforcement of the assumption that we fatties simply must have “issues”. A well-adjusted fat person is so beyond their imagination.
I was about to comment roughly the same thing but you beat me to it. Well said!
Hey Bravo, here’s a pitch for a show: It’s called “Shut Your %^&#*ing mouth, Dumbass!” We’ll have a celebrity “real” woman, like Emme, round up idiots who say nasty, stupid things to fat people. They can all live in a house together, where they will receive therapy and learn to rid themselves of their fat phobia and learn to be respectful of EVERYONE.
Although I suppose it would need a different title, lol!
But respect is booooooooooooring.
(I don’t actually think that…but that seems to be the MO on TV)
Too true!
Sara Rue just continues to break my heart. How am I supposed to girl-crush all over her with this nonsense?
I have unfortunately seen the promos for that Thintervention crap. As if it’s not bad enough they put that kind of crap on television, their promos are obnoxious and make watching Bravo painful for me. Who is the fracking genius behind making those commercials really loud with that horrible echo thing going on? I want to meet him/her and punch him/her right in the ear.
Thanks, Scott, I fixed the typo! In my defense, Thintervention and Thinspiration are both horrible titles. Heh.
Wait…family and work are “distractions” from my far important and fulfilling life as a dieter/weight loser? Um. That is so backwards I hardly know what to say. Maybe I’m only allowed to enjoy my family and work once I’m thin?
You are only allowed to enjoy anything in life if you’re thin. Fat people aren’t allowed to feel joy. Duuuuh. :)
As soon as I saw the first commercial, I decided that from now on I will DVR Top Chef and never, ever watch the actual commercials so that I never have to be assaulted with that one again.
Oh Sara Rue! How you disappoint me! I can only hope that this nauseating concept gains as little traction as the offensive yet apparently defunct Bulging Brides did. Then again, BB featured an endless parade of size 2 brides who desperately wanted to lose 3 – 8 pounds. This one sounds like the hideously misbegotten bastard child of Big Brother and The Biggest Loser. It might just be revolting enough to snare an audience.
But I don’t care how many bridal blogs I write for, THEY CAN’T MAKE ME WATCH IT!!!! I already sit through Bridezillas until my hair itches… and then watch the other 55 minutes of the show.
“As Gin said, “I cannot imagine this being anything but horrific. Pushing to physical & emotional limits? No. Just…no. ”
Gin is much calmer then I would be about this. I’d be all like, “WHHHHYYYYYY??? WHYYYYYYYYY???”
As somebody who, according to photos from childhood and current weight charts, was not even overweight as a kid but whose mother put her on a diet starting at age 8, I can tell you that I was being pushed to some kinds of limits even back then. The “root” of being fat is that I put on weight very easily, and my metabolism has probably been screwed up 6 ways north of Sunday by all the “interventions” I’ve already had. On another note–nobody cares in the least, but people who put on weight easily and have a tough time losing it are actually the ones nature designated to survive.
OH! Sign my fat vegan ass up for that. I want to see them puzzle over why my fridge is full of carrots, greens, beans etc. and I am still fat and watch their heads explode.
That would be the height of awesomeness!!!!!!!
I saw a commercial for Mike & Molly while on the treadmill at the gym. I was so P.O.ed! I can’t believe they’d make a show that appears to be nothing but fat jokes after fat jokes. “Hurr..look fat lady fell through the table durr..”
I think there should be a writing campaign, but how can you tell someone they’re stupid without offending them. “I’m sure your show would be very entertaining to frat boys and high schoolers, but..”
It’s so sad that someone thinks fat jokes are in themselves, entertaining enough to base an entire show on. It’s beyond prejudicial, maybe it will work for us in the way, we can show people episodes of the show and say “See, there is fat prejudice out there!” I don’t think even that, would make up for the huge amount of fail this show is going to be. Fat humor demeaning fat people is the lowest form of humor, any idiot can make jokes about people who are different. The person who created this show must be incredibly lacking in the brain department*.
*And that’s putting it extremely nicely, given the insults I’d like to throw at this tool.
Thintervention sounds like BBC’s You Are What You Eat.
Also with the elision between the words “thin” and “intervention”, it was only a matter of time before someone coined the gag inducing, “thintervention.”