The TV Zone

Alison in; Caroline out.

I've always had kind of a soft spot for "The Biggest Loser" and maybe that's because I'm such a fathead. "TBL" offers no recourse for that problem, since it's the other kind of lard that has made this show such a keeper for the Fourth Place Network. And that's a good thing, indeed. Yes, FPN needs "TBL" badly and in fact, after Sunday football and (maybe" "Deal or No Deal") this could become its most reliable performer this season. Tonight's virtually an all-"TBL" night, with the two-hour season opener, and I've gotten a quick look at the premiere.

Fans will love it: Casting's excellent, and there's an everyman/woman quality to these people; they are large but not fantastically obese (the off-season rumor was that this would be the fattest group ever; not so.) They all seem nice - Bryan, David, Neil, Hollie, and so on - and their lifelong struggles with weight seem (and doubtless are) sincere. There's a third team this year, too - the "black team," headed up Jillian Michaels (last season's uber-intense uber-scary uber-noisy "Red Team" trainer). Alison Sweeney's the new host and Caroline Rhea replacement; she’s a former, ummmm, large person and soap queen (“Days of Our Lives”) who rallies our zaftig newcomers out in the Mojave Desert (tonight). Hard to say why she’s better than Rhea but certainly adds a little more sex appeal and a lot more puns (“…the wait is over!!”) Don’t get too fond of anyone: A bunch of people will be sacked even before the two hours are up.

Meanwhile, we've got a pair of LI contestants on tonight's show too - 40-year-old twin brothers Bill and Jim Germanakos. My colleague/editor, Andy Edelstein, blogged about them recently, and here's his description: "Bill, of Lynbrook, is married with three kids and works in medical sales. Jim, of Massapequa, also married with three kids, is a police officer. In his free time, he’s a volunteer firefighter and can be caught singing Sinatra songs at the local Italian bistro. Their goal, according to NBC, is not to become the 'fat twins.'”

But like I said, don't get too fond of anyone just yet...

Yeah, it's a lousy day to premiere a reality show, and pretty much a lousy day to premiere anything, given that most people's thoughts - consciously or subconsciously - are tending to other matters that happened six years ago. But if you've gotta premiere something, "TBL" should do: 6,500 pounds have been shed over the last four seasons and another couple thousand will melt away (painfully) this season. Alone among major reality shows on the Big Four, "TBL" actually has a message most of us need to hear and heed.