Ok I promised to tell you guys more about what happened at The Biggest Loser Asia finale, so here it is.
I know production problems are inevitable - but this was imply RIDICULOUS! If there had been a proper technical run-through, I'm sure most of these problems would not have surfaced. Which means somebody's stupidity and lack of planning resulted in this fiasco.
The 'live' telecast of the final you guys watched? Total bullshit. It was taped in the afternoon. I have no idea what was the rationale in it being advertised as being live.
Now let me tell you what happened.
Invites put the event to begin at 9.30am. Now I can understand usual delays, but taping only began at 11.30am!!! Nutsacks and two angry camels in a tiny car!!!!
Apa ni... walaopon kita ni waktu Malaysia memang tambah masa sikit konsep injury time takkan sampai camni? Kurang ajar betul! Takpe... sabar separuh dari iman... kata ko! Walaopon...
Anyway, that was still fine.
So recording began. And that was when I felt like unleashing the fury of hell (or at least an empty stomach) on the people responsible.
The two-hour slot programme (which was in actual time I suppose just over an hour and a half which began taping at 11.30am ended ONLY at 3pm!!! Two camels in a tiny car be humpin' your momma!
Seriously???!!!!
Three and a half FUCKING hours???
Bodoh ke apa meka ni?
The so-called professional regional folks behind the show, screwed up production BIG TIME!
It was bad, real bad and I have never seen anything as badly put together like this in over 13 years of journalism being to some of the biggest shows around. Even our local TV programs which are really broadcast live are handled better than this. I've been to Indonesian TV stations too and they do things WAY more professional than this!
To Hallmark - if you're going to do another edition of The Biggest Loser Asia, sack the REAL LOSERS in the production twats who fucked up big time and couldn't even deliver a TV show recording and took double the time needed!
I mean really.... from the opening, it was already screwed up! The audio from the steady cam Sarimah was working with couldn't sync or something. That wasted a good 20 minutes. And that was just at the very beginning of the taping.
Then there was the power trip where the VT that was being shown was rudely interrupted (I think the only power trip was the ever-yakking director who was incompetent at best!), the introduction of the eliminated former cast members that had some stupid glitch resulting in more delays and even during the final weigh-in when the software (or some idiot manning it) caused more hold-ups when Carlo's result came out in blue (he's team red - and that fuck-up took more than 15 minutes to settle).
So I had my ass parked in Finas from 9.30am to 3pm (I left the moment the winner was announced, and didn't bother to stay for the damn media conference which began later).
This is not the fucking Oscars, and no journalist sits through more than 6 to 7 hours for just a damn TV show taping. HONESTLY! Surrounded by nincompoops who had no clue what they were doing.
And need I mention how arrogant some of the production members were?
Ada minah salleh sorang ni... kerek nak mampos! During the power trip which took another 20 minutes or so to settle, she was overheard saying to a helpless production crew member, "Why are these people coming out! You should stop them!".
Hey lady, you think we're fucking cattle or something?
Stupid, arrogant people behind the production. Who didn't even have the brain cells to work out that the venue was so wrong for the event.
I mean, you had so many people who were really not at their ideal bodyweight, huffing and puffing away up really steep stairs, trying to get a place to sit (hard, studio bleachers are not very comfortable if you have to sit direct for three and a half hours especially when some power trip Caucasian female is giving you the evils or making comments likening you to cattle who should stay put and be patient with her team's stupidity!).
All in that - that FUCKED UP my experience that was supposed to be inspirational.
And dare I mention watching the contestants?
For the first half hour, I was seriously impressed and inspired by the stories and transformation of some of the contestants. Tony from Thailand, Hafiz from Singapore and Gary from Thailand too, I believe were inspiring for losing so much weight on their own, despite being booted out of the show. Honestly they were barely recognizable.
The rest did well too, even Kevin from Philippines who brought the tears on for his slightly.. well.. much but could be healthier appearance.
And some of that feeling of being inspired remain to watch finalists Martha Lai from Hong Kong and our own home boy Aaron Mokhtar from Kuala Lumpur come out, looking amazing.
Then Carlo, from the Philippines, the crowd favourite came out. I was amazed at how much he lost and respected that he not only lost weight, but he toned up well, showing that he was not only cutting down weight and losing the bodyfat but also working on toning himself up (which is difficult and many of contestants had tell tale signs of speedy weight loss over a short period of time with the saggy skin and all).
Then David Gurnani from Indonesia who was my favourite came out.
And that's when I stopped being inspired.
The King who has been consistent in his efforts and performance throughout the show was nothing more than walking bones clothed in skin! In fact, he looked like he was on the verge of collapse and it was obvious he WASN'T healthy as he took too much effort to even make the slightest movement.
He may have lost an accumulated 83kg from his 157kg to become the first Biggest Loser Asia, shedding more than 53% of his body fat - in two months extreme eight to ten hour workouts daily.
He may have walked (if you can call it that) with US$100,000 (RM350, 000) and a car but he did NOT inspire me. In fact he scared the fucking bejeebers out of me. He looked skeletal and anorexic and just... so wrong!
Is this what The Biggest Loser Asia is trying to put across? People who starve themselves for the sake of money?
I know the original programme may not have been perfect too, but they didn't go skin and bones to win.
I thought the spirit of the programme was to inspire people to be fit and healthy - and this was just, so effing wrong!
Are you inspired by The Biggest Loser Asia?
Not me. I want to reach my ideal body weight and body fat count too like a lot of people, but this is just so... two angry camels in a tiny car!!!!
Honestly.
Watch the finale (if you haven't... it's less painful as unlike me you didn't have to sit through a total of 5 1/2 hours of stupidity on display). You'll understand what I mean.
To the contestants, I hope you guys keep working it out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle for the sake of health and not money or a car.
To the finalists, Aaron and Martha - you guys inspire me.
To Carlo - you are amazing and doing it the right way with amazing results.
To David, you need to stop looking like a body double for Skeletor and get back to being healthy and not the poster boy for anorexia nervosa. I believed in you doing it the right way. Not when you began trying to look like a bad attempt at Kate Moss's waif-heroin chic look. For your sake... get healthy and eat now that you have the USD$100,000.
To Sarimah - great job!
To Hallmark - get a new production crew as the idiots you hired are just INCOMPETENT!
And to the production and PR team - you guys are the biggest losers in Asia I know.
PS - To viewers, next time they tell you something is 'live' chances are some idiots were sitting in a studio for almost three times the actual length of the programme fuming at the stupidity of some incompetents.
