The Biggest Loser

I had a screaming-at-the-TV night yesterday.  I haven't had one of those hissy fits since the election.  What, do you ask, provoked me so deeply to think the television people could hear me?  It was The Biggest Loser, and in particular, the trainer named Jillian.

What a bully.

I was appalled at the way she treated the contestants she was training.  She screamed in their faces, called them quitters, repeatedly ordered them to get out of "her" gym, and verbally belittled them in a way I found disgusting.  Her helpful comments were anything but; she was prancin' and dancin' in her umbrage.  What a theatrical play for camera time!  Her bullying broke one young woman, and rather than "waste" Jillian's time, she quit.  Another man was on the treadmill.  He was pale and wobbling, obviously about to faint.  She stood there screaming at him for giving up.  Since when is it good training to work a person to death?  Literally, not figuratively.  The medical team intervened and had a very difficult time bringing the guy back to consciousness.  Jillian's response was to sneer for the camera.

During a discussion on a chatboard, I mentioned my feelings about Jillian's behavior.  I was attacked by a number of people who thought she was great, telling it like it was, yadda yadda yadda.  Huh?  Am I really that far off base with my opinion?  Is decimating a person an effective way to get them to learn, to change their behavior? 

Years ago I performed in community theater.  I've had a few big roles, and two in particular were unforgettable experiences for vastly different reasons.  I played Penny in You Can't Take It With You for the Phoenix Festival Theater. I don't know where they got that director, but he was the meanest, most miserable man I'd ever worked with.  I didn't get notes; I got poison pen letters.  Every day I'd leave rehearsal and head to the local watering hole, where the bartender had my beer ready for me because I was too defeated to do anything but throw my head on the counter and sob.  Finally, the director gave up on me.  I guess I was wasting his time.  On my own to figure out the part, I got there.  The reviewer didn't particularly like the show, but he liked me.  At the final cast party, the director tried to sweet talk me and apologize for his ugliness, all the while claiming my success was a result of his tough love.  BS (and I don't mean Barbara Snyder).  I wasn't having any of it.

Then came Ouiser for the Milburn Stone Theater's production of Steel Magnolias.  And Al Herlinger.  I've had many good directors, and I appreciate all they've taught me.  But Al was the best I have ever worked with.  He was every bit as demanding as the other director was, but he worked with kindness and patience.  His Magnolias was an excellent show.  The reviews were good.  The audience gave standing ovations.  The cast and crew had fun making every performance its best.  And I didn't have to make a rich man out of the local bartender.

Teach by humiliation or teach with kindness?  I know which one I find to be most effective.  I wish I'd had this knowledge my first few years of teaching when I thought that yelling above the noise of my classroom actually inspired attention, respect, and learning......

Was Jillian's yelling effective and productive coaching?  Opinions aside, let's look at the results.  Her team LOST the weigh-in to two other teams.  And that was despite being awarded a five pound  advantage!  Coaches strive to keep their players active to the end because once their team has been completely eliminated, they are out of a job. Jillian lost two team members in one show, the gal who quit and the guy who had the lowest percentage of weight loss.   In my eyes, the person wasting her time on this show proved to be Jillian herself, the real biggest loser.

I may have to stop watching the show if humiliating and bullying the fat people into losing weight is the prevelent strategy engaged in by the trainers.  I see enough of that behavior in real life.  Who needs it for entertainment?