Proposed Idea For A Reality Show
Title: "Heart Transplant" (or, possibly, "Boning for Marrow")
Cast: A handsome man of stunning athleticism and below-average intellect, age 29ish; a dozen or so physically attractive but culturally unaware women aged 25-31
Logline: One lucky bachelor searches for true love in a flock of beautiful women, but there's more to these ladies than meets the eye.
Synopsis: The show would follow a pretty typical format for arena-dating programs: group dates, one-on-one time, quizzes about a woman's favorite puppy, etc. But the twist is that each of these women has a terminal illness, a fact that isn't revealed to the bachelor in question until he makes his final choice, eliminating all but the tanned and vapid creature with whom he plans to carve out a short-term relationship based on sex and shared interest in wine. The woman who wins will receive money for medical care and treatment of her disease, while the rest of the women will have to make do on insurance or whatever. At the end of the series, the 11 losers will be arranged before the bachelor, who will then have to apologize to each one for unwillingly condemning them to possibly dying sooner than they'd have liked. The host, an affable Ralph Garman type, will intro the women with something like, "You all remember Jenny, who as it turns out as cystic fibrosis." The bachelor's complicity in the dark fate of the women would eventually lead to his own depression, making for a sad follow-up/reunion show in which it is revealed that he and the winning bachelorette wed five months after the show but divorced a year later.
So, NBC, I'm ready when you are.
Comments: 10
Oh, and I thought of some other possible show titles. How about: Cancer Cupid? Lymphoma is for Lovers? Terminal Trysts?
Or, the networks go through painstaking time and research to find women who all need different organs (Kidneys, hearts, liver, etc) or perhaps skin grafts, but all women of the same blood type and that have tested to be a match with the Bachelor. At the end of the season, it is revealed to him that he will be "forcibly donating" his organs to all these girls in payment for his abhorrent actions such as shallowly dwindling as you described. Oh, the ratings...
WOW!
That is dark.
Brilliant.
I used to work in reality TV, and part of my job was taking pitches. I heard a lot of variations on the "terminal disease olympics" theme over the years, but this is a new one. A terminal disease dating show. Brilliant! I usually just got pitched the "who wants a kidney?" type.
I like Kevin's twist as well.
This may be why you brought it up, but did you see this Dutch "who wants a kidney" hoax? Link to duped BBC report: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6699847.stm
Here's another twist on the bald theme.
She's introduced as a beautiful bald woman from the start. He's led to believe she has cancer and is getting chemotherapy. Which woman does he want to win the show and get the bucks for her treaments? In reality, she has alopecia areata which is not at all life-threatening and she's in the best of health. How does he handle it when he finds out she's bald forever. Healthy but bald.
Here's another twist on the bald theme.
She's introduced as a beautiful bald woman from the start. He's led to believe she has cancer and is getting chemotherapy. Which woman does he want to win the show and get the bucks for her treaments? In reality, she has alopecia areata which is not at all life-threatening and she's in the best of health. How does he handle it when he finds out she's bald forever. Healthy but bald.
Here's another twist on the bald theme.
She's introduced as a beautiful bald woman from the start. He's led to believe she has cancer and is getting chemotherapy. Which woman does he want to win the show and get the bucks for her treatments? In reality, she has alopecia areata which is not at all life-threatening and she's in the best of health. How does he handle it when he finds out she's bald forever. Healthy but bald.
Boning for Marrow! Ha! But also, aw. During the show you've described I think we'd witness many screaming/hairpulling/crying/moral superiority matches between the contestants about which woman has the worst disease & is suffering the most. In fact, I imagine things would get pretty violent in order to avoid 'whatever', instead actual medical care and treatment.
Jun 26, 2007 6:15 PM