Shedding For The Wedding

The characters are relatable in this new CW series

By Tom Conroy
Feb 22, 2011

Since every possible reality-show subject has been done and then imitated to death, producers striving for the appearance of originality can always try combining two used premises.
 
The CW’s new series “Shedding for the Wedding” blends the couples editions of NBC’s weight-loss series “The Biggest Loser” with VH1’s “Bridal Bootcamp,” in which overweight engaged women compete to fit into their “dream wedding gown.”
 
The novelty in the new show, which premieres tomorrow night at 9 p.m., is that both the brides- and grooms-to-be will be trying to lose weight. The couple that loses the most will have their wedding paid for by the show.
 
Benefiting from the cute factor of overweight people who have found each other and fallen in love, “Shedding” is above-average reality fodder. The combined fantasy of fitness and free catering is powerful. Although some of the competitions are off-message, most viewers will find themselves rooting for their favorites to win and for all of the contestants to get healthier.
 
To help us keep them straight, each couple is given a nickname. Lindsey and Chase are called Team Greek Week because they met at his fraternity; they want to have a game of beer pong at their reception. Taylor and Peter, Team Gamers, met while playing Final Fantasy online.
 
The couples are particularly relatable when discussing their wedding plans. A contestant named Allison says, “My perfect wedding is expensive.”
 
“Our,” says her fiancé, David. “Our.”
 
Samantha says her mother, who was dying of cancer, gave her own engagement ring to Samantha’s fiancé, Brooks, who immediately proposed.
 
The workout sessions are familiar. Two aggressive trainers start the participants off with a routine that is far too advanced for the first day of training. Taylor, one of the heavier women, immediately begins gagging. A “puke bucket” is always nearby.
 
In a challenge to win a wedding dress and tux, the couples must keep dancing while forcing their total heart rates ever higher. The scene has unpleasant echoes of Depression-era dance marathons.
 
In the second episode, the couples race against one another while carrying a four-tier wedding cake. It’s difficult to see what this has to do with weight loss or wedded bliss.
 
After the weekly weigh-in, two couples are presented with an endurance challenge that involves guessing how long the other couple will last. Once again, this has little to do with the show’s premise.
 
As hostess, Sara Rue, a currently slim actress who played overweight girls in such shows as “Popular” and “Less Than Perfect,” is more a symbol of possibilities than a presence. She does little but smile and say her lines.
 
On the plus side, there is less than the usual amount of bickering and trash-talking among the teams. And the fiancés and fiancées tend to be loving and supportive.
 
Too many reality shows are about setting up fake relationships or revealing the flaws in real ones. “Shedding for the Wedding” stands out because, win or lose, these couples seem made to last.