Oprah's charities vs. reality

Thought the Oprah enterprise could not get any bigger? Well, she’s back again giving even more and adding to her already enormous popularity with her new show, Oprah’s Big Give.

The show asks the question: what would you do if you were handed a large amount of money, but with a catch? You cannot spend any of it. The secret is: the person who gives the best will win $1 million dollars in the final episode. The premise of the show is that a worthy person is chosen in which the cast gets to decide how to raise money for them.

Although it is an innovative idea, the show did not live up to the hype. The idea that the cast members do not know about the million-dollar reward is not believable. Do they expect audiences to just assume these people are on a show where they get eliminated each week for the fun of it? This is reality T.V. If producers wanted America to believe that the cast really does not know, they should not have eliminations.

Although it is difficult to really say anything negative about anything that Oprah Winfrey does, this show shoes not seem to have the same star power as her past ventures. I felt more like I was watching her actual talk show than a reality contest. The reason the show even got as many viewers as it did was simply because of the brand name that is Oprah. It seemed better suited as a two-hour special rather than an eight episode mini-series.
However, I did like that the people chosen for the show come from a myriad of backgrounds. From successful entrepreneurs to car-crash victims, everyone on the show has a different story to tell.

Some are model citizens, while others are trying to redeem themselves from past bad experiences. The best part of the show is seeing how the people choose to spend the money, which actually brings me to the worst part of the show.

I could not believe who the producers decided was worthy of assistance. I wondered if America was screaming at the T.V. as I was when a doctor was one of the “needy.” Just because he has a lot of medical school bills does not make his situation worse than others. I could not help but asking, “are you kidding me?”

Another one of the chosen was a woman whose husband was murdered in Home Depot. Although it is a tragic story there are much more deserving people in the world.

 She came on the show because she was having trouble raising money for her kids college funds. With both of the kids under the age of eight, there is still so much time. I much more expected a Katrina victim who lost everything to take the place of someone who is in debt.

Despite the show’s intended purpose, the money donated does not really make a difference in the full-scope of the problems presented. It seems aimed more at making the people doing the giving feel better about themsleves than actually changing someone’s life forever.

One of the most entertaining parts of the show is when Oprah randomly shows up at the “challenges.”She really does have un unexplainable quality that makes everyone want to hear her speak. If Oprah said “bright green shoes will make you a better person,” they would be selling out of stores.
One thing is certain: everyone listens to Oprah. A quarter of Barack Obama’s votes have probably come because of Oprah’s endorsement. For that reason I believe America will continue to watch, but not actually be entertained.

I know if given the opportunity to give money to any cause, I would think of better charities. Even though the first episode was less than impressive, I still have hope. The idea is noteworthy and the previews for the next shows look good.
If America keeps watching, she might just surprise all of us.