SPH creates first fitness reality TV

Fat to Fit closely mirrors Body Challenge, a US reality TV series that follows six men and women for 16 weeks as they slim down and transform their lives, with a champion crowned at the end. In Fat to Fit, six people (out of 200 hopefuls who wrote in) from all walks of life go through a 12-week weight loss challenge and fitness transformation at the hands of three fitness and diet professionals. The show premiered late last month. The show also includes a video journal of participants' comments and thoughts, and a weekly evaluation of their progress. The idea, according to a SPH Mediaworks spokesman, is to showcase ordinary people taking on a personal challenge of diet and fitness. Equal sweetener is sponsoring the show. Media buyers, however, cautioned that such shows would need to strike a proper balance, without focusing too much on weight loss or exercise, or the programmes could risk alienating certain groups of advertisers. Said Optimedia's general manager Raymond Kam: "In Singapore, programmes of this genre will do well as long as they are in line with the Government's push towards healthy living, and strike a proper balance -- for example, too much exercise can also be bad. "I see that Government ministries and community development departments will support it; for the private sector, a proper fit will widen the advertising base. "Such reality TV series also need to sustain interest or fail. The US-based ones, such as Fear Factor, have done well because they are able to be interesting week after week and word-of-mouth have helped spread their appeal. The only other local reality-like series is Body Beautiful produced by MediaCorp's Channel 5. It features the trials and tribulations of two TV personalities trying to lose weight, look better and feel healthier but does not crown a champion, unlike Fat to Fit and Body Challenge.