Hey, someone emailed me some questions about the Biggest Loser – I thought they were pretty good, so I’m posting ’em here! (that, and I’m lazy … I just like to answer things once!)
1. Are you completely secluded from the world? (phone, email, letters, etc.)
Yes. It’s a reality TV thing; supposedly it’s so that contestants can focus on nothing but the weight, but my opinion is that it helps create drama for the cameras as people are left cut off from the world. During my season there was no phone, no computer access, no radio, no newspapers, no TV, and no mail. On dark days (when no filming happens, maybe once a week), they did start bringing in a TV to let the contestants watch some movies, and after a couple months they allowed occasional phone calls home, but it’s really isolated. This is pretty standard for reality shows across the board; the difference is the amount of time. Most shows wrap in about a month or so (the Apprentice, Survivor, etc, all take 30-40 days to film), while the Biggest Loser takes 4-5 months to film the ranch portion.
2. Do you get to leave ranch at all?
Yes, contestants are occasionally taken off property to go shopping, buy new clothes, etc. On days where they aren’t filming, the trainers will sometimes take contestants to other gyms, locations, exercise classes, etc., just to change it up as well.
3. Are you provided all your food? Are you preparing it yourself?
Yes and yes. During my season contestants would put together a shopping list of what they wanted and then production staff would go buy it. Each contestant had their own fridge to keep their food in. There isn’t a chef or someone cooking for the cast. : ) It has varied from season to season what this looks like, though. Some seasons everyone just cooks for themselves, other seasons everyone teams up and takes turn (one person cooks a meal for everyone), and other times teams have cooked and eaten together.
4. How long is it before the first elimination?
That is a good question. Dr. Jen revealed on her blog on the NBC website that a week on the ranch isn’t always seven days (she mentioned that some are as many as ten).
5. Do they send your family updates?
Not really. The family has an emergency number they can call at any time of day if they need to get word of an emergency to the contestant, but otherwise it’s pretty silent. Basically they know you’re doing good if they don’t hear anything and you aren’t coming home – that means you’re still winning. : )
6. Do you HAVE to weigh in in skimpy clothing? Is there any way around this?
The weigh in clothes are wardrobe and assigned. Sorry! I certainly would have left my shirt on if I had a choice! It’s part of the deal; contestants get to have celebrity trainers, nutritionists, tens of thousands of dollars worth of medical and psychological help in sunny California … in exchange, ya hafta weigh in half naked every once in a while in a room with about fifty people (contestants, host, producers, camera people, assistants, director, assistant director … it’s a crowd).
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