I am your core audience. But, even I am beginning to wane. You've moved so far from your base concepts that it's hard to remember when you too were interesting like The Real World.
To all of you, here is some words of advice:
1- Do not forget that the shows that get the most audience are FAMILY shows. When your show neglects to support family values, families stop watching.
So many families have shared good times in front of the television watching amazing performances and cheering on their favorites. But, the myth of Hollywood is that pushing the envelope will get ratings. It doesn't work. Go back to having family values and the families will come back:
Dancing with the Stars - Admittedly, things have improved on this show from the "sexiest night in television" with the Rumba and Samba on the same night (although Bruno needs a muzzle sometimes). But, I think you probably have money in the budget to buy more fabric for the women's outfits. And seriously, telling a teenager that she needs to be "more sexy"? I have an eleven-year-old niece that likes ballroom dancing - she doesn't need to hear that garbage! The sexualization of our young girls is a huge problem and it's comments like that which contribute to the problem
Amazing Race - love this show, one of my favs. But last season, you let people that "stole" money have no consequences to their actions - they nearly won $1 million dollars. What's next - throwing away competitor's passports or slashing taxi tires? When six year old kids know something is wrong, how can dozens of adult producers not?
2 - Shows stop being "reality" when you producers set up the situations. Then it just becomes a science experiment looking under a microscope. And most of us hated science in high school (not me, Mrs. Seydel, but lots of other people...).
I got totally dissolutioned when I watched The Hills where two warring groups of people "ran into" each other at the same restaurant in L.A. Well, I live in a small town in Idaho. And, I have people who live in my home town that I only see at class reunions every five or ten years, not at McDonald's every other week. So, the odds of "enemies" picking the same restaurant on the same day at the same time in Los Angeles? Right...
Jon & Kate plus Eight - lost me when you went to Disney World. While the long drive there was on par, once they got to Florida, the Disney people pulled out the red carpet. The kids went on any ride they wanted, got a huge gift basket and they had their own private everything. That ain't reality - let's see how the kids do standing in the 40-minute line or walking through the dozens of gift shops with a cornucopia of toys. That's what REAL parents have to face. (This goes DOUBLE for the Duggars - trips to NYC or Asia where everything runs like clockwork, all the people are uber-friendly, and no expense is spared!)
Real Housewives - Really? Who invites your mortal enemy to a party or a once in a lifetime trip to the North Pole? I wouldn't invite good friends on this kind of adventure because people have kids & responsibilities, it's ridiculously expensive, and more importantly, we'd drive each other nuts. This show was so much more interesting when you watch the women at their jobs, with their kids, etc.
3 - While people talk about the fighting on your shows at the water cooler, people are really not as interested as you think. It does work, but it's like taping the broken windshield wipers in a hurricane.
I'll admit that I talk about a show the next day with people that are fans. We shake our heads at some of the things. But, after time, you hear the tone "Oh, yeah - she's at it again (yawn)" or "I can't stand that guy - it's getting so old".
The Apprentice - this show used to be about the tasks, not the tempers. I loved watching the teams try to pull of the impossible and create something amazing from scratch. Now, nearly half the show is devoted to in-fighting. It wears on you week after week. (By the way - HATE that you brought back Omarosa - I don't care if it's an act or not, if it improves ratings or not - no one who represents herself like that should get an audience.)
The Bachelor - STOP casting the "witchy villian" and bring back more "wholesome virgins". Seriously, we are all smart enough to see that these vixens are purposedly cast to create drama (everyone except for the idiot who actually picked one in the end). The premise of the show itself is drama - watching love, heartbreak, etc. I don't need to spend time watching some girl who wants a tabloid contract act like a ho, spread venom, and continue her reign week after week (I'm sure due to coaching producers).
4 - Product Placement should be like ordering fresh lobster at a fancy restaurant - seen and not heard!
The Biggest Loser - these limp-o-mmercials look like a junior high drama class (imagine this exchange slow, with constant looks at a teleprompter, and every other syllable said with a higher pitch):
- "Wow, I, I, I am hun-gry. (Long pause as he forgets and then quickly remembers to rub stomach) I won-der if there is an-y-thing to eat."
- "Boy, they have been work-ing us hard. Whew. (Wipes off invisible sweat) I sure do wish I could have some ap-ple pie."
- "Me too, in-sert name, I mean, Jack. I could sure use a treat."
- "Where can we find some-thing that is low, low cal-o-rie but tast-y too?" (Trainer enters with a lame smile, holding product facing the camera. Extreme closeup of product.)
- "Hey, have you tried new Ap-ple I-pie? It is a new phone app that al-lows you to scratch and sniff your fav-or-"I"te fla-vors." (Everyone hovers over the phone with overly dramatic facial expressions and head nods)
- "Wow, Trai-ner Mike, that smells great."
- "Smells just like ma-ma's kitch-en."
- "Now, let's get back to work. Eve-ry-one rea-dy to run fif-teen miles?"
- "Great!" (all smile)
Top Chef - same dialogue. Just change eating to driving and replace the product with a Ford Fissle.
Ugh, it's painful to watch and you see it more and more. Listen, I worked in marketing for eight years. I know the importance of getting product noticed. But, are people really buying diet food and cars because of these Cub Scout melodramas? Just buy some dang airtime and use some brilliant out-of-work creative people to come up with a real commercial (or the ones who do the Doritos ads for the Super Bowl)!
5 - Talent Shows are about having a talent, not a sob-story.
That sounds harsh. I have loved some of the heart-warming tales I have seen on these shows. We all want to root for the underdog. But, as my dad says "What does being homeless have to do with how you dance?" I am growing so weary of the phrase "I deserve it because I've worked so hard to get here." So, the contestant with good parents and friends that practiced every day didn't work just as hard as the guy who needed rehab because he was addicted to Pudding Pops and lost his right pinky finger in a tragic 4H milking accident ?
Even celebrities with all their fame are exploited this way. We've all cringed in a season where someone keeps staying on a show where they clearly aren't talented to do so (I'd insert something about dumb voting processes - but another day).
And, you can see it's becoming so important that people are actually making up stories just to "move on". Remember Timothy Poe on America's Got Talent who made up a story about being in a war hero? I'm now starting to get suspicious of all these people with terrible life histories.
Let the talent be the main story.
6 - Finally, if it ain't broke, DON'T BREAK IT. And don't spin it off.
American Idol - This was my favorite show. Now I can't stand to watch it. The new judges are awful - especially Nicki Minaj. She is completely inappropriate (seriously, bleeping a judge on a family show?) And, Mariah needs a better tailor as everything is falling out of her clothes. Focusing on just modern songs or way out there songs is a mistake. The great part of the show was watching these kids spread their vocal wings and try out classics and different genres. P.S. Check out your ratings...
Survivor gets an exception to the "Don't Change" rule. I would love to sit in the producers room watching them wring their hands like Snidley Whiplash or Boris Badenof coming up with new and sinister ways to shake up the game (if you don't know the references - check out 70's cartoons!). This show has "survived" (no pun intended) because they are constantly changing the format. Players are never truly comfortable and never truly out of it.
And, do we really need to watch celebrities learn to kayak, shoe horses, and knit? Will there be a Housewives of Laramie, Wyoming where they fight over milk prices and county fair pie contests? Stop already!
I'm sure the suggestions will go on deaf ears, but then again, the voices of hundreds of other channels and Net Flicks are already drowning you out! Your "reality check" is coming fast.
Dissatisfied -
Heather Rich
