From my last post you know that I thought the idea of the show Craft Wars on TLC was pretty ridiculous. And now that I've seen it, its been confirmed: RIDICULOUSNESS!
The reality-show formula of expert panel of judges meets contestants vying for prize, round 1 eliminations, public critiques and ridiculous challenges is still alive and well in Craft Wars. There is nothing new or clever in this show, the challenges are a bit extreme for the time limits and the judges scold contestants with statements akin to, "everyone knows you can't do THAT!" I love crafting because there aren't any rules, boxes or norms--its whatever one can achieve however they achieve it. Hasn't this show boxed in the craft world a bit with such commentary?
Let's not overlook the commercialism in this 'reality' programming. Its a marketing heyday for Michaels Craft Stores under the guise of a competition. You'd never find me on this show! The contestants are puppets exploited in TLC's quest for ratings. The title for the show is awful & ratings are achieved by juvenile interviews, contrived drama and matter-of-fact commentary by the judges in a field which is everything but matter-of-fact. Can we structure a show in a way that might yield true television-worthy moments, candid and meaningful information and real emotions? And must every reality show have a panel of three judges? Is that another hard and fast rule I'm not familiar with?
For a show supposedly all about creativity, Craft Wars isn't very creative at all. A tired reality-show formula and a contrived war premise makes this a flop for me.
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