Irelands fittest family.

It's a tv show in Ireland that is a great watch for us lazy couch potatoes.

I'm sitting here with a nice mug of tea in front of me watching a family trying to drag their poor mother through freezing water, muddy bogs and up slippery ramps.

Great entertainment for all the family.

It is just as bad as it sounds.

The format is simple.

How it works.

There is twenty four teams picked from the submissions by a group of coaches. This year has six coaches with four teams each to start.

The coaches themselves are all athletes of one sport or another well known in Ireland.

The teams are made up of direct family members including at least one female. This is often where the mammy is brough into the equation or often a sister which adds a bit of complexity into the game as a lot of the challenges require strength as well as fitness making the female player your weak point in th eteam but often your strong point in the overall competition if you have a real athlete to bring along. Two females doesn't take you out of the competition as their are some great runners but you lose a lot in the strength stakes.

Rules.

• Team Composition: Four members per family (ages vary, but often mixed generations for inclusivity). Substitutes are allowed for injuries (e.g., a broken arm in one season led to a sibling replacement).

• Scoring: Based on completion time, distance covered, or endurance (e.g., hang time). Team totals determine outcomes—individual performance matters, but collaboration is key.

• Safety and Adaptations: Challenges are scaled for fitness levels, with medical support. COVID-19 seasons (e.g., 2021) used single locations and protocols.

• Themes: Promotes health, perseverance, and family ties. No prior elite fitness required—everyday active families compete.
  Ref: Grok

The teams compete over a series of challenges with teams getting knocked out each week on their way to the final three where they compete for the title of Ireland's fittest family and a prize fund.

Ref: fm104

It makes for great reality tv as you pick your families and follow them as far as they can go. Nearly every challenge goes down to the wire and to the weakest member of the team.

Watching people literally throw their mother over ramps and into icy cold pools will never get old and hopefully my young lads never get fit enough when they are older to expect us to do the same.

Fair play to all the families that give it a go because it is not easy and takes so much effort.

Posted Using INLEO