Holly, Bridget & Kendra: "The Girls Next Door"

The Girls Next Door is a comedy reality series which premiered in August 2005 on the E! Television network. The supposed “reality” show loosely follows the life of Playboy conglomerate Hugh Hefner, and is based on his three (much younger) blonde and extremely tan girlfriends. Each episode generally concentrates on the events of a typical day at the Playboy mansion, ranging from the preparation for several well-known, annually held costume parties, including Hugh Hefner’s 80th Birthday party along with the infamous “Midsummer Night’s Dream” party; to the girls participating in a celebrity-sponsored golf tournament, or the planning of various pictorials for the magazine. The show allows viewers inside the private gates of the mansion and exposes them to Hefner’s world through the eyes of his current three girlfriends. Each show begins with a paper animation of each girl doing what it is that distinguishes her from the next. For example, Kendra is considered to be the “athletic” one of the three, so in the opening credits she kicks a soccer ball into a net. Prior to Kendra’s clip, Holly is seen cheerleading, and Bridget is seen playing with her dogs and cats.

Between the actual footage of scenes are quick, bubbly interviews in which each of the girls separately offer spunky descriptions of the events which took place at the time of the taping, “walking” the viewer through the incident. Each episode also offers further insight into each girls’ personality, which have all become understood by loyal viewers. For example, Holly, also known as “Hef’s #1” girlfriend, is the only girlfriend to share a bedroom with Hef. She often nags him to plan a marriage (which he is visibly reluctant to hear about) and having a baby. Holly is the “organized” one and enjoys planning parties and events. Bridget is a college student; a Halloween-enthusiast; and is generally thought of as the silliest of the three. Several episodes involve her dogs and cats (which whom she regularly conducts full conversations with). Kendra is the youngest (a mere twenty years old), and is the most outgoing, energetic, and craziest of the girls. Considered more of a “tomboy”, Kendra is known mostly for her swearing, raunchy dancing in her room, and a very limited use of the English language. Each episode features the girls, either together or individually, going about their daily business and doing various tasks in their minuscule and sometimes questionable attire. Taglines introducing different characters and people in the show appear inside pink blocks with floral designs at the edges. Furthermore, the music chosen for the opening theme is “Come on A My House” –an upbeat, catchy tune which immediately becomes cemented into the viewer’s mind. These features ultimately give the viewer an impression of a fun, stress-free, and very “girly” lifestyle.

Analysis

As a whole, the Girls Next Door gives off a bubbly, easy-going, and positive vibe. In between clichéd “hot girl” pillow fights, the girls come across as both oblivious and rather innocent (with the exception of Kendra, who is irritatingly dense…see clip), which is somewhat contradicting, considering their lifestyles and “careers” (If they can in fact be called careers).

Though I have several criticisms of E!’s program (and although I’m somewhat ashamed to admit it), I have found The Girls Next Door to be one of my favorite “guilty pleasures”. From the carefree attitudes of the girls, to mocking product placements in various episodes, to being entertained by stereotypical conversations of young blonde Californians, I always find the program to be light relief from everyday stress. However, while this “light relief” is refreshing and free of stimulating thought, I often become simultaneously outraged by the program and its triviality. While I agree it is a “reality”-based show and loosely documents some truth of their lifestyles, average viewers do not share the same reality as the beautiful and monetarily-comfortable girlfriends of Mr. Hefner. On the surface, the girls have each a distinct personality and separate opinions from one another. But although there is no script, the dialogues of Holly, Bridget, and Kendra are so similar that the three could basically be considered identical. The show covers the attitudes of three California-blonde; tan; wealthy women who are fortunate in their “assets”; women who happen to be girlfriends of the legendary Playboy creator. So, although each girl on the show has a distinguished personality to the viewer, I will make the assumption that each girl in life is likely very similar to the next.

Another main concept of the show is that it is produced to feed into the stereotypical Playboy image: attractive, ditzy, blondes who just want to have fun. While the girls’ actions and comments are lacking in intelligence to begin with, it is almost certain that for the purpose of entertainment producers aim to make the girls appear even more so clueless. The events and issues on the show are all trivial, and the conversations shallow, which may be the easy-going appeal to the everyday viewer. In my opinion, the goal of producers of the show is to aim for easy and instant entertainment which the viewer can chose to either roll their eyes at or to laugh along with the girls.

I know we're all tired of this issue because it exists everywhere in the media, but one more thing to consider on the program is the issue of female body-image. While the voluptuous girlfriends dance around in tiny ensembles, girls as young as 7 or 8 years old sit attached to their TVs idolizing their favorite Girl. Younger girls, and even teenage-girls (which remains a vast part of the targeted audience) aside, even women in their twenties and thirties buy into the Playboy image and begin to wish they could afford lavish lifestyles and various plastic surgeries. In addition, GND memorabilia and products serve the interests of females and males alike –including posters, coffee, mugs, calendars, and T-shirts.

Viewer ratings of the show span from near perfect to mediocre to “abysmal.” Individual opinions aside, the show has been one of the most watched “reality” series on the E! network. The show has been such a success in part because of its appeal to both genders and multiple age groups. For me personally, while the program has served as an amusing deflection from the stress of everyday life, it has likewise been a catalyst for extreme annoyance and outrage as well.

(Finally, I would like to warn that the clip below is likely a huge waste of your time and may drive you to your wit’s end. I caution that you not watch it unless you have absolutely nothing else to do, and even in that case you may regret wasting seven minutes of your life on the following).

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Description:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is an alternative unscripted reality series on Sundays at 8pm, on ABC. EMHE is on its 6th season, which will begin September 28th, 2008. It first aired December 3rd, 2003 and since has kept the rating #1 for it’s 8 o’clock time slot on Sunday evenings. The show's cast consists of Ty Pennington, with designers (who alternate episodes); Paul DiMeo, Paige Hemmis, Michael Moloney, Ed Sanders, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol, John Littlefield, Rib Hillis and Didiayer.


Each episode of EMHE is self-contained and the goal is to demolish the old house, and then completely rebuild a new house in one week from everything to the furnishings and design, to the exterior and landscaping. It involves a team of designers, contractors and several hundred workers and volunteers. All the money to do this comes from their generous sponsors. Some of the key sponsors include: Sears, Kenmore, Craftsman, Disney, Serta, Sony and many more.


The whole point of the show is to help deserving families who live in run-down, un-safe, or un-suitable living environments. Most of the families are in a great deal of hardship either financially or some other type of burden that they need help with. Each family enters with a video or letter, explaining why they would benefit from having EMHE come to them.


The Show:
Each episode begins with the design team on their RV, watching the video of the family they’re going to help. In each video, the families usually introduce themselves, what their problem is and then give a short tour of their house. Once the design team arrives at the location of the house, team leader Ty Pennington takes his now-famous megaphone and does his "Good morning!" wake-up call, to surprise the unsuspecting family with news that their home has been chosen to receive a makeover.


Once the design team has been introduced, along with the family, the family shows them their house and all it’s issues. After that, Ty Pennington tells the family where they’re going on vacation for a week (the families are usually sent to Disney resorts). Once the family is gone, Ty takes out his camcorder and tapes everything. He records the demolition of the house, and the family watches their home being torn down, and viewers are allowed to watch both the demolition and the reaction of the family.


Once building of the house starts, it moves very fast. They construct the actual house in about 4-5 days, and the rest is used for the final touches such as painting, landscaping and furnishing. Throughout this building process, the show takes you to each of the designers, and they explain what their project is. Each designer works on a different room. Most bedrooms have certain themes, which are inspired by the family. In each episode, Ty always has a “secret” project, which viewers aren’t allowed to see until the end. If the family has some sort of disability, the EMHE team always makes the house accessible and suitable to accommodate the family’s needs.


Once the house is built, furnished and landscaped, the family returns in a limo. As they pull up, the home is surrounded by hundreds of people from their community, cheering for them, along with all the volunteers and contractors. The limo always pulls up behind the EMHE RV, so the family can’t see their new house. Once the family comes out and people are greeted again, the family, design team and crowd chant the infamous, “MOVE THAT BUS!” As the bus pulls away, the family reacts to their new, beautiful home.
Ty then invites them to go “check out their new house”. As the family runs in, viewers are given a complete tour of the new home, including before and after shots. After the family has gone through their new house, including the unveiling of Ty’s “secret project”, the family is introduced to the contractors. In each episode, the contractors usually add a gift, usually being a check, or paying off the old house’s mortgage.
Throughout the episode, each design member and family member does little private testimonials, which ads raw emotion to the show and draws viewers in.


Through tears and happiness, the episode wraps up with hugs and goodbyes and final before and after shots and final testimonials of the family, showing their appreciation for EMHE coming to bless them with a home makeover.


Analysis:
One of the key elements of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition would have to be the use of raw human emotions. The use of such strong emotions helps relate the viewers to the people on the show, and it gives views a glimpse of the true goal of the show—which is changing people’s lives.


Aside from sympathetic tendencies of the show, it also uses humor to lighten the mood and keep the audience entertained. Ty Pennington is definitely the ring-leader of the show, and always makes things fun for everybody.


A definite pattern of each episode would have to be the attitude towards the old home. They always make it seem so horrible, so that in the end, the new house looks like a dream. Which it always is.

Sample for Blog Post #1: "How Clean Is Your House?"

Description

“How Clean is Your House” is a BBC America show that follows “cleaning experts” Aggie McKenzie and Kim Woodburn as they rehabilitate a dirty house and its owner(s). All of the episodes of the show follow a set format.

Aggie and Kim are mobile. They are middle aged women, who look and act like someone’s very tidy mother or grandmother. They go to all corners of Great Britain, either at the request of the actual “filth offender” or at the request of someone who is close to them. The opening scenes of each episode show them in transit to the location of the house that they are going to clean, and feature snippets of an interview with the subject(s) of the episode talking about how their house got into the state it is in.

When Aggie and Kim arrive, they go into the house without the occupants being present. As each room is examined, the video is made artificially gray and dingy, accentuating the feeling of squalor, and there is ominous music playing in the background. Kim and Aggie go to each room, with particular focus usually on the kitchen and bathroom, examining and commenting on how filthy the house is. Kim takes particular “delight” in smelling things that look disgusting (e.g. toilets, rotting food in the kitchen, dirty sheets, etc.). Since the viewers are obviously incapable of smelling the contents of the dirty house, we are left to rely on the horrified reactions of Kim and Aggie to tell us that it is disgusting. As Kim often says “Oh – the smell!” Aggie is particularly focused on the presence of bacteria, mold, or insects, and is responsible for pointing out the presence of beetles, and speculating on the dangerous organisms harbored by the house. Both will usually express wonderment that people could actually live in the house, and emerge horrified and angry about the state of the house.

Next, the “filth offender” arrives to a scolding by Kim and Aggie. They point out how horrible their house is, and the reactions range from contrition to denial, depending on the person. Eventually, they are forced to admit that their house is disgusting and filthy, and needs to be cleaned up.

At this point, Kim and Aggie transform from prim and tidy women into down and dirty scrubbers. Of course, they aren’t dirty, though – they literally transform into white coats (reminiscent of lab coats) and fancy rubber gloves. They cordon off the house with yellow tape that looks like police tape, and the cleaning commences.

The “filth offender(s)” are then educated on the importance of cleaning, and the use of common household items to utilize while cleaning. Kim usually takes the offender(s) in hand and shows them how to use olive oil, or lemon juice, or baking soda to clean. She is particularly interested in using natural or unusual household items for cleaning. For example, she might use shaving cream to clean a dirty sink, or toothpaste to clean the door of a refrigerator. At all points, she tries to impress on the homeowners how easy it is.

Meanwhile, Aggie is on a mission of science, documenting bacteria, mold and fungi that are in the house, and sending samples off to the lab. When the results come back, she sits the “filth offender(s)” down to look at pictures of the “nasty little buggers” and to show them graphic pictures of the worst case scenario in terms of the health problems they can cause. Basically, Aggie uses science to scare the homeowner.

After the embarrassment of the opening scene, and the hectoring by Kim and Aggie, the house is finally clean. The homeowner is then shown back into their newly cleaned house, and the viewer sees a series of before and after shots of each room. The contrast between the before and after shots is heightened by lighting and by the use of music. As the filth offender is taken on tour, many exclaim that “this can’t be my house!” They are left with a stern charge to keep the house clean, and then Kim and Aggie promise to return to check on them.

Next shot is “two weeks later,” and Kim and Aggie evaluate the house. Depending on how the “filth offender” is doing, they might be the subject of praise, or perhaps a muttered declaration that the whole thing had been a waste of time. Then Kim and Aggie are off to find more filth to fight!

Analysis

There are a couple of notable patterns in “How Clean is Your House?” that would be interesting to examine more closely.

First, “How Clean is Your House” is part of an emerging genre of reality television shows that you might call “reclamation project” reality television. In the United States, examples include “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover,” “Biggest Loser,” “What Not to Wear,” and “Nanny 911.” In Great Britain, besides “How Clean is Your House?,” examples include “Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares,” and “You Are What You Eat.” In all cases, these shows follow similar narrative formats. They identify an unacceptable condition (a child’s behavior, the weight and health of a person, or the state of a business), embarrass and expose the offender, subject the offender to expert advice and help, and then see whether they can continue the newly learned skill. The sheer number of these shows indicate the importance of the genre. It would be interesting to examine the similarities and differences between shows in the genre.

Secondly, “How Clean is Your House” is an example of a show that originally showed on British television, and is ripe for transformation and adaptation for an American audience. A number of popular television shows in the US today are direct adaptations of BBC television shows. These include “The Office,” “Trading Spaces,” and “Cash in the Attic.” Sometimes, these adaptations are very successful, and others are not. It could be enlightening to examine the similarities and differences between American and British versions of the same show to learn how they have either succeeded or failed in the adaptation.

Third, I’m interested in the use of the rhetoric of science in this show and others like it. “Sending samples off to the lab” is a common feature of this show and the other that often follows it on BBC America, “You Are What You Eat.” The scientific certainty of the test results is used to convince the offenders of the seriousness of the situation. Many other popular television shows also use the certainty of science as a crucial element of their plot. For example, the enormously popular “CSI” television franchise is built around the idea that science is infallible and will inevitably lead to the guilty, while exculpating the innocent. The faith in science that television shows both rely on and build in the audience would be a good topic for future analysis.