I'm Sorry, You're Not the Biggest Loser

Those words are the "kiss of death" and your ticket home on NBC's The Biggest Loser - similar to Survivor's, "The tribal council has spoken." Whereas most of us traverse through life trying not to be a loser of any kind - on this show, the bigger the loser you are, the better.

In my Theology and Pop Culture  class, we're supposed to review a movie or TV show in a public forum. Read on to see why I've chosen to write about The Biggest Loser.

Why I Like the Show

I've watched this show somewhat religiously since it first aired. The only other reality TV show that has ever captured my attention is Donald Trump's The Apprentice (even though this season's Celebrity Apprentice has not enticed me yet).

What sets The Biggest Loser apart from other reality TV shows is that whether you like the contestant(s) or not, you want them all to win lose in a very big way. When someone is told the words, "I'm sorry, you're not the biggest loser," you hope and pray that they will continue on with the new lifestyle habits they have learned as they head back into the reality of their own lives - the lives and lifestyles that helped land them a spot on the show in the first place.

How It Works

Contestants leave their families and loved ones for a few months for a chance to win the grand prize of $250,000. The real prize, however, is learning how to safely lose weight - without surgery - by eating right and exercising. The candidates are divided into teams - fully equipped with a team trainer and top-notch exercise equipment - and each week, they must weigh-in in front of the entire viewing audience. Ouch!

Some contestants have lost upwards of 15+ pounds in a given week, but the average tends to hover in the 3-8 pound range. At the end of one season, Erik Chopin, the winning contestant, lost 214 pounds! He looked and felt great - but so did the rest of the candidates that season who didn't win the money. Instead, they won...

A Transformation Into a Better Version of Themselves

What is so amazing to watch is how these candidates' attitudes change about themselves and their life as the weight begins to drop. What's even more amazing is watching how their families and friends respond to them after they return home. Not only has the contestant's  personal life been transformed, you also sense the rippling effect this transformation is going to have in the lives of those around them.

Lots of tears are shed as people begin to consider this new life ahead of them - the new possibilities, the new dreams, the new outlook, the new experiences, the new freedom, the new versions of themselves.

Who Have You Inspired Lately?

The Biggest Loser is not a spiritual or religious show by any stretch, but I can't help but think about one of things that Jesus taught: "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matt 10:39). As these Biggest Losers lose part of themselves - for example, their physical weight, plus all the unhealthy thinking that accompanied it - in return, they gain their lives back - for themselves and for all those around them. They are truly an inspiration to all of us.

A Question for Christians: What kind of life transformation have you and those around you experienced as a result of you losing your life to Jesus? Would you say you are an inspiration? What does this newer version of yourself look like as compared to the old you? Is it time to start "eating" right again and "exercising" what God has so graciously given you?

Like I said, The Biggest Loser is not a spiritual show, but if you know me, I can't help but think beyond "I'm sorry, you're not the biggest loser." On the show and in my daily walk with God, those are not the words I want to hear. I want to be the Biggest Loser of them all! How about you?