Monday, December 26, 2005

It's a genius concept really. Travel around to different places, contestants come on the show willingly, and free. All the places that the crew goes are complimentary because of the exposure they get through tv. I talk of none other than the compliment to the 4am Springer, Povich combo, I talk of Elimidate.

On this particular date I stood leaning against the wall in the living room in of the house of one 'Jeremy Shutter' watching the events transpire infront of me. The basic premise of the show is that 1 person (usually a guy) is surrounded by the opposite sex on a series of date type scenarios, with the person in question eliminating one of them after each location. In this particular shithole of a town we had such a hard time finding a guy willing to be on the show, that we eventually agreed that we would come to Jeremy's house and have the girls help him with some of the household repairs he needed done. We put a 'girls at work' theme on it, but the whole thing is was fucking sad, too sad to even laugh at.

Jeremy was a physically appealing guy, they usually are. Like the others he seemed to be slightly out of phase with reality. This guy lives alone in a fairly big, yet rundown house. He seems to have some money, but no friends. It's truly an odd feeling, being in the presence of someone who has literally been molded by the media, and the media alone; I suppose this is why they work so well for tv. I can spot them a mile away. They can't even admit it to themselves, but deep down they all feel like after doing the show they might receive a call from some agent saying "Hey kid, I like your style"

I studied the women I had picked out, as with the men, I usually choose the 4 women according to a certain criteria. It varies, but I usually end with a combo of self absorbed, passive, crazy, and regular. Time and time again self absorbed and crazy will pick on passive and she will be eliminated first due to 'lack of personality'. Then crazy and regular will criticize self absorded, but self absorbed is normally hot enough to withstand with bombardment and crazy is eliminated for.. well, being crazy. And so, finally we end up with self absorbed and regular - one time in ten the guy will choose regular. It's almost like a science, this night would be no different. Same dissolusioned dreams.

I think it was when one of the girls held up the paint roller she had been using in a threat to 'paint' one of the other girls that I truly lost control. "Put down the fucking paint roller" I screamed at 'Trish'. The rest of the crew turned to look at me like I was mad, this type of behavior was exactly what we tried to encourage on the show but I couldn't take it anymore. This insessant comedy taking place right before my eyes in an entirely different world and I couldn't turn it off. I have to tune in whether I wanted to or not; every trip might as well have been to the streets to videotape crackheads.

And yet I feel like I'm the one who is being watched, as I read this now it is my life that comes across as sounding worse. As I sit there, late at night watching the footage taking place within the confines of our staff tv, I can't help but to begin to see a frame around my head.

No comments: