Contestants compete against themselves in Fit for Fashion

KUALA LUMPUR — Two weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending the pre-finale media event and the finale taping of Fit for Fashion, a reality TV show airing on StarWorld Thursday nights at 9:40. It was already past dinnertime when I and my two other companions from the Philippines arrived at the Majestic Hotel where we were billeted and the meet-and-greet with the show’s production team was just about to start. Still, we managed to join in the table of show host Louise Roe and executive producer Karen Katz who readily chatted with us as soon as we settled into our seats.

Louise and Karen confirmed that visible changes are happening to the contestants week after week since the show began airing last Oct. 16 and all of them are willing to stay and persevere until the end. As of last week, though, only half of the 12 contestants remain in the competition.

“The show is a very emotional journey,” said Louise about Fit for Fashion where she acts not just as a host but also one of the three judges. “It’s hard not to get attached to every contestant and it’s hard to see somebody has to go each week. Yes, I’ve absolutely made friends with them, especially with those who have been there all the way (until now). It’s very hard what they go through, sometimes they’re crying, angry or whatever it is, you need to be there to help them.”

The contestants, she added, do not keep an eye on the prize money of $100,000 alone “but it runs deeper than that. Each has a different goal like regaining their confidence and living a healthy lifestyle. If they’re just after for the money, it’s not enough to get them through.”

Karen agreed and described Fit for Fashion as a show about fitness and fashion taking ordinary people as contestants who are not just competing against one another but are truly competing against themselves. “They really are kind of transforming and I have to say that each and every one of them, whether eliminated or still there, had changed in a very positive way. And they realized that they can improve on themselves given the right opportunity and the right motivation. When you are fit and when you feel good about yourself, it kinda comes from the inside-out so it’s not about being the top model but being the best version of you — being fit and healthy.”

Various gruelling fitness and survival challenges were held inside the Tanjong Jara Resort. Fitness First partners with Fit for Fashion creator Riaz Mehta of Imagine Group (also behind such hit shows as The Biggest Loser Asia, The Contender Asia and The Apartment) to watch closely the contestants in their rigid fitness routines and diet. No wonder, Mitch Chilson, one of the two trainers (the other one is Christine Bullock), kept on yelling, “Are you quitting on me?!” at the contestants when some of the show’s past episodes were shown during the dinner. This led Fitness First president Simon Flint to quip that The Dragon (Mitch’s moniker as MMA fighter) was spewing words like a blazing fire.

For Mitch, that “angry stance” was just part of motivating the often struggling contestants to never give up during intense workouts and to realize that they can do more to achieve fitness and confidence they never thought possible. 

“That wasn’t for the camera; that’s really how I teach,” said Mitch. “I always try to find the best way to motivate them and they don’t want to disappoint me either as their coach and if they quit, they’re not just quitting on me but on themselves. I’m always trying to find the bigger reason for somebody to be there because the pain is momentary; the physical discomfort of not eating your favorite food or the intense workout — that pain is not gonna last and that uncomfortable feeling is gonna lead you to something greater. That’s what I’m telling them, that little extra effort is gonna get them to the next level.”

Asked to describe his first few days with the contestants, Mitch said that he saw the need to employ different methods to motivate each of them. Fashion photographer Todd Tyler, on the other hand, is in-charge of the fashion challenge.

“Some of them, like Matty (Kosub), are highly motivated. He (Matty) is completely accepting to anything like if I say, ‘Eat that pile of dirt right there so it can make you stronger.’ He’s like, okay let’s do it. For others, it’s like rehab. We’re taking away smoking, alcohol and all their bad food. We controlled every aspect of their life so a lot of them during the first few days went into shock, they didn’t know what it was. They didn’t know that their body has to be cleaned; it’s like a detox for a lot of them, so it’s interesting to watch and see them transform.”

In fact, big changes are evident in all of the contestants who come from varying walks of life. There’s 33-year-old mom Citira Corrigan, the performer from Singapore Matty and Vanessa Ammann from Cebu, Philippines, who works as a mermaid coach, to name a few. Mitch said that as the show progresses, all of them have already adopted a new lifestyle.

“They added exercise and high quality nutrition into their lives. They have managed to keep their weight off… so the physical changes are important because it’s part of what the show is all about.  We’ve seen the biggest change in Vanessa because she came from a certain lifestyle where she’s like sleeping all day and partying all night. She was completely involved in that kind of lifestyle and in two years, she gained a massive amount of weight doing that. Now, she completely flipped. We’ve completely changed her lifestyle like we’re getting her up at the crack of dawn, we have pushed her hard on workouts so we saw a huge change not just in her physical and mental disciplines but also the belief in herself that she could do it — that she could reach for something better so it’s exciting to watch her change.”

Asked about his motto to getting everyone fit, Mitch readily shared what often comes to mind every time there’s a need to boost one’s self-esteem, “Let’s find the most amazing and best version of you.”

Meantime, stay tuned to Fit for Fashion to find out who among the remaining contestants will emerge grand winner in the finale night.