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fee fi faux Fox fun
Great hook, dreadful execution. Are we jaded yet?
By Butch Broadcast
Just when it seemed reality TV was immune to failure, along comes the Fox series "Married By America." After three episodes, the network has itself a rare ratings disappointment on the heels of mega-hits like "American Idol" and "Joe Millionaire."
As anyone who might have bothered to check out "Married" can plainly see, it is not difficult to divine why viewers are staying away: The series is a poorly conceived bore.
But even had "Married" been better executed, this series was doomed before its first episode ever aired.
At first blush, "Married" has a terrific hook: Without ever even laying eyes on each other, single love-seekers are paired off for marriage by their friends and loved ones, as well as viewers who call in to vote for the most compatible suitors.
But "Married" has so many problems that it's hard to even know where to begin.
The series is bizarrely structured so that its first two episodes lead with its most yawn-inducing element: potential mates are interviewed on stage with inane questions that seem left over from a Miss America pageant but are delivered with the high seriousness of Charlie Rose.
The production is inappropriately gussied up with a studio audience, dramatic lighting and sluggish pacing right out of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire," although the series has a completely different tone.
The most compelling element of the series doesn't show up until the third episode, when the new couples live out their brief engagement together in a posh mansion. The absurdity of engaged couples getting to know each other right before they get married is priceless, but most people won't sit through the first episodes to find out.
And yet one can't help thinking that had "Married" aired before other relationship-oriented shows like ABC's "The Bachelor" and Fox's "Millionaire" came along, it might have had a chance to catch on. That isn't simply a matter of those shows exhausting the public appetite for this kind of programming, although there's more than a grain of truth to that notion.
What may have had more of an effect on "Married" is what transpired AFTER shows like "Bachelor" and "Millionaire" finished their run, as described by popular magazines like People and Us Weekly.
What made "Millionaire" so appealing was that the audience was able to root for Zora, the only woman on the show who didn't seem to be a transparent gold-digger for Evan's faux riches. People got caught up in the "love conquers all" of sweet, noble Zora. The series culminated with Evan selecting her and asking her to continue their "journey" together.
But just days after the finale, when the media frenzy had barely abated, it was apparent that Evan and Zora were a sham. Interviewed in People, Marriott seemed to show more affection for the Mercedes he bought with his share of the prize money than the woman he vowed his affection to in front of millions. His words to People: "She was just the perfect girl for the show."
Apparently the feeling was mutual. Zora, according People, fell in love not with Evan but with one of the horses at the chateau where they shot the show. "That's who has my heart. The horse."
So much for the storybook romance portrayed on screen. In that very same issue of People, readers discover that five weeks after the final episode of "Bachelor," in which Aaron knelt on one knee and proposed marriage to a gleeful Helene, he dumped her . ABC itself played up the split in an aftermath episode.
What does the highly publicized aftermath of "Bachelor" and "Millionaire" have to do with "Married"?
Plenty. All of these series hold out the promise of getting two people to fall in love under the most extraordinary circumstances. But the track record has shown the opposite effect, exploding the myth that the participants in these series are in it for the right reasons.
When these supposedly lovelorn people start showing up at glitzy Hollywood events on the arms of new beaus, it sends viewers the message that "Bachelor" et al are pure bunk, just a platform to further their aspirations in showbiz.
Even Trista from "The Bachelorette," who as of press time still maintains she will actually marry Ryan, is attempting to become a talk show host, according to Us Weekly.
My bet is that once the media glare fades, so will their relationship. Eroding just as fast is what little public trust there was that these shows can generate genuine love. And that could hasten the end of another romance running hot and heavy, between viewers and reality TV.
March 13, 2003© 2003 Media Life
-Butch Broadcast is the nom de guerre of a distinguished but terribly shy TV observer who was last reported living in Vermont. He has asked that his true identity not be revealed on account of his shyness, and we have reluctantly respected that wish.
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