A Steady Diet of Weight Loss Shows Quiz

Answer: The Biggest Loser

"The Biggest Loser" takes overweight people who are looking to lose weight and live healthier lifestyles, brings them to a ranch, puts them into teams, and puts them through a series of challenges. There is blood, sweat, tears and other bodily liquids as the contestants work out and compete in activities. Every week contestants are weighed to determine how much weight they're losing and one contestant is voted out of the ranch.

At the end of a season, the contestant who has lost the most amount of money wins a cash prize.

The show, which first aired in 2004, has come under heavy criticism for a number of reasons. The contestants undergo extreme and unrealistic transformations that is tied to unhealthy low calorie counts and excessive activity.

There have also been allegations of other extreme measures such as caffeine pills and drugs to help the contestants achieve extreme results.

Answer: Bulging Brides

Personal trainer Tommy Europe has a couple of reality TV shows based on weight loss. The first is "The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp" in which contestants have four weeks to lose a relatively small amount of weight. The other is targeted at brides-to-be called "Bulging Brides." The premise of each show is a bride who can't fit into her wedding dress and works with Europe to lose weight before her wedding. Each bride works with Europe and a nutrition specialist who design a program to help the bride with the weight loss. Each episode is pretty formulaic, following each bride through ups and downs and motivational challenges. Partway through each program the brides are weighed and try on their dress and get a little bit of extra motivation needed to meet their goals and fit perfectly into their dress on their wedding day.

Answer: Teenagers

"I Used to be Fat" originally aired on MTV for two seasons, from 2010 to 2013. The contestants on this show are overweight teenagers who are dealing with poor health and emotional and social problems because of their weight. Each episode follows one teenager who works with a personal trainer over several months to develop healthier habits. Contestants on this show include teens who are dealing with loss, disease, family issues and families with unhealthy eating habits.

Answer: Extreme Weight Loss

"Extreme Weight Loss" first aired on ABC in 2011. It has been called "Obese" and "Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition" before settling in on the name "Extreme Weight Loss." The "Extreme Makeover" franchise looks at dramatic, life-changing transformations and the weight loss version of this franchise follows that formula.

Individuals with a lot of weight to lose are the focus on each program and are followed as they work through different methods to lose weight. Personal trainer Chris Powell and his spouse at the time Heidi Powell were the hosts of the show.

Answer: Fat March

"Fat March" lasted for one month in 2007 as a one season, six episode series. Twelve contestants participated in the show which began at the start line of the Boston Marathon and followed the contestants as they walked to Washington D.C. The winner of the show was awarded a cash prize.

Although the show talked about teamwork as an important part of completing this challenge, contestants had the opportunity to vote each other out. Three contestants dropped out due to medical reasons and a fourth contestant quit the challenge. Contestants, who each had ten weeks to walk the required distance were introduced with a descriptor, some being introduced by their professions and one contestant introduced as a "twenty-six year old virgin." The contestants refer to themselves as fat constantly and as a "herd of cattle." Yep, pretty horrible show.

Answer: DietTribe

This show aired for two seasons. Each episode lasts for sixty minutes as a group of friends, all with obesity challenges, are followed for one hundred and twenty days. The friends work with a personal trainer and psychotherapist, given specific exercise and nutritional strategies, and have regular weigh-ins to track their progress.

The group of ladies work with a good-looking and muscular trainer who provides support and helps the group set realistic but challenging goals. There is no monetary or other cash prize, the prize is reaching their goal. Each season focuses on a different group of friends.

Answer: My Diet Is Better Than Yours

Shaun T, a fitness trainer who created fitness regimes such as Insanity and Hip-Hop Abs, hosted this series that aired in 2016. Five contestants work with five different personal trainers using five different diets. The contestants choose the trainer and diet they want to follow. If the contestant isn't happy with their results, they get to switch their plan.

The various diets the contestants choose include the 'superfood swap diet', 'clean momma plan' and the 'strong, safe, sexy plan.' The winning contestant with the highest percent of weight lost is awarded $50,000.

Answer: Fit to Fat to Fit

On this television show that first aired in 2016, ten fitness trainers decide to gain weight by eating unhealthy foods and not exercising. They then work right alongside their overweight clients to eat better foods and lose weight. We see the struggles of the trainers as they talk about the impact the extra weight has on their lives.

The client and trainer work together for four months to try to achieve their goal weights. The unique premise of this show is to put trainers in the shoes of people who struggle with weight loss so that they experience firsthand what those difficulties are.

Answer: Strong

"Strong" debuted in 2016 and is hosted by professional volleyball player Gabrielle Reece. In this show, ten contestants are paired up with ten personal trainers. The trainers job is to train their teammate physically and mentally. The workouts include a number of different disciplines that include boxing and mixed martial arts.

The challenges and physical fitness activities are more challenging than what is typically seen on weight loss shows. Each week a team is eliminated from the competition until there is one winning team that is awarded a cash prize. Sylvester Stallone, an executive producer on the show, was sued by a personal trainer for allegedly stealing the idea for this show.

Answer: The Big Fat Truth

"The Big Fat Truth" premiered in 2017 and is brought to you by the same person who brought you "The Biggest Loser." It aims specifically at looking at the behaviors and habits that contribute to weight gain and the inability to lose it. In one episode of this show, former "Biggest Loser" contestants are brought in to discuss how and why they gained back so much of the weight they had lost.

The show was created in part to address criticisms leveled at "The Biggest Loser" that suggest the weight loss techniques on the show were extreme, unhealthy and not sustainable.