Growing Girl
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BBFamily, Entertainment, Eating, ~SWG - a reality show with an unexpected outcome
From the Entertainment Section of Nation's Daily:
Pick of the day: TV Dinners - One Year On
My rating: *****
Reason:
"TV Dinners" was the must-see documentary of last year, originally intended to show the effects a bad diet can have on a family. I grabbed a brief word with Jonson, the show's award-winning producer, who has just completed a follow-up charting how the family has progressed over the past year, and Charmaine, the self-described "big beautiful woman" who acted as a consultant to the show.
"The Gonzalez family from Texas were chosen," says program producer Ellie Jonson, "for their healthy lifestyle and interest in keeping fit." Viewers of the season will remember former semi-pro baseball pitcher Hernando, his wife, fitness instructor Mercedes, and their 18-year-old daughter Maria, the college student on a soccer scholarship.
In a show partly inspired by hit documentary Super Size Me! the family were forced to eat only junk food and avoid all exercise for a month. They were provided with three meals a day prepared by the production team and as many snacks as they wanted.
Initially, they all found it difficult to sit around watching TV (something this critic will never understand!). Hernando, used to high-energy meals from his sports career, took readily to the calorie-filled diet, while Mercedes and Maria had trouble finishing the large portions of chicken, tortillas and burgers.
One of my TV moments of last year came when Maria was prevented from joining her friends in a kick-about after college. Her fiery spirit shone through as she threatened to quit the production.
"I had to go in there and calm her down", Jonson tells me. "She told me that she had no intention of gaining any weight or losing her fitness. It was hard to blame her, as she seemed to have all the boys after her. But after I let her simmer down, we agreed to provide the family with a table soccer game to play, and I discussed the exposure she'd get from the show - I won her round."
It may also have helped that Texas is our fattest state. Far from a little weight gain marking her out at college, it would bring her closer to the state average. The show introduced us to both the health watchdogs warning about the situation, and the fat activists who want us to be comfortable in our larger bodies.
Charmaine, who introduced viewers to the positive side of fat, remembers "when we started the show, the family never even sat down for a meal together. Hernando and Mercedes were out at their gyms all evening, while Maria took every chance to play soccer with her team. They were barely talking to each other. For them, fitness didn't make them happy."
By week three, Hernando and Mercedes admitted they were much closer. Watching TV together in the evenings while they munched on some snacks gave them common topics of discussion. They began playing table soccer with Maria.
"I think they all saw the show as a chance to grab their fifteen minutes", says Jonson. "We get lots of participants like that. Mercedes wanted to promote her keep-fit classes, but as running them would screw up the experimental side of the show, we had to take her out of there, and get her a job in a donut store. We got some great film out of her first week, adjusting to the new environment, but she settled in and did a great job - even if she started snacking on a few more donuts than her manager would've liked!"
Rather than playing sports, the producers encouraged the family to go and sit in the crowd. "Again, it pulled them together", says Charmaine. "And Maria soon stopped trying to sneak away and exercise off camera."
The final show saw a dramatic weigh-in and health check. The Gonzalezs collectively had put on a total of fifty pounds in just a month, and had all increased their body fat percentage. Maria had just managed to become officially overweight, and you could see her developing a pot belly.
"After the month was up, we stopped providing the meals, and left the family free to go back to their old lifestyle", remembers Jonson. "The original plan was to get a doctor to do a piece on how terribly unhealthy they'd become and why viewers shouldn't follow them - why it was time for everyone to go on a diet and shape up. But the month had been such a success that we decided to change the narrative. Instead, we finished with a piece on the importance of spending time together and how worries about body image shouldn't force you to become a fitness junkie. I wasn't sure how it'd go down with the network, but they loved it!"
Charmaine remembers things differently. "I was delighted with how the show went. When the family weren't keen to go along with Ellie [Jonson]'s plan to do an anti-fat conclusion, she went off in a rage. I talked her round to doing a more positive ending. By this point, I was close to the family, and they trusted my judgement. I can't see that Ellie's original ending would've had the same impact."
While the initial reviews of the documentary were mixed, it proved a big hit with viewers. So much so, that Jonson has gone back to check on what the family are up to now.
"At first, they had real trouble adjusting", she says. "Mercedes went back to work as a fitness instructor for a bit, but found she no longer had the energy. Because Maria was on a scholarship, she had to take soccer up again, but she was no longer interested in playing. When Hernando started sessions at the gym, Mercedes complained she missed spending evenings with him. And none of them lost their appetites - even when they became more active, I don't think that any of them lost any weight."
Charmaine has stayed in touch with the family. "Fortunately, I was able to give them some good advice. I got Mercedes to return to the donut store, and told Hernando to forget the gym. Having been on TV, Maria was desperate for a media career, and I managed to get her a start as a food critic in the local paper. With a regular job, she could quit her scholarship program and the soccer. Instead, she took a part-time course."
Returning one year on, the family seem blissfully happy.
"They've all put on a lot of weight", says Jonson. "I haven't weighed them this time, but they've all developed big pot bellies, while Mercedes and Maria have got definite double chins. I think they would all count as obese now. What really shocked me was the amount of food they're getting through now - there's a bit of home cooking, but with everything covered in cheese, their diet now is probably more fattening than what we gave them."
Again, Charmaine's view is somewhat different. "The family are big, and they're getting bigger. That's what we're doing as a state, and as a nation. Since she's put on the pounds, Maria's had no end of male attention, and she's found a boyfriend who loves her new shape. She tells me that she's so happy with the weight gain, she's aiming for 300 pounds, and he's doing all he can to help - I reckon she'll make it by the end of the year."
You can catch "TV Dinners - One Year On" tonight at eight-thirty. This critic for one will be watching with a bucket of chicken and plenty of chocolate to hand!
TV DINNERS
by Growing Girl
by Growing Girl
From the Entertainment Section of Nation's Daily:
Pick of the day: TV Dinners - One Year On
My rating: *****
Reason:
"TV Dinners" was the must-see documentary of last year, originally intended to show the effects a bad diet can have on a family. I grabbed a brief word with Jonson, the show's award-winning producer, who has just completed a follow-up charting how the family has progressed over the past year, and Charmaine, the self-described "big beautiful woman" who acted as a consultant to the show.
"The Gonzalez family from Texas were chosen," says program producer Ellie Jonson, "for their healthy lifestyle and interest in keeping fit." Viewers of the season will remember former semi-pro baseball pitcher Hernando, his wife, fitness instructor Mercedes, and their 18-year-old daughter Maria, the college student on a soccer scholarship.
In a show partly inspired by hit documentary Super Size Me! the family were forced to eat only junk food and avoid all exercise for a month. They were provided with three meals a day prepared by the production team and as many snacks as they wanted.
Initially, they all found it difficult to sit around watching TV (something this critic will never understand!). Hernando, used to high-energy meals from his sports career, took readily to the calorie-filled diet, while Mercedes and Maria had trouble finishing the large portions of chicken, tortillas and burgers.
One of my TV moments of last year came when Maria was prevented from joining her friends in a kick-about after college. Her fiery spirit shone through as she threatened to quit the production.
"I had to go in there and calm her down", Jonson tells me. "She told me that she had no intention of gaining any weight or losing her fitness. It was hard to blame her, as she seemed to have all the boys after her. But after I let her simmer down, we agreed to provide the family with a table soccer game to play, and I discussed the exposure she'd get from the show - I won her round."
It may also have helped that Texas is our fattest state. Far from a little weight gain marking her out at college, it would bring her closer to the state average. The show introduced us to both the health watchdogs warning about the situation, and the fat activists who want us to be comfortable in our larger bodies.
Charmaine, who introduced viewers to the positive side of fat, remembers "when we started the show, the family never even sat down for a meal together. Hernando and Mercedes were out at their gyms all evening, while Maria took every chance to play soccer with her team. They were barely talking to each other. For them, fitness didn't make them happy."
By week three, Hernando and Mercedes admitted they were much closer. Watching TV together in the evenings while they munched on some snacks gave them common topics of discussion. They began playing table soccer with Maria.
"I think they all saw the show as a chance to grab their fifteen minutes", says Jonson. "We get lots of participants like that. Mercedes wanted to promote her keep-fit classes, but as running them would screw up the experimental side of the show, we had to take her out of there, and get her a job in a donut store. We got some great film out of her first week, adjusting to the new environment, but she settled in and did a great job - even if she started snacking on a few more donuts than her manager would've liked!"
Rather than playing sports, the producers encouraged the family to go and sit in the crowd. "Again, it pulled them together", says Charmaine. "And Maria soon stopped trying to sneak away and exercise off camera."
The final show saw a dramatic weigh-in and health check. The Gonzalezs collectively had put on a total of fifty pounds in just a month, and had all increased their body fat percentage. Maria had just managed to become officially overweight, and you could see her developing a pot belly.
"After the month was up, we stopped providing the meals, and left the family free to go back to their old lifestyle", remembers Jonson. "The original plan was to get a doctor to do a piece on how terribly unhealthy they'd become and why viewers shouldn't follow them - why it was time for everyone to go on a diet and shape up. But the month had been such a success that we decided to change the narrative. Instead, we finished with a piece on the importance of spending time together and how worries about body image shouldn't force you to become a fitness junkie. I wasn't sure how it'd go down with the network, but they loved it!"
Charmaine remembers things differently. "I was delighted with how the show went. When the family weren't keen to go along with Ellie [Jonson]'s plan to do an anti-fat conclusion, she went off in a rage. I talked her round to doing a more positive ending. By this point, I was close to the family, and they trusted my judgement. I can't see that Ellie's original ending would've had the same impact."
While the initial reviews of the documentary were mixed, it proved a big hit with viewers. So much so, that Jonson has gone back to check on what the family are up to now.
"At first, they had real trouble adjusting", she says. "Mercedes went back to work as a fitness instructor for a bit, but found she no longer had the energy. Because Maria was on a scholarship, she had to take soccer up again, but she was no longer interested in playing. When Hernando started sessions at the gym, Mercedes complained she missed spending evenings with him. And none of them lost their appetites - even when they became more active, I don't think that any of them lost any weight."
Charmaine has stayed in touch with the family. "Fortunately, I was able to give them some good advice. I got Mercedes to return to the donut store, and told Hernando to forget the gym. Having been on TV, Maria was desperate for a media career, and I managed to get her a start as a food critic in the local paper. With a regular job, she could quit her scholarship program and the soccer. Instead, she took a part-time course."
Returning one year on, the family seem blissfully happy.
"They've all put on a lot of weight", says Jonson. "I haven't weighed them this time, but they've all developed big pot bellies, while Mercedes and Maria have got definite double chins. I think they would all count as obese now. What really shocked me was the amount of food they're getting through now - there's a bit of home cooking, but with everything covered in cheese, their diet now is probably more fattening than what we gave them."
Again, Charmaine's view is somewhat different. "The family are big, and they're getting bigger. That's what we're doing as a state, and as a nation. Since she's put on the pounds, Maria's had no end of male attention, and she's found a boyfriend who loves her new shape. She tells me that she's so happy with the weight gain, she's aiming for 300 pounds, and he's doing all he can to help - I reckon she'll make it by the end of the year."
You can catch "TV Dinners - One Year On" tonight at eight-thirty. This critic for one will be watching with a bucket of chicken and plenty of chocolate to hand!
