I really wanted to write something positive for my column this time, but then the Internet almost spoiled “Project Runway” for me.
I was browsing the NBC press Web site for photos for one of my reviews, and all of a sudden I found myself in a gallery of pictures from the “Project Runway” finale. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, except that the finale doesn’t air until March 5, and I found myself uncontrollably angry at NBC.
I hate spoilers more than anything in the world – more than I hate old people, believe it or not – probably a result of the time the Internet spoiled “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” for me. Wikipedia spoiled “Big Brother” for me once, too. Oh, and a friend of mine on MySpace changed her display picture to a list (with page numbers) of every single character who dies in the final “Harry Potter” book. Isn’t that great?
The Internet isn’t the only place where it’s happening. When I opened my Bible the other day, I was assaulted by pictures of the fashion collections from the “Project Runway” finale runway show. OK, so maybe it wasn’t the Bible. It was just Entertainment Weekly. Nevertheless, I freaked out and managed to turn the page before I saw anything too spoiler-like. Why do they have to do this to me? I trusted EW to maintain the sacrosanct sense of secrecy around the finale, but no, they had to go and publish pictures from the Fashion Week runway show.
Granted, they didn’t reveal the winner. But that doesn’t matter because when I watch the finale two weeks from now, I want every dramatic second of it to be a surprise, including each designer’s collection. I don’t want to see any of it before it happens – not a single garment. Is that too much to ask? I realize “Runway” films its season months in advance, but they should really keep a tighter lid on the information so I don’t have to worry about leaks. I don’t like surprises all that much in real life, but when it comes to my entertainment, the surprise factor is sacred. I can’t even bear to read a single story about “Lost” before it comes on because I’m terrified someone will sneak in a spoiler about one of the show’s many plot twists. I want to be shocked, surprised and caught off-guard by the unknown. Reading “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” was a less thrilling experience for me because I knew who died and I expected it at every turn. I wasn’t caught off-guard, as millions of other readers were, when it finally happened.
What is it about spoilers that people like so much? I just don’t get why anyone would find joy in ruining the sense of surprise for someone else.
In fact, though I’m a gentle person, hearing spoilers is one of the few times in life that I actually consider physical violence. So if you’re going to spoil something for me, you better watch out.
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