Fairmont Toastmasters Club

[Angie Pocock]

When it comes to television, I must admit, I watch a lot of it. Summers are always a difficult time when the sit-coms come to an end, and I’m left watching re-runs. In the past few years however, the popularity of a typical sit-com has been replaced by the phenomenon of Reality Television.

We’ve been exposed to infamous shows such as Survivor, Fear Factor and The Bachelor. I’ve seen my share of tribal counsels, eliminations and rose ceremonies and I agree there is limited value in most of them. I am pretty critical about the types of shows on TV, but believe it or not, there are actually some reality shows worth watching.

From people in this very room, I have heard a lot of positive feedback about a certain show called The Amazing Race. This is a show where teams of two, travel around the world, performing various tasks to compete for a million dollar grand prize. I think one of the reasons people enjoy watching this show so much is because of the travel component. Who wouldn’t want to travel around the world with a loved one, experiencing spectacular scenery and culture, with the chance to win a million dollars?

The tasks to be completed by the teams are also very entertaining to watch. Not just bungee jumping, sky diving or hang gliding. Teams are often required to do things like herd sheep, park a double-decker bus, ride an elephant, or search through channels of rivers and lakes looking for clues. In the last series, there was even a head shaving ritual.

What I find the most entertaining about the Amazing Race is watching the relationships unfold. There are teams are friends, siblings, parents and children, couples who have been married for years, couples who are engaged, and even couples who have that on-again off-again relationship. All the couples are put to the test under the most extreme pressure situations. It is true reality when you see how they react to each other’s actions and choices.

There is another reality TV show I feel is worth watching. This one has an education element to it. Has anyone ever seen “Super Nanny?” I find this to be an absolutely wonderful show. A British Nanny named Joe Frost, spends a few days in a family’s home. The first day she simply observes and takes notes. And some of the things these children get away with is shocking. Children who are in complete control – they hit their parents and siblings, demand certain foods and snacks and not to mention the temper tantrums at bedtime.

After spending the day observing the family dynamics, Super Nanny implements her rules. This show isn’t just for parents with unruly children. The advice and techniques Super Nanny provides can be beneficial to anyone who interacts with children. What I’ve learnt from the Super Nancy is the first step to raising children is to give them a routine. It’s important to divide the day up with play time, meal times, and the most challenging is bedtime.

The other thing I’ve learnt from Super Nanny is how important it is to communicate. They way in which adults communicate with children, is significant in getting your point across. When disciplining a child, Super Nanny advises the adult to get down to the child’s level. Make eye contact with them and make them apologize. When all else fails, send them to the “naughty spot”. This is a designated area in the home where a child is sent after only one warning. Super Nanny’s rule is to make the child stay there for a minute for each year of age. It’s amazing how successful the techniques can be when the parents are persistent and dedicated to putting them in place.

The third reality TV show I’d like to mention is by far the most heartwarming of all. It’s called Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. If anyone has not seen this show, I highly recommend it. Even if you don’t watch reality TV, or TV in general, this show will bring you tears of joy. It is a true testament of human kindness. The show stars Ty Pennington as Team Leader and his design team ranging from Interior & Exterior Design, Construction, Landscaping and Big Ideas.

The design team shows up at the family’s house unexpected, and early in the morning. Ty gets on his famous bullhorn to wake up the neighbourhood and tells the family they’re going on vacation and when they come back, their home will be transformed. While on vacation, Ty usually sends the family mysterious and vague clues about what’s going on back home. Demolition is always the most shocking for families. They’re sitting by the pool, enjoying a Mai Tai, when they’re given a small video screen showing bulldozers tearing down there house.

The heartwarming part is all about the families who’s home they choose to renovate. The families have usually suffered from a horrible experience, or struggle with some extremely difficult challenges. Whether it’s the loss of a parent, the loss of their home, or an illness that keeps a child from going outside. The makeover always benefits the family in ways never thought imaginable.

They also choose families who are deserving because of the wonderful things they have done for others in their community. A single father of three, for example, who adopted his son’s twin friends, when they had no where to go but separate group homes. This is a family whose kindness and generosity was rewarded with a new life.

Another episodes that sticks out in my mind was the family with 8 children. 7 girls and only one boy. They lost both their parents and were left with a house that was too small and a mortgage that was too big. The design team actually made a bathroom with 7 sinks in it for all the girls. The highlight at the end was when the children were told their mortgage was paid off.

Probably the most powerful episode I’ve seen was a family of four. The mother was deaf, the father was blind, the youngest son was also blind as well as autistic. Leaving the eldest son to keep the family together. The struggles this family faced were extreme, and an extreme makeover was just what they needed to make their home function better for them.

I always start to tear up when the family comes home to a street filled with cheering neighbours. They get out of the limo and they can’t see their house because the big tour bus is in the way. It’s not until Ty gets on his bullhorn and shorts, “bus driver, move that bus!”, do the families see their new home for the first time. It’s in that moment when you see the reaction on the family’s faces, you find yourself hooked on this show.

So next time your channel surfing and you come across one of these Reality TV shows, I would suggest checking them out. You are guaranteed to be entertained, educated, or truly moved.

Thank you.