Sports Medicine Master System

Chapter 399 - 339: Draft Potential Ranking

The 100-day weight loss show moved to prime time, and its ratings climbed again, reaching 14.4.

It had already become a phenomenal show.

Knowing Chen Yu had returned to Phoenix, Burnett immediately came over to discuss the filming content for the next episode.

"Chen, I have an idea. What if we have the Suns lose a couple of games?" he asked tentatively.

He must have felt he’d gone too far, because he quickly added, "They don’t have to lose, but Shaq could have a few bad games. Think about it—he’s been dieting for almost a month and he’s always hungry. His performance is bound to be affected. Audiences want to see him face a setback, then work hard to get back in shape."

Every episode needed a gimmick, and in the United States, stories about overcoming adversity never failed to draw a crowd.

"Don’t even think about it."

Chen Yu rejected Burnett flat out. ’What is he thinking? Letting the Suns lose two games?’

Filming the show was important, but Chen Yu hadn’t forgotten his original purpose: to help O’Neal lose weight and improve the team’s record.

Never mind that it was the crucial end-of-season stretch that would determine their final ranking—Chen Yu wouldn’t have agreed even at the start of the season.

"Mark, if you really need a gimmick, I have an idea of my own," Chen Yu said.

He then told him about Mariah Carey wanting to come on the show to lose weight.

"Her?" Burnett frowned slightly.

In recent years, she had been surrounded by drama: breaking her contract with Sony, a public feud with her ex-husband, media reports of her bipolar disorder, and accusations of a failing voice and lip-syncing.

Burnett wasn’t exactly keen on having such a controversial star on the show.

But Chen Yu was the one who proposed it, and Burnett recalled the media saying that Chen Yu was a fan of Kelly.

’Chen Yu probably just wants to use this opportunity to get closer to his idol.’

He was the investor and the core of the show, so Burnett had to at least humor him.

"That could work. Inviting other celebrities is a good idea," Burnett said.

The show was a professional yet unconventional weight-loss reality show to begin with. It had relied on O’Neal’s influence from the start, so inviting a few more celebrities to generate buzz was a good strategy.

"But Kelly’s appearance fee must be pretty high. Are you sure you want to spend that kind of money?"

No matter how much bad press Kelly got, she was still a superstar singer. An appearance would definitely cost a fortune.

"By the way, if we’re inviting celebrities, could we invite Michael? I know you and Michael are on good terms," Burnett added.

If they were inviting one, they might as well invite two. So why not invite Jordan?

Jordan’s star power was undeniable.

Chen Yu had actually considered it. "Let’s talk about it during the playoffs," he said.

The way the Wizards were playing, they were basically out of the running for the playoffs. By the middle of next month, Jordan should be on vacation and would have plenty of time.

With a tight filming schedule, Chen Yu contacted Kelly immediately.

He had gotten her contact information at the last All-Star Game.

Meanwhile, filming for the show couldn’t stop.

Chen Yu decided the theme for the third episode would be body maintenance.

It would cover how someone with a high body weight can choose suitable workout methods for weight loss without causing injury.

It wasn’t just about the training methods, but also about proper maintenance before and after workouts.

Even when it came to weight loss, Chen Yu wanted it to be done healthily, not at the expense of one’s body.

This was where Chen Yu’s true expertise lay.

"Are you sure this stuff is safe to drink?" O’Neal asked warily, holding a vial of the oral solution.

"What, are you afraid I’m trying to poison you?"

Chen Yu retorted, speechless.

Starting with this episode, Chen Yu planned to officially introduce his own health supplement.

Following Eli Lilly’s design, it was made into a concentrated tonic. A full set consisted of six bottles, to be taken daily as part of a weekly cycle.

O’Neal snorted and shouted at the camera, "You all see this, right? If I’m dead tomorrow, this is the man who murdered me."

He pointed at Chen Yu with a goofy, exaggerated expression.

"Stop messing around and drink it. It’s just a tiny little bottle. You probably have more saliva in one mouthful," Chen Yu retorted bluntly.

This daily banter was deliberately played up as a special feature of the show.

O’Neal made a face at Chen Yu before he finally started to drink.

The concentrated tonic.

The vials were 50ml, a larger dose than most concentrated oral solutions on the market.

In fact, Eli Lilly had initially wanted to make them smaller, in the more common 10ml size.

But some of the medicinal herbs couldn’t be decocted for too long, or their efficacy would change.

Fifty milliliters was the most concentrated they could make it.

To a normal person, 50ml of an oral solution was a lot, but in O’Neal’s hand, the vial looked even more minuscule than a standard 10ml one would in the hand of an average person.

Chen Yu’s earlier jibe about the bottle containing less than a mouthful of O’Neal’s saliva really wasn’t an exaggeration.

"Not bad. It’s sweet," O’Neal commented, smacking his lips.

This was an ad. Even if it had been bitter, he would have had to say it tasted good.

He chugged all six bottles in one go. With a flick of his wrist, he expertly tossed the empty vials into the trash can and grinned, "What’s for lunch?"

"What do you think?" Chen Yu snorted. "I was gone for a few days last week, and you cheated on your diet. You didn’t hit your weight-loss target. So today, I’m eating, and you’re watching."

"Oh, come on!"

O’Neal wailed.

Of course, this was all for the camera. As soon as Burnett yelled, "Cut!" O’Neal immediately sidled over and asked cautiously, "For real, can I not eat?"

"What do you think?"

Over the last two weeks, the plan had been for him to get down to 362 pounds. But thanks to his "indulgence," when he finally stepped on the scale, he had only lost one pound.