The TV Chick

The basic premise of Huge, a new offering from ABC Family, is simple: kids go to fat camp. However, the story is anything but simplistic as we learn the reasons why everyone is there and why they want to change their lives (or why they don’t). Huge stars Nikki Blonsky as Willamina (Will for short), the bad-ass who claims she is comfortable in her own body and plans to gain weight at fat camp. Her co-star, Hayley Hasselhoff, plays Amber, the skinniest one at fat camp who still thinks she isn’t skinny enough. Raven Goodwin plays Becca, the “invisible” one who befriends Nikki on the first day, and who has gained all of her weight back from the summer before. Rounding out the cast is Gina Torres, who plays Dr. Rand, the leader of Camp Victory.

In the series premiere, we learn that at Camp Victory there is a black market for food, major crushes, campers with eating disorders, intense friendships, and much more. I love ABC Family programming, as you all already know by now. I was a bit skeptical of this series, just because of the premise. I was pleasantly surprised for the most part. I didn’t love Nikki Blonsky as a leading lady. I think she is a good actress but I don’t know that this role suited her so well. I don’t really buy her as this unhappy bad-ass. Perhaps that’s because in Hairspray she was just the opposite but who knows. I did think the other actresses were brilliant though. Hasselhoff plays Amber so convincingly and with many layers we don’t even delve into in one episode. She has fantastic facial expressions that imply there is much more than meets the eye. I also really loved Goodwin’s portrayal of Becca. She is soft spoken but sarcastic, funny, loyal and sweet. I like that her and Amber might have a budding friendship. There is also the requisite trainer who is totally a Jillian Michaels knock off and tells everyone that there is no “I can’t.” I love Jillian, so I have no problem with this trainer on Huge, I just liked that it was a little throwback to one of my other favorite shows about weight loss.

In the IMDB description of the plot of the show it says two girls fall for the same guy. While I didn’t see anything like that in the first episode, it definitely set up the possibility. As Becca explains in the premiere, there are hookups every year. And the stage is definitely set for future relationships. The shining stars of this show are definitely Hasselhoff and Goodwin. I am still a bit unsure about the longevity seeing that it centers around a summer camp which can’t last forever. Also, do they lose weight? Do they gain it all back? Where does it go from here? What does it mean for the actors of the show?

Despite all my questions, I still plan on watching it. The series premiere kept me interested enough to want to know more. I think it’s definitely worth checking out.

Huge premieres tonight at 9 pm on ABC Family.