May 22, 2004
Forever Eden and Playing It Straight are not coming back. Yes FOX said they would be back this summer. Yes FOX made a commitment of 25 episodes of Eden, the show I love to hate. Yes the very likeable Playing It Straight had a much shorter 6 episode commitment. Yes FOX forgets that it's commitment extends to it's viewers.
After playing scheduling madness with both shows - seven episodes of Forever Eden on four different nights - FOX decided the ratings were not good enough. Neither show was going to get American Idol numbers, but given a chance and a time slot they would have done ok.
FOX says fans who ask will be told how the shows ended. But they have said nothing about the procedure for that. And it's possible that the 25 episodes of Forever Eden might get picked up by a cable network some where along the line. I hope so, I miss slamming it, and judging from the traffic to this site's Forever Eden page a lot of you miss it too.
But there is a bigger issue here than ratings for a couple of shows. And I'll grant that whether or not either show would have ever done well or even deserved to be aired in the first place is a point that can be debated either way. The real issue here is the lack of respect that FOX shows to it's viewers. FOX forgets who really puts the Ford in their garage. It's not the advertising agency that bought the spots, it's not FoMoCo. It's the viewers who's numbers are significant enough to warrant buying those spots. Maybe those numbers were not a high as FOX wanted, but what about the next Reality TV show they offer? The Casino premieres on June 8th. If the first few episodes don't do well, will they cancel it? How will you as a viewer feel after investing time in another FOX show that gets pulled before it's over? Will you stop watching shows because you never know if you'll get to see it all. Why get interested in the people when the network may pull the plug at any time. Remember with Reality TV it is the people we watch. Get viewers interested and then take them away without resolution or closure and you irritate and alienate your audience.
Reality TV is a huge boon to the networks. It is much cheaper to produce than scripted shows. It can be plugged in on short notice. It makes year round new programming possible. It can be a huge boost to ratings and dollars. But if the networks continue to disrespect the viewers they will lose in the end. The FOX is in the hen house and breaking eggs. Don't be so greedy.
March 31, 2004
Fox has announced that it is shelving Playing It Straight, at least until summer. Three of the six episode series have aired to disappointing ratings. The show may be brought back sometime this summer to allow viewers the chance to see who is gay and who is straight and who Jackie pics. We would love to know why Fox scheduled this show for Friday nights. The show does well with the young demographics, but the young demographic is traditionally not home on Friday nights. This show would have done a lot better if aired any evening except Friday or Saturday.
March 27, 2004
In last nights episode we learned the Eddie could not handle the pressure of the show and left on his own without saying good bye. The producers chose to reveal that he is gay. With Eddie gone, Jackie was required to eliminate only one of the guys. She sent Chad home and he revealed that he is gay. Of the 5 men she has sent home, 3 are straight and 2 are gay. Jackie's gaydar is batting less than 50%. There are eight men left.
March 26, 2004
Gawker.com, a Manhattan web magazine which claims to focus on "gossip, entertainment, fashion, and real estate snippets," is reporting that they know the identity of who's straight and who's gay on Playing It Straight....and they claim to have the photos to prove it. Sweet but somewhat naive Jackie has sent four men home so far. Three of them were straight. There are 10 men left and according to Gawker reports.....five of them are gay. Quick math - when the show started there were 8 straights and 6 gays. The odds were in Jakie's favor...now it's 50 / 50.
Here come the famous highlights....if you want to see who Gawker.com claims are the secret gays on Playing It Straight....highlight the area below.
/------Begin Highlight According to Gawker, it's Brad, Bill, Chad, Lee, and Luciano. -------End Highlight/
March 21, 2004
Who's straight and who's gay on Playing It Straight? Dan from The Real World Miami writes in his weblog that he dated one of the contestants when he was 22. Dan says "(he) really butched it up quite effectively for TV." ... Sharif, has his own website where you can discuss his orientation with others. Another site, Got Gaydar? allows you to rate the entire male cast. Only two of whom are thought to be straight according to the sites visitors. Ousted and straight Ryan got an 86% gay vote on the site.
March 16, 2004
The new Fox mega-twister Playing It Straight did not get the hoped for ratings, drawing only 5.3 million viewers during it's Friday night premiere. Fox finished fourth on the night behind ABC, CBS and NBC, but ahead of the WB, UPN, MTV etc.
March 13, 2004
Did you see Playing It Straight last night? In a nutshell....one gal, 14 guys, some of them are gay....you need a scorecard. Here's the problem....this will not work as a "Meet Mr. Right and live happily ever-after" show. Young and oh so sweet college girl Jackie will lose $500,000 if the guy she chooses is gay. To win she is going to choose a man that she is 100% certain is straight....nevermind the emotional attachment. If she does that she and the straight guy get $500,000 each....but if she pics a gay dude....he gets $1,000,000. Is this fair? Nope...but it makes for watchable TV. Oh....Last night she sent home two straight guys. Congrats to Fox...you did it again.
March 12, 2004
Playing it Straight premieres on Fox tonight at 8 e/p. It's another dating show with a twist. One girl, 14 guys and some of them are straight. Some are not. If she picks a straight guy they split one million. If she picks a gay, he wins one million. Considering the best financial option here is to be gay, I wonder which way the straight guys will play it. Lying For Money should do well in it's Friday night time slot.
March 1, 2004
One beautiful single woman. 14 sexy bachelors. A million-dollar prize. Think you know where this is going? Things aren’t exactly as they appear as FOX puts this young lady and you to the test to determine which guys are straight and which guys might be just Playing It Straight. How good is your Gaydar?
This one-hour unscripted series may have a twist, but the rules are simple: if a straight guy is the last man standing, the couple splits the money. However, if a gay guy fools his way to the finish line, he leaves $1 million richer.
Hosted by Daphne Brogdon (“The X Show”), the series follows single gal Jackie, a college student from Appleton, Wisconsin, as she embarks on a dating adventure at the Sizzling Saddles Ranch in Elko, Nevada. Jackie has traded in her book bag and No. 2 pencils for a cowboy hat and lasso with the hope of roping in the man of her dreams. But this cowgirl must determine which side of the saddle these guys ride on.
Jackie’s suitors are 14 men – some looking for love, some on a quest for money, and all trying to guess who is PLAYING IT STRAIGHT. These stallions vie for Jackie’s affections by participating in group activities and one-on-one dates that will simultaneously tempt her heart and test her “gaydar.”
Some will come out with nothing, some will come out of the closet, but only one will come out victorious. As for Jackie, she will either leave with love, money or her “gaydar” in need of serious repair.
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