April 14, 2009

In the News: Reality Show to Capitalize on Recession

The recession is apparently providing fodder for Fox TV’s newest reality series, “Someone’s Gotta Go.” Currently in production, the show will feature employees of troubled small businesses who have to decide which of their colleagues to layoff. Instead of letting the boss make the call, the company will open up its books and show everyone’s salary on national TV.

Nothing is sacred anymore in reality TV land it seems, including the fact that the “winner” of this new show will be the one who looses his or her job. The network has said that the winner (err, loser) will get a small severance from Fox, but no one has said whether there will be other benefits for the lucky/unlucky one.

Given the stress surrounding job layoffs in the country, one has to wonder if the scheudenfraude from this particular reality scenario will be so enjoyable after all. Of course, Fox chief of alternative programming says that the network has had “absolutely no trouble” finding companies (and presumably their employees) willing to participate.

Would you like to be a part of show like “Someone’s Got to Go”? What about the more mainstream “American Idol,” “Bachelor” or “The Apprentice”? Discover the secrets of landing a job on one of these programs at JobMonkey’s section on Reality TV casting.

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