I read in the paper today that a new one starts this week called Brat Camp. Cranky irrational teenagers YAY.
The premise is cranky over drugged/drunk or very badly behaved British teenagers are shipped off to Utah to do wilderness torture (well torture for teenagers) survival stuff. Many hissy fits ensue. I can’t wait!
Has any one seen this? Is it (I suspect so) a British programme just set in the US? Is it as good/bad as it sounds.
I shall be watching anyway…I can’t resist :D…just wondering if it was any good.
The first episode aired about a week ago in my neck of the woods. Didn’t see it, but BestKittyFriend did, and thought it absolutely hilarious. And this from a gentleman who hates reality tv. I think the appeal may have something to do with our educational background. I’ll likely be keeping an eye out for it.
Yes, pliars were used to remove piercings. The guy running the place gave the kids the option to remove them voluntarily, and when he was told “you can’t make me” simply grinned and indicated the several Very Large Assistants who proceeded to hold the kid down while he pulled the piercings out. Perfectly reasonable, IMO.
Hehehe YAY. Thank you for the spoiler (sorry I couldn’t get online yesterday). It’s on tomorrow night and I can’t wait.
I just love “reality” drama and (I think it’s the accent) Poms being overly dramatic just seem so much more real and therefore more hilarious. The wife swapping show was brilliant for drama.
I was a horribly overly dramatic teenager and I’m sure my parents would have loved to have shipped me off to Utah, had it been an option. Let the “it’s not fair” and “you can’t make me” commence. I love a rebel without a cause.
Have you seen Holiday Showdown? (I think that’s what it called on BBC America)
Two familes, which just so happen to be a different as night and day, go on their dream holiday (vacation) with each other. They get to drag another family along all the time going “Isn’t this great! Aren’t you having fun?” while the other family grits their teeth and rolls their eyes. Sooner or later someone bursts into tears.
Just could NOT turn it off.
Spoiled gits. Getting theirs.
I loved watching the tantrums, and the “counselors” just standing there, waiting for it to play out. You could almost SEE in the kids’ faces the desperation as they realized that it wasn’t working, and you could see them starting to repeat the tantrum, becuase they’d obviously never had to go this long without getting waht they wanted.
My favorite part was:
When one of the girls makes a break for it. Where you gonna go, sweetheart? You gonna steal a car? The only thing that popped into my head was Elliot Gould’s line from Ocean’s Eleven: “Even if you make it out the door, you’re still in the middle of the fucking desert!”
I figure taking away these kids’ cigarettes would be torture enough, but my curiosity is piqued. Let them get what’s coming to them! (I have to deal with my share of roving juvenile delinquents at my crossing guard job, in case you’re wondering where all the hate is coming from)
While I like the sound of this show I haven’t seen it yet. Just one thing got me though. The forced removal of the pierceings.
To me that seems a little over the top especially with the pliars. Piercings are painful to get, take time to heal and constant upkeep. Sometimes it can also be very painful to remove them. I had my ears pierced once and even after something like 6 months after they were done I still got one infected.
Just to remove these things because the people in charge don’t like them seems a bit silly. What if one of these kids had a visible tattoo? Would they scrub it off with a cheese grater?
It’s not like the piercings are going to make these kids behave any better or worse.
Did they use the pliars last time? I missed that part.
According to the people running the place, they took away the piercings to go back to the basics, learn who you really are, you aren’t just a bunch of metal, etc.
Worse than the dress code is probably that they have to ask for permission to do anything. Do what you want to me, but if I have to ask to go to the bathroom, I’m starting a revolution.
Watch out for the kid acting crazy very poorly. Doesn’t he know that when he’s peeing in public, he’s supposed to get a little on himself too?
Yes piercings have become an out of control trend, but if you have these things in long enough they do become part of you. Anything beyond an ear piercing in a deep commitment. After a while these things become part of the person. From my POV it sounds like they are trying to strip away the individuality from these kids. While granted some of them may be real problem children, nobody should have to give up something that is part of themselves. I mean cops use tattoos and piercings to identify people for a reason. It makes them stand out. People in charge don’t like people who stand out.
Still I don’t think that there is a valid reason why these kids should have to remove piercings.
They give the “lose the piercings” reason as “safety,” which I can see a little, but even if it’s a power thing, GOOD.
These little brats have been using threats, acts, and all kinds of games to get what they want. It’s about time they were shown what power is.
If oyu’re going to correct a child’s behavior,. you have to show him who’s in control. And if it takes extreme measures, so be it.
I know that if I were one of those kids, they’d best have some salt for those pliers I’d be about to make them eat. Assault is assault, and just because it’s on national television doesn’t mean I’d let them get away with it. I probably would’ve gotten my ass kicked- but I’d be damned if I’d let them rip my earring out with pliers for the sake of higher ratings.
Sure, these are problem kids- but teaching them that force is the way to solve things is probably not the best idea.
So it’s ok for adults to use threats, acts and all kinds of games to get what they want, but if a kid (how old are the kids on this show anyways?) does the same thing it’s considered bad?
By the way, great name.
Are you watching the show? The adults aren’t using any threats or games whatsoever. They go about their program very matter-of-factly and businesslike. At one point, when one of the girls refused to hike any further, the director had the other kids set up camp a bit away from them (maybe 10 or 20 yards) and just sat there with her until she realized she was going to be sitting there forever unless SHE decided to get up and move.
At another,
A girl didn’t take out her dreadlocks when she was supposed to, and it was discovered she had lice. They treated everyone else with the shampoo and fine-toothed comb, but the comb wouldn’t go through her dreadlocks, so they had to cut them off (or risk the rest of the group getting lice).
(note: both these spoilers occurred in the episode aired on ABC Family on Monday (I think) at 9 p.m. (I think) in the Central Time Zone of the U.S. (that part I’m sure of), so if you’ve seen that one, you know what’s in 'em)
And on top of all that, the parents signed the kids over with what I’m sure was a pretty ironclad contract. The parents call the camp twice a week to check on their children, they are allowed to send them mail, and THEY are the ones who make the final decision as to whether the kids are there or not. If you don’t wish to blame the kids, who deserve it, the least you could do is blame the parents who are forcing them to stay, rather than the camp people who are (IMO, at least) trying to help.
I bet there’s a reason you don’t see too many hardcore hikers with 8x10[sup]23[/sup] piercings.
After watching it they didn’t actually take to anyone with pliers against their will. They made damn sure the will was eroded though. Took one guy 2 hours of arguing to get rid of his tongue bar.
I don’t think it was a “just for TV” situation. It seemed like a slick operation. I have NO idea why losing body peircing makes one behave better but it seemed dreadfully important to those in charge.
Tom the nutter-actor There is a kid with delusions.
No, I view it more along the lines of: The kids use tactics they know to be cruel and manipulative because they believe that they are the only ones smart enough to do so. They believe that this gives them power. Their perception of their own power evaporates pretty quickly when they realize that they’re NOT unique, but that their elders have been going easy on them.
But the truth is that nobody is HARSH to these kids. They’re honest with the kids as to how the’re going to be treated. Half the impact on the kids’ psyches is the realization that the counselors aren’t going to give in.
YAYYY