North_Ranger
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Which is why I fucking hate Big Brother. Especially since most of the time they just fuck around and get wasted.
Evidence There May Be a God - Jersey Shore Cancelled
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North_Ranger
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I'm talking about the Finnish version of Big Brother. But the premise is that you take a bunch of asshatter-than-average normal people, lock them in a house filled with food and beer, and make them do different tasks while constantly filming who gets hammered the most, who starts schtoinking who and generally keeping tabloid papers well-fed with "the latest developments". People are voted out, and sometimes new people are voted in, and after about three months or so the one left standing wins... I dunno, a hundred grand or something. In other words, it's boot camp for the next batch of worthless quasi-celebs.
And if you pay for it, you get a Big Brother 24/7 channel where you can watch Big Brother all the time!
And if you pay for it, you get a Big Brother 24/7 channel where you can watch Big Brother all the time!
I can't get into Gordon Ramsey's shows... I just put myself in the place of the workers that he bullies, and wonder why no one assaults him in each of the restaurants.
On the contrary, I don't think he comes across as a bully. He comes across as someone passionate about his craft, and demanding excellence. He gives praise and respect when earned.
I think there's a vast difference between two types of reality shows. On one hand, you have shows where the cameras follow an expert doing something or normal people doing things (like racing around the world), and it's tolerable. Then you have shows where dumb, obnoxious assholes are followed around so people can watch them be dumb obnoxious assholes (Jersey Shore has to be the flagship of this). Those are just completely worthless, and I can't fathom people who like that sort of thing.
Just, ugh.
Just, ugh.
I honestly don't have a problem with the "contest for career" reality shows. They're not nearly as bad as the "let's film a bunch of drunk assholes and/or deplorable people" shows. I also don't mind the "almost but not really documentary" types of shows.
"contest for a career" examples: America's Next Top Model, RuPaul's Drag Race, Hell's Kitchen, etc...
"let's film a bunch of drunk assholes and/or deplorable people" examples: Jersey Shore, The Real World, Big Brother, Toddlers and Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, etc...
"almost, but not really documentary" examples: Little People, Big World, Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, Intervention, Hoarders, etc...
"contest for a career" examples: America's Next Top Model, RuPaul's Drag Race, Hell's Kitchen, etc...
"let's film a bunch of drunk assholes and/or deplorable people" examples: Jersey Shore, The Real World, Big Brother, Toddlers and Tiaras, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo, etc...
"almost, but not really documentary" examples: Little People, Big World, Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmerman, Intervention, Hoarders, etc...
The Contest for Career ones are THE WORST. They reduce the process of getting a well paying job from working for years and earning your recognition to getting on a few episodes of a shitty TV show, being utterly humiliated by people who have become rich by being assholes, and then getting a job if you've pleased your corporate masters enough. Chances are you'll get nothing though, because your ether not attractive enough or marketable enough or funny enough or...
North_Ranger
Staff member
I would say that Hell's Kitchen at least is a healthy counter-example to that. If memory serves, only one winner out of the five or six so far hasn't filled the position for which they were striving for. I don't know about the other shows to say how true your words are about them, and frankly I don't much care. Apprentice, though? That's complete bullcrap. The winners apparently end up doing fuck all after being lauded as the next best thing after sliced bread.
Master Chef... that's not really a "contest for career", but more like professionals striving to get that $100,000 to use as a boost in their culinary careers. If memory serves, Harold Dieterle, the winner of season 1, used the money to found his own restaurant. And if anyone remembers Stefan Richter, the Finnish first runner-up from season 5, he actually used the show to get word out of his work. I don't know what he's been up to State-side, but here in Finland he has set up a chain of fine-dining steak houses, and even showed up as a guest judge in Master Chef Finland.
And it promoted the worst character traits in people.
Talk shit about others and backstabbing.
Brutal.
I'm with the food folk. I dig Gordon Ramsey. Hell, I even suffer Guy Fierre's supreme douchebagginess for the rad little shitholes he goes to in Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I love when you can absolutely tell he finds the food he's eating disgusting, he frowns, his brow gets all furled, he says it's outstanding and backs out of frame.
Also, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations is about so much more than food. That show is really fantastic.
Also, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations is about so much more than food. That show is really fantastic.
On behalf of every normal person from New Jersey - THANK WHATEVER DEITY DID THIS! Seriously, you know these guys are bad role-models when people from New Jersey(including me) think the image of organized crime is more respectable than these schmucks for our state. At least the mafia have morals.
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