The Big Give
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Senior Member
Joined: 08-20-2006
Posts: 21,640
From: Hillsdale, Michigan
The Big Give
So did anyone catch Oprah's new show "The Big Give". This show kind of irritated me and the thought of judging who is a better giver. Here is the premise of the show:
Oprah meets the ten contestants and hands each an envelope with only the name and picture of a stranger whose lives they must change. Each contestant must use resources awarded to them to drastically improve the life of their assigned person within five days, forcing them to deal with the stress of it all by using ultimate strategy and creativity. At the end of the episode, one contestant is eliminated from the competition.
They were split up into 5 groups of 2. This one team's task was helping a Lady who works with mentally disabled kids (including one of her own). They were given $2,500 and told to go help her out. They quickly get to know her and what her needs are. She tells them that they are in drastic need of new musical equipment and a location that they can have meetings at.
They are able to raise money, get $5,000 of musical equipment, and secure her a location for 6 years. One of the judges (Jamie Oliver aka The Naked Chef) then asks what was the total amount raised and they respond $43,000. He makes some kind of comment that he thinks they could have done better
So is the purpose of the show only to find out who is the better fund raiser?
Oprah meets the ten contestants and hands each an envelope with only the name and picture of a stranger whose lives they must change. Each contestant must use resources awarded to them to drastically improve the life of their assigned person within five days, forcing them to deal with the stress of it all by using ultimate strategy and creativity. At the end of the episode, one contestant is eliminated from the competition.
They were split up into 5 groups of 2. This one team's task was helping a Lady who works with mentally disabled kids (including one of her own). They were given $2,500 and told to go help her out. They quickly get to know her and what her needs are. She tells them that they are in drastic need of new musical equipment and a location that they can have meetings at.
They are able to raise money, get $5,000 of musical equipment, and secure her a location for 6 years. One of the judges (Jamie Oliver aka The Naked Chef) then asks what was the total amount raised and they respond $43,000. He makes some kind of comment that he thinks they could have done better
So is the purpose of the show only to find out who is the better fund raiser?
Last edited by HillsdaleHHR; Mar 3, 2008 at 10:46 AM.
Senior Member
Joined: 09-18-2006
Posts: 215
From: Anaheim
actually, they were only given $2500 in resources, and in many cases it seemed like the people with better contacts got the most fundage for their person. I agree that the judge who asked if they could do better was a dimwit. They accomplished their goal in a fashion that meant more than money.
Also, I thought it silly that they were driving expeditions! What happened to going green, should of been escape hybrids or something :-) (since they had to be Fords)
Also, I thought it silly that they were driving expeditions! What happened to going green, should of been escape hybrids or something :-) (since they had to be Fords)
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 08-20-2006
Posts: 21,640
From: Hillsdale, Michigan
Oops, my typo 
Exactly. What they did for this lady was amazing and you could tell how much it affected her and her family.
Exactly. What they did for this lady was amazing and you could tell how much it affected her and her family.
Senior Member
Joined: 01-01-2008
Posts: 991
From: Windsor, Ca
I guess the bottom line is this:
the lady who helped those kids got something. whether or not the judges think it was enough, is irrelevant, to me...somebody got something, and that is better than nothing.
having a competition to see who is the biggest 'giver' is pointless...but if the real winners are the receivers, then its fine by me.
I dont care who, what, when, where, why and how...as long as they get help...
chef, pro athlete, celebrities spouse...judges? In a contest of charity?
Meh!
when the show is over, and the final episode has aired, all I want to see is that someone who needed help, got help. If it betters Oprah's ego, career, and fan-base, so be it...who am I to judge?
the lady who helped those kids got something. whether or not the judges think it was enough, is irrelevant, to me...somebody got something, and that is better than nothing.
having a competition to see who is the biggest 'giver' is pointless...but if the real winners are the receivers, then its fine by me.
I dont care who, what, when, where, why and how...as long as they get help...
chef, pro athlete, celebrities spouse...judges? In a contest of charity?
Meh!
when the show is over, and the final episode has aired, all I want to see is that someone who needed help, got help. If it betters Oprah's ego, career, and fan-base, so be it...who am I to judge?
Senior Member
Joined: 07-21-2006
Posts: 1,708
From: Ft Walton Bch FL
What's sad is that these people can't get help by going through the proper channels. Why can't a military member and his family find affordable housing? Why should a widow lose her house because she lost her husband? I know people need to learn to help themselves but sometimes no one gives them a chance.
I thought it was ruthless to kick off the lady in the wheelchair on the first night. Do you think the ALCU will sue and use the "Americans With Disabilities Act" as their defense?
I thought it was ruthless to kick off the lady in the wheelchair on the first night. Do you think the ALCU will sue and use the "Americans With Disabilities Act" as their defense?
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 08-20-2006
Posts: 21,640
From: Hillsdale, Michigan
Member
Joined: 02-21-2008
Posts: 39
From: Avon
So did anyone catch Oprah's new show "The Big Give". This show kind of irritated me and the thought of judging who is a better giver. Here is the premise of the show:
Oprah meets the ten contestants and hands each an envelope with only the name and picture of a stranger whose lives they must change. Each contestant must use resources awarded to them to drastically improve the life of their assigned person within five days, forcing them to deal with the stress of it all by using ultimate strategy and creativity. At the end of the episode, one contestant is eliminated from the competition.
They were split up into 5 groups of 2. This one team's task was helping a Lady who works with mentally disabled kids (including one of her own). They were given $2,500 and told to go help her out. They quickly get to know her and what her needs are. She tells them that they are in drastic need of new musical equipment and a location that they can have meetings at.
They are able to raise money, get $5,000 of musical equipment, and secure her a location for 6 years. One of the judges (Jamie Oliver aka The Naked Chef) then asks what was the total amount raised and they respond $43,000. He makes some kind of comment that he thinks they could have done better So is the purpose of the show only to find out who is the better fund raiser?
Oprah meets the ten contestants and hands each an envelope with only the name and picture of a stranger whose lives they must change. Each contestant must use resources awarded to them to drastically improve the life of their assigned person within five days, forcing them to deal with the stress of it all by using ultimate strategy and creativity. At the end of the episode, one contestant is eliminated from the competition.
They were split up into 5 groups of 2. This one team's task was helping a Lady who works with mentally disabled kids (including one of her own). They were given $2,500 and told to go help her out. They quickly get to know her and what her needs are. She tells them that they are in drastic need of new musical equipment and a location that they can have meetings at.
They are able to raise money, get $5,000 of musical equipment, and secure her a location for 6 years. One of the judges (Jamie Oliver aka The Naked Chef) then asks what was the total amount raised and they respond $43,000. He makes some kind of comment that he thinks they could have done better
So is the purpose of the show only to find out who is the better fund raiser?In the meantime, all these other folks are being helped in some way shape or form.
Anyways, that's what I think is going on.
Senior Member
Joined: 09-11-2007
Posts: 1,379
From: Palm Bay, Florida
"Reality" TV is a waste of my time. The hype around survivor with hokey challenges while camera men follow the contestants around as the "Biggest Loser" and other shows, show contrived conflicts and tasks to be completed. Oprah takes too much credit for whatever happens on her show, like the Pontiac givaway, which was a marketing ploy by GM, not any Oprah givaway.
Oprah should be donating more of her billions to help others rather than just get corporate sponsors to fund her TV personna.
Oprah should be donating more of her billions to help others rather than just get corporate sponsors to fund her TV personna.
Senior Member
Joined: 07-26-2006
Posts: 903
From: Soon to be Longview, Texas
I did, with an interesting side note ...
Seems their "beauty queen," Brandi Malloy, is someone my wife's fairly familiar with: they went to high school together at Buena High in Sierra Vista, AZ.
Don't let Brandi's "pageant queen" title fool you. Yes, she competed in the Miss America system. No, she was not Miss Arizona (she was Miss Sierra Vista, nothing more).
Oh, and she's a plant. She's a HARPO employee.
Seems their "beauty queen," Brandi Malloy, is someone my wife's fairly familiar with: they went to high school together at Buena High in Sierra Vista, AZ.
Don't let Brandi's "pageant queen" title fool you. Yes, she competed in the Miss America system. No, she was not Miss Arizona (she was Miss Sierra Vista, nothing more).
Oh, and she's a plant. She's a HARPO employee.