There will be no plastic surgery on the CW’s new reality show, Shedding for the Wedding. Just downright, dirty workouts, healthy dieting and … wedding planning challenges.
Jenny Craig spokeswoman, and Less than Perfect actress, Sara Rue will host the wedding, weight-loss reality mash-up, which premieres tonight at 9 p.m. EST.
In the series, nine engaged couples compete to lose the most weight each week to win their dream wedding. “What an incredible and unique experience to have with your fiancé,” says Rue of the challenges the couples will face together, but it won’t be easy. “Working together was hard for some of the couples,” who weren’t used to some of the more grueling workouts.
“That can be hard on you physically and mentally,” says Rue who lost 50 pounds last year. “I remember when I ran my first half marathon, I went back to my room and cried for two minutes. I was just overwhelmed.”
Read below for more on our chat with Sara Rue.
Photo courtesy of the CW
The show isn’t all sweat and tears. It has a lighter feel to it (no pun intended), says Rue, because the couples also get to plan their weddings and get advice from wedding planner Brian Worley.
“I really had no idea what I wanted for my wedding when I started,” says Rue, who is planning her own wedding to teacher Kevin Price in May, but watching what the couple’s chose helped her decide what she did and did not like.
Each couple’s wedding plans and team name have a theme that exudes their personality on the show. From a fraternity-style tailgate or a biodegradable bridesmaid dress, they know what they want to win for their big day.
No matter what the couples were like in their interviews though, the facades were dropped during the competitions. “When they would be like ‘oh we’re sweet and we’re nice,’” Rue said in a high voice, the competitions would start, and they would be like [Rue's voice gets deep] ‘come-onnnnnn.’”
Everyone has the chance to be a winner. The winner of the challenge each week will win a part of their dream wedding from the flowers to their dress. All of the couples will then come back for the finale for a weigh-in that could win them the honeymoon of their dreams.
“It’s not only about a wedding,” says Rue, if you’re “going to a high school reunion or you have a big job promotion and you want to change physically before it. You have a date and a deadline. It’s just about putting your head down and doing it.”
Great article and well written!