MATTHEW McNUTT

It seems like everyone is complaining about the thirteenth season of Biggest Loser, and now according to Radar Online, Bob Harper can be added to the list of people saying they don’t like the contestants. He’s also quoted as calling them bullies.

Part of me wonders if some of the response to the thirteenth season is reaction to the subtle changes having a different company make the show involves. 3 Ball studios made seasons 1-12, but for whatever reason, NBC switched production over to Reveille. Which means the editing and production team is completely new. Even with familiar faces (trainers, host), that’s going to change up the challenges, the feel, and even the tone of the show.

But here’s the thing, I don’t think Bob gets attached to the contestants like he used to anyway, so I don’t really buy into quotes about the cast. Back in the day during the initial seasons, Bob and Jillian literally lived on the ranch with the contestants and did everything with them. It’s why they’re all still so close to each other (trainers and contestants). By my season the trainers no longer lived on the ranch and were just on site during the week. From what I understand from other Biggest Loser alumni, during recent seasons, the trainers are only on site one or two days a week. Ultimately, this is a budget saving device for the show (they pay per day, and as the trainers gain popularity and seniority, that pay per day goes up), and it’s probably what has kept Bob around for thirteen seasons in the US, the special editions, and the Australian Biggest Loser for several seasons (no one could sustain the onsite presence at that pace and last). All that to say, no one gets close if they only see each other at the gym once a week and at a weigh in. So  of course Bob isn’t going to like the contestants in the same way that he did the ones he lived with.