Weight loss has become an American infatuation the past few decades, and after the success of “The Biggest Loser,” shows dedicated to dropping the pounds have been popping up all over network television. The latest addition to weight-loss TV this season is the CW’s “Shedding for the Wedding.” The main goals of the show are for couples to work on their commitment to a healthy body, lifestyle and to each other all by competing in weekly challenges and weigh-ins. The couple left standing with the most combined weight loss will have their fantasy wedding paid for and featured in People magazine. Sound a little familiar? The lay out of the show is similar to “Biggest Loser” except instead of winning immunity couples get wedding props like dresses and cakes. Another twist is there is no “Survivor”-style “voting off”; there are elimination challenges instead, mirroring the “Real World/Road Rules” challenges like the Gauntlet.
The first episode introduces viewers to the nine couples that will be fighting for their dream bodies and weddings and the team that will be behind their successes. The two trainers this season are Nicky Holender and Jennifer Cohen echoing the same hardcore personas of Jillian Michaels and Ben Harper. Hosting the show is Sara Rue, who recently publicized losing 50 pounds through the Jenny Craig program. The couples seem to take to her as she can relate to their struggles. But who is the most important person in this wedding weight loss craze? Brian Worley, the wedding planner.
The first stop Worley takes the ladies during the first episode is wedding dress shopping, which made for good drama seeing every woman cry as they saw their reflections in the mirror. Viewers are left heart-broken as they can see how devastated these women are during a time when they should be ecstatic. Even watching the men shopping for tuxedos brings on an aura of sadness as they have body issues just as deep as the women. The audience is left thinking ‘why would Worley do something like this?,’ but he states it’s for motivation.
Also during dress shopping, viewers really see the personalities of the women emerge. The villain we will all love to hate this season is Allison. While she is a traditionalist opting for a fairytale-like wedding, Allison is confused by some of the theme choices of the other women, which include Greek week, Final Fantasy, jazz and eco-friendly. There is a couple for every viewer’s taste and comments for each by Allison that will make you cringe or laugh.
The first weekly challenge the couples faced was maintaining a designated heart rate through dancing. The winners would receive the dream dress and tux they chose earlier. This really brought out the cut-throat, competitive side of the couples. While there wasn’t so much dancing as there was running, there was plenty of laughter from the audience.
However, much like the “Biggest Loser,” most of the drama takes places during workouts and at weigh-in. Weigh-in is set up “Biggest Loser”-like with all nine couples lined up. There is a designated area for the couples with the lowest weight loss. The two couples who made the least progress then face off in elimination.
If you like weight loss TV you will most likely love “Shedding for the Wedding.” The show grabs its audience by pulling on their heart stings with empathetic background stories for all nine couples but still adds in laughter and conflict by housing them all under one roof. “Shedding for the Wedding” is “Biggest Loser” meets Gauntlet, a must-see show.