Update:
In response to Drinn in my comments section, I have to again say that while I love the show, there are years of reality couple misadventures that this couple should have taken into account. They should not be surprised and should have expected it at some point. While the producers of Whose Wedding is it Anyway were filming your wedding the "expected" happened. When the crew interviewed me for your show, I knew not to say anything that could be misconstrued and I answered all questions slowly. They questioned me in front of the boat, and they were trying to get me to say something negative about the choices you had made for your wedding. I staunchly defended your style, pointed out how elegant the Pirate Wedding was and how it was not surprising at all. If you had a normal, bland wedding, THAT would be a surprise to me AND all your guests. I guess I didn't give them the edge they were looking for, since luckily, my comments never made the show. Unfortunately, when other people like family and friends are involved in reality shows, you cannot dictate what will be said, what jealousies will rear their ugly heads and what the fallout could be. We certainly are seeing that in Jon and Kate Plus Eight. You have to be a real sad person to sellout your family the way her brother did. One of my daughter's friends just made a reality show and when we were discussing this situation we had a family argument about these types of shows. I would never consent to my family doing one, it is not worth it. Not everyone in my family agreed with me. You were lucky enough to escape unscathed, though I fully expect the pole-dancing groomsmen to make it into another show at a later date.
You know we've both been involved with the reality show thing so you and I both know how manipulated both the people and the footage is. We were lucky and careful, but the show we signed up for wasn't anything like the show that aired, so we thought we were showcasing Mark, but it ended up being more about us than we would have agreed to.
ReplyDeleteWhen John and Kate signed up looking for any way to make the cost of 8 kids manageable, it wasn't quite so dog-eat dog in reality land. A baby's story was the biggest thing on TLC and it specialized in shmaltz. That's changed. We revel in destruction and hatred and celebrities have become both our christians and our lions. We really hold out some good tarring and feathering for "regular people" who are on TV because we can dismiss them as attention hounds.
If cameras followed me around they would frequently see me hanging out with members of the opposite sex, often without my husband. When my son and his girlfriend are out on a "date" we often invite her dad to come with us so they end up chaperoned by at least one parent from each family. If he and I are seen to often with the kids without Joe and we were on a reality show the tabloids would totally pick it up as me spending time with HIM instead of my HUSBAND. If I counsel one of my daughter's 21 year old friends who is in the closet and can't talk to his parents I could see cameras taking shots and headlines that look exactly like the ones John is caught in. It would be extra crunchy funny since said boy would be talking to me because he is gay, but if his no good brother wanted to say I was having an affair with him I would let it roll without a really good explanation because I wouldn't want his parents to find out the truth that way.
That's real life. I'm not sure it's self destruction as opposed to the delusion that people will not sell you out for their own 15 minutes of fame.
Those cameras have been there for 3 years, since the babies were born, I think they are seriously being taken advantage of by the network and they don't have a benchmark of "normal" for drawing the line with the producers. I personally trust nothing I see on TV at this point but gaze in complete amazement at the people who are actively vicious and spiteful because they think they know what celebrities or reality show participants are REALLY like. Because they of course, are the oracular touchstones of knowing other peoples lives and souls so it's only right that they get to judge.
Web 2.0 community function with complete freedom of speech is overrated. Too many people think it means no one is allowed to disagree with them.
I could have a lot more respect for human consciousness if I'd never seen commentary on TMZ or the Style section of huffington post. The comments section of Washington Post makes my blood boil and the comments on the NYT show an amazing amount of tunnel vision - even if the overall writing is slightly higher caliber.
No one's marriage is going to be 100% while raising 8 kids at such a young age. Where the hell are they supposed to go to just be themselves? Even without the cameras they would have had that problem. And you need friendships that aren't just your spouse. But I think what they are going to learn is that all their friends are targets now. They declared war on her last year in the media, this was only a matter of time. They would have hired someone to take a picture with him if it hadn't happened on it's own.
Pole humping brother in law has made it into two compilation shows including the 10 most outrageous moments in reality show weddings - he was number 10.
ReplyDeleteAlso we were lucky because the producers were local and liked us - poor Darinka wasn't so lucky. I would never do the kind of show that is based on our real life like the TLC shows - weddings aren't really real life -they are artificial constructs. They did get some negatives from family members and guests but they chose not to use them, and they were really pushing the culture clash angle but Joe and I diffused it making it unusable. I'm sorry my mom's comment about him being a republican didn't make it in though.
But see even you remembered Pole humper as a groomsman and not a guest and you were there. That's the real reason I would never agree to do that again. People react to things as they remember them later not as they actually happened. It's dangerous for your relationship or your family to be someone else's roarshack (sp?) test. I'm seeing the same problem with the news.
Of coure I will now amuse myself for the rest of the day imagining Alan or Mike humping the pole : ) One's way too reserved and the other is all dignified and lawyerly . . . .
BTW I've only watched the Jon and Kate show once, but it does look like they are going through a "don't know each other anymore" kind of thing, based on their interviews, now somone claiming to be their sister is selling stories to US magazine. Truly sucks to be them. I have an ex-father I could totally see riding the gravy train if I got crazy famous like that.