PEARSON: Reality shaped for kids

Former CBS4 anchor Riggs helps youngsters tackle fitness issues in documentary

By Mike Pearson, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published June 6, 2008 at 3 p.m.
Updated June 6, 2008 at 5:53 p.m.

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Photo by Steve Peterson / Special to the Rocky

Jeremy Braudrick, 10, one of the participants of Fitting In, poses next to his "before" cutout.

Photo by Steve Peterson / Special to the Rocky

Emma Dickson, 12, and her "before" cutout.

Fitting In

* When and where: 7 a.m. June 14, ABC Family

When Stephanie Riggs left her anchor position at CBS4 News in 2006, she wanted to do something that would make a difference in the world.

Little did she realize that "something" would entail reality television.

But on June 14 the ABC Family cable network will premiere Fitting In, Riggs' hourlong documentary chronicling the weight loss effort of eight Colorado youths ages 7-12.

Just don't call it The Littlest Biggest Loser. Riggs stresses that fitness and lifestyle change were essential ingredients of the show, but not once during production were the participants weighed.

"For someone 20 years in TV news, I've never done anything like this," Riggs explained. "There are a lot of people out there creating TV shows who never get a crack, so I feel very blessed and honored that (ABC Family) thought enough of this idea that they want to put it on the air."

A year ago Riggs staged a casting call for the show, hoping a few kids would show. Instead, hundreds turned out; those who showed the most conviction about changing their lifestyles were selected.

The idea wasn't to find fat kids who wanted to be skinny. It was to find kids who were committed to changing bad habits into good ones.

Riggs was ahead of her time, given that a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one-third of all U.S. children are currently overweight.

"You can't rush weight loss," she explained. "It's like running a marathon. When you're starting you're so proud of yourself for completing a Turkey Trot. You can't even imagine in your mind that you're going to complete 26.2 miles. You don't just say, 'I'm going to go run a marathon on Friday.' You have to build up to it. You don't get your college diploma that first semester."

Riggs assembled a team of "life coaches" to work with the kids, including former Denver Bronco Ed McCaffrey, extreme skier Chris Anthony, nutritionist Julie Hammerstein and tae kwon do expert Theresa Byrne.

Helping to shape the show's concept was Dr. Reggie Washington, head of the national childhood obesity task force.

The show follows four months of fitness efforts, then revisits participants at the end of a year. The kids learn about exercise, but also about portion control, refusing desserts and adopting a healthier lifestyle.

In the end, all of the participants lost weight.

Riggs even got some celebrity help along the way from The Goo Goo Dolls; the rock band did a meet-and-greet with the kids last June.

"I fell in love with (The Goo Goo Doll's) song Let Love In, so I called their manager and he said that his daughter was going through the exact same thing, and he found a program for her in L.A. but it was hard to find," Riggs said.

"He said it totally changed her life, and he thought this was an amazing, wonderful project and (Dolls lead singer) Johnny Rzeznik said, 'I'll do it.' He met with the kids before a show at Red Rocks.

"I feel like when you commit to helping other people, things just work out. This project is filled with people with the right heart. Wherever God wants this show to go, I'm going with it."

Riggs hopes that destination includes a commitment from ABC Family for more shows. She'd like to have casting calls for kids across the country, and develop a series of 30-minute specials that check in on the kids as they progress.

"I'm going to . . . hope some people in Denver tell their friends who tell their friends and maybe enough will watch that ABC Family sees it has a future."

That's TV success: How did Riggs and the kids measure success?

"That they were able to be more active, run without being out of breath, and that they were learning all the principles of portion control," she said. "Weight control was only a part of the process."

She also disputes whether Fitting In is really a reality show.

"It follows real kids with real feelings and real lessons on how to live a healthy life. But no one gets kicked off or anything."

Are the kids as optimistic about the show as Riggs? Consider this comment, drawn from an essay all of the kids were asked to write after going through the program, from 12-year-old Emma Dickson:

"I was overweight to the point that I was out of breath just running up my stairs . . . I tried many times to lose weight but it never worked. So when I found (out) about this show it felt like it brought me (new) hope. Now I feel great and I love myself."

Wrote Jeremy Braudrick, 10: "When I began I told them that I don't want to be made fun of in middle school, and now I don't think that's going to happen anymore."

pearsonm@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-2592

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