America’s Got Talent and the Gong Show!

I couldn’t stand The Gong Show when I was growing up and it was on in syndication, and I’m having an equally hard time staying as faithful to America’s Got Talent as I am to umpteen million other reality TV shows I am utterly hooked on. 

America’s Got Talent, though, is apparently another much-needed show by middle America (get the name similarity, which is dubbed for a reason).       The Gong Show and Star Search hybrid is not as silly, nor is it as savvy (up on and aware of its nature as panning other talent shows) as I would assume.

In fact, yesterday on Reality Remix, they posted the top six episodes of the week (July, 2006) and

America’s Got Talent was Number One, with so many more million viewers than So Think You Can Dance (which took two places) and Rock Star Supernova (which of course took last as there are fewer rockers than bible thumpers in the nation—ugh).Anyway, I first thought America’s Got Talent had a touch of brilliance, which came from producers and writers who INTENTIONALLY created it, KNOWING they were doing a spoof-styled show. Then I thought it had a touch of the clever, at least, offering real money to a performer or performers who is/are truly talented and deserving. 

But the camp, mock, mocking, cruel gonging (buzzing) by the judges, which is not done one buzzer by one celebrity judge but which gets out of hand and sees judege A slamming the buzzers of judge B and judge C, for example…and, therefore, making a mockery of what even the Gong Show and (the often embarrassed and tired to be associated) Chuck Barris didn’t disintegrate to.  That, of course, leads me to the least appealing part of the show, the buzzing and following-up commentary of the judges–who are, yes, simulations of Randy, Paula, and Simon but who have less expertise, it seems and less serious and more scathing criticism, making for a kangaroo court atmosphere more than anything creative and constructive…for most of the contestants.

But then again, I will concede by acknowledging that besides the few contestants who come on who are stunningly talented, the very character or persona of America’s Got Talent, itself, unfortunately, has its own modicum of “talent”, for it knows what America wants and what America is willing to do, the lengths to which they are willing to go:  contestants know they risk humiliation (not only on this show but on many others, of course); and viewers know they not only like this Roman coliseum atmosphere but they thirst for it in the most primal of blood-lusty ways: “Kill him!” can probably be heard as often in the aisles of America’s Got Talent as it is in the biggest fight arenas and as it was in the 200 BC Roman amphitheatre. 

For we are moving at a clip toward the inevitable…toward the same events, experiences and outcomes as the ultimate game show contestant, Ben Richards meets with in the premonitory Running Man, the ultimate and final game show of game shows.

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