The Biggest Loser Fattened the Cat, but American Idol is Still Top Dog

TV Guide reports that NBC's The Biggest Loser averaged 8.94 million viewers, up 25 percent from last week. This represents gains for The Biggest Loser, the show that is, but it doesn't compete with Tuesday night's American Idol, averaging over 29 million viewers.

American Idol and The Biggest Loser are reality T.V. at its best and worse. Both shows have the potential to elevate and motivate people, and both shows have the ability to denigrate them in front of millions of viewers. At times, it seems almost inhumane, but plenty of humans are tuning in.

What draws us to these shows? Some viewers tend to cheer for their favorite, pulling for them to win American Idol, or lose the most weight on The Biggest Loser. Others, I think, enjoy the catharsis of seeing other humans put to shame and stripped of their dignity. It spares them doing the same in public, yet it fulfills a primitive desire to watch others fail, in turn, making us feel better about ourselves.

On the other hand, each of these contestants knows exactly what they are in for. Contestants on The Biggest Loser are competing to lose weight, change their life, and win $250,000. The exercise and challenges can be grueling, while the challenge involves not just the physical, but the mental and emotional being of the contestants. Yet, they go in willingly. On The Biggest Loser are they driven by a desire to better their health, their wallet, or both?

It is also no secret to American Idol Contestants what they are in for. Very few people in the U.S. or the U.K. are not familiar with Simon Cowell and his blunt, often harsh comments. They know he is likely to rip them to shreds, that's his shtick. If contestants go in knowing this, I don't understand all the wailing and drama afterward when he has bitten a huge chunk out of their self-esteem.