 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Extreme Makeover: Weight-Loss Edition
- ABC
- Genre: Reality TV
Common Sense Media says
Weight-loss reality show is compassionate, noncompetitive.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this weight-loss series, in which morbidly obese people struggle to lose a large amount of weight in one year, has positive messages about the importance of being healthy and exercising, but it sometimes suggests that you need to be skinny to have good self-esteem. The content is pretty family friendly, but weight-loss clients are often shown in bras or shirtless during weigh-ins and doctor visits. Occasionally food labels (Quaker, Cool Whip, Pillsbury) are visible.
What's the story?
EXTREME MAKEOVER: WEIGHT-LOSS EDITION follows people’s year-long transformational weight-loss journeys. Each episode follows trainer Chris Powell as he works with a morbidly obese person who wants to shed extra pounds and change his or her life. After a one-week boot camp designed to teach weight-loss clients new exercise and eating habits, Powell moves into their home to help with the first three months of weight loss. To motivate clients to stick to their strict diet and workout goals, Powell offers them incentives like in-home gyms, trips to Europe, and skin removal surgery in exchange for meeting their target goal weight. After the 90 days are up, he leaves them to continue their transformation on their own, checking in at the end of every three-month phase to weigh them and establish new goals. The end of each client’s transformation year is celebrated with a big reveal, where his or her total amount of pounds lost is announced, and the client showcases his or her new, skinnier look.
Is it any good?
This series stays in stride with the dramatic but family-friendly stories about transformation and happiness that the Extreme Makeover franchise is known for by offering positive messages about losing weight to get healthy and develop better self-esteem. Powell is also a positive role model, offering compassionate -- but firm -- guidance about what needs to be done to lose weight.
Like many other weight-loss programs, the show focuses on losing pounds without discussing factors like gaining muscle mass and the dangers that come with over training. It also fails to address some of the physiological and emotional barriers to losing weight. Nonetheless, viewers may find themselves inspired by the people featured here.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about weight and weight-loss shows. What messages does the media send about what people should weigh and how they should look?
Why do you think people choose to have their weight-loss journeys featured on reality shows? How do these shows contribute to girls' body image issues? Do these shows have the same impact on boys?
What's the best way to lose weight? Should weight loss be achieved quickly
or over a long period of time? Why? What are some of the positive
consequences of losing lots of weight? Are there any negative
consequences?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
A less dramatic version of the biggest loser
Losing weight. And how the idea of taking it to extremes comes from television. But lets face it, we can't all look like Megan Fox. But there is pressure from TV and movies to be thin. The violence has no blood. It is just people getting injured from intense exercise. But there are messages about fixing your problems and believing in yourself. Some bleeped language and arguing. But not too bad.
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| TV rating: | TV-PG |
| Network: | ABC |
| Cast: | Chris Powell |
| Genre: | Reality TV |
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