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TEN denies bullying claim against Biggest Loser

TEN doesn't take kindly to criticism of The Biggest Loser. But is it making a bad situation worse?

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2013-04-06_0118TEN has again moved to defend The Biggest Loser after an opinion piece appeared in AdelaideNow.

Columnist Petra Starke wrote in her article:

Much has been made this week of the show’s trainers “bullying” the contestants – barking orders at them, pushing them to the limit in their gym sessions. Whether that’s bullying or just “tough love”, I don’t know.

Whether it’s good or bad for the contestants’ health, I don’t know either. And actually I don’t care, because it’s not the training that’s the problem here.

The problem is the way the show is constructed and sold to the viewer, making it the modern equivalent of throwing the Christians to the lions.

The trainers aren’t the biggest bullies on The Biggest Loser, we are.

The piece prompted an angry response from TEN’s corporate and public communications director Neil Shoebridge as published in the Herald Sun. He wrote in part:

To insinuate that Network Ten has been involved in creating and perpetuating a cycle of bullying is a very serious and defamatory accusation with legal implications, which Ten strenuously denies. To suggest the program is “bad” for the contestant’s health is completely false, while describing The Biggest Loser as “the modern equivalent of throwing the Christians to the lions” is ridiculous.

Network Ten is fully aware of the duty of care we have towards all contestants on The Biggest Loser, a duty of care which we take very seriously. The well-being of our contestants is always our number one concern. All contestants have, at all times, continuous support from Network Ten, the production company, the trainers and a highly qualified medical team.

We do not subject our contestants to “humiliating challenges” as your article suggests. We are not in the business of humiliating contestants.

Whilst it’s understandable that a network wants to defend itself against criticism, especially when it feels it is based on fallacies, I’m beginning to think TEN is at risk of making a bad situation worse.

We seem to be continually talking about the show in the same sentence as the word “bullying” a lot lately.

An opinion piece, is just that, an opinion. It’s quite different to a statement of fact.

I do think some of the promotions for Loser have been sensationalist. Hidden cameras that aren’t really “hidden”. Trainers filmed having shocked reactions.

Reality TV continues to be about manipulation. The ones who will come out on top are the ones who can manipulate it back, and in the case of Loser that’s the ones who end up staying on the show and losing some weight.

Loser has now been on the air for 8 seasons. In that time a lot of participants have lost a lot of weight. A lot have no doubt put it back on. This is not unique. If you dig deep enough you’ll surely find some participants prepared to say they were bullied. Heck, even the former host had a lot to say about the way she was treated.

Maybe the only way to clear this up is for TEN to proceed with its threat of Defamation against News Limited, then both sides can trot out the various witnesses to tell us whether they have been bullied or not?

Get Judge Judy to adjudicate. I’d watch that.

15 Responses

  1. @muscledude_oz – ever watched masterchef? the challenges each season include massive wedding cakes, things deep fried in fat, recipes involving cups of butter, and their signature challenge of a croquembouche which is literally 100 sugary macarons in a pyramid. Ten are not innocent in this!

  2. At least TEN is showing a series which encourages weight loss and better health. Unlike Nine which is throwing money at a program which involves the baking and consumption of pastries and cakes which contribute to the obesity crisis.

  3. Petra Slarke’s opinion piece was woeful. It made broad statements about the Biggest Loser audience that were frankly insulting.

    But as for all this talk about bullying? Ugh, give it a rest. People actually pay to go to boot camp etc to be encouraged to exercise all the time, no one calls that bullying. Bullying has become a catch cry for everything these days. The trainers are helping change theres peoples lives, and they ain’t gonna do it with sunshine and kisses.

  4. @David Knox

    David you may recall I raised this very issue previously, even suggesting that TBL trainers and producers do not lets us see the medical support that is given and is required, “before”and “during” TBL, also raising the undisclosed assistance,support and cost of promoted and salable products etc, received by “Celeb’s” during their many weight loss advertorials, and I still class TBL as possibly close to being dangerous, and the hype of many “Celeb’s” as being very close to a costly trap for those who need the most help.

  5. Almost everyone that has commented here clearly hasn’t read the Adelaidenow article. Most of you are arguing on a point they agree on. The article was not accusing the trainers of bullying at all, pretty much states the opposite.

    It’s the way the show is produced that is the bullying ie. the jiggling fat in Lycra et al. Not something unique to TBL, ch9s ‘Big’ a few years ago was bordering on some kind of fetish porn. The difference is that TBL promotes itself as an uplifting, and inspirational show but isn’t any different to the rest of the reality shows that are upfront about the nastiness, bitching and bullying.

  6. Lol this is pathetic! Nothing has changed over 8 seasons so why now come out and say they are being bullied which is so not true! They need tough love to get them out of the rut they have been most of their lives

  8. David I love your last line as it cracked me up and since I watch JJ. How about Adam Boland does a court case show here in OZ.
    @Cam Reed
    They probably go and watch MKR which is utterly bad in regards to bullying and a lot of bitching going off and I haven’t caught 1 sec of that show. In reference about the article about “pussy” that is poor form from 7. Probs 7 didn’t expect TBL to do that well when it’s going head to head with MKR.
    @Sandra Crack
    In regards to money in your comment they are probably saving up for CA and TA instead of spending it on lawyers

  9. @Cam Reed

    I was a bit perplexed about your comment about bullying/tough love on this show translating into the school yard. The children on the show except for one are all adults.

  10. Upfront I do not watch the show and only know what I see in the previews, I have friends who watch and have turned off this series, as have many at work who I have heard talk about it (over the water cooler if you will).

    The problem of the tough love/bullying talk seems to me to centre around the Parent/Child concept of this series. There seems to be concern that what is seen on the show could translate into bullying in the school-yard and that is why people I know have turned off; they don’t want to support a show that could have consequences outside of the show itself.

    Whether that is what is driving the media talk I do not know, however I do know there are some concerned people out there on this issue.

  11. TBL has absolutely nothing to do with bullying. You have a bunch of people who are grossly overweight and because they are on this show you can be certain their weight problems are not because of a medical condition (otherwise the show’s lawyers would be shaking in their boots). Their weight problem stems from a lack of control. Wrapping them in cotton wool and saying “there, there, everything will be ok” will not work, so you have to take a hard line.

    The show’s trainers are not focused of removing weight, they are focused on removing self doubt, repairing confidence and instilling mental discipline. The military does this every day of the week at initial training camps with remarkable success, and TBL is just following in these well established footsteps.

    If that regime, or the thought of watching someone change their lives for the better, is all too hard for the likes of Petra Starke then toughen up princess. The fault lies with your beliefs, not the audience nor the contestants.

  12. The relentless promotion in the weeks leading up to the show and then the very dramatic vignettes that are used for promos and teasers show a full throttled bullish but not bullying approach this year. Promos can be deceiving. Although this sunday’s clash looks electric too. I think it is tough love, and the trainers are challenging the promises and intent of the contestants to genuinely change their lives.

  13. I do watch the biggest loser and I see their approach as more very tough love to push the contestants to their limits though there are probably times where they do go a bit further than necessary. I think the bullying on MKR was much worse and the nastiness from certain contestants is one of the reasons I no longer watch that show.

    The one think that annoys me on the biggest loser is at weigh ins. When they are large the men are required to take their t shirt off and the woman where a sports bra. When they have lost some weight they are able to where tshirts to weigh in. Is this to hide the loose skin problem can happen with rapid weight loss? Surely if they are looking better wouldn’t they want to show their bodies more.

  14. I doubt if Ten has the money for lawyers.
    Yesterday I was in the public gallery of a very high profile murder trial. When it came to arguments on suppression orders every other network and newspaper group had representation ( most through the same legal team, thus sharing costs ) , but ten choose to save their money.

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