The Dutch, ever the innovators, are producing a reality TV show where three [del]contestants[/del] patients vie to receive the kidneys of a terminally ill woman:
Viewers can also [del]vote[/del] send advice on the lucky recipient by text message.
Disgusting.
Every time I think Reality TV has hit rock bottom, I am proven wrong.
Next season: Who wants to have my testicles?
So there are three contestants, who are presumably (close-to-)perfect matches and someone makes a decision on who is worthiest? Isn’t that what happens now?
That is disgusting. In America we’d do it the right and proper way: a celebrity panel of Flavor Flav, Richard Hatch (appearing via weblink from prison) and Alexis Arquette would decide.
Certainly the fourth Baldwin brother has to be in there somewhere.
-Joe
Strange. And icky.
But I do have to ask: What condition could lead to a person being defined as terminally ill - but not disqualifying her organs for transplant??? I mean, if it’s cancer, that would make the organs useless. And most degenerating diseases would presumably also damage transplantable organs…
Alexis then going on to star in that testicle show.
It’s funny, earlier today a co-worker and I were musing on how long before reality TV began to involve the death (or the significant risk of death) of the participants. I thought we’d see it within ten years, probably starting with contests that involve ordinary people attempting activities that require great training and skill (driving F1 cars, for example), filmed and produced in countries with easily influenced judicial systems and simply licensed out to the rest of the world. He felt it would never happen since TV producers would never be allowed to just murder contestants, no matter what.
Neither of us saw this coming.
I’m pretty horrified, but, I guess…her body, her rules.
Not all her organs, just the ones attacked. There are plenty of ways to be dying without ruining your kidneys.
Some people are theorizing that the ‘show’ won’t actually happen and that this is all an attempt to publicize the serious lack of organs available for transplants.
Jaysis, I hope so.
That sounds like the most reasonable explanation to me (and far more acceptable than if the show actually does happen). I can’t see how this kind of contest would even be feasible. It would be very unusual for someone with a terminal illness to still have organs that were safe to donate to others.
I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a hoax, but then again it wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t
BNN, the non-profit public broadcasting television service behind this, have done a couple shows about death and disease (most of which were quite tasteful actually). In particular “Over mijn lijk” (Meaning both Over my dead body and About my dead body) a series where they tracked and interviewed five twentysomethings who suffered from incurable diseases.
If it doesn’t get axed before Friday, I’ll probably watch it.
Since I lost one kidney due to cancer, I find the whole idea revolting.
But sadly, not surprising.
What is it with kidneys and theft, donations ASF? Why not spleens, livers and other IO?
Actually it’s been done already - in the late 80s in the UK of all places. It was part of an early evening family/variety show called “The Late Late Breakfast Show” hosted by Noel Edmonds. His sidekick Mike Smith had a section where a member of the public did some crazy stunt after having a week - yes ONE week to learn how. It ended in tears as you can imagine but I do remember people watching and thinking nothing of it - there was no prize just your 15 minutes of fame in the days when bungy jumping was still new and exotic.
More info here and non-wiki here
:eek: Oh my. I’ve never heard of this show but looked it up on YouTube. How in the hell did the Beeb think this was a good idea?
Update: Well the programme just ended and it was just a media stunt 
They wanted to highlight the issue and considering the massive coverage in the (inter)national media they succeeded
So no kidneys were actually transplanted?
I’m somewhat disappointed.