Yes, I watched More to Love again tonight. Watched it in real time as well as I didn’t want to run the risk of reading any spoilers that would otherwise mar my viewing of the episode. The episode was similar to the rest of them (they go on dates, the women claim to be falling in love, the women discuss their body issues while Luke feeds them massive portions of food, and ultra competitive Lauren gets eliminated) but I want to focus on something a little different tonight. I want to think about what it is like to be in Luke’s large, probably stinky shoes.
Now first off if Luke has a brain in his head he will choose Mandy to win it all and is just right now doing all of this so that the show has the proper number of episodes. For those not familiar with the show Mandy is a 25 year old fitness trainer who is attractive, intelligent and happens to have a measurable amount of self esteem, which is in short supply amongst the contestants. In fact, watching her makes me wonder just why in the world she is on the show in the first place. Sure, she is a big girl but more athlete than anything else. Easily the top choice.
But what really interests me is what has to be going on in the mind of the guy who is choosing between all of these women. On one hand this is the proverbial kid in a candy store. We will drop you in a room filled with women who are all competing to win your heart made all the more interesting in this situation as they all have low self-esteem and are pretty desperate. On the other hand you will essentially be put on television as a whore for several months. You will be shown making out with woman after woman in which it is well known that you have no interest in any of these women. In this case it helps that Luke is a complete douchenozzle or as we will from now on refer to him, a Favre.
Because at the end of the day I’m not sure how he can go through the show with either a straight face or a soul. Imagine that you are sitting there having a woman pour out her heart and soul to you about how she feels that you might be her soulmate and you start making out. Then you end it and five minutes later repeat the exact same exchange with another woman. I know that on some level of the male psyche that is considered cool but on another you know that it is cruel. He is intentionally going to break some hearts because that is part of the show. And he knows that as he is hooking up with them. At least Mystery never implied that someone was going to be “the one.” Heck, he couldn’t even guarantee his presence for the entire night. At least he was truthful about it.
Now I will admit that odds are the women are also not being honest and forthright either. Part of this is an act as well as the most flirtatious ones are most likely to stay on the show, get more air time and gain whatever popularity one obtains from being on a reality show. I doubt that many people go on these shows looking for love; most are there for the fame. But that is what makes this show compelling and slightly disturbing. I actually believe that some of these women feel that this is their only chance to find someone worthwhile and that is really sad. Luke doesn’t feel that way, as one can figure out in about five minutes, and to see someone get truly heartbroken is not enjoyable television.
Showing posts with label More to Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label More to Love. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Reality: Televised and Otherwise
(Yes, I know that I forgot to post last night. I’ll just say that I was preoccupied putting the details together on what will most surely be an excellent adventure. Trust me, you’ll want to watch this space over the next few months. Things will be getting mighty interesting.)
First off, I have to give a big shout out to my old friend and long time supporter of Battling the Current Patrick Starzan who has now reached the point in his career where people actually interview him. Whereas in my line of work the only question that people ask me is “paper or plastic.” However, I would like to note that Starzan had a wonderful opportunity to promote Battling the Current as his favorite non-Funny or Die website and completely dropped the ball. Ooh, Mr. “I have half a million followers on Twitter” can’t show some respect to the guy who gets 20 readers on a good day. Seriously, great work Starz…
http://www.twirlit.com/2009/08/17/hanging-out-with-patrick-starzan-of-funnyordie-com/
Also, I have to say that I find it highly amusing that both Fox’s “More to Love” and VH-1’s “Real Chance of Love 2” both had a prom episode last week. I have to give the win to “More to Love” because it featured a) women talking about how wonderful it was to have a date for prom even though they were in their mid-20’s and they were sharing the date with a dozen other women, b) women saying how impressed they were by the fact that Luke played junior college football and c) the prom queen was chosen by Luke’s best friends who seemed to be the type of guys who upon seeing them you would question anyone who was in the same room with them. However, points to Real and Chance for breaking out the Kid and Play as part of their dance moves.
You have to love VH-1 reality dating shows because of the fact that they are so unreal it becomes astounding. You have Real and Chance questioning whether the women are there for them or to just be on TV. Why? You’re obviously there to be on television otherwise the show wouldn’t need to have a second season.
Also, I did finally watch an episode of The T.O. Show and, well, that is a half hour of my life that I won’t get back. I believe that the entire episode focused on how a) he was late for a photo shoot because he was playing basketball, b) he got a new suit for the ESPYs and c) that he was dating a tall woman from Miami. Given how outlandish he can be on the field the show was so incredibly boring that it really can’t be explained. Not only is there no drama but as a viewer you have no interest in TO or anything that goes on with him. Will he make it to the Comedy Central studios? Why the hell should I care? This is a show that worked better as a pitch than in reality.
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Josh Rouse “Under Cold Blue Stars”
2) Golden Smog “Down By the Old Mainstream”
3) Various Artists (mainly the Drovers) “Blink: Movie Soundtrack”
4) Cracker “Garage D’or”
5) Arcade Fire “Funeral”
First off, I have to give a big shout out to my old friend and long time supporter of Battling the Current Patrick Starzan who has now reached the point in his career where people actually interview him. Whereas in my line of work the only question that people ask me is “paper or plastic.” However, I would like to note that Starzan had a wonderful opportunity to promote Battling the Current as his favorite non-Funny or Die website and completely dropped the ball. Ooh, Mr. “I have half a million followers on Twitter” can’t show some respect to the guy who gets 20 readers on a good day. Seriously, great work Starz…
http://www.twirlit.com/2009/08/17/hanging-out-with-patrick-starzan-of-funnyordie-com/
Also, I have to say that I find it highly amusing that both Fox’s “More to Love” and VH-1’s “Real Chance of Love 2” both had a prom episode last week. I have to give the win to “More to Love” because it featured a) women talking about how wonderful it was to have a date for prom even though they were in their mid-20’s and they were sharing the date with a dozen other women, b) women saying how impressed they were by the fact that Luke played junior college football and c) the prom queen was chosen by Luke’s best friends who seemed to be the type of guys who upon seeing them you would question anyone who was in the same room with them. However, points to Real and Chance for breaking out the Kid and Play as part of their dance moves.
You have to love VH-1 reality dating shows because of the fact that they are so unreal it becomes astounding. You have Real and Chance questioning whether the women are there for them or to just be on TV. Why? You’re obviously there to be on television otherwise the show wouldn’t need to have a second season.
Also, I did finally watch an episode of The T.O. Show and, well, that is a half hour of my life that I won’t get back. I believe that the entire episode focused on how a) he was late for a photo shoot because he was playing basketball, b) he got a new suit for the ESPYs and c) that he was dating a tall woman from Miami. Given how outlandish he can be on the field the show was so incredibly boring that it really can’t be explained. Not only is there no drama but as a viewer you have no interest in TO or anything that goes on with him. Will he make it to the Comedy Central studios? Why the hell should I care? This is a show that worked better as a pitch than in reality.
The five random CDs for the week:
1) Josh Rouse “Under Cold Blue Stars”
2) Golden Smog “Down By the Old Mainstream”
3) Various Artists (mainly the Drovers) “Blink: Movie Soundtrack”
4) Cracker “Garage D’or”
5) Arcade Fire “Funeral”
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Reviewing The Fatchelor
As most people know I am a huge fan of reality shows. However, I have for the most part avoided the dating shows because, well, a) I’m a guy and b) they tend to be so contrived that I can’t stand them. Still, I have watched more than my fair share of episodes and this brings me to Fox’s latest contribution to the genre. Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you my review of More to Love or as I prefer to refer to it, The Fatchelor.
(Before anyone gets on me for that title please note that this show actually was originally titled “The Fatchelor.” Apparently the producers felt that “Chubby Chaser” gave the wrong image. Plus, given that Wii Fit officially pronounced me as “Tubby” I am in no shape to make fat jokes. Literally.)
The show is literally a direct take on The Bachelor, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that the same guy made both shows. So the setup is familiar: twenty women compete for the unending love of one man through a series of dates and rather cruel elimination ceremonies. Typically drama arises from the infighting and cattiness between the contestants and humor abounds as the women seem to forget that they are on a game show and act as if he is really their boyfriend. The only difference is that this show features contestants who are deemed to be plus sized. Not unattractive to be sure, but just on the larger end of the scale and that is what makes this show a bit of a struggle to watch. But not for the reason that you would suspect.
See, part of the joy of watching a show like The Bachelor and to an even greater extent Rock of Love is that you get to sit at home and completely ridicule the contestants. I believe I once described Rock of Love as “skanks on parade” because let’s face it that is what you get when you have a bunch of strippers competing for the love of Bret Michaels. Most of the show is schadenfreude as you laugh at the women losing out on a love that you know they never believed in with a guy they just met. Plus, it’s not like they couldn’t just walk into a bar and pick up a guy. Maybe not the perfect guy but odds are most of those ladies won’t have to worry about spending Friday night alone.
But on More to Love the contestants are totally real. These are women who have had to deal with the stigma of being overweight and having society view them as unattractive. For one, her first date was on the show (if you can call something with six other women and a camera crew present a date.) For many this is the first time in a long time that they feel the possibility for romance exists. This would be sweet except for the fact that the show is still completely contrived. We have Luke trying to kiss as many of the girls as possible within the first 24 hours and smiling as woman after woman tells him how he feels that she is his soulmate. They’ve been in each other’s presence for a matter of hours and some of these women are already ordering china patterns. On The Bachelor this is funny. On More to Love it is kind of sad.
It also doesn’t help that Luke seems to be a total douche. I mean, the guy has absolutely no personality at all and doesn’t seem to be that much fun to be with. I want to tell the contestants that they can all get a better guy than him. They really shouldn’t feel the need to settle at 23.
That is another one of the problems that I have with the show is that it just plays on how low the women’s collective self esteem is. Most of the contestants are in their early twenties and they seem almost resigned that love is not for them which is amazing given that they haven’t even lived yet. I am certain that some people found the love of their life at 22 and immediately got married and raised a family but that isn’t the be all and end all of life. I certainly didn’t follow that path and am more than happy that I made my own way as tough as it was at times. Instead of laughing or cheering you want to go “There, there” or “You really shouldn’t try to justify your self worth through an appearance on a game show.”
Notice that they did not do this from the other gender perspective. In fact, the only show that I can think of that does it in reverse is The Pick Up Artist and that is not exactly the same. First of all, having Matador on the show changes the entire paradigm. But the entire purpose of The Pick Up Artist isn’t for a group of geeks to meet the woman of their dreams and get married. The purpose is to get them to the point that they can talk to a woman in a bar without throwing up. The rejection is more general. Mystery tells you that you are not worthy of a medallion as opposed to Luke telling you that he doesn’t want to marry you. It is a rather big difference.
Love is a strange and mysterious beast. Relationships may be even stranger. Just remember that if you are ever on a reality show that nothing around you is real. And that if you are interesting enough to have a casting director select you for the show you are talented enough to get a date on your own.
Wednesday Night Music Club: Let’s relax with the Jayhawks. And Mary Louise Parker.
(Before anyone gets on me for that title please note that this show actually was originally titled “The Fatchelor.” Apparently the producers felt that “Chubby Chaser” gave the wrong image. Plus, given that Wii Fit officially pronounced me as “Tubby” I am in no shape to make fat jokes. Literally.)
The show is literally a direct take on The Bachelor, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise given that the same guy made both shows. So the setup is familiar: twenty women compete for the unending love of one man through a series of dates and rather cruel elimination ceremonies. Typically drama arises from the infighting and cattiness between the contestants and humor abounds as the women seem to forget that they are on a game show and act as if he is really their boyfriend. The only difference is that this show features contestants who are deemed to be plus sized. Not unattractive to be sure, but just on the larger end of the scale and that is what makes this show a bit of a struggle to watch. But not for the reason that you would suspect.
See, part of the joy of watching a show like The Bachelor and to an even greater extent Rock of Love is that you get to sit at home and completely ridicule the contestants. I believe I once described Rock of Love as “skanks on parade” because let’s face it that is what you get when you have a bunch of strippers competing for the love of Bret Michaels. Most of the show is schadenfreude as you laugh at the women losing out on a love that you know they never believed in with a guy they just met. Plus, it’s not like they couldn’t just walk into a bar and pick up a guy. Maybe not the perfect guy but odds are most of those ladies won’t have to worry about spending Friday night alone.
But on More to Love the contestants are totally real. These are women who have had to deal with the stigma of being overweight and having society view them as unattractive. For one, her first date was on the show (if you can call something with six other women and a camera crew present a date.) For many this is the first time in a long time that they feel the possibility for romance exists. This would be sweet except for the fact that the show is still completely contrived. We have Luke trying to kiss as many of the girls as possible within the first 24 hours and smiling as woman after woman tells him how he feels that she is his soulmate. They’ve been in each other’s presence for a matter of hours and some of these women are already ordering china patterns. On The Bachelor this is funny. On More to Love it is kind of sad.
It also doesn’t help that Luke seems to be a total douche. I mean, the guy has absolutely no personality at all and doesn’t seem to be that much fun to be with. I want to tell the contestants that they can all get a better guy than him. They really shouldn’t feel the need to settle at 23.
That is another one of the problems that I have with the show is that it just plays on how low the women’s collective self esteem is. Most of the contestants are in their early twenties and they seem almost resigned that love is not for them which is amazing given that they haven’t even lived yet. I am certain that some people found the love of their life at 22 and immediately got married and raised a family but that isn’t the be all and end all of life. I certainly didn’t follow that path and am more than happy that I made my own way as tough as it was at times. Instead of laughing or cheering you want to go “There, there” or “You really shouldn’t try to justify your self worth through an appearance on a game show.”
Notice that they did not do this from the other gender perspective. In fact, the only show that I can think of that does it in reverse is The Pick Up Artist and that is not exactly the same. First of all, having Matador on the show changes the entire paradigm. But the entire purpose of The Pick Up Artist isn’t for a group of geeks to meet the woman of their dreams and get married. The purpose is to get them to the point that they can talk to a woman in a bar without throwing up. The rejection is more general. Mystery tells you that you are not worthy of a medallion as opposed to Luke telling you that he doesn’t want to marry you. It is a rather big difference.
Love is a strange and mysterious beast. Relationships may be even stranger. Just remember that if you are ever on a reality show that nothing around you is real. And that if you are interesting enough to have a casting director select you for the show you are talented enough to get a date on your own.
Wednesday Night Music Club: Let’s relax with the Jayhawks. And Mary Louise Parker.
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