Thursday, May 28, 2009

Reality TV in Costa Rica Say it isn't SO

'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here is in Costa Rica. Yeah, really, Get Them Out of HERE!'

Haven’t heard? Costa Rica is playing host to a Reality Show called, ‘I’m a Celebrity, get me out of HERE!’ If I’m not mistaken I believe it’s being filmed in the Sarapiquí region of Costa Rica.

I’m thinking I’ll be accused of nitpicking, but I’m sorry, I can’t help it. Something is just ‘wrong’ with a ‘reality show’ being filmed here and I’m not sure I can put it into words but I’ll try.

First, some of the so-called celebrities of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here: Janice Dickinson, Heidi Montag, Spencer Pratt, John Salley, Duane Chapman, Patti Blagojevich, Torrie Wilson, Sanjaya Malakar, Stephen Baldwin and Lou Diamond Phillips. *Sorry, but not providing any links, so if you’re not sure who some of these people are, I’ll let you research them yourselves, although in my opinion it's not worth your time.

Before getting into this I should note: Celebrity doesn’t mean anything to me and hasn’t for years. I do happen to know who these people are and could walk right past any of them and not give a second glance... and in the case of Stephen Baldwin, I did at an Evander Holyfield/Riddick Bowe fight in Vegas, and THEN he WAS a celebrity. I may appreciate their ‘talents’ but I’m not a, “Can I have your autograph?’ type of guy. Now, if Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Hermann Hesse, Erich Fromm, Ayn Rand, George Bernard Shaw, Dostoyevsky and Oscar Wilde, were competing, I would turn into a screeching, sobbing little–girl who's happy to even catch a glimpse of Justin Timerlake and 'NSync. Also, for those of you who may follow this blog, you know my family and I participated in a reality show, ‘Under One Roof’ and believe me, there is NOTHING REAL about a reality show- a total oxymoron… just sayin. Winning was cool though.

I don’t claim to know who makes the decision to give the go-ahead to film a reality show here, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t the same person(s) who would give the go-ahead to build a ka-zillion dollar condo project in Manuel Antonio SMACK in the middle of the corridor where the mono-titi monkey’s live.

To me, this Reality Show is a perfect example of Costa Rica selling itself OUT and trivializing the very thing that made the country attractive in the first place- its BEAUTIFUL innocence. Costa Rica can NEVER be described as a ‘hidden gem’ anymore, those days are GONE. This gem has been dug-up, brushed off, polished, re-polished and put in the display case (prices vary... depending). Once a diamond in the rough - NOW reduced to pimped-out BLING. Costa Rica has turned itself into a commodity, SOLD to the highest bidder piece by piece- and there doesn’t seem to be anything here that can’t be bought, regardless of consequences. Know this- you ARE over exposing yourself.

Nothing is sacred anymore, not the rainforest, the mono-titi, turtles, sharks, places like Tamarindo, Papagayo, Manuel Antonio, Jacó, the entire country is turning into ONE BIG Souvenir Shop.

I realize many of you think I’m making a big deal out of nothing…. after all, it’s only a Reality Show. That’s just it, a reality show- a stupid, meaningless bit of entertainment, with Pura Vida as its backdrop. This is Las Vegas material, hell, go to New York City, London, Cancun, Aruba, places where this almost makes sense. Why here?

I just wanna say to whoever made this happen, “F-YOU” I’d love to do the reality show of YOU sitting around the boardroom thinking up even more ways to EXPLOIT Costa Rica for your own gain. And there IS gain somewhere… at the expense of COSTA RICA, the country. Oh, and please don’t tell me the very lame, “We’re just showing the outside world how beautiful Costa Rica is- this Reality Show is for the good of Costa Ricans everywhere.” PLEEASSSSSSSSSSSSSE.

I have an idea for a reality show. Let’s use the same ‘celebrities’ and see who can train a margay or ocelot to use a kitty litter box first. WHAT… you think that’s STUPID? Dog the Bounty Hunter stalking a Costa Rican margay and eating turtle eggs to survive… now that’s fuckin ENTERTAINMENT.

Dear I'm a Celebrity- Get Me Out of Here, Watch this and see if you can catch the HINT.


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