So far, the ending has been weak! I thought this was the first network for men.... Not Lifetime!!! Ugh!
'Joe Schmo' himself wasn't embarrassed by 'reality' show By MIKE McDANIEL Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle I wish I could say with confidence that the reason Joe Millionaire has lost his mojo, dropping from an average 23 million viewers last winter to 6 million this fall, is because America has decided there's something wrong with a show built around deception. But who am I kidding, right? On the final episode of Spike TV's The Joe Schmo Show, Matt Kennedy Gould holds a giant check for $100,000, just part of the prizes he won. The Joe Schmo Show was a relative hit for Spike TV, consistently drawing more than 1 million viewers a week, three-fourths of those from the idolized 18-49 demographic. And guess what else? Mr. Schmo himself, Matt Kennedy Gould, couldn't care less that he was deceived. "I watched the show and loved every minute of it," he told the Chronicle on Tuesday, hours before the show's finale was to air. "Yeah, I do (feel like the dupe), but you know how it is for the guys who get roasted? That's how I feel, like I'm in on the thing." The Joe Schmo Show, for those who missed it, was a reality series in which only one of the participants was real: Gould. The others were actors playing such roles as the obnoxious host, the gay guy, the vixen, the virgin, the witch, the vain guy and the jerk. While Gould, aka Mr. Schmo, was playing for a $100,000 payoff in the contestant-elimination game, the others were simply playing with him. "I knew I was on the weirdest show in America," said Gould, a 28-year-old law-school dropout from Pittsburgh. "I didn't know what was real or what wasn't. I certainly didn't know I was the center of the show." Nothing tipped him off, singularly or collectively, that he was in a version of The Truman Show -- as Truman. Not the immunity cloak lovingly labeled the "pimp robe." ("If you were in it, it was quite funky and nasty," said Gould.) Not the plate ceremony (in which an eliminated contestant was evicted by throwing a plate carrying his image into a fireplace, the host uttering, "You are dead to us."). Not even the time the host wore a bee costume for the "Money Money, Money Honey" game ("a classic moment in TV history," said Gould). Gould wasn't tipped off even when faced with eating a plate of dog feces. "I didn't believe it wasn't real, but I was also, `What reality show is going to put real dog feces down?' Every time something was weird, I'd think, `That's odd.' But from early on in the interview process, we were told not to ask a lot of questions and I kept that up." Besides, Gould said Tuesday, it wasn't real dog feces, although "it was sprayed with a dog-spray smell." He said he was told while interviewing to be on the show that the fewer questions asked, the better, so he played along. "I wanted to be on the show," he said. "I had just dropped out of law school (and was delivering pizzas for a living). I really had nothing better to do. They were paying me $10,000 to be what I already am, a ham. I couldn't pass it up." Was he ever dishonest himself on the show? "You know, that's one thing I watched and I'm going to have to say no. Every time I told someone I would or wouldn't vote for you or about my personal life, I wasn't dishonest at all." For his troubles, Gould won every prize "awarded" to the actors throughout the series: a trip to a Nevada spa, a trip to Tahiti, a flat-screen TV, plus the grand prize of $100,000. He also hinted that the show could lead to future TV work. So Gould won big and never felt like a schmo. The schmo, I guess, was me and the one or two others who thought this type of game wasn't funny. "From conceptualization to realization, this wouldn't be possible without other reality shows," Gould said. "I just think this was such a good twist on them."
I got home just in time for the repeat. I thought it was great myself. I loved it when The Hutch won. Especially when Dr. Pat said it was because of her 3 orgasm's. Classic!! Matt had to have been so confused at that point. It was weird listening to Hutch talk out of character. He was such a good jackass. I'm just sorry the show is over. I was addicted.
I really hope there is a new season next year. It may be harder to trick contestants, but with the revenue they probably got from this they'll probably consider it strongly.
Damn straight. Did you hear what "Molly" was saying about him after the show? He could probably hit it if he still wants to. I hope he does. It would mean that dorks like us actually have a chance.
Hey guys, I'm in about the same shape as Matt. Pick me up for a basketball game or something, and if I get on a fake reality show and when I'll split it with you!
i was pleased. i was convinced he was an actor, and for the most part, glad he wasn't (part of me wanted the joke to be on me). that guy was as good of a sport as a person can be in that situation. he deserves whatever success comes to him as a result of the show. Between that and Da Ali G show, it's been a great year for innovative TV in my opinion. two of the greatest shows of all time.
Thank god is over. If I saw that commercial where the guy says "What... is going... on?!?!" again, I would have puked.
Every time they showed the dog feces it cracked me up. I also liked the way matt talked, it sounded like he was always drunk.
