the biggest loser asia s01
How upset were you that Carlo lost to David in the first season of The Biggest Loser Asia? I know most of you don’t give a flying hoot, but I (somewhat) do. I was excited when the season began but I lost interest after the 4th or so episode. Sorry to say but at that point, it was not compelling enough for me to sacrifice my 9-10pm on Tuesdays. For contestants who got this lucky, lucky break in life by being handed almost all the equipment they need to lose weight and be healthier and fitter, some of them just didn’t seem to put in the expected effort.
Maybe I am being harsh. After all, the whole show was held in what, 3 months? Perhaps the contestants had a culture shock, didn’t mentally prepare themselves, didn’t know it would be so tough, etc etc etc. Or maybe the editing of the show was skewed to make us feel a certain way towards certain participants. I don’t know and I suppose at this point, it doesn’t matter.
Of course I’m not putting down the hard work and effort that some of them do put in. It couldn’t have been easy, doing all this in front of Asia’s brutal eyes. All the reps that Carlo said he did after leaving the show, well I’ll be honest and confess that I myself do not have the stamina to do that. I admire their passion and continued dedication to improving themselves.
That’s the draw of reality shows. The human drama, emotions on blatant display, dirty tricks and what-not, improvement or otherwise… those are reasons that keep us coming back for more. It is fun to watch somebody else transform on our TV sets week after week while we sit on our comfortable couches making snide remarks about what they did, or give suggestions to nobody in particular about what they should have done. In short, we celebrate human accomplishments as much as train wrecks. We are creepy that way.
But last night’s season finale left me with much thoughts, most of which I have already… errr, coherently expressed on Facebook, heh. David Gurnani from Indonesia beat Carlo Miguel from Philippines to clinch the title of Asia’s first ever Biggest Loser. How did he do it? Apparently he quit working for 2 months and worked out in the gym everyday for 8 hours before the final unveiling. Carlo on the other hand slipped in his exercising at the gym in between his full-time job as an executive chef and caring for his pregnant wife. Below are two photos of the two men’s transformations, nicked from TBLA’s Facebook fan page.
Perhaps the photos are insufficient to describe what went on last night so I’ll tell you. Carlo looked fit, healthy and full of life. David on the other hand looked weak, haggard, disoriented and dehydrated. You may argue that hey, it’s fair game, it’s a show, you do whatever you can to win that USD100k. It’s a lot of money, you know. Of course and David did win the competition. But did he win in life? Well, that’s open for debate. If you’d look at forums and what-not, you’d see everyone wanting to feed David a
It’s not just about losing weight, it’s about getting a whole new lease on life.
Okay lah it’s a TV show, etc etc etc. But these are real people’s lives involved here, not to mention the influencing factors of the The Biggest Loser franchise. Well, I wish the contestants good luck in life, and I’ll chip in $2 for David to buy a sandwich.
p/s: Gary rocked!
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Jeezzzus David looks like some kinda heroin addict bum that hasn’t eaten…he looked SO much better before.
Yah he lost weight, but he looks like he’s about to drop dead.
Carlo looks pretty healthy, ripped and looks better than before.
So the winner is some unhealthy crack-head looking dude, nice one!
quite sad right. first, he was too fat. now he’s too thin. aiyo.
he looked really different though. and carlo looks like a hunk *salivates*
i think martha looks significantly different too. very awe-inspiring
))
Haha, thought the same thing.
Anyway, I prefer they bring body fat % into equation because measuring by weight loss alone is like saying all our body behaves the same way……….. IT IS NOT.
A person losing less weight doesn’t mean he’s not improving. Weight is not everything.
There’s plenty of girls out there that are supposedly perfectly weight and damn skinny but are they healthy? Not necessarily so.
to me they both win actually. can reduce from what they used to be till what they are now i really need to salute them.
US$100k…US$100k..
They both looked sickly. I don’t think any of the American Biggest losers ever looked this haggard.
“Okay lah it’s a TV show, etc etc etc.”
you nailed it.
that’s why they should have picked the healthier, better looking guy over the guy who lost more weight but looks like he’s going to drop dead any second.
uhm .. they both looked better when they were chubby.
David Gurnani has less hair now that he is thin. fhl. 
but great for both having lost so much weight!
err…why chip $2 to buy his sandwich? that guy just won fcuking $100k …let him buy his own sandwich lah. maybe he needs to use part of the money to do hair implant treatment…you know, like uncle samy velloooo
ST: heh he was showing all the symptoms of starvation
probably 2-3 days, you reckon?
waifon: i thought gary looked great. martha.. i was a bit bummed out that she won immunity and really, REALLY rewarded herself
i like her tho
goldfries: by using KG lost as sole measurement, you know the concept is already screwed. agree with the fat percentage, at least make that count
horng: actually it’s not really healthy to lose so much in such short time.. but then this is a tv show
chris: worth the starvation, eh?
skinny: agreed. but during the finale, carlo looked fit and healthy! not haggard.
justine: the format is flawed, unfortunately
shirley: losing so much weight in 3 – 5 months is not recommended. but i reckon if they keep going to the gym, the skin will tighten and they will look better. but it will take a while la
ruk: cos.. hospital bills are not cheap? bwahahaha
I think 99% of the views expressed here are the same: David’s weight loss was too much! It’s no longer healthy; it defeats the very purpose of TBLA – loose weight to gain life. From his haggard look, just like what many has said, he looks like he is going to drop dead anytime.
There should be another criteria aside from weight loss – body mass index or ideal weight, and FITNESS! (although this last criterion is hard to measure)
I can’t accept the arguments that it is about the money and it is just a TV reality show. If we follow this logic, then again, TBLA’s objective is defeated. It should be about having a HEALTHY LIFE! That prize money will be easily wiped out with hospital bills.
David is NOT a role model for the upcoming contestants. I also notice some of the contestants just wanna be on TV and the min they get eliminate, there goes their determination in the longkang. I really loved the fact Gary truly stood by his promise and so did Kevin. Perhaps David should not be brought into any conversation as that’s a kind of self recognition for him too? But then, this is a competition..and in the end, everyone wants to win regardless the title or the money. Perhaps the organizers should give prizes equivalent to USD100k instead of cash prize. That’ll put a stop to aneroxics who would do anything to win the cash and later become a hypo like Ryan of Biggest Loser (US version) did.
Sheesh..never really wrote a comment this long anywhere
The only thing came out from my mouth was…oh gosh…he’s sick or starving…..i think he starved for 1 week before the final weighing……really not a good role model for everyone…anorexic…he looks very very sick ! Never in biggest loser seen a very very thin winner…just sad to see him like this…please gain a little bit of your weight according to yout BMI.
You know, from the going home footage, we can see that David’s family looks filthy rich. He got chauffeured home in a new Merc and his house has a pool. And notice, he didn’t seem too concerned about the money prize in his testimonial? Goes a long way towards explaining why he could spend those two months doing nothing but gymming. For Carlo, on the other hand, the money is important because then he’d get to buy a proper house and not continue renting the cramped apartment that we saw.
this is a reality show. They’re out to exploit people for entertainment.
So if david exploits them back and win the cash, that is his right.
So no, I don’t agree and I think david won fair and square.
Just because you don’t like him or the way he looks has no bearing on the results.
He won fair, square, deserved to win, regardless of his financial background and personal life.
This is a contest, not a trial by jury and viewer’s opinion does not matter.
Who are you guys to judge if he looks healthy or sickly ? You’re not doctors.
I cannot agree more that David’s weight loss was too drastic and i reckon he had over done it. I was truly disappointed with the show that it has indeed given the wrong idea to viewers that fitness should end up looking like David – frail, sickly and anorexic! I don’t think he even did weights at the gym to tone himself up because there was not one bit of toned muscle on his body but just skin and bones. The Biggest Loser Asia should relook at who should really be the winner……Plus, David doesn’t need the money really… look at his house. Carlo deserves it all ..he is the true winner.
Furthermore, as I said, if these contestants allow themselves to be exploited as entertainment, then their motivation is obviously greed, as they could anytime work out and lose their weights in their own time/convenience.
But they weren’t doing that, so the motivation, core here, is money and attention/fame.
There’s no reason why Carlo should be put on a pedestal and David scrutinized.
This is a display of exploitation and greed, and so the only factor to be considered is the rules of the game, which David satisfied and won fair and square.
Your background, your existing wealth/character is not my concern.
Since all those in this circle, aren’t exactly high on the pedestal of morality anyway.
i never dispute that david did not work hard to lose that weight.
the fact is, he looked like shit. he showed all the effects and symptoms of starvation, at least 3 days. doesn’t take a genius to figure out what he probably did the week leading up to the finale. was it ethical? probably not. means he shouldn’t have done it? well USD100k is a LOT of money, plus bragging rights from being the winner of the show. who knows what i’d do in that situation.
the fact is, the show is attempting to promote fitter, healthy lifestyle. i’ve no trouble with that, i’ve a problem with the show format. ask any personal trainer, even fitness first trainers that concentrating on KG lost in a journey like this is incorrect. futile, irrelevant.
by the way, sometimes ppl need an extra push in losing weight, working out and living a healthier life. what works for one does not necessarily work for two. from personal observation la this one
p/s drastic weight loss in such a short time can be MOST damaging to your health.. in case anyone wants to be like any of them
This whole show already stinks and reeks of the wrong message when attention and money is the main motivating factor in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Losing weight is not the only way, and I bet none of these contestants learned anything from this experience other than greed is the only motivation that matters, and not real stuff like health and spirituality.
Any participants in the show lose the moral ground the moment they join, and are motivated by things other than their own personal spiritual/health.
True knowledge about health and spirituality is the real motivation and other than these, you’re not gonna stay healthy and maintain the weight for long.
The very existence of the show, the contestants and the viewer already negates all arguments about a healthy living/eating lifestyle.
Greed, vanity, is the last thing you want to motivate yourself and the worst lesson to learn. It blurs the mind away from obtaining true knowledge about healthy living and proper nutrition.
These people are still going to eat like crap after the show for sure because they’ve obviously not learned anything, and the same goes for viewers, people who are glued to this rubbish entertainment and think they could actually learn to be healthy from it.
The show is an example of the sorry state of humanity and the ludicrous motivations/excuses needed to stay healthy.
lost interest in the show after a few episodes. the entire show looks like some cheap ass set to begin with. and I really can’t stand the lady PT she is such a bitch.
david looks like an anorexic heroin addict. it’s just not ethically right to let him win.
To me, everyone on the show was a winner. They all changed their lifestyles for the better. But yeah, I hear ya. David looked so weak, I don’t think he even had the energy to jump for joy.
Was rooting for Carlos.
david needs to eat more rice
It’s not normal to lose that much weight in such a short time. The whole TV show is meant to make people tune in week after week. The method of measurement was quite confusing. What is their body fat percentage now? I can’t help thinking that with the way the weight plus body fat loss is counted, the person with the most weight to lose will always win the competition. What I’ll like to know is of the top 4, which one will gain back ALL the weight they lost in the months within a year!
I’ll contribute towards getting David a sandwich too!
my goodness… was david abducted by rebels?
it’s the hair, suan….
it’s the hair…
“david looks like an anorexic heroin addict. it’s just not ethically right to let him win.”
I agreed with above comment, I could not beleived that he was lost a lot of weight after went back home, How he did it? only execire in fitness? What is original weight VS weight before he went back home VS final weight.
Then you will see some thing wrong during he stayed which no trainer to monitor. : )—
I am scared when i look at David..Scared for him…hope he understands the true spirit behind the TBL after the winning and change his lifestyle in long term. It is about health anyway…and being fit…
Congrats to all that have lossed weights, regardless how many KGs, it is done with strong will power and determination..not many succeeded. So they are all winner.
No, they’re all losers, especially contestants and viewers.
Their motivation to lose weight is all wrong and they won’t be able to maintain it.
This much I guarantee you.
Only the show producers are the winners in terms of ratings and future investments but when it comes to the state of humanity, all losers.
david looks like he has a deadly disease or something…carlo totally deserved to win because he looked healthier and fit… not to mention hotter….:)
and considering carlo’s height, you can’t really put your weight too low because it won’t be healthy…. i agree that BMI should be considered instead of % of body weight loss….
I hv been a fan of BL for such a long time. But when I saw David, I knew he was gonna win but really such a turn off to see him!! Yucks!!
actually, all the contestants didnt look good .. garry had frumpy un-ironed clothes on, some of the gals didnt look like they lost any weight, everyone looked pale, some of the clothes they had on made them look fatter than they are!
The original BL has everyone come back looking HOT and muscular!! now, that’s inspiration! I hope BLA does a better job next time, including get the contestants properly groomed ..get stylists and makeup artists lah… and make sure they are healthy looking!
they should make all the contestants drink water or eat before the weigh in together so at least they dont look like they gonna faint anytime! oh, what a disappointing anti-climax..lost my appetite for BLA.
precisely… david looked so haggard and gee, did he also lost some hair? carlo can go home knowing that he looked better and can look forward to a good new life.
didnt know david did the 8 hour thingy… but then again, like u said, 100k is a lot of money. USD summore!
saya mahu masuk ke biggest loser ingin kurus
the theme of TBL is to lose more weight and stay healthy, but sad to say that the winner of the 1st TBL was a sick person. All winners suppose to jump with joy but David was just too sick only to flash a wry smile and had to be even held on by somebody to get down from the scale,what a shame on the winner and TBL
my weight is 96 kilo .can i join this programe?
please reply to my email. thank you