BLOGS

Shedding for the Wedding: Less Offensive Than Bridalplasty, But Far Tackier

Before I start in on the actual review of this new show, can someone please explain to me the sudden proliferation of theme weddings? I really don't get them at all. Why do people think they need a theme for their wedding that isn't just "Hey, we're getting married and I like the color green"? It never ceases to be mind boggling that someone would want to incorporate mini trucks or The Wizard of Oz into their special day. Clearly, I've been watching too much of My Fair Wedding with David Tutera, which is fascinating and horrifying at the same time, but at least he finds a way to make mini-trucks look somewhat classy. Anyway, the reason I bring this all up is that each couple on Shedding for the Wedding -- which is the inevitable melding of the weight-loss and wedding reality TV subgenres - has a very special tacky theme for their wedding, which in turn inspires their team nickname.

Sara Rue is hosting this show, since being a spokesperson for weight loss apparently required her. Though it's at least better than Shana Moakler hosting a show about plastic surgery like Bridalplasty. But the two programs are fairly similar but instead of the brides going under the knife to look beautiful for their big day, here the bride and the groom work together with trainers to get rid of their cellulite before their nuptials. And in addition to working out, each week they'll work with a wedding planner to organize every aspect of their wedding (the first week was ill-fitting dresses). Instead of winning the plastic surgery of their choice, the winning couple gets a weekly prize like the dress and tuxedo with the overall winner getting a dream wedding with all of the trimmings. Unlike Bridalplasty, these couples don't just want to look good, they want one of those aforementioned ridiculous themes. Another big difference: instead of getting bruised and bandaged from surgery, these contestants just suffer from workout-induced vomiting. Fun stuff.

I know you are probably dying to know what these wedding themes are, so really, let's get down to it. Lindsay and Chase met at a frat party of some sort and they want a Greek themed wedding. At first I misunderstood and thought there was going to be delicious baklava all over the place, which seemed counter-intuitive to a weight loss show, but then I realized that they meant Greek like fraternities. My first clue was that they want their wedding to include Beer Pong. Can't wait to until the trainers tell them how many calories are in beer! Ginny and Marc (pack-a-day smokers) were the first casualties of this show (they lost in some Name That Tune-esque bidding war about how long people could hold weights over their heads) so we won't see their beach romance wedding (though they are still in the running for a dream honeymoon). Valerie and David are into Big Band, and want that as a theme, but it should be noted that they didn't do especially well at the first challenge, which is a dance-a-thon. Allison, meanwhile, wants a spoiled princess fairy tale wedding, and her sheepish husband to-be is just willing to go along with whatever she says.

Laeresa and Stephan talk a lot about being judged because they are an interracial couple, and their wedding theme is Hollywood. Hollywood glamour? Or like West Hollywood? It's still unclear. Laura and Austin are football enthusiasts who want a tailgate wedding. Dawn and Adam want to have a fun and games wedding with foosball and things like that. Samantha and Brooks are an eco-friendly couple who want everything to be Green, but it doesn't look like the dress she picked out was made out of all-natural products. Guess the show's wedding planner isn't exactly sure what that whole Green thing is about. And then there is my favorite couple of them all; Taylor and Pete. These two met playing Final Fantasy online and look like people who play video games for a minimum of eight hours a day. In fact, we saw them at their house with their backs to each other playing the same game. Ah, romance. It should go without saying that they want their wedding to look like Final Fantasy, and we're treated to a graphic of a Chocobo (yes, I am ashamed that I didn't have to look that up) and I presume/hope that this means they are going to be getting ostriches and dress them up in costumes. This is the only wedding I actually want to attend, because it just sounds so insane that I'd need to actually see it to believe that it exists.

The rest of the show just featured two trainers working them out, and a wedding planner trying to make their dreams happen or something of that nauseating nature. But since there is so much going on, the actual weight-loss portions of this episode are so condensed that it really doesn't compare to The Biggest Loser or I Used to Be Fat. And I was bothered by the fact that when their weight loss was tabulated, it was revealed by couple, so it doesn't seem like there will be any indication of how much each individual person lost in any given week. Just because they will be signing a piece of paper and saying "I do" doesn't mean that they have lost their personal identities... though I guess perhaps they have for the purposes of this show. So go Team Gamer, may all of your weird Final Fantasy dreams come true.

Will losing a massive amount of weight right before marriage increase the odds of adultery? Find out in our vlog:

What are people saying about your favorite shows and stars right now? Find out with Talk Without Pity, the social media site for real TV fans. See Tweets and Facebook comments in real time and add your own -- all without leaving TWoP. Join the conversation now!

Comments

SHARE THE SNARK

X

Get the most of your experience.
Share the Snark!

See content relevant to you based on what your friends are reading and watching.

Share your activity with your friends to Facebook's News Feed, Timeline and Ticker.

Stay in Control: Delete any item from your activity that you choose not to share.

MOST RECENT POSTS

BLOG ARCHIVES

The Telefile

February 2013

21 Entries

January 2013

62 Entries

December 2012

44 Entries

November 2012

59 Entries

October 2012

69 Entries

September 2012

66 Entries

August 2012

65 Entries

July 2012

51 Entries

June 2012

58 Entries

May 2012

68 Entries

April 2012

71 Entries

March 2012

68 Entries

February 2012

64 Entries

January 2012

78 Entries

December 2011

49 Entries

November 2011

56 Entries

October 2011

74 Entries

September 2011

77 Entries

August 2011

61 Entries

July 2011

56 Entries

June 2011

57 Entries

May 2011

57 Entries

April 2011

78 Entries

March 2011

73 Entries

February 2011

57 Entries

January 2011

65 Entries

December 2010

39 Entries

November 2010

45 Entries

October 2010

46 Entries

September 2010

62 Entries

August 2010

55 Entries

July 2010

53 Entries

June 2010

65 Entries

May 2010

59 Entries

April 2010

57 Entries

March 2010

67 Entries

February 2010

53 Entries

January 2010

59 Entries

December 2009

32 Entries

November 2009

47 Entries

October 2009

65 Entries

September 2009

66 Entries

August 2009

58 Entries

July 2009

72 Entries

June 2009

71 Entries

May 2009

50 Entries

April 2009

57 Entries

March 2009

66 Entries

February 2009

52 Entries

January 2009

56 Entries

December 2008

51 Entries

November 2008

71 Entries

October 2008

88 Entries

September 2008

86 Entries

August 2008

120 Entries

July 2008

115 Entries

June 2008

90 Entries

May 2008

44 Entries

April 2008

30 Entries

March 2008

26 Entries

February 2008

30 Entries

January 2008

44 Entries

December 2007

31 Entries

November 2007

66 Entries

The Latest Activity On TwOP