Warning, Will Robinson! Danger! Danger!

[dreamflower]

I hope that no one on my flist will fall for this.

The whole idea, of course, is to paint the subject matter in the most sensationally crazy way possible. If someone signs on in the hopes that she will get attention for her fic and her fandom, she will be sorely disappointed, because any attention she gets will be completely negative.

A couple of years back, ABC's Wife Swap featured a family in the SCA, and they made them seem like such complete crazy wackos that the organization refused the show permission to mention it in any way.

Fanfic writing already gets held up to enough ridicule as it is. We don't need more!

Comments

[rabidsamfan.livejournal.com]

I notice that they've aimed their ad at the disgruntled spouse instead of the writer.

*sigh*

You just know they're going to find someone who writes bad Marysues full of ridiculously perfect sex.

[dreamflower]

I'm assuming though, that the writer will have to sign some sort of consent.

And, of course you are right. They certainly won't be looking for the writers of really good gen epics. They will want the worst and most porny stuff they can find.

[claudia603.livejournal.com]

omg, that's awful!! (hope my husband doesn't ever catch wind of that ad, lol!!) But by saying that they don't want professional writers, you KNOW that they're looking for bad writers and the chance to make fun of people. *shakes head*

[dreamflower]

Well, of course. I am not a regular watcher of Wife Swap but I did watch that episode I mentioned, and boy, did they do a hatchet job on the family. As I said, the BoD of the SCA refused to allow any mention of the organization on the air.

It was clear that the whole family was being held up to utter ridicule.

[mews1945.livejournal.com]

I'm sure they'll find people desperate enough for attention that they'll sign up for it.

[dreamflower]

I'm afraid so. And I am sure it will feed into the stereotype that all fanfic is badly written porn. I just hope they don't pick anyone in the LOTR fandom.

[graymouse.livejournal.com]

No, my fear is that they'll grab someone from the Supernatural fandom who, in fact, can make the LOTR writers look sane.

Though the truth of the matter is it doesn't matter who eventually signs up because the production is going to make them look like an obsessed idiot no matter what fandom it is.

[shirebound]

Sounds like they're getting desperate for reality shows!

[dreamflower]

I know. How much drama can there be in showing someone typing away at a keyboard, or hitting "refresh" to see how many comments they have? Or sitting in front of a monitor reading? Even our occasional "squees" or "lols" would not make much sense to someone with no context.

I mean, it's fascinating to ME when I'm doing it, but really, how much fun would it be to just watch?

[elandulin.livejournal.com]

Oh man.

I almost never tell people outside the fandom what I actually do; fanfic is a sub-genre that people think is for teenagers and silly women with advanced cases of arrested development. I'm always fishing for euphemisms for what I do (I usually say I write character studies). The one time I actually came clean with somebody (a person who identified herself as a writer and had sought me out at a party) I never heard from her again!

After this show, we're going to have to find a new name altogether for serious sub-creation. No doubt these reality show types will define us for all time.... :(

[cairistiona7.livejournal.com]

Good grief. Let's hope they find someone from some other genre besides LOTR! I guess the only good thing is that chances are, with so many stupid reality shows out there, this one will make a small splash at the time it airs and then be quickly forgotten. We can hope, anyway.

[labourslamp.livejournal.com]

as;laj... jemsllpe...

May I injure someone? Now?

Notice, of course, that there isn't a casting call for, "Is your spouse addicted to fantasy football?"... Because sports are a safe, normal hobby (*cue college town riots*) that we can market!

I'd like to make a reality show about reality show producers' personal lives...

[meneleth.livejournal.com]

Why not just advertise - "Wanted: People with no sense of shame, no self-worth and no problem looking completely ridiculous on national television." This is yet another reason why the only reality shows we watch are Extreme Home Makeover and The Locator.

[grey-wonderer.livejournal.com]

No worries here. My husband doesn't know I do this so he can't sign up for anything. : )

[rhyselle.livejournal.com]

Ewwwwwww! These types of shows are disgusting. I remember that Wife Swap episode... I wonder what the family thought when they saw the final cut.

They'd never pick my family anyway, because my husband is perfectly cool with not only my fanfiction endeavors, but those of my two daughters as well. We've never fought about it and we'd be boring subjects for a show... although I'm sure they'd find some way to twist it to the negative.

I'll leave my so-called "fame" within fanfic and fannish circles themselves. The folks who watch reality tv things like this are not an audience to which I care to expose myself.

[lbilover.livejournal.com]

I agree that they would totally distort the subject manner. *shudder* I'm glad to see there are no applicants so far!