Hey, it’s the Rod Blagojevich reality TV show - live from a jungle
By Jimmy Orr | 04.15.09
Would there be a better TV show than plopping Rod Blagojevich in the middle of a jungle and watching him try to find his way out?
Nope.
And if a federal judge gives the impeached ex-governor of Illinois the go-ahead, we’ll get to see it. Bizarre? Yes. A possibility? Maybe.
New show
We originally told you about this last night. NBC is interested in having Blagojevich appear on the new reality TV show ““I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!”
The premise is simple. NBC explains: “Ten celebrities of various backgrounds will be dropped into the heart of the Costa Rican jungle to face challenges designed to test their skills in adapting to the wilderness and to raise money for their favorite charities. Rod Blagojevich will be a participant on the show pending the court’s approval.”
He needs the court’s OK because he’s facing 16 federal charges which could put him behind bars for 300 years. Yesterday, he asked the judge if he could travel, although he didn’t mention the jungle TV show.
Reports are that he could make up to $80,000 per episode and this would help fund his legal team. A judge has not yet ruled on the request.
Reviews
Although it could be hilarious television, early reviews are nearly all bad.
Danny Gallagher at TV Squad hopes the judge says no. “I’m the farthest thing from a legal expert. In fact, I think I’m ranked just behind Judge Wapner’s dog, Skippy. But why should Blagojevich get special treatment, even if the money is going towards his legal defense?” he asks.
The guys at Chattahbox feel the same way, calling it “another really bad idea, where a network desperate for TV ratings sinks to a new low.”
We think David Zuwarik at Z on TV is being sarcastic in his take on the show — and the genre:
“Isn’t reality TV great? Fox is going to make a show out of people getting fired in the recession. Spike TV is going to “hunt” pirates with the U.S. Navy. And now comes disgraced former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich hoping to join the D-list cast of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here. ”
The always funny Andrew Malcolm over at the LA Times has an idea on how to expand the series:
“Every week someone new: Harry Reid selling blond hair dye door-to-door in Japan, Joy Behar going through vow-of-silence training in a Nepalese monastery, Jackie Mason presiding over six-party talks with puzzled North Koreans, Rahm Emanuel in %&*$# vulgarity therapy, Billy Mays giving a sermon, Katie Couric doing a serious political interview, Rep. Ron Paul at a Las Vegas craps table with someone else’s money. You get the idea.”
OpiniPundit says the show is record-breaking, in a sense: “And I didn’t think TV could sink any lower than ‘The Anna Nicole Show’”.
Meanwhile, Kate Ward at Entertainment Weekly likes it.
“I, for one, could not be happier with this news. The guy has zero chance of jumpstarting his political career once again, so why not send him into a jungle with a series of has-beens? Better yet, instead of jail time, why not make Blago stay down in Costa Rica with Z-list celebs for the duration of his pending sentence? I’d say a few days with the Verne Troyers of the world is worse than several years in the penitentiary.”
NBC’s Zach Christman probably sums it up best.
“If the Letterman episode Blago appeared on was any indication, I’m a Celebrity is sure to be a guilty pleasure we won’t be able to turn off.”
Comments
2. Beth | 04.15.09
Hold on a second. The TV show is going to pay him $80,000 per episode? Is Blog’s favorite ‘charity’ his own defense team? Why would I want to support a TV show that is not only reaching a new low in content but is supporting a corrupt government official while he tries to wiggle his way out of his crimes? I don’t care if it is covered with the glossy veneer of “donating to charity” there are better ways to do good in the world than this.
NBC… you disgust me.
4. Josh | 04.15.09
Weasels like Blago should not be rewarded financially because of their celebrity. Boo, NBC!
5. Bill Lynch | 04.15.09
My reaction to a network putting Blago on as a celebrity rather than just a person to be interviewed would be not only to not watch such a show, but to significantly reduce watching that network. I will overlook a lot in network programming, but this is way over the top in shoving it in our face.
6. Hilary Smith | 04.15.09
We blame starving Africans for not rising up against their corrupt leadership but look at what we do. We worship corruption on TV. We’re no better than the Africans, just richer.
7. Megan | 04.21.09
Reality television has continued to spiral out of control. From “The Real World” to “College Life”, television producers will create outrageous plot lines in order to pull in viewers. I believe that reality television has gone one step too far in the creation of the new reality show, “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” It is not bad enough that the cast will include D list actors, but producers have begun to recruit the infamous Rod Blagojevich as their newest cast member. This disgusts me. A man who was found taking money for his own political gains should not be given the opportunity to earn more money during a little stint in the jungle, which is the premise of the television show, to pay his legal defense. Overall, I think that this show will be a major flop and will only give Rod Blagojevich more unearned fame.
8. blagohata | 05.28.09
Rumor has it that Blago is in talks with an LA-based production company to STAR in his own reality series. Check out this leaked clip while it’s still on youtube:
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. Jerry | 04.15.09
I think its a wonderful idea the guy looks like he could not find hims way to the grocery store much less out of a jungle.
Perhaps he could get lost and save the public a trial that will cost many many millions of dollars (we all know the US governement spares no expense to pursue a white collar criminal, they will spend millions just to make a point).
Personally the ex-gov should just ask for a public defender he is not going to beat this rap even if he is not guilty.