Although the terrorism of two months ago is still fresh in the minds of many, at least one good thing may come of the tragedy: the demise of reality television.
Shows on CBS, such as “The Amazing Race” and Fox’s “Love Cruise” were postponed from airing directly after the attacks. The reality of Sept. 11 is much more sobering than any contrived television show, but that hasn’t stopped executives from trying.
The Fox Network, who has delivered such jewels as “Boot Camp,” “Temptation Island” and “Murder in Small Town X,” is now wowing audiences with its latest endeavor, “I Want a Wife: Alaska.”
The series will follow four metropolitan women, weary of their own urban noncommittal men, as they head to Alaska in hopes of finding their perfect mates. During each episode, the women will date one man each and then decide whether to “save” any of the men or eliminate them from the dating pool. Before the men find out which one is eliminated, they’ll have a chance to propose to the women, if they want to.
Apparently, the premise is that the women will fly in and a gaggle of “real men” will be awaiting them on an iceberg — no kidding. Everybody knows that “real men” live in Alaska, and supposedly they’re eager to marry city slickers from the lower 48.
The concept of the Alaska show stems from the network’s success of the “Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire?” debacle, in which Darva Conger was chosen from a pool of 50 brides-to-be by Rick Rockwell. Fox seems content to be taking another shot at the matrimonial reality game despite the bad publicity from the very public divorce of Conger and Rockwell, who was later discovered to be a penniless fraud. That marriage didn’t last, and I doubt any union between Hollywood wannabes posing as “city girls” and “wilderness men” will be any different.
Are women so desperate for husbands in North America that they are forced to go man-hunting in the freezing tundra of the Alaskan wilderness? Apparently, urban men don’t have the desired brand of manliness, as defined by Fox. To prove manhood on the show, the men will have to endure tests of strength such as standing in freezing water for 20 minutes, killing bears with their bare hands and winning the Iditarod (just kidding about those last two).
Call me crazy, but I thought manhood had a lot more to do with nonphysical attributes, such as being responsible, having maturity and respecting oneself and others. But exploring true ideals of manhood wouldn’t make a very interesting “reality” TV show.
As far as Fox goes, the network will likely continue its string of reality television on a lower scale out of sensitivity to Sept. 11. Numbing viewers with empty storylines and equally void actors seems to be the trend among most shows in this time of mourning.
Perhaps this break from America’s current depressing brand of “reality” is welcome, even if it’s at the expense of retaining the integrity of single city dwellers and Alaskan residents.