Similarly, Jersey Shore. Amazingly enough, the cast of that show get at least $100,000 per episode. And MTV airs this show instead of music videos.
The Discovery Channel ran a brief reality series called Impaled a few years ago. Yes, it’s as bad as you think, though IIRC it only featured people who survived. Searching for it reveals only a couple of message board comments on it – I think Discovery buried the program in shame.
Correct.
WATCHING them, OTOH puts one in some kind of a pit, which does establish non-watchers as being on a higher level. 
In case you haven’t figured out yet what cold reading is (as others have pointed out).
This is what I came in to say, but you said it so much better.
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I am familiar with the term. She doesn’t just do cold readings though. She often knows things that no one else would know about the person. I’m not saying I believe she talks to the dead. I said before that I’m wondering if it is staged and if the people she does the readings on are in on it.
She’s good at reading non-verbal cues and has probably done some basic research about common history of the recent past and basic psychology/counseling. A lot of things many people think are very specific to them are actually common life experiences.
That is incorrect. Or, ok, partially incorrect. It is true that without having watched the show, I cannot really have an opinion on its entertainment value.
However, the question you asked was whether that medium can really talk to the dead. And on that I can most certainly have a highly educated opinion that she most certainly cannot. I am educated enough about physics and chemistry and biology etc. to have the firm opinion that talking to the dead is as close to impossible as anything can be.
Without having seen the show, I would ask you this: Has this medium ever related something from “the dead” that some other currently living person did not already know? I will bet you that she has not, and that therefore the most likely explanation is that what she relates does not come from the dead but rather from the currently living. If you watch such a show and react with, “How could the medium possibly know that?” then you’re just falling into the trap. Instead, ask yourself, “Does the dead person’s living relative already know everything that the medium is telling them?” Looking at it that way, it’s far less impressive.
For example, Medium says, “Your father used to read you ‘Cinderella’, it was your favorite bedtime story when you were six.” Wow, how could the medium possibly know that? Lots of ways. The point, though, is that the son/daughter* already knew it*. Which is more likely, that the medium really talks to the dead, and the dead want to talk about what they read to their child as a bedtime story? Or that the medium just found out some tidbits that the person already knows, and used that?
The day that one of these mediums relates specific directions to the box buried in the backyard that contains the dead person’s stash of vintage porn that he had told no one about, then I’ll be impressed.
See also Hot Reading.
And, yes, phony psychics do use stooges.
Or you could watch the South Park documentary on cold readers, it’s called “The Biggest Douche in the Universe”, very well done documentary.
I’ve seen a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother and it got on my last nerve.
Beyond that, most home makeover shows are tiresome (the one where folks are shown three desirable residences and must choose one has some vague appeal).
And shows chronicling the doings of people who’ve had too many kids are pretty unbearable: none of this is cute or admirable, these people need to be firmly sat in chairs and shown sad pictures of children waiting to be adopted.
I like Jersey Shore a lot but most shows in the same genre (pretty much anything dealing with morons’ mundane behavior) are consistently irritating.
Or the whole thing is scripted. I wouldn’t dismiss that possibility.
But yeah, it probably is cold reading; combined with editing to leave out the misses. Like the old John Edward show on SciFi.
I used to like House Hunters, until I learned it is totally fake. (The people involved have actually bought their house, and have never seen the other two before. Presumably, you can tell in the earlier episodes, since its the only house without furniture.) I can’t stand to watch it now…
I saw a program yesterday that I would not have believed possible, even though, I have to admit, all of the elements existed on other shows I knew about. The premise: a couple’s car is repossessed, and the unlucky pair is then given a chance to win it back in an impromptu quiz show held next to the tow truck with the neighbors comprising the studio audience. Just another in the long line of shows whose entertainment value lies in contempt for the poor and uneducated, but it gave me an idea. If you want to make this concept interesting, take it away from the repo men and give it to mortgage companies, or better yet, Child Protection Services:
“Okay, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, for 27 dollars and your baby, what is the capital of Ohio?”
This is what I popped in to mention. Also, The Real Housewives of…
And the “I’m young and beautiful, but have to win a husband, in a televised contest” shows, make me sad.
Those are about the only two that I wish would go away, too. I can live with just not watching other shows that I think are stupid; I think those two shows are actively evil.
Yes. Literally. When I even contemplate their existence, I get this.
Three times in one day is a new personal record. Thanks Pete. :dubious:
There are many many shows I would never watch. Some of those mentioned here would be on the list. And, I don’t think I’m a TV snob, I try not to judge. I’m sure I have tastes that many others would question.
BUT, there is one show that stands out above all others, that its very existence does drive me insane with anger. That show is Dancing With the Stars.. I don’t like dancing. I certainly dont like watching dancing, and i don’t particulary care about b-list celebrities. I am angry that this show exists and that anyone would watch it.
Thanks to the OP, I can get that off my chest. Thank you.
Actually, I believe she can talk to the dead as a matter of fact, anyone can. The real question is : “Does the dead talk back to her ?”
Anything with a Vampire. Enough with the fucking vampires already. Seriously. Unless you’re Count Chocula, get the hell back in your stupid coffin.