the buzz log

We always assumed fat kids were a gift from God, sent here to amuse us. Apparently that's not the case. Shaquille O'Neal is on a quest to slim down America's corpulent children and expose the dangers of childhood obesity with his new show, "Shaq's Big Challenge."

So far he's off to a good start in Search—following its premiere, queries on the show ballooned 692%. Alas, the ratings tell another tale. Despite the seemingly unbeatable premise of Shaq chastising chunky children, the show failed to draw a hefty audience. According to the almighty Nielsens, "Shaq's Big Challenge" finished third in its time slot. Clearly, Shaq is facing a big challenge of his own.

While the show isn't the runaway hit producers hoped for, Shaq can take comfort in the fact that his own searches surged 317% and queries on "childhood obesity" are edging upwards. Anything that calls attention to the obesity epidemic is a positive. We only wish more fatties were watching.