''Shaq's Big Challenge'' is a

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

television show A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed b ...

hosted by

Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal ( ; born March 6, 1972), known commonly as "Shaq" ( ), is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst on the television program '' Inside the NBA''. O'Neal is regarded as one of the great ...

that debuted on ABC with its first episode on June 26, 2007, and concluded its first season on July 31, 2007. It featured Shaq's efforts to help six severely

obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

middle school aged children from

Broward County, Florida Broward County ( , ) is a county in the southeastern part of Florida, located in the Miami metropolitan area. It is Florida's second-most populous county after Miami-Dade County and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with over 1.94 ...

lose weight and gain a healthy lifestyle. It aired on Tuesdays at 9:00 pm ET/ PT and 8:00 pm CT on ABC. The events of the six episodes take place over a period of nine months. The challenge was originally scheduled to last five months, but near the end, Shaq and the kids decided to extend it another four months. All kids started out in either the obese or the morbidly obese category and were unable to produce adequate results in the President's Physical Fitness Test, and by the end they were all within the normal or overweight categories and passed the President's Physical Fitness Test in all areas. The show debuted to low ratings, though it can be attributed, and is attributed by ABC as well as critics, to the fact that the show shared a time slot with the highly successful ''

America's Got Talent ''America's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated as ''AGT'') is a televised American talent show competition, and is part of the global ''Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. The program is produced by Fremantle (as well as distribu ...

'' and reruns of the immensely popular ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air ...

''. Critics, parents, and educational institutions lauded the show for its accuracy, humor, emotion, sincerity, and lack of exploitation. The two schools featured in the show are Pines Middle School and Olsen Middle School, both of which are part of

Broward County Public Schools Broward County Public Schools is a public school district serving Broward County, Florida, is the sixth largest public school system in the nation. During the 2016–2017 school year, Broward County Public Schools served 271,517 students enrolle ...

Shaq's Team

The Kids

The Experts

Episodes

References

External links

Official Website
* {{Shaquille O'Neal 2000s American reality television series 2007 American television series debuts 2007 American television series endings American Broadcasting Company original programming Shaquille O'Neal Television series by Banijay Television shows set in Florida