Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Paradise definitely lost!
"They lie! They cheat! They'll do anything to win!" intones the approving golden voice over shots of nubile girls and guys leaving little to the imagination. It's a trailer for what TV hopes will be one of the prime time hits of this season in New Zealand, Paradise Hotel, another in the burgeoning breed of "reality" TV shows.
Fox’s latest reality show is more disturbing for its premise and rules than for what we actually see on TV once the show is edited. Eleven single men and women are recruited to live together in an exclusive resort in Hawaii. Since the number of males and females is uneven, contestants have to choose a partner to room with for a week. Whoever is left without a roommate has to pack their bags and leave Paradise forever. The vacancy is filled by an audience member of the opposite sex of the departing guest. The last remaining couple wins the as-of-yet-unannounced grand prize. The rules of the game are changed at the whim of the producers to create tension, heighten drama, and manipulate the contestants so that the original guests don’t hold an advantage over the newcomers.
Contestants are required to share a room with attractive singles of the opposite sex to stay in the game. Although contestants have the option of sleeping in separate beds, many of the participants have jumped at the chance to share their beds. One couple had sex a short time after meeting. As with most reality shows, the foul language on Paradise Hotel is completely unrestrained.
Apart from the onscreen activity, the most disturbing aspect of this is the approval that the trailer gives to the whole scenario. Cheat - lie - stab every person in the back - have sex with anyone and everyone - it's all okay in order to win the grand prize. In fact, let's cheer them on, and set up fan clubs for whoever does it best.
Hasn't anybody stood back and asked, just what's going on here? Is this the high goal to which our western culture is aspiring? Is this the legacy I want to hand on to my own sons and daughter?
And if this is okay, so what's left? Where can television go to from here? Just about the only depths we can plumb a bit further are, maybe, snuff movies (you know, where the victim is really killed onsceen by a real bullet). Perhaps that will be next season's prime TV offering. And again we'll clap and cheer and think, "what great entertainment!"
"They lie! They cheat! They'll do anything to win!" intones the approving golden voice over shots of nubile girls and guys leaving little to the imagination. It's a trailer for what TV hopes will be one of the prime time hits of this season in New Zealand, Paradise Hotel, another in the burgeoning breed of "reality" TV shows.
Fox’s latest reality show is more disturbing for its premise and rules than for what we actually see on TV once the show is edited. Eleven single men and women are recruited to live together in an exclusive resort in Hawaii. Since the number of males and females is uneven, contestants have to choose a partner to room with for a week. Whoever is left without a roommate has to pack their bags and leave Paradise forever. The vacancy is filled by an audience member of the opposite sex of the departing guest. The last remaining couple wins the as-of-yet-unannounced grand prize. The rules of the game are changed at the whim of the producers to create tension, heighten drama, and manipulate the contestants so that the original guests don’t hold an advantage over the newcomers.
Contestants are required to share a room with attractive singles of the opposite sex to stay in the game. Although contestants have the option of sleeping in separate beds, many of the participants have jumped at the chance to share their beds. One couple had sex a short time after meeting. As with most reality shows, the foul language on Paradise Hotel is completely unrestrained.
Apart from the onscreen activity, the most disturbing aspect of this is the approval that the trailer gives to the whole scenario. Cheat - lie - stab every person in the back - have sex with anyone and everyone - it's all okay in order to win the grand prize. In fact, let's cheer them on, and set up fan clubs for whoever does it best.
Hasn't anybody stood back and asked, just what's going on here? Is this the high goal to which our western culture is aspiring? Is this the legacy I want to hand on to my own sons and daughter?
And if this is okay, so what's left? Where can television go to from here? Just about the only depths we can plumb a bit further are, maybe, snuff movies (you know, where the victim is really killed onsceen by a real bullet). Perhaps that will be next season's prime TV offering. And again we'll clap and cheer and think, "what great entertainment!"
