“ Whereas I have possibly missed a very popular TV show, you have missed a turning point in German pop culture (and no, David Hasselhoff wasn't involved). ”
I'll bet few of you have seen the German version of Big Brother (also called, helpfully enough, Big Brother) but I've never seen Survivor. So I guess we're even. But whereas I have possibly missed a very popular TV show, you have missed a turning point in German pop culture (and no, David Hasselhoff wasn't involved. In fact, to answer the question everyone asks me about German TV, he isn't even popular there anymore.) Even though Big Brother has not exactly been a ratings hit in the U.S. of A., it was not only a hit in Germany, it was a cultural phenomenon. Being the naïve fan that I was, I believed that it would be the same in the U.S. As I got excited emails from my friends in the States about who Richard had screwed over this week, I kept telling them, "Just wait for Big Brother. If you think Survivor is big, Big Brother is going to be huge..." I admit it. I was wrong.
But before I talk about the differences between the two shows, I should impress upon you what a hit this show was in Germany. A few examples: As of August, not one, not two, but three singles released by cast members had already become hits (including "Ich vermisse dich wie die Hoelle" -- literally "I miss you like hell," also figuratively "I miss you like hell" since that's also not an expression in German either). The night before the final vote, one of the major Berlin daily papers had an editorial that didn't decry the dullness of the show, or bemoan the fact that the show was a metaphor for the ways in which Germany was becoming a police state. No, this editorial was an impassioned plea to readers imploring them not to vote for Juergen (who was a big faker) but rather to cast their votes for John (who seemed kindof sweet, if totally incomprehensible because he spoke with a heavy Berlin accent). Nary a day goes by without several stories in the papers and on TV about former cast members -- one of whom is all set to marry a multi-millionaire who saw her on the show and fell in love. Sure, in the States you will hear things about various Survivor castmates, but we have other celebrities. For the Germans...well, for the Germans, this is just about it.
Why was it that Germans fell in love with this show, and Americans can't be bothered to watch it for more than five minutes? A few theories:
1. The German cast was more attractive. Well, no. The biggest "sex symbols" to come out of the show were Alex -- a pockmarked, out of shape guy who seemed incapable of stringing together enough words to form a sentence that he could mumble -- and Sabrina -- a bottle-blond with major roots and rolls of fat which she constantly displayed in various eye-catching outfits.