And really, what's another cheesy reality show in between episodes of Bogan Hunters and Embarrassing Fat Scaly Wart Bodies from the Depths of the Sea like Literal Sea Monsters (or whatever that show is called).
Take a look at yourself New Zealand - do you really think that you're too good for this? Those who dismiss The Bachelor NZ as demeaning or trashy are probably the same people who don't own a television anymore because they only watch their precious HBO shows on their computer these days.
This is television for the people. This is the show my grandmother will make me watch with her on MySky whenever I go to her house. The Bachelor NZ isn't just about bringing two people together to love each other for the rest of time or until their contract expires. This show will bring our country together.
* Rose Matafeo is a comedian and blogger for nzherald.co.nz.
Karl Puschmann says:
TV3 is about to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars helping some douchebag get laid. Sorry, did that sound harsh? Let me try again. TV3 is about to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars helping some douchebag find "true love".
It's their money so whatevs, they can spend it however they want. It's just a shame they've chosen to spend it in the most brainless, gawd-awful way possible.
If you're excited by this Bachelor news then I'm going to ask you to do something for me. You won't be accustomed to it and it might hurt a little at first, but if you try really, really hard you might just be able to pull it off. What I want you to do is think. Specifically, I want you to think about all the shows TV3 are not making because they're busy making this dross.
They're not making our answer to Breaking Bad or Parks and Recreation or any number of awesome shows that they could be making instead.
A local David Simon, Ronald D. Moore or Tina Fey is not going to have the opportunity to create amazing television that tells our stories because TV3 has decided we'd rather watch a dickhead give a flower to a fame whore. Did that sound harsh? Well, this time I'm not sorry. Television is a mirror to society and if this is the reality of our reflection then we are in a sad sorry state indeed. Culturally bankrupt, desperate for ideas and frivolously wealthy.
Instead, what TV3 could have done is taken that big bag of money, had their entire staff form a long line, and then had them all individually go behind a curtain and puke up on it, then screened the end result of that endeavour for half an hour each week. Because it basically amounts to the same thing as a local version of The Bachelor. In fact, I doubt you could even tell the difference.
* Karl Puschmann writes and blogs about pop culture for the Herald.
- nzherald.co.nz
