TV has definitely hit a nadir with Joe Millionaire. That said, I watched it last night. It’s my duty to you, after all.
In this “little $50 million lie” that has 20 women competing for the heart of an average construction worker (who really is anything but average, but then again the truly “average” construction worker on a show like this wouldn’t exactly be compelling TV… or would it?) that has recently come into a large fortune. Of course, this is FOX and Evan ain’t no millionaire. Not in the least. The question above this one-time-only type of show is: will the woman that Evan falls for stay with him when he confesses that he only makes $19,000 a year?
But what’s interesting about this show isn’t seeing which women are “real” and which are simply golddiggers (that all became painfully obvious on the first episode), or even what the women will do in this competition for Evan’s affection. What’s most worth watching is Evan (that sexy thang!) and how he eventually realizes that his deception could very well stand between him and the women he actually falls in love with. He grapples with the reality of starting a relationship with a gigantic lie in front of a national audience. And more importantly, he almost falls off his horse because he’s never ridden one before. That was priceless.
The first show wasn’t terribly compelling due mainly to low production values (which I didn’t think possible in a gorgeous chateau on a French island) and some painfully awkward characters (the butler). The novelty of yelling, “You’re going to get yours!” to the Heidi (aka The Biggest Golddigger of Them All) wore off after a few minutes. But I think that seeing Evan squirm and occasionally fall off a horse will make this worth tuning into for at least the finale.
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