Has 'The Biggest Loser' Gone Too Far? (VIDEO)

And we're back for the tenth season of 'The Biggest Loser' (Tues., 8PM ET on NBC). In general, Americans are getting more and more obese, and so it could be argued that this reality series serves an actual valuable function -- by reminding us of the importance of weight loss and exercise. Or, it could be argued that the show is just voyeuristic exploitation, pure and simple.

[Warning: Spoiler alert.]

The premiere episode of the new season seemed to err on the side of "exploitation." At the very least, it contained a somewhat disturbing moment. For the new contestants to make it onto the show, they had to complete one of two challenges -- they had to either run a mile, or do 500 "step-ups."

The step-up challenge simply consisted of the players hopping onto a small exercise block -- which doesn't sound so bad. But five hundred times in a row is a lot of times to do anything, and if you're out of shape, then this could lead to major problems.

Which is pretty much what took place. The reality show traveled to locations in Michigan, California, Oregon, Georgia, Arizona and Oklahoma -- all without incident. But the final location on the tour was Boston, Mass. And that's where the trouble occurred.

Elizabeth Ruiz, a 31-year-old contestant, took part in the step-up challenge. Ms. Ruiz weighs 244 pounds, and has recently gotten out of an abusive relationship. She was looking for a way to overcome her past; a way to start feeling good about herself again. But when she did the step-ups, things began to go very badly.

She started to feel "a pain" in her chest. Elizabeth was suffering from asthma while working out. Trainer Jillian Michaels had Elizabeth breathe from an inhaler while she continued to do the steps, but that didn't end up being a good plan. "360 steps," Elizabeth said. "That's when I really started to feel my chest closing in on me. ... And then my body just gave up."

It was at this point that Elizabeth collapsed from an asthma attack, and she couldn't really manage to breathe. Paramedics arrived and gave her oxygen. But meanwhile, the "step-up" contest continued in the background -- which was fairly creepy. Could the show not be paused for a second, since it seemed like Elizabeth's life was in danger? It made us question what the show is all about. Is it actually about good health, or is it just an endless competition for the sake of ratings? Because keeping the show going while Ms. Ruiz struggled for breath made it seem like health and wellness was not a major concern.

Eventually Elizabeth was revived by the paramedics, but she also cried. "Laying on that stage, I was scared," she said. And then she was cut from the competition

'The Biggest Loser' seems to be hinting at a "twist" where rejected players like Elizabeth will be let back on -- but, we have to ask, is it all worth it? What's the point of this show, if a dopey contest is more important that paying attention to an obese woman suffering from an asthma attack? Maybe it was just weird editing on the part of the producers: Maybe everyone there was very concerned about Ms. Ruiz. But that's not the way that it looked on TV.