Bulimia TV

25th June 2008

posted in Eating Disorders, Pop Culture |

A copy of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 sits collecting dust on my bookshelf. His dystopic account of a society where books are banned and people are brainwashed by wall-to-wall television screens serves as a cautionary tale in which he forecasts that we are all destined to become mindless automatons from an overdose of senseless television. At the time I read it, I felt it was an alarmist position.

Today’s television lineup however, proves the maxim that truth is often stranger than fiction. From Maury’s “Who’s my Daddy?” to Fear Factor’s cockroach cuisine, perhaps Bradbury’s fictionalized tale about hordes of network addicted zombies isn’t so contrived, after all. Case in point: G4′s new reality show Hurl!, which premieres July 15 on the cable channel.

ABC News reporter Sheila Marikar’s title nails the entire gist of the show: “Has reality TV hit rock bottom?” Marikar answers her own question:

Take, for instance, “Hurl,” an eating-and-regurgitating competition in which contestants gorge themselves on everything from chicken pot pies to peanut butter sandwiches, then get strapped into spinning contraptions — whoever vomits last wins.

Here’s more on how the show will work according to the G4 website:

[F]ive warriors must each eat large amounts of a specific staple American food like Chicken Pot Pie or Mac and Cheese or Chili Dogs in a short period of time. The contestants that ate the most food and didn’t regurgitate will then move on to a physical challenge. …After that round, anyone who hasn’t lost their lunch will then be forced to eat MORE, different food–Ambrosia salad, pumpkin pie, etc,– while still keeping it all in. Then, the final elimination round steps the physical challenge up a notch, tossing in a rogue element of danger. One can only imagine

So, contestants gorge themselves on high-carbohydrate foods beyond the point of ridiculously full and then vomit it all back up. Chuck in an unnatural fear of fatness and an obsession with calories, weight and food and you’ve got a ready-made eating disorder. Have we really devolved so low we find this kind of material entertaining?

Your thoughts?

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 12:22 pm and is filed under Eating Disorders, Pop Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

1 On June 25th, 2008, MrsDrC said:

My jaw is on the floor. Wow. Is this seriously what people call entertainment? Are peoples morals and ethics so cheaply bought to sign up to be a contestant?…wait I’ve worked in retail. I’ve seen people sell their morals for less then a nickel.

I’m so glad we don’t do TV. We had cable TV cut off a few years ago, we did it for the kids, but I feel it’s a benefit to us too. Hubby and I have noticed changes we like in ourselves without the “boobtube” going all the time (we do still watch, and let the kids watch a LIMITED amount of DVD’s).

I know it was there before, maybe I’m just more sensitive to it, but the all out “as low as you can go” attitude that goes with TV programming just makes me sick.

What next? Live feeding of the “enemy combatants” to the lions?

Sure lets what people vomit on TV, but don’t let someone see a naked human body! That would encourage teen sex. *huge eye roll*

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 1:27 pm

2 On June 25th, 2008, Marste said:

Holy God. There are no words. That’s just . . . it’s horrifying.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 2:43 pm

3 On June 25th, 2008, jamboree said:

I’m disgusted. Not only because what, people REALLY want to watch someone else VOMIT??

But because this is not entertainment. This is on par with the hordes in Victorian times queuing up to watch a hanging. Horrible.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 3:04 pm

4 On June 25th, 2008, Meowser said:

Nitpick: You mean premieres July 15, not premiered. July 15 hasn’t happened yet.

But boy, does that sound disgusting. You’d almost think it was some kind of South Park parody.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 3:43 pm

5 On June 25th, 2008, Lola said:

Yeah, that’s disgusting. Let me just remind you that it’s this kind of thing (among others, like wars) that makes the US look really bad to the rest of the world. Especially when a lot of people in the rest of the world are starving.
http://www.escrevalolaescreva.blogspot.com

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 4:13 pm

6 On June 25th, 2008, JeanC said:

Oh.Good.Goddess. Words completely escape me, I knew G4 was going down hill, but I hadn’t realized that not only they have hit bottom, they are digging a freaking great hole!

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

7 On June 25th, 2008, Stephanie said:

Ugh. I knew I hated G4 for its relentlessly misogynistic programming (without having things of interest, like old Star Trek episodes), but now I hate it even more.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 5:00 pm

8 On June 25th, 2008, AnnieMcPhee said:

Japanese TV does it so much better. We just waste the airwaves here. Or whatever waves.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 5:32 pm

9 On June 25th, 2008, emi said:

Okay, so yes, that’s disturbing. But I have to say, I would be AWESOME at that. I can easily eat a ton of food, and I have never, ever thrown up from motion sickness. So I could totally win.

I’m bulimic, btw. And yes, this comment is kind of twisted, but it’s true!

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 5:45 pm

10 On June 25th, 2008, Rachel said:

Is G4 the station that also shows Japanese game shows? My husband is absolutely addicted to the Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuki (sp?) shows.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 6:02 pm

11 On June 25th, 2008, Brynne said:

My God. Sickening.

I’m suddenly SO glad I don’t have a television.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 7:05 pm

12 On June 25th, 2008, Mindy said:

I agree, this is really gross. In general, I don’t like reality TV. Closest thing to reality shows I watch is “What Not to Wear.”

That being said, I usually still find other things to watch. I’m a big history buff so often watch History, Discovery, stuff like that, sometimes watch movies for free via On Demand. I also do watch a lot of DVDs.

Just because this nonsense is on TV, doesn’t mean we have to watch it. Lord knows I’m not, and I’m hoping against hope that most people will find this way over the top and not watch it and it will go away.

I can dream…

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 8:09 pm

13 On June 25th, 2008, Rachel said:

I didn’t have cable for years before I met my husband. After we moved in together, we didn’t have cable for the first three months or so because his satellite was broken and he never had it fixed. Then he had it fixed and we’ve since become HGTV junkies. We’ve been able to do a lot of work ourselves on our house thanks to some of HGTV’s shows.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 8:20 pm

14 On June 25th, 2008, Charlotte said:

That’s just unbelievable. People get up in arms about sex and drugs on TV, but don’t bat an eye at stuff like this?
The only stuff I watch on a regular basis is the news (CNN and Fox), Law & Order, and Conan O’Brian. I think I’m going to keep it that way for a while.

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 9:32 pm

15 On June 25th, 2008, Charlynn said:

The only good thing on G4 is the Japanese human tetris game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ll2kajMH2u0

Now THAT is entertainment!

posted on June 25th, 2008 at 10:40 pm

16 On June 26th, 2008, Dolly said:

G4 is the channel that shows Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuke. They’re about the only programs that are tolerable to sit through, and even then the sexist advertising during breaks is excruciating. So, hearing about this new show really doesn’t surprise me; after all it is G4. Doesn’t make it any better of course… but, the channel was designed for adolescent guys who have dedicated their lives to dominating one another in video games. Not exactly an audience expecting high-quality, intelligent programming.

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 12:20 am

17 On June 26th, 2008, Boobsihazdem said:

Honestly my first reaction to it was ‘American Pie humour’. Vomit and farts is about the level of your average adolescent boy – reminds me of the story scene from Stand by Me where the narrator kid tells a story about an eating competition. The story ended in lots of barfing and the boys found it hilarious/icky at the same time.

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 4:16 am

18 On June 26th, 2008, vicky smith said:

I’m disgusted, no wonder so many people still can not understand what an eating disorder is with programs like that making it look ‘ok’ to purge after eating.

I have my first appointment for treatment for bulimia today and I feel like a fraud without it being made into a tv competition. I realise there are these kind of competitions not televised but they need some kind of warning, information about the behaviours being symptons of an eating disorder too.

Vx

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 5:04 am

19 On June 26th, 2008, pennylane said:

This reminded me of the Simpsons’ episode where they are introduced to a series of ridiculous reality shows (like “Tied to a Bear.”) Reality is stranger than fiction.

Beyond the sheer offensiveness–who wants to watch people vomit? Seriously.

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 7:35 am

20 On June 26th, 2008, Cassandra said:

Think about the Greeks and Romans who used to do this as a sign of wealth — they would gorge themselves, then vomit to make room for more.

In terms of entertainment, I think we are so obsessed with it because it is tabo. It is something we usually do in private and it is a bodily function, which apparently is *all the craze* now! There are milk drinking contests, McDonald chicken nugget eating contests, water drinking contests, and the list goes on. We are fascinated by our bodies and what our bodies can do, despite what our minds want them to do.

Extreme eating/ competitive eating is now viewed as a sport, which is rather disgusting. It isn’t healthy and it pushes not only the body, but the mind, then makes a mess — gross!

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 9:14 am

21 On June 26th, 2008, tokaiangel said:

It’s absurd, it’s sinister, it’s nonsense. The sad truth is that the more we wail about how grossly inappropriate these programmes are, the more hype they get, the more people watch them. The better viewing figures are as a consequence of negative publicity, the more likely this dross is going to get recommissioned.

Best tactic is to roll eyes and ignore!

TA x

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 10:47 am

22 On June 26th, 2008, Sherie S said:

A true sign of social breakdown! Yuck! MSM just stinks!!!

p.s. Here is something I came across that put a smile on my face. It is a song called “Chubby Chaser” from a group called The Chubby Chasers. Granted, it is not completely PC and a hard core feminist may take a bit of umbrage. But rap is a genre for protest. Personally, I loved what else was going on besides the whole FA thing. I thought it was clever. Anyone who equates Jenny Craig with the Illuminiti is O.K. in my book. I could hardly keep from laughing out loud at the library.

Here is their myspace page:
http://tinyurl.com/62k5sv
Unless you have an old computer like mine, the song should start playing when you visit. What the other songs are about, I don’t know.

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 2:47 pm

23 On June 26th, 2008, Janet said:

The kinds of things that pass for “entertainment” these days is ridiculous. I think a lot of shows go too far, including that new-ish “Moment of Truth” show.

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 3:21 pm

24 On June 26th, 2008, twincats said:

They’ve busted a hole in the bottom of the barrel and are digging for China, IMHO. But then, I won’t even watch Fear Factor.

There’s a certain pizza eatery I’ve always liked except for the fact that they continuously broadcast G4 in the football off-season.

Methinks they’ll have to change the channel when this show comes on, though…

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 6:35 pm

25 On June 26th, 2008, Rhia said:

I don’t know what G4 is, nor do I have cable/satellite and I rarely turn the tv on and when I do, I just have PBS. I’m grateful for that.

I’m really discouraged and disappointed that a show like this would come out. However, I’m discouraged and disappointed by any of the reality shows from hell’s kitchen (where I’ve been told the lead chef does a lot of yelling and humiliation) I mean, geez, I LOVE food, why put such an ugly twist like that on food? To bachelor or bachelorette shows where they pick the ‘right one’. I think those are just society continuing to tell people single=unhappy.

Anywhiddle, I digress somewhat. This is another example of how these shows send out horrible messages that people will continue to twist into something even sicker and more debilitating than they already are. And in the end, everybody loses: maybe something tangible, always a piece of themself.

BTW, Cassandra’s comments about the Greeks. Wow! I had no idea; yet why am I not surprised either. Ish!

posted on June 26th, 2008 at 11:01 pm

26 On June 27th, 2008, Brynne said:

um…I hate to say this…but the Greek and Roman thing…calls to mind the whole ‘bread and circuses’ thing that was a clear manifestation of their downfalls. Does that mean we’re in for it? :O

posted on June 27th, 2008 at 6:16 pm

27 On June 27th, 2008, ricki said:

Wow…my first thought is, who wants to watch people vomit on tv? That’s really nasty. (And then there are people like me, for whom the SOUND of someone vomiting is almost enough to trigger it – I have a very strong gag reflex).

My second thought is, what a waste of food. Seriously. Food prices are at record highs in the U.S., food banks are struggling to feed families down on their luck, and some dumb tv show is going to send gallons of milk and packs and packs of mac and cheese down the drain in the name of “entertainment”?

I kind of like some of the Japanese “skill oriented” shows (they had one on I happened on the other day, with people having to ride unicycles through an obstacle course and I was mesmerized by how skillful a person had to be to do that) but I think I probably won’t even consider G4 any more once the food show comes on.

posted on June 27th, 2008 at 9:26 pm

28 On June 29th, 2008, Bree said:

Eating contests turn my stomach anyway. Just a few clips on the news of people shoveling in hot dogs, pies, etc. grosses me out. So to do a whole reality/game show on this premise is a new low in TV programming. I rarely watch reality, I’m limited to COPS reruns and true-crime shows like The First 48, and anything on Investigation Discovery.

I could suggest the networks need to invest in producing some quality programming that doesn’t rely on petty and shallow people stabbing each other in the back to win money, or these new game shows that focus too much on personal drama and not enough on the actual game. But since most of the programming that drives in big ratings are these bottom of the barrel shows, the networks shouldn’t get all the blame for what’s airing today. They are giving what most of the TV viewers what they want.

posted on June 29th, 2008 at 10:48 am

29 On July 1st, 2008, Rachel2 said:

Oh. My. God. That is absolutely and horrifically disgusting. What the fuck has our culture turned into? Oh. My. God.

The mere sound/sight/smell of somebody doing that is enough to send me gagging. I can’t even write the word, it makes me queasy! And people do this for ENTERTAINMENT?!?!?!!! Bullocks to that. Holy shit, that’s disgusting.

What’s even more disgusting is what somebody pointed out earlier: that this is a time when there are families out there who do not have enough to eat, and all this extra food is being sent for the sake of rapid consumption and regurgitation? YUCK! Ew, ew, ew, ew, EEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!

I am *in* one of those families who could use the food! That’s horrendous. Ew. Ew. Ew. GROSS!

Nope, we don’t have cable. The shows that we *do* watch are on the internet and documentaries. That convinces me more that when I do have kids, there will be no cable television.

posted on July 1st, 2008 at 4:41 pm