The schlock level is embarrassing from moment one. In the intro, Jillian dishes up the premise of the show: that she’s making housecalls to the people who need it, the overweight and desperate. But here’s the twisty gimmick: she only has five days with the contestants (or whatever they are) to change their lives. This is ridiculous. It upsets me because this is basically continues the line of bullshit that overweight people are constantly fed: that you can make a quick change. Sure, in five days these people might learn some things that will be of use to them but I can’t imagine five lousy days of bootcamp are going to change your physical life forever.
—Claire Zulkey, writing in AV Club, about the terribleness that is Losing It With Jillian, the Biggest Loser spin-off from lesbian trainer Jillian Michaels [via]
AlwaysGay
If you want to do something you do it immediately. When I decided to work out I started that very second doing sit ups until I could no longer do them. I continued to do exercises I already knew for a month before I looked into expanding my work out routine. Luckily I alrealy knew enough excerises and the proper form for them to hit the major muscle groups. If you decide to wait until tomorrow or Monday and don’t have a place to write your results than you most likely will fail.
Ricky
@AlwaysGay: thank you for this tip.
dvlaries
It’s shows like “Law & Order” that are sent to their deaths to make room for more cheap-to-produce shit like this. Each new one of these brings more and more of the bad taste that had been confined to daytime into the evening hours, minus only folks lifting their tops to get their Jerry Beads.
Chad
Maybe Claire wouldn’t look like such an idiot if she took the time to watch the show, watch Biggest Loser, and/or inform herself about Jillian Michaels.
“It upsets me because this is basically continues the line of bullshit that overweight people are constantly fed: that you can make a quick change.”
Wrong. Again…did you WATCH it?…or Did you just watch the previews? Jillian REPEATEDLY states that it will take a long time and will be something that many of the people will continue working on for the rest of their lives. She is simply there to give them the initial push and try to give them more info. If you read her Twitter or FB you would know that she fought with the network for more time with them and for a 2 hour show, but that is not what they wanted.
It sounds to me like you went into the show thinking you would hate it, instead of going in with an open mind and actual knowledge of anything Jillian Michaels.
Also…Jillian Michaels hasn’t come out as a lesbian, so I find it ridiculous that Queerty feels the need to put that there.
Chad (SF)
Hey, I watched the show and I love it. Yeah, some of these people are going to fail, but Jillian really does spend the time to help them, and not just physically. Most obese people are obese for a reason… usually mental health issues. I love the fact that Jillian understands to be physically healthy, you need to be mentally healthy. Hell, I used to be 210lbs at 5’8″. I decided to make a change and today I’m 165lbs. Sure, it doesn’t happen immediately, but making the decision to change is how it starts!
Chad (SF)
@Chad: Jillian came out as bisexual in Ladies Home Journal a few months back. Not that it matters though.
Meowzer
I don’t watch The Biggest Loser (or lets’ say I watch it until she comes on screen) cuz I don’t like her “combat” techniques. So, with that, I certainly won’t watch this stupid schlock. I think she’s cruel. She justifies it as being “tough love”. Tough loves comes along with some compassion. She’s just plain evil.
I agree with dvlaries that this kind of garbage is what passes for TV now. It’s cheap to produce and “the masses” seem to eat it up. If reality junkies knew how far from reality shows like this really are, they’d stop wathing them.
I’m sure Jillian won’t mind if I take a pass on this show. She has lots of her cronies to keep this crap going.
rachel
I happen to love this show. If you had actually watched it you would have seen that JIllian doesn’t promise quick fixes. This show is about educating families on health and helping them find the strength within to make change in their lives. Jillian is helping these families and they end up loving her for it. If they don’t feel abused by her why do you? If you don’t like her so much why do you take the time to write whole blogs on her and get clips from her show?
This show is unlike any other. It deals with more than just weight loss. As a person who lost over 100lbs I was deeply moved by this show and bagging on Jillian means you are bagging on those of us who have really been helped by her.
rachel
@Meowzer: you call jillian evil and yet the people she helps love her. Don’t you think their opinion of her after having worked with her is far more substantial than your jealous hating?
Mike Hunt
“I can’t imagine five lousy days of bootcamp are going to change your physical life forever.”
Thinking like that is what keeps people fat. Your physical life can change forever in 1 second!
Imagine if you had a heart attack your physical life has just changed, you can die or you can change your life for good and be happy. Why wait for the time when it becomes more painful not to change?
If your life can and does change in 1 second how does “5 lousy days” not change your physical life forever?