The Scoop: Joe Millionaire destined to fail
A good-looking bachelor, 20 single women and a $50 million bank account. You couldn’t special order a better plot for this season’s reality TV hit “Joe Millionaire.”
To have women fighting over a man is one thing. To have them fighting over a man with $50 million is another. And to add a thick layer of icing to the cake, the $50 million doesn’t even exist. It’s all just one big lie told to the female contestants before the show began.
I say what a concept — telling women an elaborate lie to get them interested in dating you. It’s what men have been doing for years, only not broadcasting it on national TV.
Although the message is far from wholesome — women fighting over a man with money — the show is strangely alluring. Sure you’ve got women who want this man, Evan Marriott, a 28-year-old construction worker, only because he’s filthy rich (so they think). But you’ve also got the undercurrent of single, possibly lonely, people grasping for love.
On the other end of the spectrum, Joe Millionaire is searching for a woman who will like him for his personality, not his tax bracket. The underlying tone is that of a bachelor who longs to be accepted for who he really is. And isn’t that what each and every one of us wants?
Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen for Evan. Accepting a person with $50 million is much easier than accepting someone who constantly bums gas money. Truth be told, the show is far from its “reality” classification. A man with a fortune larger than many small countries doesn’t have to dig too deep to find a date.
It’s with that in mind, I think the TV networks would be much better suited to promote what would be a true reality show. I think it should be called “Stan Bankruptcy.”
Instead of a hunky, 6-foot-5 millionaire, 20 women could fight over Stan, a man who is slightly pudgy, middle-aged, and just coming off a divorce. Stan pays child support, sees his kids on the weekends, and is living in an apartment for now. And, as an added bonus, Stan just got unlimited minutes on his cell phone.
That’s hardly a description which would make 20 attractive women flock, but it’s real life America and not some Hollywood fairy tale. A woman who falls for Stan Bankruptcy would genuinely love him for who he is. It wouldn’t be for money or material possessions.
And that’s the most ironic twist to the whole “Joe Millionaire” show. Evan is determined to find the one woman he clicks with — the woman who is interested in him for who he is — yet he’s the one who is telling the biggest lie.
He’s the one pretending to live in a mansion. He’s the one flying women to Paris and handing out pearl necklaces.
He constantly talks about forming a true relationship all the while he has tossed aside the most vital part of any relationship — honesty. After close to five years of marriage (and I would be remiss if I didn’t say five of the best years of my life), I’m a walking testimonial to the importance of honesty and trust. If you don’t have that, your relationship probably can be valued by the money in your check book.
To quote a popular song, Joe Millionaire is “looking for love in all the wrong places.” Odd as it may seem, he would have better luck if he did appear as Stan Bankruptcy — if that’s who he really is.
Somehow, I just can’t see the relationship working once Joe Millionaire has to start a conversation that goes like this: “Honey, about that $50 million ?”
(James Clark is editor of the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191 or by e-mail at [email protected].)