Is The Biggest Loser canceled? At this point, it seems so

The Biggest Loser, regardless of whether or not you like it, has been a reality TV institution. It was a big hit at one point for NBC, and there was even a joke on 30 Rock about it being almost entirely the priority of the network’s executives. When they were struggling in an era before The Voice premiered, it was one of the best performers that they had.

However, times have changed greatly over the years. The numbers have fallen dramatically over the years, the controversy only continued to balloon, and there has been a revolving door of sorts when it comes to on-air personality.

Do we believe that there were people behind the scenes at the show who entered it with the best of intentions? Absolutely. We think that some of the trainers and dietitians did want the contestants to lose weight and move forward to live their best lives.

The problem is that the premise was so flawed by some production decisions, whether it be making this a “competition” where there was a strategic component at times or having it all take place in such an inorganic environment. It’s similar to The Bachelor in that while that show takes you away from life and focuses you entirely on love, this one focuses exclusively on weight loss. It’s easier to lose weight when you’re in an environment where there are trainers and you don’t have work or other things getting in the way. It’s almost impossible to fully replicate, and with the competition being so quick, there’s a reason why so many contestants have ended up putting the way back on.

Let’s circle back to the cancellation talk

According to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail related to the show’s doctor Robert Huizenga, the show is canceled. Meanwhile, a rep for NBC tells the New York Post that there are no new episodes currently in production. That’s not surprising in the slightest — this was a show that banked heavily on inspiration for ratings, but with so many claims out there that the process doesn’t work long-term, trying to find a way to sell the series as viable is challenging. It’s possible that it could come back in the future, but for the time being, we doubt it. NBC would be better off finding some other way to get into talking about health and fitness, something that is more about lifestyle and long-term results rather than really good visuals of someone standing on a scale.

We were never the biggest fan of The Biggest Loser, but we do recognize that it holds a significant place in reality television history. It’s not up there with The Bachelor or Survivor as one of the longest-running franchises out there (it’s also behind Big Brother and The Amazing Race — plus, American Idol is coming back), but we’d say that this is one of the mid-tier franchises in terms of name value.

If this is the end for The Biggest Loser, how would you eulogize the show? Be sure to share in the comments below! (Photo: NBC.)