New "Reality" TV - Contestants compete for kidney

[Agawa]

Apparently there's a new television show due to come out in Europe where three ill contestants compete to be chosen by the audience to recieve a life saving kidney transplant. I'm sorry creative license, but that's just...sickening. They didn't create the odds, but they're still playing a game with human life.
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/new ... c7&k=40017

[RPGMan]

I haven't read it, but I think I don't want to. That is just plain disgusting. I mean, well it is good that one of them gets the kidneys it is wrong to play with the other peoples emotions and such. Nowadays, reality TV is just plain denegrating and useless.

[JWL]

Normally I'm libertarian enough to say that anything PG-13 or less can be on broadcast TV, and R-rated or worse is OK as long as it's confined to cable.

But in this case, my initial reaction is that the people responsible for this show should be arrested and thrown in jail. This is one of the most reprehensible things I've ever heard about as an idea for a TV show.

[Grey Fox]

Way to go humanity, you win the prize! *Eagerly waits for the worlds end now.*

[exigence]

Normally I'm libertarian enough to say that anything PG-13 or less can be on broadcast TV, and R-rated or worse is OK as long as it's confined to cable.

But in this case, my initial reaction is that the people responsible for this show should be arrested and thrown in jail. This is one of the most reprehensible things I've ever heard about as an idea for a TV show.

dont get me wound up on censorship again, good thing i dont consider reality tv an art form, but i still think theres a place for R rated shows on broadcast television.

[Ozone]

Way to go humanity, you win the prize! *Eagerly waits for the worlds end now.*

*breaks out the lawn chairs and the popcorn to wait with Grey Fox*

[Benevolent_Ghaleon]

imagine losing.

[Sonic#]

They are using suffering for entertainment. This woman cannot choose who she wants to receive her kidney. Fine. But to air it on TV is insufferable.

It's not like a game show. This is no game. Money is not the reward for winning judgment by peers here. Neither is fame. Life is. The other two ... wait.

What criteria will they use to pick? Can any criteria justify such a method? I can't precisely say why, but it just seems inappropriate to ask that many people, especially in such a marketable setting.

[JWL]

Speaking of "censorship", every time somebody says something to the effect that we should be able to have graphic porn and violence on broadcast TV, I just think about the fact that Lucy and Ricky had to sleep in separate beds on "I Love Lucy" eventhough they were married in real life, because just showing them together in one bed was considered too vulgar for TV.

[DeathBeforeDenial]

I renew my objection to all "Reality" Television, and thus suggest that it all must be destroyed. There is no creativity bound to it, it is merely an emotional peep show that allows people to jerk-off their emotions vicariously through carefully formulated reality TV show contestants. (All of which are carefull edited to fit some societal niche)

I wish people would stop watching this garbage, it's low-brow cheap and sleazy Idiocracy style entertainment. There is no artistic or crative value to it whatsoever, it's a modern Milgram experiment. We sit on our couches and watch humanity at some of its worst and for some reason none of us want to change the channel. I don't see any reason why people can be angry over this and not outraged at half the other garbage of thus supposed "genre".

[Kizyr]

I renew my objection to all "Reality" Television, and thus suggest that it all must be destroyed. There is no creativity bound to it, it is merely an emotional peep show that allows people to jerk-off their emotions vicariously through carefully formulated reality TV show contestants. (All of which are carefull edited to fit some societal niche)

I have a huge objection to most reality television. Stuff like Survivor, The Bachelor (and ripoffs), Sweet Super 16 (or whatever that show is called), etc.

Although, there are a handful that are rather interesting. Project: Runway, for instance, and similar shows on Bravo did manage to showcase some interesting talent. But, I can only think of a handful of examples that really are the exception, not the rule.

This obviously doesn't fall into the 'exception' category. KF

[RPGMan]

I agree with DBD, all the ''reality'' tv shows do is denegrate and desenthisyze people. Those kinds of shows are uterlly useless, and I cannot see why people would get entertainment from watching them. Besides the fact that they need to use that as an ameleorate to their void lives.

[ilovemyguitar]

Project: Runway, for instance, and similar shows on Bravo did manage to showcase some interesting talent.

Yeah, Project: Runway is great, isn't it?

[JWL]

Good news; it's all a hoax:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/ ... 6573.shtml

[Nall.TWK]

I'd be shocked if a show like that was actually allowed to air. And I'd be absolutely disgusted. At least it's a hoax. I hate most reality TV shows. I saw another season of Hell's Kitchen is airing. After so many days of being screamed at, and so much work, the person gets kicked off. realizes he's going home with nothing, and still has to help one of two left who might win. Then everyone goes home with nothing. I always thought it'd be great to get on the show, and purposely defy Chef Ramsey and throw every insult I could think of at him.

[exigence]

As long as there are people ignorant enough to watch garbage it will always be there, I bet the people who produce the shows love it because they dont have to spend any money on actors.

[Nall.TWK]

Pretty much because they aren't actors. they just get some people behind a camera, they compete and even fight with each other over a prize, or a career, or something else, and all of them but one get sent home with nothing. it's absolutely pointless.

[NallOne]

I think you all missed the point. The show (while a hoax) wasn't to toy with people's emotions. It was to open people's eyes to organ donation.

[Agawa]

I think you all missed the point. The show (while a hoax) wasn't to toy with people's emotions. It was to open people's eyes to organ donation.

Most of the people who posted, posted before they found out it was all a hoax, and the people who posted after seem to be talking about reality television in general.
I don't see how it misses the point to think it's a disgusting idea. It would have been...if they'd contined to air it, which honestly wouldn't have surprised me, considering that they knew with something that weird and disgusting, they would have had tons of viewers tuning in under the guise of just checking it out.
As for using it as a mouthpiece...well, sure, doesn't hurt anyone since it's all a hoax.

[phyco126]

Wait, the organ donation reality show was a hoax? LOL! Wow, it must have been a good one, even our local News channels did reports and had panelists show up and what not.