Penn & Teller: Bull****: Obesity - 3/22/07
#1
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
Penn & Teller: Bull****: Obesity - 3/22/07
Showtime, 9:00pm CDT
Season 5 kicks off with an episode that doesn't seem particularly exciting to me.
Next week: Wal-Mart. (Sound a lot more interesting.)
P&T has been renewed for Seasons 5&6, ten episodes per season.
Also on tap this season:
Breast Hysteria
Detoxing
Exorcism
Immigration
I think all those sound interesting.
Penn & Teller reveal truths about the Obesity epidemic. A visit to an Obesity conference exposes the uncomfortably cozy relationships between the medical establishment, the diet companies and the weight loss industry. An advocacy group for overweight people tells us about the hardships and discrimination brought about by their weight. Plus, the first-ever Penn & Teller 'Fat Guy Olympics.'
Next week: Wal-Mart. (Sound a lot more interesting.)
P&T has been renewed for Seasons 5&6, ten episodes per season.
Also on tap this season:
Breast Hysteria
Detoxing
Exorcism
Immigration
I think all those sound interesting.
#4
DVD Talk God
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Directionally Challenged (for DirecTV)
Posts: 130,259
Received 614 Likes
on
493 Posts
Wow. It's back already? Cool.
I'll have to do what I did last year. Wait for most of the episodes to air, and then order Showtime for a day or two to watch them all On Demand.
I'll have to do what I did last year. Wait for most of the episodes to air, and then order Showtime for a day or two to watch them all On Demand.
#5
DVD Talk God
I'm intrigued at how they are going to do this one.
#6
Moderator
From the promos it sounds like they're going to come to the same conclusion as they did in the "working out" show: some people are stocky, they'll never be thin, get over it.
#8
DVD Talk Hero
Exorcism should be good.
And "breast hysteria" should be good for a few laughs. And boobies.
And "breast hysteria" should be good for a few laughs. And boobies.
#9
DVD Talk Hero
Great to have it back, but as usual, I have some criticism. First, that one guy definitely needed an "and then there's this asshole!" He says you can't call obesity an "epidemic" because that only refers to disease. Bullshit semantics. It's widespread and has grown rapidly (har har) -- wtf else do you want to call it? Then he says we don't know how to help people maintain a healthy weight. Double bullshit. We know exactly how to do it (save some isolated medical conditions); what we don't know is how to design a magic pill that lets you drink bacon grease while sitting on your ass all day and magically not store fat everywhere.
I did like the BMI stuff, though. The BMI is typical of our government. It's completely generalized and utterly useless, and it would be difficult to find something more meaningless than the BMI. I'm not sure pasty-white king of the uncoordinated dorklords's failure to win an athletic competition is the best way to demonstrate that, but watching the fat guy run through the hurdles was funny, so I'll let it slide.
The evolution argument was weak. You can't have it both ways. If you want to assert that humans were designed to eat all this food for survival, you must also recognize that it's only in the most recent years that humanity has retreated into their homes to live on the Internet and gorge on food that is heavily prepared with unnatural fatty chemicals. That's the reason there's an "epidemic" in the first place.
All that aside, what disappointed me the most was that they largely missed the most important aspect of this issue: deprivation diets and the harm they cause. Most diets are based on some form of deprivation, which leads to a quick body-shock weight loss, but that weight loss is often an off-balance mixture of muscle and fat accompanied with a longterm slowing of the body's metabolism. When the subject ultimately abandons the unrealistic diet, the slowed metabolism forces the weight to return more quickly, and the loss of muscle mass makes it such that when the subject returns to the previous weight, he's less healthy than before. The last guy they talked to briefly mentioned the harm of repeated dieting, but I wish they had spent some actual effort going after an industry that is slowly killing consumers for profit.
The reality is that there is a legitimate obesity problem in this country, and the undereducated public is being misled and abused by a morally disgusting industry. But at least they showed some boobies and made a few funnies, so there's always that.
Next week should be interesting.
das
I did like the BMI stuff, though. The BMI is typical of our government. It's completely generalized and utterly useless, and it would be difficult to find something more meaningless than the BMI. I'm not sure pasty-white king of the uncoordinated dorklords's failure to win an athletic competition is the best way to demonstrate that, but watching the fat guy run through the hurdles was funny, so I'll let it slide.
The evolution argument was weak. You can't have it both ways. If you want to assert that humans were designed to eat all this food for survival, you must also recognize that it's only in the most recent years that humanity has retreated into their homes to live on the Internet and gorge on food that is heavily prepared with unnatural fatty chemicals. That's the reason there's an "epidemic" in the first place.
All that aside, what disappointed me the most was that they largely missed the most important aspect of this issue: deprivation diets and the harm they cause. Most diets are based on some form of deprivation, which leads to a quick body-shock weight loss, but that weight loss is often an off-balance mixture of muscle and fat accompanied with a longterm slowing of the body's metabolism. When the subject ultimately abandons the unrealistic diet, the slowed metabolism forces the weight to return more quickly, and the loss of muscle mass makes it such that when the subject returns to the previous weight, he's less healthy than before. The last guy they talked to briefly mentioned the harm of repeated dieting, but I wish they had spent some actual effort going after an industry that is slowly killing consumers for profit.
The reality is that there is a legitimate obesity problem in this country, and the undereducated public is being misled and abused by a morally disgusting industry. But at least they showed some boobies and made a few funnies, so there's always that.
Next week should be interesting.
das
Last edited by das Monkey; 03-22-07 at 11:22 PM.
#10
Moderator
Originally Posted by das Monkey
something to watch on television finally
#11
DVD Talk Hero
Thread Starter
As I expected, this was not a good one. Every season has some clunkers but you don't want to see it in the premier. The "Fat Guy Olympics" was a padding waste of time and even P&T knew it was totally meaningless.
Oh well, I think next week will be much better.
Oh well, I think next week will be much better.
#13
DVD Talk Legend
I was suprised this was on as well. I figured my Tivo was picking up an old episode. I hope the Wal-Mart episode is a good one.
#14
DVD Talk Legend
This series has gotten slowly worse as its moved along and this episode was particulary boring. They definitely have some episodes coming that could be interesting though.
#15
DVD Talk Ultimate Edition
Pretty much felt the same way Das did. The stuff about BMI I agreed with. But I didn't like how now they laugh/make fun of people with nutrition/health science degrees while agreeing with people with fucking law degrees?? How are they experts on the subjects of nutrition and weight loss suddenly? Seemed out of character to me.
Looking forward to the Wal-mart one.
Looking forward to the Wal-mart one.
#16
DVD Talk Special Edition
Just a pre-viewing question.
What exactly are people "looking forward to the Wal-Mart one" for?
What are your thoughts going in?
1. It's an evil evil place and they should all burn in hell for "driving out the little guy."
2. Hey, they have the best price so I shop there. Whats the big deal?
I'm with #2, by the way.
Hey will the mods let us start a thread on the Wal-Mart show NOW?
What exactly are people "looking forward to the Wal-Mart one" for?
What are your thoughts going in?
1. It's an evil evil place and they should all burn in hell for "driving out the little guy."
2. Hey, they have the best price so I shop there. Whats the big deal?
I'm with #2, by the way.
Hey will the mods let us start a thread on the Wal-Mart show NOW?
#19
DVD Talk God
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Directionally Challenged (for DirecTV)
Posts: 130,259
Received 614 Likes
on
493 Posts
Originally Posted by movielib
As I expected, this was not a good one. Every season has some clunkers but you don't want to see it in the premier. The "Fat Guy Olympics" was a padding waste of time and even P&T knew it was totally meaningless.
But it was funny seeing that fat guy knock over all the hurdles; well, except for the one he ran around.
It was good to see them expose the BS that is the BMI, but otherwise, I agree, a lackluster episode.
#20
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by cornflakeguy
Just a pre-viewing question.
What exactly are people "looking forward to the Wal-Mart one" for?
What exactly are people "looking forward to the Wal-Mart one" for?
And judging from the other thread, I think that's exactly what they got.