Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition makes winners out of losers

The television network brought Filipinos hit reality shows like Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Dream Academy, and Pinoy Fear Factor is bringing in another hit reality show to the country. Thankfully, it does not have Willie Revillame in it.

Unlike the first three which were franchised from Dutch production house Endemol, Pinoy Biggest Loser originated from the USA and is being distributed by Reville Productions and NBC Universal.

The show is called The Biggest Loser (that’s “LOSER” with a single “O”). It started airing in the U.S.A. on 2004 and is now on its 11th season. One might think wow, this show must has been running for quite some time so it must be good, right? Here’s how I see it. In a world where the drug and food supplement industry keeps rising and rising, the show has a lot of profit potential. Just think of all the 70′s and 80′s baby boomers starting to come of age and you get the idea.

This is one show that seems to feature a lot of couples. The last five out of seven seasons were couples or family editions. Biggest Loser 2010 featured Couples 3, and as of Biggest Loser 2011 the show is up to Couples 4. If this is any indication of the show’s decline, it does not show. As of 2011 Biggest Loser maintains a healthy and comfortable spot at 2.7 with around 5.2 million viewers.

The Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition or BLPE held its auditions on August 2010. The auditions required aspiring contestants meet a minimum weight level in order to qualify.

• Male: at least 250 lbs
• Female: at least 200 lbs

Pinoy Biggest Loser or PBL will be airing mid 2011. The show will be hosted by model and hunk actor Derek Ramsay and by megastar Sharon Cuneta.

The combination of the two makes for quite an interesting tandem. Mr. Ramsay, for all intents and purposes, is the poster boy of fitness. For a long time running the Philippines has been adorned by billboards and advertisements of Derek endorsing some fitness product. To this effect he is perhaps only rivaled by Sports Unlimited host Marc Nelson and by pound for pound boxing king Manny Pacquiao.

Ms. Cuneta, on the other hand, provides an interesting contrast. In her mid-40s, she is a working mother and is known for her fitness challenges. In fact, a Marie France billboard featuring a slimmer looking Sharon Cuneta has recently gained a lot of attention for allegedly being digitally altered. Nonetheless she has a solid following among the Filipino people, and I’m sure fans will be very interested to see how the show will impact her life — and her figure.

Pinoy Biggest Loser is taking in professional fitness experts Chinggay Andrada and Jim Saret. Ms. Andrada is known for her stint in television and radio. She also works as a boxing instructor and as a professional model. She has even made the cover of FHM not just once but twice. Mr. Saret trains athletes for the Olympics ahd holds a degree in Sports Medicine.

The show has made quite an impact on the world of fitness. It has had huge success in making contestants lose a lot of weight and adapt to healthier habits — in only nine weeks. It has also successfully capitalized fitness DVD’s and merchandise. The official site features products like The Biggest Loser DVDS, The Biggest Loser exercise equipment, music, and even games for the Wii, Xbox Kinect, and Nintendo DS. In addition, Biggest Loser fitness trainer Jillian Michaels has gained quite a following that the show has come up with a spinoff called Losing It With Jillian.

ABS-CBN has proven itself to be very good at creating celebrities out of reality show contestants. The Filipinos have an interest for seemingly “normal” people who are able to show growth amid struggles on the camera. Expect winners of the show to become instant celebrities. As the show’s tagline goes,

Ano ang mas matimbang, ang iyong bigat o ang iyong pangarap?

Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition is all set to make winners out of losers.

Check out the following sites for the latest news and updates:

• Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition official website
• Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition on Facebook
• Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition on Twitter

Update (2011-10-09): Biggest Loser Pinoy Edition winner is Larry Martin! Check out my post here!