Reality TV Gone Too Far? (Organ Donor)

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I think this is a sign that we are either getting stupider or human morals have really been lowered or both.

Are you Dutch or American?

No doubt the winner will be some hot bimbo, as realistically the public will vote on the most shallow criteria possible. As someone else posted here, at least the Romans with the gladiators and so on were straightforward and honest about it. I never thought I would come to see the Roman circus as a relatively benign form of entertainment.
These things should be decided on medical criteria alone.

All a hoax apparantly

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6714063.stm

The game show is canceled!

Yes!

All a hoax? That is still sick. Pretending to play around with the lives of people, even if the contestants were aware of the BS story. It can raise awareness of organ donation, but it will backfire, because of the general disgust it has raised.....

Exactly!

It was canceled!

Sorry: I'm not buying this. A much more credible explanation is that the producers suddenly were subjected to international heat, and decided to deny it was ever real.

Typically Dutch.

When did Holland ever cancel something that was much criticized? I feel some anti-holland feeling here. While it's a brilliant action: media from over the whole world where present, al were surprised! Attention over all the world on donor-shortage.
UncleBeer, if this is indeed typically Dutch, I'm very proud of my country.
Of course, in your america this show would never even have been allowed on tele. Your fine all-loving Bush wouldve made a new law, and forbidden this show. Attention would be minimized and so the attention on donor-shortage.
I'm happy I live in a free country where brilliant television is made

Heh: burgerschap van Hirsi Ali.

"Free country" my ass.

About other Dutch game shows, why would Holland add all those unnecessary gimmicks when "Deal or No Deal" was so good at first?

Shock value (= higher ratings = more money), plus a complete lack of scruples.

Speak for yourself. All publicity is good publicity in this case--if even a few people realise (through the stories of the 'contestants') how slim the hope is of getting an organ donation and sign up as donors, it'll be a success. Indeed, even if the show had been genuine, it would still have made the point that receiving new organs is often arbitary normally, through the shortness of supply.

Of course, if it was up to me, everyone would be organ donors by default, with the possibility of opting out. If you have some deep religious conviction against your body being taken to bits after you die, fair enough. But simple laziness isn't an excuse. I've been carrying a donor card for years--if I die tonight, it'll probably be the most positive thing I leave to the world.

Hirsi Ali my ass. Her 'burgerschap' wasn't cancelled by the way. If you were really interested in Hirsi Ali, you'd know that and how unfair it really was that it wasn't cancelled indeed. Apparently you aren't so don't give opinions on things you know absolutely nothing about.
By the way I don't know how you get from 'free country' to Ayaan. Ah, it's the only argument you could find after houres of research on the net? How pathetic.

We're not free? Who wants to forbid shows beforehand? It's people like you isn't it? Americans, living in the most free country in the world (said with as much sarcasm as possible) free to be as dumb and short-sighted as one wants to be (this however said as true as possible).

And you know how much they earned by it? Nothing! Nothing shock value = higher ratings = more money. Only 1,2 million people were watching: not outstanding for a friday-evening. Moreover, they're producing public television (something americans don't have) so they're getting same money anyway, how ever high ratings are.
shock value = more publicity. If shocking your weak hearted ass is nessecary to save lives, so be it.

If you want to know: the program was to get attention for donor-shortage, because their founder, Bart de Graaff, died because there was no kidney-donor for him.

Pug, there was a program on Australian TV, as I mentioned in an earlier post, called "The Greatest Gift", which, instead of the way the Dutch show did, did this: they looked at one person who died already, and looked at the ways that the organs they donated changed the lives of six people. That was done to raise organ donation awareness. Would you not consider that a much gentler, and certainly more altruistic manner of raising such awareness? Whereas the Dutch show implied that lives hung in the balance. And that is where the line must be drawn regarding reality TV.

Wow!

They must think gimmicks appeal so much to people!