The Swan - 04.07.04 (You Know You Watched It)
04-08-04, 12:03 AM
#1
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The Swan - 04.07.04 (You Know You Watched It)
It's been a while since I've felt so disturbed watching something on television, but everything about the way this show was presented made me cringe ... not the surgery or anything like that, but the emotions and dependency and extreme value placed on this by everyone involved. I'm not sure how to put it into words, but I just feel icky having sat through that. There's some inherent comedic value to stuff like Banzai or Man vs. Beast, so I'm not quick to throw around the "New Low" label, but I cannot resist using it here. Extreme Makeover never really bothered me, but something about this show is just appalling.
das
das
04-08-04, 12:21 AM
#2
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I was doing some work on the computer with this on in the background and had to stop and go get the remote so I could change the channel. "Disturbed" is the perfect word to describe this show. I like how they knew the one was going to become depressed and still had no problems letting her go through it.
Hopefully this bombs when the ratings are released tomorrow.
Hopefully this bombs when the ratings are released tomorrow.
Last edited by MrX; 04-08-04 at 12:28 AM.
04-08-04, 12:38 AM
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I just want to know if they plan on getting Smith and Wesson on as a sponser.
Let me get this straight, You get two very weak and low in self esteem girls who are "average" or chubby. Than you give them 250,000 worth in a make over, boob job, tummy tuck, nose job, etc. Have them go through 3 months of hell in in weight loss without any idea on how they look because of a lack of a mirror to eventually be either put through more of a meat grinder or worse off, Told that even with that 250,000 worth of work, they are still not as pretty as the other girl and told to swag off.
Might as well give them the shotgun on there way out the door.
Though I have to say that the change in the first one was leaps beyond what I expected. Amazing what $$ can buy you.
Let me get this straight, You get two very weak and low in self esteem girls who are "average" or chubby. Than you give them 250,000 worth in a make over, boob job, tummy tuck, nose job, etc. Have them go through 3 months of hell in in weight loss without any idea on how they look because of a lack of a mirror to eventually be either put through more of a meat grinder or worse off, Told that even with that 250,000 worth of work, they are still not as pretty as the other girl and told to swag off.
Might as well give them the shotgun on there way out the door.
Though I have to say that the change in the first one was leaps beyond what I expected. Amazing what $$ can buy you.
04-08-04, 05:33 AM
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I hate the premise of the show. Fixing people up and parading them around. This extreme makeover mentality has to end. I'm not watching. I hope the ratings flop too.
04-08-04, 05:39 AM
#7
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That one woman's husband was horrible. She's away for weeks and he can't even talk to her on the phone for 2 minutes except to say "hmmm" and "that's nice"? Anyone else think he had another woman over or something?
Granted I was doing something else while watching this and not paying full attention, but I had a hard time keeping these girls straight until the end. Pre-makeover, they both looked very similar.
Post-makeover, the redhead looked better. The blonde did not lose enough weight it seems and what was with the bleached hair? Very tarty looking.
Why do all these reality shows have hosts with British accents?
I enjoy Extreme Makeover so much better than this show.
Granted I was doing something else while watching this and not paying full attention, but I had a hard time keeping these girls straight until the end. Pre-makeover, they both looked very similar.
Post-makeover, the redhead looked better. The blonde did not lose enough weight it seems and what was with the bleached hair? Very tarty looking.
Why do all these reality shows have hosts with British accents?
I enjoy Extreme Makeover so much better than this show.
04-08-04, 07:06 AM
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I don't know why everyone wants this show to bomb. It was the funniest show on TV last night.
Why? Because they both looked ridiculously skanky at the end of the show plus they still had all the same self-doubt and insecurity.
At the end, The fake-blond woman with giant bewbies still looked hideous at the end. I bet she puts all the weight back on too. All she will be left with is a sad plastic face.
The tall woman with the creepy face looked like a poster child for an overdose of plastic surgery. I'm not suprised she got picked to move on. Sadly, she was the better of the two.
Sure, it's a reprehensible show. But that's what makes it so hilarious. I just find it incredibly funny that these woman go through a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of surgery and come out worse than when they went in. I won't miss an episode.
Why? Because they both looked ridiculously skanky at the end of the show plus they still had all the same self-doubt and insecurity.
At the end, The fake-blond woman with giant bewbies still looked hideous at the end. I bet she puts all the weight back on too. All she will be left with is a sad plastic face.
The tall woman with the creepy face looked like a poster child for an overdose of plastic surgery. I'm not suprised she got picked to move on. Sadly, she was the better of the two.
Sure, it's a reprehensible show. But that's what makes it so hilarious. I just find it incredibly funny that these woman go through a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of surgery and come out worse than when they went in. I won't miss an episode.
04-08-04, 07:40 AM
#10
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Okay das, I'll admit it... I stayed tuned in for this train wreck.
And that's just what it was... a friggin' train wreck.
I do applaud that they had counseling and what not to help these 'ducklings' in the process.
The one thing that distrurbed me was the personal trainer dude, Greg Comeaux (this generation Jack La Lanne). He's freakin' scary looking.
Check out the website for a taste of what's to come: http://www.fox.com/swan/
And that's just what it was... a friggin' train wreck.
I do applaud that they had counseling and what not to help these 'ducklings' in the process.
The one thing that distrurbed me was the personal trainer dude, Greg Comeaux (this generation Jack La Lanne). He's freakin' scary looking.
Check out the website for a taste of what's to come: http://www.fox.com/swan/
04-08-04, 07:42 AM
#11
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Originally posted by Flay
Why? Because they both looked ridiculously skanky at the end of the show plus they still had all the same self-doubt and insecurity.
Why? Because they both looked ridiculously skanky at the end of the show plus they still had all the same self-doubt and insecurity.
04-08-04, 08:21 AM
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Originally posted by big whoppa
I hate the premise of the show. Fixing people up and parading them around. This extreme makeover mentality has to end. I'm not watching. I hope the ratings flop too.
I hate the premise of the show. Fixing people up and parading them around. This extreme makeover mentality has to end. I'm not watching. I hope the ratings flop too.
From the first commercial about this show, I knew I wouldn't like it. Though the folks at fox may disagree, it seems to me that they are treating these women like pieces of meat that are less than human... as though they need to be brought up to some standard of beauty to be human. It also burns me up that there are doctors that would go along with this type of exploitation.
04-08-04, 08:25 AM
#13
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The plastic surgeon defense would be that by carving away the physical attributes that keep a person's self esteem low, it's helping them to regain that self esteem (I always chuckle when the initial prospective patient interview on "Nip/Tuck" always starts with "What don't you like about yourself?)
04-08-04, 08:29 AM
#14
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Originally posted by Jadzia
The blonde did not lose enough weight it seems and what was with the bleached hair? Very tarty looking.
The blonde did not lose enough weight it seems and what was with the bleached hair? Very tarty looking.
This show really is shitty though. By the end I realized my problem with it - the "I'm beautiful" factor. These women last night seemed to think that their lives would be perfect now that they have been "fixed". It was clear that the counselling either received was completely inadequate. Of course keeping them basically blind folded for 3 months is just emtionally cruel.
It was in every sense a train wreck.
04-08-04, 09:20 AM
#15
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• Flay •
At the end, The fake-blond woman with giant bewbies still looked hideous at the end. I bet she puts all the weight back on too. All she will be left with is a sad plastic face.
The tall woman with the creepy face looked like a poster child for an overdose of plastic surgery. I'm not suprised she got picked to move on. Sadly, she was the better of the two.
At the end, The fake-blond woman with giant bewbies still looked hideous at the end. I bet she puts all the weight back on too. All she will be left with is a sad plastic face.
The tall woman with the creepy face looked like a poster child for an overdose of plastic surgery. I'm not suprised she got picked to move on. Sadly, she was the better of the two.
That said, I agree with your assessment of the two women. They both look scary, and I suspect they could have achieved better physical success by simply getting their asses in a gym and consulting with a stylist.
das
04-08-04, 10:22 AM
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I didn't/wouldn't watch this show. But here is the bad news.
At 9 p.m., the "Extreme Makeover"-meets-beauty pageant show "The Swan" debuted to a strong 9.2/14, keeping FOX in the lead.
Chris
At 9 p.m., the "Extreme Makeover"-meets-beauty pageant show "The Swan" debuted to a strong 9.2/14, keeping FOX in the lead.
Chris
04-08-04, 10:31 AM
#18
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I really enjoy Extreme Makeover, and I liked this somewhat. I think the Pageant angle feels forced. Did anyone notice how the only ones who seemed to talk about the Pageant were the makeover teams? I don't recall either contestant giving a damn about it. It seemed like they were just in it for the free makeover and the pageant was just a burden they were going to have to deal with to get it.
I'm honestly surprised Fox didn't try to amp it up more, and make the contestants more catty with each other. Maybe it's BECAUSE the contestants weren't gung ho about the contest element that they had no choice, I don't know. And I'm also surprised they didn't focus more on the interpersonal between the two... they were living together, right?
Anyway, for those hoping this would bomb, well...
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve...1,1002,272_617|87377|1|,00.html
I know a lot can be credited to the Idol lead-in, but that's still an impressive hold.
I'm honestly surprised Fox didn't try to amp it up more, and make the contestants more catty with each other. Maybe it's BECAUSE the contestants weren't gung ho about the contest element that they had no choice, I don't know. And I'm also surprised they didn't focus more on the interpersonal between the two... they were living together, right?
Anyway, for those hoping this would bomb, well...
http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve...1,1002,272_617|87377|1|,00.html
'The Swan' Ratings are Beautiful to FOX
Fast National ratings for Wednesday, April 7, 2004
As expected, FOX won the ratings race Wednesday night. A little more surprising is how well its new unscripted series "The Swan" performed against the return of "The Bachelor," which gave ABC a boost.
FOX averaged a 10.5 rating/17 share in primetime, winning by almost four ratings points over second-place NBC (6.8/11). ABC and CBS tied for third in households at 6.4/11, although ABC had a small edge in total viewers. The WB was fifth at 1.9/3, while UPN trailed at 1.2/2.
Among adults 18-49, FOX scored a commanding victory with a 7.7 rating for the night. ABC's 4.2 was a solid improvement over recent weeks. NBC averaged 3.3, CBS 2.7, The WB 1.1 and UPN 0.8.
A 60-minute "American Idol" results show on FOX won the 8 p.m. hour with an 11.9/21, improving substantially (from 10.3/18 to 13.6/23) in its second half. CBS took second with "60 Minutes II," 6.4/11. Two episodes of "My Wife and Kids" averaged 4.6/8 for ABC. NBC's "Apprentice" rerun was fourth. Repeats of "Smallville," 1.8/3, on The WB and "Star Trek: Enterprise," 1.3/2, on UPN brought up the rear.
At 9 p.m., the "Extreme Makeover"-meets-beauty pageant show "The Swan" debuted to a strong 9.2/14, keeping FOX in the lead. NBC jumped up to second with a "Law & Order" repeat, 7.5/12. The premiere of the fifth "Bachelor" on ABC averaged 6.3/10 in its first hour. A double dose of "The King of Queens" was fourth for CBS. A second "Smallville" on The WB improved slightly on its lead-in, while another episode of "Enterprise" on UPN trailed.
NBC led at 10 p.m. with another "Law & Order" repeat, 9.4/15. "The Bachelor" improved to 8.3/14, and "48 Hours Investigates" posted a 6.5/11 for CBS.
# Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
Fast National ratings for Wednesday, April 7, 2004
As expected, FOX won the ratings race Wednesday night. A little more surprising is how well its new unscripted series "The Swan" performed against the return of "The Bachelor," which gave ABC a boost.
FOX averaged a 10.5 rating/17 share in primetime, winning by almost four ratings points over second-place NBC (6.8/11). ABC and CBS tied for third in households at 6.4/11, although ABC had a small edge in total viewers. The WB was fifth at 1.9/3, while UPN trailed at 1.2/2.
Among adults 18-49, FOX scored a commanding victory with a 7.7 rating for the night. ABC's 4.2 was a solid improvement over recent weeks. NBC averaged 3.3, CBS 2.7, The WB 1.1 and UPN 0.8.
A 60-minute "American Idol" results show on FOX won the 8 p.m. hour with an 11.9/21, improving substantially (from 10.3/18 to 13.6/23) in its second half. CBS took second with "60 Minutes II," 6.4/11. Two episodes of "My Wife and Kids" averaged 4.6/8 for ABC. NBC's "Apprentice" rerun was fourth. Repeats of "Smallville," 1.8/3, on The WB and "Star Trek: Enterprise," 1.3/2, on UPN brought up the rear.
At 9 p.m., the "Extreme Makeover"-meets-beauty pageant show "The Swan" debuted to a strong 9.2/14, keeping FOX in the lead. NBC jumped up to second with a "Law & Order" repeat, 7.5/12. The premiere of the fifth "Bachelor" on ABC averaged 6.3/10 in its first hour. A double dose of "The King of Queens" was fourth for CBS. A second "Smallville" on The WB improved slightly on its lead-in, while another episode of "Enterprise" on UPN trailed.
NBC led at 10 p.m. with another "Law & Order" repeat, 9.4/15. "The Bachelor" improved to 8.3/14, and "48 Hours Investigates" posted a 6.5/11 for CBS.
# Ratings information is taken from fast national data. All numbers are preliminary and subject to change.
04-08-04, 11:08 AM
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Originally posted by TheKing
And it's reruns of this show that FOX is replacing Wonderfalls with...
And it's reruns of this show that FOX is replacing Wonderfalls with...
BTW, I know I didn't watch it, because I didn't watch ANY TV last night. If there's there's many more nights of programming like last night, I'm going to disown my TV (and of course by disown I mean I'll start referring to my TV as my "DVD player monitor").
04-08-04, 11:22 AM
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Originally posted by DRG
I know a lot can be credited to the Idol lead-in, but that's still an impressive hold.
I know a lot can be credited to the Idol lead-in, but that's still an impressive hold.
That is a HUGE drop from Idol - especially for a show that had so much pub and expectation. Thank God.
As for my opinion - totally agree with das. Sick and sad are the words that came to my mind.
Find women whose self-esteem is so low that they're willing to subject themselves to this? F**k with their faces and bodies (and minds) to the point that they are not even recognizable...
So, in the end, what we're saying is - looks mean everything. If you have low self-esteem, don't try and get better, go get a new face and body, because self-esteem is all about looks.
I know people will watch and get some sort of kick out of this thing, and all I can say is I feel sorry for those folks. Most people who laugh at other people's problems are pretty f**ked up themselves.
PS - for those of you unfamiliar with plastic surgery: nobody, repeat nobody who gets their face cut up ever looks remotely good without gallons of makeup. It's a fact - part of the "sacrifice" - you cannot go around in public unless buried under tons of makeup or else everything shows... and sometimes the makeup don't help.
04-08-04, 11:29 AM
#21
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I'm not surprised it won it's slot this week since it's the premiere. The real test will be next week when we'll see if people tune in again. Fox's reality shows lately, with the exception of Idol, tend to have big premiere's and then fall their second week.
04-08-04, 02:40 PM
#24
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But at what cost. Not to mention that the show's basic meaning is very sick.
"even with all this work done to you, you still uglier than the girl next to you"
Boatdrinks is correct, the press releases and media comments will indeed be either "as expected" or "above expected". Only in the case were the numbers are terribly bad will they face up to it. Not to mention that fox is pretty much stuck with this till the end of the run by have the commitment to have the pagent show.
The high ratings are also from it following idol. Lets see how it does next week on monday without anything attached to keep folks attention.
"even with all this work done to you, you still uglier than the girl next to you"
Boatdrinks is correct, the press releases and media comments will indeed be either "as expected" or "above expected". Only in the case were the numbers are terribly bad will they face up to it. Not to mention that fox is pretty much stuck with this till the end of the run by have the commitment to have the pagent show.
The high ratings are also from it following idol. Lets see how it does next week on monday without anything attached to keep folks attention.
04-08-04, 03:05 PM
#25
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Originally posted by Red Dog
Any before and after pics?
Any before and after pics?