ABC Rips Off “The Biggest Loser”
ABC is set to put its own twist on “The Biggest Loser.”
The network, along with “Supernanny” producer Ricochet, are adopting “The Biggest Loser” formet to create “Too Big to Walk?”
“Original Skein,” which will get a new title in the U.S., aired last fall. It assembled a group of eight overweight people and followed them as they marched 500 miles over eight weeks, from the south coast of England to Edinburgh.
ABC’s take will be a “bigger, bolder show,” according to exec producer Nick Emmerson.
“The American format is going to have a lot more game play to it,” Emmerson said. “The British version was very observational. We want to maintain that documentary feel in some ways, but we’re going to make the experience for the participants and the viewer much bigger.”
That means regular reality show challenges and “tens of thousands of dollars in prize money,” Emmerson said.
“We think it’s the boldest weight-loss show to hit America,” he added. “It feels very fresh and different. It’s not about being kept away from food and the rest of the world with a personal trainer and spending hours in the gym. It’s a bigger, more positive show.”
The exec wasn’t clear on if “Too Big” will focus on contestants walking across America, saying only that “walking will be involved.” He also called the show “at its heart an epic journey.”
Julie Laughlin (”Extreme Makeover”) has been tapped co-exec producer for the ABC skein. Casting has been under way for several weeks now, with lensing expected to begin in April.
The show could hit the air as soon as this summer.
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