New TV Programme: Can Fat Teens Hunt?

[Demi]

From the BBC, a follow on programme from last year's Fat Men Can't Hunt

Tonight (26 November) at 10.30pm on BBC Three:

Can Fat Teens Hunt?

Ten dangerously overweight teenagers embark on a journey that could save their health in this six-part series. In an attempt to turn their backs on potentially fatal eating habits, they spend one month with the Iban tribe, former headhunters, living deep in the harsh and remote jungles of Borneo, South East Asia.

The teens become hunter-gatherers - living the life of their hosts, abiding by the Iban’s strict social rules and customs, and existing on a natural and unprocessed diet. If they want to eat, they must pick, dig, trap, kill and cook their food. Can Fat Teens Hunt? offers a chance for our group of youngsters to change their lives - to understand and conquer their life-threatening relationship with food.

To survive, the five boys and five girls have to stomach the Iban’s traditional diet, which is like nothing they’ve ever eaten before. Delicacies include fat sago worms, freshly caught frogs and large river snails - a menu far away from pizzas, hamburgers, crisps and chocolate. They have to slaughter chickens, gather jungle ferns, trap fish and hunt wild boar. To eat, means back-breaking work from dawn to dusk - a life-changing experience.

Throughout the experience, our TV dinner diners are closely monitored by a team of Iban mentors as well as by qualified nutritionist Alice Sykes and a team of doctors. Together they provide a daily clinic and professional insight into their progress.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/programmes/fat_teens/

[Zei]

What is the point to all this? These kids could become ill, injured or dead doing and eating unaccustomed things like this. For their health? I don't think so. For someone's TV entertainment, maybe. Not mine. And how would they keep up this eating style when returned to their normal cultural surroundings? Hunt the neighbors' pets? "To understand and conquer their life-threatening relationship with food." Give me a break!

[eryalen]

What is the point to all this? These kids could become ill, injured or dead doing and eating unaccustomed things like this. For their health? I don't think so. For someone's TV entertainment, maybe. Not mine. And how would they keep up this eating style when returned to their normal cultural surroundings? Hunt the neighbors' pets? "To understand and conquer their life-threatening relationship with food." Give me a break!
I agree that it's not good entertainment but it could be very educational and probably good for the kids involved. Provided they are innoculated against the local diseases the most dangerous thing would be Boar hunting and I would think that their minders would not let them get in any real danger. They are probably more at risk crossing the high street. As to their return, the replacement for foods they describe are readily available (chicken, pork, shrimp as bugs, and green vegetables). It sure beats "How clean is your house", "You are what you eat" and "The world's fattest man" in my books.

[Rachel1]

What is the point to all this? These kids could become ill, injured or dead doing and eating unaccustomed things like this. For their health? I don't think so. For someone's TV entertainment, maybe. Not mine. And how would they keep up this eating style when returned to their normal cultural surroundings? Hunt the neighbors' pets? "To understand and conquer their life-threatening relationship with food." Give me a break!

The point to all this is profits for the TV stations and advertisers, of course. That's the whole purpose of TV - to make money for the stakeholders. Everything else is irrelevant.

Rachel

[Lynnx]

I think this is awesome - I hope they show it in on BBC America because I would really like to see it.

Someone asked "what's the point?"...the point is that these kids will learn a deeper connection to the natural world and see how far removed humans have become from the natural cycles of life.

[Voo36]

The point might also be a raised awareness of the fact that to offset calories, actual work is required if one is not to be over weight. In other words, the 20 calories required to get in your car and drive to the drive thru of MickieD's, then roll down the window to order is NOT an offset for the 2,000 calories they can easily consume in one relatively "normal" meal from there.

The hunting, digging, picking, preparing etc... is probably a more than adequate burn for the food they receive in exchange while in the wild.