Last week on Master Chef, the challenge was to make a perfect individual cheese soufflé. Throughout the judge’s chatter, they talked like such a soufflé could be baked in 15 minutes. But one contestant only had 11 minutes to bake hers. Could she do it?
In what universe? This is the problem with reality TV. It’s not based on reality. And producers make up facts for no apparent reason whatsoever—except to racket up tension.
I like making cheese soufflés. I don’t find them challenging at all—as long as you respect the realities of chemistry, physics, and time. After watching this show’s competition, I wasn’t at all surprised that none of the soufflés looked right. Their tops didn’t properly rise, and their interior textures often appeared too soft. But just to be sure about cooking instructions, I checked my many cookbooks and Googled recipes online. Pretty much everyone agreed on a 25-minute cooking time.
What’s the big deal? You say 25 minutes; they say 15 minutes. Maybe with a convection oven, tiny soufflé cups, and a higher temperature, you could bake one in 15 minutes. Well, no one does! But now millions of people watching this show probably think it’s possible. Talk about fake news.
One night later, I’m watching HGTV’s Flip or Flop. Suddenly the flippers needed to pour a new concrete patio. What will that cost? “Oh, about $800.” Again, in what universe? We have just completed getting bids for a very similar size of concrete pad. Our lowest bid was $2400—three times as much. In fact, I have never heard a TV home design show give a cost estimate that ever reflected our experience with three major remodels and one built-from-scratch house.
Now, Robert and I always knew these types of shows play fast and loose with truth. Some friends of ours in Florida were once contestants on Trading Spaces. As the cameras rolled on them being told the homework they would need to do that night, members of the production crew were already finishing it up in the room next door.
Another time, a neighbor’s house was redone on Designed to Sell. We showed up to be the lookie-loos. Oh, the producers liked what we said so much that we had to restate it more than once so their cameras could be sure to get it.
The funny thing is that we ended up in that program for maybe 60 seconds, and Robert’s voice was never even heard. Yet every time the cable station ran it (and they do rerun such shows over and over) someone new would notice us and ask, “Were you on that TV show?” Yet when Robert was featured in a serious interview for a two-minute segment on the The View about the Disney archives, we don’t recall one person noticing.
Just proof, I guess, how much America loves to watch these fake reality shows and ignore the morning news. We admit we’re part of that America, but do we ever stop to think about how much misinformation and simply stupid expectations such shows spread? To what degree have Fox News and MSNBC just become another type of reality show? Are we really willing to bet our lives on this galaxy’s vapid version of truth? Of course, the answer is obviously yes. America elected a reality star—who knows as little as most reality hosts—to be president.
And it’s working out about as well as if you actually tried to repaint your kitchen cabinets in one night using a single coat of cheap paint. It might look shiny and new for an open house, but it won’t stand up to the heat of the kitchen.
Please check out my novels in paperback or Kindle format: Tales From the Loon Town Café, The Finnish Girl, and The Devil’s Analyst. Visitwww.amazon.com/author/dennisfrahmann
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