This week, The CW will premiere Shedding for the Wedding, a weight-loss competition series that features couples looking to loose weight in anticipation of their upcoming wedding.
Hosted by Sara Rue (Popular, Eastwick), Shedding for the Wedding gives nine overweight couples the opportunity to shed pounds in exchange for wedding-related prizes and the opportunity to win the wedding of their dreams. With the goal to look great and have their perfect wedding in mind, these couples dive into the weight-loss challenges with gusto.
I don’t watch The Biggest Loser, but from what I know of it, I’d say Shedding the Wedding is The Biggest Loser Couples with a wedding twist. What works for this series is the differences between the couples, not only in how much weight they have to lose, but also in what kind of people they are and what their dream weddings include.
Allison and David are looking to have the fairy tale wedding, with Ivory and Champagne Pink as their colors. That seems pretty standard, especially compared to Lindsay and Chase (Team Greek Week), whose dream wedding includes beer pong, or Taylor and Peter (Team Gamers), whose dream wedding will incorporate their obsession with Final Fantasy XI.
In the first episode, the contestants have a dance-off to keep their heart rates up, with the winning couple earning themselves their dream tuxedo and wedding dress. With all of the prizes being wedding themed and modified to suit the tastes of the competing couples, there are similar goals in mind, which brings the competition together nicely. The hour-long episodes include challenges, a glimpse at the couples dieting regimens, intense work-out sessions and brief interviews with the teams. Each episode ends with a weigh-in, followed by a competition between the two lowest-performing teams and finally, the elimination.
There’s definitely a competitive spirit among the teams and we begin to see that within the first two episodes, as some of the teams comment on the motivation and behavior of the others in the group. We also see some bonds formed early on as the teams get to know each other.
I didn’t go into Shedding for the Wedding expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. The series isn’t breaking new ground as far as content goes but it’s certainly entertaining and worth checking out. Sara Rue approaches her hosting role with quick-witted humor and an easy smile and while some couples are more likable than others, seeing their motivation and willingness to put themselves out there for the sake of their health and their weddings has me interested in seeing how things work out for them as the series progresses.
Shedding for the Wedding premieres Wednesday, February 23rd (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) on The CW.
