Setting People Up to Fail: Bunim-Murray Productions

Nary a season of Real World or Road Rules has gone by without Bunim-Murray Productions sinking pretty low. Sending potential lovebirds Becky, from Real World New York, and cameraman Bill off to Jamaica, knowing the two would probably break the "fourth wall" and hook up, causing Bill to be fired. Casting Puck. Contacting Real World Seattle's Irene by pager and only reminding her to turn in her microphone after her surreal exit and the slap heard 'round Puget Sound. Changing the concept of Road Rules from life-changing road trip to an elimination competition. Casting Puck.

You get the idea.

But as bad as all that was I've never been inclined to give the company that basically birthed reality television a nod into the Hall of Shame until this year. Specifically, for this season of Road Rules, in the South Pacific.

It was bad enough when two years ago Bunim-Murray changed the format of Road Rules to compete with (read: copy) the new crop of competition-based reality shows. Everyone who's ever been young knows what a thrill it is to head across the country with a handful of friends. My first cross-country trip was from Peoria, Illinois, to Las Vegas, Nevada, with three other girls crammed into a champagne-colored Corolla. Never once did we even consider voting someone out of the Toyota, even though as the trip went on we probably would have done it if it was an option. As Campus Crawl’s Shane said himself after completing the competition with the South Pacific cast, it's not about the missions, it's about the people you're with.

Or is it?

Bunim-Murray pulled off a first this year when they picked Donell to be on Road Rules. Donell is the show's first overweight cast member. I think it's great they cast an overweight person on the show. I just think they put him on the wrong show, which is why we’re inducting Bunim-Murray in the Hall of Shame.

From the start, Donell's weight appeared to be the seventh Winnie-Mate. (And that's not counting Chris, Tina, or Jeremy, the revolving replacements this season.) It was obvious Bunim-Murray fell in love with Donell's personality. God knows he had his moments that made for "good television." When he wasn't harassing Abe or openly plotting and talking smack about his fellow cast members toward the end of his days on the Winnie, he was generally an exuberant kid who could even make jokes about his physical condition.

But he knew it was an issue. He tried hard to prove himself on the missions so the group could overlook his weight, but eventually, that got harder and harder to do. He called the trip "fat camp."

Here's where I have an issue with Bunim-Murray. I believe they set Donell up to fail.

I believe Bunim-Murray should pick people who at least have a chance at completing the missions. In at least one case, the ice wall mission where the group failed and sent Cara home, it was obvious Donell was physically incapable of climbing that wall. Donell even knew it himself and lobbied hard for Cara's ouster instead of his own. After she was gone, he knew he was next. Earlier, Bunim-Murray probably tripled their insurance deductible by having Donell jump from the tallest building in New Zealand, even though the guy running the operation wasn't even sure if the line would hold Donell's weight. He said Donell would be a record-breaker. As my good friend Sting7 said, if you're going to cast overweight people, do not put them in a situation where they are doomed to be chastised and humiliated for it. You can't put a blind man in the Indy 500, and you can't ask a mute person to perform on American Idol.

I'm not alone when I say I long for the days when the Road Rules missions weren't as physical and the show focused more on the interaction of the six (or five) rather than the inevitable vote-off. If the show continues to go for "extreme" challenges, then don't set the challenge so high so that not everyone can compete. If Bunim-Murray wants the cast member's personality, put them on The Real World, where physical missions aren't such an issue. Well, except in Vegas, but that was a different kind of physical mission.

Donell knew his weight was a factor and he tried his best. That's why this nomination is for Bunim-Murray, NOT him. He was right at the end of his trip when he said he was proud of himself for accomplishing so much. The last thing he would want is pity.

Bunim-Murray probably felt that casting Donell would break the myth that they only cast "types" and beautiful people. But to literally risk his life as the reward for that casting is far more than the experience of roaming the South Pacific in a Winnie is worth. It is shameful, and Bunim-Murray should be ashamed.

Jennifer Shrader traded in her boyfriend for a dog, who is always happy to see her, is properly housetrained, and doesn't drink all her liquor while she's taking a nap. She and her dog live in the Deep South, where she's a reporter for a community newspaper.

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