I just finished watching the premiere episode of Joe Schmo on Spike TV, and had a riot!
If you’re unfamiliar with the story, I can give it away without giving anything away
It’s a Truman Show-esque reality show. There is one “real” contestant on the standard fare reality show (you know, voting off the island and all that). The other 8 contestants, the entire production staff, in fact the entire contest itself…it’s ALL FAKE. All the others are actors, playing specific roles with specific story lines to introduce.
And all this time, Our Hero is completely oblivious.
If you are a fan of the Reality genre, give this one a shot!
I saw half of it, then taped the other half to watch later (I didn’t realize how long it was).
I thought it was hilarious. Yeah, the guy suspends his disbelief pretty well (frankly, though, he has no reason to believe these people are really actors … even though they can’t recognize their own underwear). I like how they chose a loudmouth to be Joe Schmo, and I like how he seems to have a sort of familiarity with how reality type shows work. It makes him more fun to watch, because of how eager he is to play along.
I’m not really a reality show fan (except for the Anna Nicole show), but I liked The Truman Show so this show here has a bit of charm to it.
I’m just waiting for this to turn around and be a double fake-out, where only Joe and the producer knew from the start what is going on. The show will be about the actors and production staff trying to keep up with the twists he throws into their “script”.
I avoided this show because from the previews, it seemed that the whole premise is a mean-spirited practical joke on an innocent loser guy. Is that true? If so, I don’t see how I could enjoy it without feeling sorry for him.
Like Anonymous Coward, I suspect that Matt is actually in on the whole thing. From the very beginning, he just didn’t seem like a real person to me, and everything that he’s said since doesn’t sound like it’s real but sounds like an actor ad-libbing. I’ve read a number of online reviews of the show and found two that mention similar suspicions. And in both competitions, Matt surprised the producers and caused them to (supposedly) have to scramble to “fix” it and get the thing back on their script. That just seemed too convenient from the standpoint of providing audience interest. Especially given what Matt did during the “hands on the hooker” game and his lame reason for doing it.
So maybe the show is really a “double-cross” and in the end, the joke is on us, the audience. And on the actors playing the other “guests” who, I’d bet, are not aware that Matt is in on it. That lets the producers set up the double-crosses that cause the actors to have to scramble to figure out how to handle it. So, for example, the producers tell the actors that Matt is going to lose the underwear game, but then have Matt get too many answers right so that they have to switch around the owners of the underwear without any warning to the actors. Thus leading to the major slip-up by Earl. All of which keeps the audience watching.
I too claim to hate reality shows. (I say “claim”, because I’ve found myself watching a few of them from time to time, oops!) I didn’t like “The Truman Show” at all, not sure why.
But, I did watch the first hour of Joe Schmo too. I don’t think you have to be a fan of either reality shows, or The Truman Show, nor do you have to hate reality shows, in order to get something out of Joe Schmo.
I thought it was kind of silly, but at least the “behind the scenes” talks that the other 8 are giving are interesting, as they admit to screwing up, etc.
I agree that it’s probably a big double cross (triple cross?) thing, in that Matt really does know what’s going on, and it’s the other 8 actors who are being fooled. Just because I suspect that doesn’t mean I won’t watch though.
I didn’t see the second hour, what happened with the “keep your hand on the hooker” thing? What surprise did Matt throw at the producers?
I don’t feel sorry for him because in the end, he gets $100,000
** heater2000ca**
Matt was the first one to take his hand off, only a few seconds. His premise was he didn’t want to sleep in the bed with the other 2. The first person got to spend the night in the laundry room. In the end, Hutch won.
According to an article in our local paper yesterday, Matt became so angry when he found out he had been duped that he has refused to do any interviews or participate in any promotion of the show. Of course, all of that could be part of the setup too if it really is a trick.
tanstaafl: which paper? Do they have the article online?
I don’t think Matt’s in on it. Betraying the contestants (like the women on Joe Millionaire or Matt on this show) is fun to watch, but betraying the audience is not a good twist.
That’s why I love the SDMB…total distrust of any and EVERYthing. It never even crossed my mind that Matt could be “faking out the fakers”, and probably never would have if not for this board.
Now every time I watch that show I will be trying to figure out if he is “in on it” or if he is the “real”(?) thing.
Before the game started, the host told the players that the winner would get immunity and would get to move into the big master bedroom, and the loser (first person to let go) would have to move into the laundry room.
The producers had it planned that Matt and Hutch would be the last two, battling it out, and then ultimately Matt would win. But after only a few minutes, Matt deliberately pulled his hand away, saying that he wanted the laundry room because he couldn’t stand having to share a bed with two other people.
So to “fix” that, and get Matt into the master bedroom like he was supposed to be, they later had the gay guy lead a supposedly impromtu game where each player had to imitate one of the other players. Matt went first, and imitated the gay guy (and not that well, in my opinion). After all had gone, the gay guy announced (surprise!) that Matt won, and that the prize was the master bedroom! Even though Hutch had won the master bedroom in the “hooker” challenge.
And Matt, supposedly pretty reality show savvy, never questions how the gay guy got the right to give away Hutch’s room! And remember, this all happened in one day of game time.
