Modern communication!

[mamadeb]

I'm back in the world as it is.

And I just got the funniest email - I think it really *isn't* a spam, but I'm not sure.

It's from the producers of "Wife Swap" who are, apparently, looking for filkers. I'm not eligible for this show because we don't have kids (and they've already done Orthodox Jews) but if anyone on my flist wants to be on on a reality show that will make them look weirder than they are - email me and I'll forward it to you. She did say "spread the word."

Comments

[llennhoff.livejournal.com]

And what a disaster the Orthodox wife swap show was. I can't believe that originally they didn't intend to have the swap include Shabbat - I suspect the other woman just couldn't handle the idea, especially given what a poor job they same to have done explaining everything to her.

I wonder who they will swap with filkers - classical musicians? People whose religion forbids playing music?

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

"Wife Swap" also did Orthodox Jews? I know that "Trading Spouses" did, given that it was a local family to us, but I didn't realize that "Wife Swap" had also.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Ah. I do get those two mixed up, given they're the EXACT SAME SHOW.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

The main difference is that Trading Spouses gives the "winning" couple something like $50k, while Wife Swap gives each couple $20k (before taxes, which are substantial.)

[llennhoff.livejournal.com]

I watched the Trading Spouses with the O Jewish family on Sunday.
Each family got $50K (apparently after taxes), divided as the 'guest mom' mandated.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

Ah. Since I've never seen Trading Spouses (it's on Friday. I have better things to do with my vcr on Fridays) and only watch Wife Swap when there is absolutely nothing better, this is a detail I'd miss.

[kattahj.livejournal.com]

While the Swedish version AFAIK doesn't give the couples anything, instead counting on their deep urge to Be On TV to do the trick. Which it does, because Sweden is sad and pathetic and only has 9 million people, so it's easy to get famous.

Okay, yeah, going slightly OT here. :-)

[llennhoff.livejournal.com]

Going still further off topic, I discovered yesterday that there is an Israeli version of the BBC's The Kumar's at #42. featuring an Israeli Morrocan family instead of a British Indian one. It would fly by me completely, but I still would love to watch an episode - some of my best local friends are transplanted Morrocan French by way of Israel.

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Um, but they're not the exact same show, even though they do the same thing. From what you said, I seriously thought that Wife Swap had done a similar episode, and if so, I would have wanted to track it down.

I never watch either of these shows regularly, but the presence of an Orthodox Jewish family intrigued me enough to record Trading Spouses and see what they did with it.

The one show that might do something similar, but which would do it respectfully, is 30 Days. I hope Morgan Spurlock considers the possibility.

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

Last year they were looking for curlers, but the call went out right at the end of the curling season, so I don't know if they found any.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

What would be controversial or even funny compared with curlers? It's a...oh, goodness. Every adjective I can find is a pun. Neat. Cool. Nice (Canadians, after all.)

[kightp.livejournal.com]

As someone with second-hand experience with "Wife Swap" (my close friends were the subject of this season's "Wench Swap" episode), I strongly recommend that people walk the other way - rapidly - unless they're extemely secure in who they are, and don't mind being made to look like idiots in front of millions of viewers. My friends are pretty self-aware and self-confident, and it was still an experience they wouldn't repeat; it was traumatizing for their whole family, and the money isn't that good.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I saw that. I also saw the witch episode and a tattooed woman one, and the other side always seem to be rabid Christians (if I were a fundamentalist Christian, I'd be upset about those extremes).

Yeah, they'd go nuts over Orthodox Jewish science fiction fans but even if I had kids - my goodness.

1. NO ONE uses my kitchen unless my husband or I am there to supervise. EVER. That goes for people who keep kosher themselves unless they are familiar with things. I'm very familiar with my mother-in-law's kitchen and have cooked there, but I still prefer having her there to prevent mistakes. Having someone I *don't* know who doesn't know kashrut there without my supervision? No way. And I heard that in Trading Spouses, she didn't respect kashrut, either.

2. I would be very worried about someone else's values in my home. On the other hand, I would NOT want to impose my values on someone else. That's just wrong. I can be plenty judgmental, but it's not my place to impose that on anyone else.

I'd also worry about being made to do things I would feel uncomfortable about in the initial portion - over and above the Jewish aspects of things.

Okay, the idea of *me* taking part in a cultural exchange sounds vaguely like fun (it's the science fiction fan in me), but not at the expense of any kids involved, and not to have anyone's home ridiculed on television.

[batyatoon]

I heard about this! If it's a hoax, it's a wide-ranging one.

[mamadeb.livejournal.com]

I saw it was also posted on the MASSFILC list.

[bercilakslady.livejournal.com]

I really hope no filkers decide to do this. It just seems like a disaster waiting to happen.

[jonbaker.livejournal.com]

Maybe the great Luke Ski would feel sufficiently secure and self-promotive to do this. I don't know if he has a family, though.

As for filkers with children, as in current fandom at large, there seem to be relatively few filker families with children. Either people don't marry (at all, or until older), or choose not to have them, or can't have them.

Fan kids are few & precious.

[sethg]

I know the Orthodox family that appeared on the Trading Spouses episode that llennhoff mentions above. "Weirder than their are" doesn't even begin to cover it.

If you're thinking of appearing on such a show, remember: if you really are better at managing your media image than the producers are at distorting it, then you won't be invited to appear in the first place.

[azurelunatic]

I got it as well.