Amber Petersen

The series shows the main cast member emotionally and psychologically abusing the people around her. There is rampant sexual harassment from the main character. There is also a scene in which the 480 lb cast member rides a horse and the horse buckles under her weight. It’s too disturbing for me to keep watching.

I love that the show teaches the participants how to work out and become physically fit, but it disturbs me that the motivation for fitness is to get revenge through physical attractiveness. In the show, Khloé says that “the best revenge is a great body” or something along those lines. I think the best revenge for these people should be getting healthy and happy. I absolutely think that having a personal trainer and transforming their bodies is important, but I don’t like that they’re trying to meet weight goals under strict time constraints. I think this will further push them into insecurity by forcing them to compare themselves to what they “should” look like instead of focusing on getting fit in order to be healthy and strong. For the participants with disordered eating behaviors, I really think they need to bring in a licensed therapist to delve into the deeper issues surrounding their eating patterns instead of just putting them on a diet for 12 weeks. I get nervous that the participants will binge and gain the weight back after the show is over! Khloé can maintain her “revenge body” because of her access to personal trainers and chefs, but I worry about the show’s participants after the show ends because they might not be capable of maintaining the lifestyle and figure that they achieved during the show. This could lead them to further depression :-(