Scraping the bottom of the Reality TV barrel

sandi — Sat, 14 Apr 2007 04:16:00 GMT

"A British reality television program to be filmed in Australia this winter will force fat children to hunt for food with Aborigines.

In 'Fat Kids Can't Hunt' 10 fat youngsters will live with Aboriginal tribesmen in Australia for a month.

If the children want to eat, they must follow the strict rules of the Aborigines, eating plants, grasses and fruits as well as trapping, killing and cooking any animals or insects they find.

If they do not eat the bush tucker, they go hungry."

Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,21555791-2,00.html

Is it any wonder I can feel my IQ melting away whenever I sit down in front of the aptly named "idiot box"? I fail to understand how Endemol Producer Bridget Sneyd can truly believe that this new show is going to help those kids "address their dysfunctional relationship with food once and for all" when so much depends on *what* that dysfunction is. Will this show teach them the reality of unrealistic portion sizes? Or energy input versus energy output? An understanding of nutrition? The psychology behind food choices? Comfort eating? Stress eating? Distress eating? What about *why* they are succumbing to comfort, stress, distress eating? Will the show teach them that whatever changes they may make, these changes must be for the rest of their lives - and do all in the space of a month? Under the guidance of Aboriginal tribesmen instead of qualified counsellors?

How often do "reality" shows revisit their victims (sorry, stars / participants) after a few years back in the real world? Not very often. Why? Because far too often the "good" that these shows claim to be doing is no more than a illusion.

Ironically the advertisement next to the news article was for, believe it or not, Weight Watchers!

Spyware Sucks : I ain't happy about this....., Off topic

Scraping the bottom of the Reality TV barrel