| Ad Absurdum |
17 February 2003
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Reality TV: What's Next?
A slew of reality television programs are coming to the end of their lives at the moment; "Joe Millionaire" leads the ratings pack, but the genre clearly has life in it. Unfortunately, the TV wizards who create new programs don't see the potential that this approach to television has. With that in mind, a few suggestions:
- Baghdad Survivor -- Saddam Hussein votes his staff out of the bunker bullet by bullet. From CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.
- Mike Billionaire -- Mayor Bloomberg auditions fifty new cities of which to be mayor since New York appears to be too difficult these days.
- The Real, Real World -- A half dozen young people are given minimum wage jobs, forced to live on what they earn, and do so in a small trailer-park anywhere with a zip code of EIEIO or the projects of the rust-belt city of their choice.
- The House -- 435 strangers of different political leanings are forced to work together in a large building in Washington for the good of the country, despite the fact that their paymasters don't want them to succeed. Hang on, that is what C-SPAN does.
- Hanging with Alice Cooper -- Mr. Cooper has given up rocking and drinking for golfing. See what awaits Marilyn Manson in 30 years. It would make Mr. Osbourne wake with fright.
- Nausea Factor -- Rational, intelligent people of deep moral conviction and spiritual strength are forced to watch reality TV.