Probably my favorite reality TV show is The Biggest Loser. I really like this show for several reasons. It has the setting of a game but it has life-long consequences for every player. Many of the contestants face life and death situations and most have come to “The Ranch” in order to regain their life, their self-respect, their family/loved ones, and their dreams.
I love seeing people begin to change bad habits into positive routines through diligence, hard work, dedication, change, and trust. Several contestants each season seem to include God into their mindsets, although the show does not emphasize the spiritual dimension of the weight loss transformation. I find it motivating and even inspiring to see these men and women, terribly overweight, begin to address their weaknesses, discipline their lifestyles, and exercise the pounds away. Walking with the players each week, watching them work hard, and seeing great results on the scale (and in their hearts) make this show fun to watch.
The players in the game usually find themselves making close friends with other contestants, kindred spirits facing similar hurdles in their lives. It is one of the few games shows where the players truly support and encourage one another. As the season progresses, the relationships become deeper and when it is time to eliminate a player, tears of genuine sorrow accompany the vote.
The trainers on the show serve as coaches, leaders, counselors, motivators, advisors, and influencers. I don’t always agree with their advice but the trainers appear to value each person on the ranch and honestly want to see each contestant succeed. The trainers do not often enter into the game play, but rather see the ranch as a place that each player needs in order to turn his/her life around.
A new season has begun in January. Last season finished up just before Christmas break. On this last series, three trainers joined the contestants in their weight-loss journeys. These trainers have to demonstrate strong leadership traits in order to bring about drastic change in these obese individuals. Two trainers were rookies to the show and one has been with the show from the beginning. Bob, the veteran, has earned the respect of the players through many seasons of successful results: Bob is known for pushing his trainees but always sharing huge encouragements; he laughs and yells; he smiles and demands; he hugs and confronts. But the bottom line with Bob is realism – no gimmicks, just life change.
Anna Kournikova, professional tennis player, joined the show this year as a rookie trainer. She was softer and tended to be a little too kind to the contestants. But as the show progressed she found her place in the training approach and the players developed trust in her work-out routines. She began to push more without apology. Some of her tennis workouts had the players huffing and puffing with exhaustion and perspiration. Anna discovered how to push but in a nice and gentle kind of way. She would have been my trainer of choice if I had the misfortune of qualifying for the Ranch.
The other new trainer was Dolvett Quince. He has the sculptured body of a Greek god, has credentials as a certified trainer, and has developed his own company, Body Sculptor Inc. He worked hard on the show to develop relationships of trust. He ended up being the trainer for the winner of this season of the Biggest Loser; but I was quite disappointed that the champion, John, gave so little credit to Dolvett and praised Bob so graciously. Through a series of events John changed trainers halfway though the season from Bob to Dolvett. I was impressed with the time, energy, and commitment that Dolvett poured into John. Dolvett had such high expectations for John and tried to inspire him with hugs, yells, celebration, personal talks of vulnerability, and challenges of trust. John seemed to respond so well to his direction and counsel. I felt badly for Dolvett at the live finale because I thought he deserved more credit for John’s victory than John expressed. But such is a valuable lesson of leadership. Sometimes the leader pours out his/her energy into a successful project but, in the end, fails to receive proper recognition for his/her key role. An effective leader needs to have a higher purpose than praise; needs to grab on to a higher priority than the applause of man; needs to find the deepest satisfaction in his/her service to others (and to God’s call upon his/her life).
Accepting the negative aspects of this show (it is self-oriented; there is an absence of spirituality; it is humanistic and gives man credit for transformation; and it is trainer-focused [missing the power of the spiritual dimension of man]), it is still a great show to study change, motivation, and encouragement. As the next season has already begun I will be including some insights from the show on blogs to come.
I love seeing people begin to change bad habits into positive routines through diligence, hard work, dedication, change, and trust. Several contestants each season seem to include God into their mindsets, although the show does not emphasize the spiritual dimension of the weight loss transformation. I find it motivating and even inspiring to see these men and women, terribly overweight, begin to address their weaknesses, discipline their lifestyles, and exercise the pounds away. Walking with the players each week, watching them work hard, and seeing great results on the scale (and in their hearts) make this show fun to watch.
The players in the game usually find themselves making close friends with other contestants, kindred spirits facing similar hurdles in their lives. It is one of the few games shows where the players truly support and encourage one another. As the season progresses, the relationships become deeper and when it is time to eliminate a player, tears of genuine sorrow accompany the vote.
The trainers on the show serve as coaches, leaders, counselors, motivators, advisors, and influencers. I don’t always agree with their advice but the trainers appear to value each person on the ranch and honestly want to see each contestant succeed. The trainers do not often enter into the game play, but rather see the ranch as a place that each player needs in order to turn his/her life around.
A new season has begun in January. Last season finished up just before Christmas break. On this last series, three trainers joined the contestants in their weight-loss journeys. These trainers have to demonstrate strong leadership traits in order to bring about drastic change in these obese individuals. Two trainers were rookies to the show and one has been with the show from the beginning. Bob, the veteran, has earned the respect of the players through many seasons of successful results: Bob is known for pushing his trainees but always sharing huge encouragements; he laughs and yells; he smiles and demands; he hugs and confronts. But the bottom line with Bob is realism – no gimmicks, just life change.
Anna Kournikova, professional tennis player, joined the show this year as a rookie trainer. She was softer and tended to be a little too kind to the contestants. But as the show progressed she found her place in the training approach and the players developed trust in her work-out routines. She began to push more without apology. Some of her tennis workouts had the players huffing and puffing with exhaustion and perspiration. Anna discovered how to push but in a nice and gentle kind of way. She would have been my trainer of choice if I had the misfortune of qualifying for the Ranch.
The other new trainer was Dolvett Quince. He has the sculptured body of a Greek god, has credentials as a certified trainer, and has developed his own company, Body Sculptor Inc. He worked hard on the show to develop relationships of trust. He ended up being the trainer for the winner of this season of the Biggest Loser; but I was quite disappointed that the champion, John, gave so little credit to Dolvett and praised Bob so graciously. Through a series of events John changed trainers halfway though the season from Bob to Dolvett. I was impressed with the time, energy, and commitment that Dolvett poured into John. Dolvett had such high expectations for John and tried to inspire him with hugs, yells, celebration, personal talks of vulnerability, and challenges of trust. John seemed to respond so well to his direction and counsel. I felt badly for Dolvett at the live finale because I thought he deserved more credit for John’s victory than John expressed. But such is a valuable lesson of leadership. Sometimes the leader pours out his/her energy into a successful project but, in the end, fails to receive proper recognition for his/her key role. An effective leader needs to have a higher purpose than praise; needs to grab on to a higher priority than the applause of man; needs to find the deepest satisfaction in his/her service to others (and to God’s call upon his/her life).
Accepting the negative aspects of this show (it is self-oriented; there is an absence of spirituality; it is humanistic and gives man credit for transformation; and it is trainer-focused [missing the power of the spiritual dimension of man]), it is still a great show to study change, motivation, and encouragement. As the next season has already begun I will be including some insights from the show on blogs to come.
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