Reality TV in Sweden

I want to preface this post with a couple of points.

1. This is more of a cultural exploration. If you're not into that, come back for the next post in a few days. The next one should be about verbs.

2. No matter how far off track I seem to go, I will come back to something (probably) useful.


Now on to the good stuff.

I'm an American, (calm down, there's more) and as such, I like to brag. I think we all do, to some degree. We like to boast about the things we've accomplished. We got the first flight. We made it to the moon first, though, not the first to space. One thing we didn't do first, was reality tv. No, ladies and gentleman, we have the Dutch to thank for that. At least, that's what wikipedia says.

However, a year after the Dutch show Nummer 28 aired, Americans took the idea, and we made it our own. This has in no way improved any part of American culture.

I was 8 years old when I had my first encounter with reality tv. It was 1992, and I was watching MTV. You know, back when they played music videos. I was waiting for that song by Ugly Kid Joe that I liked, when instead I was treated to this. The Real World. I didn't know it then, but we would soon be treated to Road Rules, Joe Millionaire, The Bachelor, Survivor, and a whole bunch of stuff we got from the U.K.

My 8 year old brain couldn't comprehend it. Why would anyone want to watch complete strangers make fools of themselves on national tv? 22 years later, I still don't get it.

So jump ahead to a few years ago, to the first time I wanted to learn Swedish. I was working the night shift at a hotel, so there was plenty of down time to watch youtube, and I came across something that caught my interest right away. Sweden, it seemed, had its own reality show. It was like Survivor had gone to Sweden. And the kicker: The contestants were Americans.





Allt för Sverige takes a group of Americans with ties to Sweden, and makes them compete against each other for the chance to meet their long lost relatives. Of course, I watched all eight episodes, cheering for the guy from Kentucky the whole time. I like to think of it as local pride.

I finished the show with the feeling that I had caught some special glimpse into Swedish culture. And then, in true starter fashion, I started something else.

Jump ahead again, to just recently. I was searching youtube for more videos in Swedish, when I came across three more seasons of Allt för Sverige. I wasted no time in getting into season 2, but as I watched I noticed one strange thing. Everyone was crying. Everyone. For no real reason.

*Dramatization* The group is walking along when one person stops and points. "Look, a house. My morfar lived in a house." And everyone starts crying.

It took a little time to figure it out, but it came to me. The reason everyone was crying, was because they were all Americans. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Americans sit around crying all the time. But we've been doing this reality tv thing for over twenty years. Put us in front of a camera and we can make it dramatic, or at least pretty uncomfortable.

Again, it's not one of those things we want to brag about, but turn on any reality show and you'll see it. Our reality stars will break down in tears for any reason. Friendships (none of them real) are made and broken in the span of a single episode. And if you add alcohol, sex and fist fights will follow.

So I have to wonder, do the Swedes go nuts for this stuff like Americans do? Did the producers of the show know what they were in for when they chose Americans? Was it on purpose? By season two, they must have known. Did they intentionally pick people who were capable of crying any time the camera turned on?

I think the answer to some of these questions is 'yes'. I think it was on purpose, and I think they knew exactly what they were getting. Why? Because Norway did it first.

Of course, none of this will stop me from watching. I love this show. I love the footage of the Swedish country side. I love getting little bits of culture I was previously unaware of. I don't love the Americans, though. I can see them any time I turn on my tv.


Now here is your chance to chime in. Are you familiar with Allt för Sverige? Do you want to voice your opinion about it? Do you think I've got it completely wrong? Let me know in the comments, or email me at tillswedish[at]gmail[dot]com.