Channel 4 have just finished showing this (at stupid o’clock in the morning so I missed the first 3 or 4 episodes unfortunately). I think it’s probably a year or so old but it was the first time I’d seen or heard of it so I still found it hugely entertaining.
The idea of the series was to take a bunch of very, VERY, overweight people and get them to walk from (I think) Boston to Washington over the course of (I think) 10 weeks. Like I said, I missed the beginning of the run so I’m fuzzy on the details but I believe the contestants needed to cover a distance of roughly 500 miles on foot in order to finish and win some lovely money.
Being a reality show there was the usual tantrums and playing up to the camera but I was pretty impressed that the focus of each show was on just getting up each morning, putting those trainers on and putting one foot in front of another until another 10 or so miles were crossed off the list. The weight losses were pretty astounding (an average of 50lbs per contestant if my maths is anything to go by) and the six contestants that finished the course all looked so bloody healthy and alive. I believe the show has come in for a bit of stick for pushing the contestants beyond what experts thought were their capabilities, but there can be no doubt just how life changing it’s been for those who took part.
