Comments on: the grossness of bridezillas

By: sean

sean — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:43:21 +0000

ha, i saw that episode of true life. he showed his new calf implants off to some chicks and they said something to the effect of, “gross, you have breast implants in your legs.” my thoughts exactly.

By: Coop

Coop — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:01:55 +0000

First of all, this is the first blog I’ve seen where the author actually tells her reader to watch something to clear it off their shared Tivo. That’s got to be a first.

Second of all, I think a number of reality shows make you laugh at embarrassing men. Social rejects on Beauty and the Geek, a roided-out Bonaduce on Breaking Bonaduce, Verne Troyer pissing on himself in Surreal Life. I remember a True Life episode, “I want the perfect body in which some vain guy lamented how he couldn’t get his calves just right and got calf implants. I felt pretty good about myself after that one.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:11:43 +0000

Good point. Although the most shocking part of Platinum Weddings is silent: when they show the dollar amount of how much something costs. But I agree- Platinum Weddings has lots of pretty things, and Bridezillas, well, usually doesn’t have any pretty things. I’m just saying the most entertaining aspect of either show is its shock value. But I definitely prefer the pretty, expensive things.

By: alison

alison — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:00:23 +0000

i retract my shark statement.
at least w/ platinum weddings (and all shows about wanton materialism, like my super sweet 16), there are pretty and shiny things to look at. you could turn off the sound and treat it like a high-end catalog with people in the way. no such luck w/ bridezillas.

By: Tom Harkin

Tom Harkin — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:58:50 +0000

J-Ho has an interesting point about I Love New York and I Love New York 2, but I think his argument is flawed. He confuses the participants with the audience. True, the show’s participants engage in silly, degrading, belittling behavior, and they seem to get some perverse satisfaction out of watching their fellow competitors be abused by the show’s neurotic star. But these people, these actors, are actually on the show, not sitting at home. They are willing participants in this sordid game, they accept the show’s rules and demands, and they do silly things. As for the audience, my guess is that most of the people who watch the show are female, not male. Women may get satisfaction out of this show for a variety of reasons — female empowerment, male-to-female ratio, etc. But I doubt that many men watch it in general. If they do, it’s probably to see a woman make a fool of herself, rather than to derive satisfaction of the suckiness of her suitors.

By: Maggie

Maggie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:57:18 +0000

But I am also comparing sharks to ridiculously rich people, which would not bolster your argument. And it’s not just shark week, but my analogy could apply to any Discovery show that is about a foreign species/environment. I think it’s fascinating for its different-ness.

I cannot justify why Bridezillas is their most popular show. I’m just saying that for some people, and admittedly it’s probably a minority of people, although I’d like to think it applies to me, it’s not about schadenfreude. For me Bridezillas is only a “if there’s nothing else on” kind of show that I watch (I won’t say enjoy) for its “wow” factor, which is the same reaction I have to Platinum Weddings.

By: alison

alison — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:40:06 +0000

re: maggie
i think there is an anthropological argument to watching bridezillas once or twice, but this is their most popular show! justify that.

shark week only happens once a year, and yes, i think you somehow bolster my argument by comparing sharks to bridezillas. somehow.

By: alison

alison — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:36:23 +0000

while you’re at it, can you please watch all that damned anthony bourdain and monster quest? goddamn.

By: Ratt Stink

Ratt Stink — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:35:17 +0000

thanks for linking to schadenfreude, i didn’t know what it was before.

now if you’ll excuse me, i have some tivo’ed cops to get back to…

By: Maggie

Maggie — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:33:47 +0000

I don’t watch a lot (or any) of Cops either, you would have to ask the expert. But isn’t it on Spike TV? So even though it still has the poor people element, I think it’s being marketed towards men (or at least the reruns are).

If Bridezillas makes me feel schadenfreude, is Platinum Weddings supposed to do the opposite? Because that show doesn’t make me jealous; it disgusts me in a completely different way. Which I think is an interesting point, because both Bridezillas and Platinum Weddings make me think, are there really people like that out there? So for me, I kind of view these shows like I would a Shark Week show: I’ve never seen a shark in the wild (never been to a $500,000 wedding) or been bitten by a shark (never known a Bridezilla or been friends with/related to one), but it’s fascinating to watch the shark footage or hear stories about shark bites (just like it’s fascinating to see Bridezillas scream at their bridesmaids or to see someone spend $50,000 on centerpieces), just to know that kind of stuff happens, because it is all very foreign to my experiences. Do you like my analogy? Maybe I’m just excited for Shark Week (July 27- August 2).

Is it wrong to compare brides to sharks?

Whose Wedding Is It Anyway? is the best one. Yes, I do enjoy the wedding shows from time to time.