I was watching TLC’s Extreme Couponing last week and it gave me anxiety. These shoppers have mastered the art of coupon clipping, but they have taken it to a whole new level of crazy. It was frightening to watch them fill cart after cart (some of them had 9 carts!) with hot dogs, peanuts, power bars, sports drinks, and other really random stuff (calcium pills?) Sure, they would save over 90% with their coupons, but they were bringing home so much junk. 40 bottles of mustard? 120 candy bars? They would then stockpile the items in their garage, under their kids’ bed(!), or in their master bedroom(!), and then go out and do it all again later in the week. Why do you need to stockpile 3 years worth of pasta, toilet paper, and hair conditioner? That’s EXTREME. (And I didn’t even mention the Mom who went dumpster diving for coupons with her kid.)
I really thought I would watch the show and be inspired to start clipping coupons from my Sunday circular again (I used to be good at it, but have slacked because of the time commitment and energy it took) or maybe visit one of the myriad of websites dedicated to coupon deals, but NO. The show was so over the top and overwhelming that it made me want to avoid coupons at all cost. (No pun intended.) It really was EXTREME. (OK, I signed up for Groupon, but that’s it.)
It’s very popular now to have these extreme reality shows on television. Extreme Couponing is a lot like Hoarders. (Some of my Facebook friends referred to Extreme Couponing as Food Hoarders.) I wrote about Hoarders two years ago when it first premiered and it is fascinating. These people are EXTREME. Every room in their house is stuffed from floor to ceiling with piles of crap. They can not find their bed under the layers of unopened shopping bags and discarded food. Yes, food. Some of the people had serious mold issues and one lady finally “found” her cat. I thought the show would make me want to reorganize all my closets, but it was just horrifying and sad.
Also, can I find one reality family show that features a mom, a dad, and their 2 kids?? No. They either have 6 kids or 8 kids or 19 kids and then there’s the polygamist with 4 wives. I guess my family of four is just not interesting enough. It’s not EXTREME.
The Granddaddy of all extreme shows was Extreme Makeover. Contestants would come on the show to change their entire face with plastic surgery so they could be happy. What’s wrong with that? I mean, it’s all about the outside not the inside, right? Ugh. That show morphed into Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, which is so much better. This show has a sweet premise. Families who have personal tragedy write in and the team comes to build them a brand new home. They tear down the small dilapidated house you once lived in and give you a gigantic mansion filled with top of the line appliances, electronics, and dreamlike bedrooms. I always wonder what their poor neighbors think. This show lives for that before-after WOW moment when the home is finally revealed. It’s so over the top and EXTREME.
I still love reality shows. I watch them all the time. I always check out the brand new ones and give them at least a one episode try. Even these “extreme” ones. I wonder when they’ll do a show about me? How about Extreme Reality TV Show Watchers? (Although, I only have 2 television sets and I do LEAVE my house from time to time, so I guess I wouldn’t be EXTREME enough. Oh, well.)
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