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Sanfranjoshfan
Member
09-17-2000
| Saturday, February 07, 2004 - 9:36 pm
Looks like Fox is taking the sleaze factor to a whole new level.... I just saw a vague preview for a new upcoming show called "Forever Eden" and so I looked it up online and found a couple of articles. It's a "Paradise Hotel" type show, only it could last FOREVER! I think this will attract a whole new class of ego-driven, pretty-body, slackers that want to live in a swimming pool in a fishbowl for their "15 minutes of fame", which could extend to 15 days, 15 weeks, 15 months, or even 15 years"! (depending on the ratings) After reading these articles, I couldn't decide whether I wanted to cheer or puke. "Paradise Hotel" was the one show that I have watched in my life that truly made me ill...it was the quintessential "train wreck" that I could *not* avert my eyes from....the premise was AWFUL and the contestants were DESPICABLE and the producers were EVIL, yet I could not tear myself away. I'd *like* to think that I've grown past watching such junk....but I know that I'll be (at the very least) checking this out when it starts in March. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?action=newswire&id=6370 NOTHING LASTS FOREVER – OR DOES IT? "FOREVER EDEN" PREMIERES MONDAY, MARCH 1, ON FOX FOREVER EDEN, a new series breaking ground as the first open-ended unscripted soap opera, with contestants aiming to stay on the show for weeks, months and possibly even years, premieres Monday, March 1 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Beginning Thursday, March 18, FOREVER EDEN will air in its regularly scheduled time period (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT). FOREVER EDEN follows a small group of people willing to take an indefinite break from their everyday lives to experience the opportunity of a lifetime by living together in a luxurious, tropical-resort-setting. These single men and women are ready to trade in their cell phones for suntan lotion, business suits for bathing suits, the "temp" pool for a swimming pool, in order to bask in the sun and soak up the fun … and the longer they stay, the more money they can earn. But this Eden has its own version of the serpent, guaranteeing that things aren't always what they seem and paradise has its price. Surprises and twists are around every corner. The residents' deepest secrets may be revealed or former flames and in-laws may show up unannounced, making waves in what they thought would be peaceful waters. There will also be some residents forced out … and replaced by new contestants armed with knowledge gleaned from having viewed the series at home. And although the residents will be earning money throughout their stay, those who throw in the towel and leave on their own volition could go with empty pockets. If they can handle the unexpected, avoid being evicted and live without their friends and families back home, these contestants could potentially spend months or years as residents of Eden, forming relationships and creating their own storylines to ensure that they remain on-air as docu-soap stars and live the life of luxury they crave. Will they spend FOREVER in EDEN? Only time will tell. FOREVER EDEN is produced by Mentorn in association with A. Smith and Co. Tom Gutteridge, Arthur Smith, Charles Thompson, Bruce Toms and Kent Weed serve as executive producers. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ http://www.realitytvworld.com/index/articles/story.php?s=2134 FOX planning 'Forever Eden' -- a new 'Paradise Hotel'-like "never-ending reality soap opera" Has Paradise been lost -- only to be replaced by Eden? FOX has announced that it is teaming up with Paradise Hotel's producers for a new similar reality show entitled Forever Eden -- with the catch being that unlike Paradise Hotel (which FOX extended but later ended conventionally), Eden would have no anticipated series conclusion... and instead be American television's first true "reality soap opera." According to Daily Variety, as in Summer 2003's Paradise Hotel, Forever Eden would feature a group of unmarried men and women who agree to leave their friends and family to live in an extremely luxurious resort setting. Only in this case, unlike Paradise, the contestants would live in the resort not for weeks or months, but for years. FOX has placed an initial order for twenty-five one hour episodes of the series, which is scheduled to premiere this spring. While the network initially plans to only air the program once weekly, the unusually large initial episode commitment and continuous shooting schedule will allow FOX to broadcast it more frequently should the desire arise. "These people could be on the air for six months, a year or three years," FOX's head of alternative programming Mike Darnell told Variety. "If you want to stay and you play your cards right, you could be on the air forever. It's the first real try at a reality soap opera." "We want the audience to know there is a new conceit going on . It is truly the first attempt at a continuing reality soap opera," Darnell told Television Week in another interview. "It's the first try of saying, 'Don't go on a reality show; your new life is a reality show.'" "The idea is they are not going on a reality show. They are actually divorcing themselves from their lives. They will become like soap stars, because they are going to be there for what could be a very long time." "We learned some lessons from Paradise, " Darnell explained. "When you keep people in one place long enough, dysfunction and a little bit of dementia sets in. So it got us to thinking, how long can people stay (on a reality show)?" "Most people who go on these reality shows are trying to be famous," said Darnell. Assuming that the ratings of the real-life The Truman Show-like program warranted it, "This is a chance to be famous for a long time" said Darnell. Since the show will not have a fixed end, it will not feature a final "endgame" grand prize, however contestants will still have the chance to earn cash prizes based on how long they remain on the program. All contestants will accrue earnings for each week in which they remain in the resort. If they leave the show as part of the program's gameplay, then they will typically only be eligible to receive 50% of their accumulated earnings, however the program will also feature additional competitions or participation "milestones" during which the contestants will be able to "earn" the payment of the other 50% of their cash prize. Any contestant opting to voluntarily quit the program will forfeit all earnings. Beyond that, Eden, which all parties freely admit is a result of conversations between Darnell and the Paradise Hotel producers that occurred after Paradise Hotel ended its run last summer, will be quite similar to Paradise. As in Paradise, the resort will be located outside of the United States. As in Paradise, the contestants -- whose exact number is still being determined -- will have no contact with the outside world. As in Paradise, new cast members will be added and current cast members will be asked to leave at different points during the show (the exact specifics of which are also still being determined.) And as with Paradise, there will be numerous twists and artificial drama-inducing surprises. "Even though they are living in luxury and it's going to be wonderful, we are going to introduce elements to make it not so wonderful," Darnell explained to Television Week. "Surprise guests may arrive, who are there to stir things up, who won't necessarily be members of the cast but could be people from their lives or their past." Count us as among those hoping those guests won't include Paradise's two-time reality show loser Toni Ferrari. Casting for the show began about a month ago. Given FOX's unusually large initial twenty-five episode commitment, the clear weakness of some its current programming lineup, and the fact that a spring premiere will take the initial run well into the less competitive summer programming season, the network plans to be quite patient with the show. According to Darnell, the program will air "in a (timeslot) where the network can be very, very patient." "It doesn't need to have through-the-roof ratings when it premieres." Despite Forever Eden's numerous similarities to Paradise Hotel -- right down to the involvement of most of the key members of Paradise's production team (Tom Gutteridge, Arthur Smith, Charles Thompson, Kent Weed Bruce Toms) and crew -- Darnell told Variety that Eden isn't intended to replace Paradise on FOX's schedule and Paradise Hotel "could still return next summer." "They're different formats," executive producer Tom Gutteridge told Television Week, while also admitting that in many ways, Eden is "Paradise Hotel, version 2.0." "This is an extension of what we did last summer," Gutteridge added during his Variety interview. "The time has come to create a continuous reality soap opera where the drama is entirely derived from the characters of the guests we cast rather than the show's structure."
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Saturday, February 07, 2004 - 9:47 pm
What kind of people would apply for a show like this? Who gives up potentially years of their life to, I'm assuming, stay within the same space indefinitely? I can't see this show lasting long. Unless they really, really, really emphasize the sex factor, people are going to lose interest in seeing a bunch of people lounge around a pool all the time. I watch practically every reality TV show, but Paradise Hotel was one I just couldn't get into. I won't be watching this one either.
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Jhezzie
Member
07-05-2001
| Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - 2:27 pm
This show will have to rely on the two Fs. Fighting and, uh, well... Guess Fox found it too hard to actually program good shows. I wonder if the Fox news division will give Forever Eden as much coverage as it did CBS and Boobygate when, (and we know there will be a 'when') it crosses the line?
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Hobbs
Member
08-05-2002
| Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - 3:15 pm
This is kinda OT, but I stopped watching Paradise Hotel. Did they find a way to end it or did it just stop?
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Tobor7
Member
07-19-2002
| Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - 7:47 pm
I couldn't watch 5 mins of Hotel. This does not sound like I will be able to last that long.
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Puckerbutt
Member
07-21-2001
| Tuesday, February 10, 2004 - 9:05 pm
If you think that Fox is taking the sleaze factor to a whole new level with Forever Eden then you haven't heard of ... There's Something About Miriam. http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1074310,00.html http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1142320,00.html
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Puttergirl
Member
08-11-2000
| Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 5:07 pm
That's hilarious, Puckerbutt. That one slipped past me!!!
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Jagger
Member
08-07-2002
| Wednesday, February 11, 2004 - 5:14 pm
I'll definitly give the show a try, I started to watch PH when it first aired, got tierd of certain people so I quit watching, than started watching again toward the end of the show. I'll give most any show a few hours of my time.
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Tashakinz
Member
11-13-2002
| Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 10:24 am
Sounds like it's going to be great trash lol. Hobbs: They finally got down to two couples and had all of the others vote on who got the money. It was very convoluted but at the end of the day Charla, Keith and Tara all got $$ (Charla shafted Dave out of his share).
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Willwillbee
Member
09-20-2001
| Thursday, February 12, 2004 - 10:44 am
This could be like an extended Big Brother - I agree paradise hotel sucked but the Big Brother house does weird things to people but it's for a relatively short definite period of time. Anyone can take anything if they know the end date. The thought of being in the Big Brother house indefinitely could be interesting - remember these people sign up for this experience. As one resident called it "hell with studio lights"
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Ohiomobprincess
Member
11-07-2003
| Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 8:30 am
I can't see how this show could last for years! Even though I loved PH, I was glad when it was finally over.
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Carrie92
Member
09-15-2003
| Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 9:57 am
I was glad when it was over too Ohio. Though I didn't miss a week that show drove me crazy. It sounds like this new show is going to be very similar in that the producers are just going to make up the rules as they go along - that was the one thing about PH that made me nuts. No one knew what the rules were, and the game could be skewed in anybody's favor at the producers' whim. Not sure if I'll watch this one or not...
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Realfan
Member
08-08-2001
| Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 1:32 pm
I bet this show will be over by the fall. It might be a fun ride until then, though. I think it'll only work if original cast members are recycled out and new people come in (like PH) on a regular basis. Otherwise, the people in will get really freaky and stir-crazy--fun to watch until someone throws a punch.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, February 17, 2004 - 2:44 pm
Two things came to mind: 1. Big Brother on steroids (er, rather, maybe hormones?). 2. Who on earth would be willing to give up, possibly, years of their lives? Think of it... No family. No pets. No friends. No work. I mean, even if I didn't HAVE to work I'd still work. I'd go bonkers if I couldn't exercise my mind as well as my body. This is pretty much going to guarantee the average age (22) and mentality (party!) of the contestants. Paradise Hotel initially had some interesting moments. But the longer they were were, and the more entrenched the cliques became, the meaner the show got. It got so mean that I didn't watch much of the end and mostly checked in here to see what happened. Yeah, sure, there's some interest in the psychological and social ramifications of this type of never-ending "reality" show. But... Even if people tune in the first month or so, I imagine that if anything else interesting appears in that timeslot, folks will leave by droves! (Although, OK, I could've stood living in Mexico at that villa for a few months. The Paradise Hotel. Of course, without the bimbos and himbos!)
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Deesandy
Member
08-12-2003
| Wednesday, February 18, 2004 - 11:50 am
I tried to get my brother in law to go to the auditions being held here but he backed out at the last minute. I am looking forward to seeing if he made a good decision, or if he will be wishing otherwise later.
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Wilsonatmd
Member
01-23-2001
| Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 5:43 pm
no pics yet, but they've announced the beginning 11 players: Brooke, a 22-year-old office manager from Mankato, Minn. Kassie, 21, a country singer from Nashville, Tenn. Khalilah, a 23-year-old from Boston. Khalilah is currently between jobs. Mary, 25, a former sports club manager. Originally from Salt Lake City, she now lives in Scottsdale, Ariz. Neveen, a 21-year-old DJ from Salem, Ore. Pro cheerleader Shawna, 25, also from Nashville. Craig, 28, a fitness model from Scottsdale. David, 24, a student originally from Lexington, Ky., now living in Houston. Waiter/screenwriter Jordan, 26, from New York City. Matt, 23, a former software salesman. Originally from Brookline, Mass., he now lives in Hoboken, N.J. Michael, 23, a YMCA program director from Mission, Kan.
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Jhezzie
Member
07-05-2001
| Thursday, February 19, 2004 - 5:54 pm
I guess there is no shortage of people with nothing better to do?
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Tashakinz
Member
11-13-2002
| Friday, February 20, 2004 - 8:03 am
What is it with Scottsdale, AZ - isn't that where Prozach (tm twop) and Amy were from?
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Zules
Member
08-21-2000
| Friday, February 20, 2004 - 1:23 pm
I would give this show a try if there was a wider spread age demographic. I just think I'll be bored/irritated watching a bunch of 20 somethings trying to squeeze every last ounce out of their 15 minutes. Thank goodness, one less show to be addicted to!
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Realfan
Member
08-08-2001
| Saturday, February 21, 2004 - 3:23 pm
No kidding. Real World is boring enough, and they have the real world to interact with. 20-somethings just aren't that interesting.
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Scorpiomoon
Member
06-06-2002
| Sunday, February 22, 2004 - 4:15 pm
I'm with you, Zules. Well, it's a relief to know no one with children is giving up several months of their life for this show (that we know of).
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Shelb724
Member
10-20-2002
| Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 10:44 am
please forgive me, but what was the name of the girl who was on who looked like she was on steroids and had also been on love cruise. wouldn't it be funny if she ended up on here too?
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Wilsonatmd
Member
01-23-2001
| Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 12:41 pm
Another board has pictures of the contestants, here's the link.... http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=123
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Tuesday, February 24, 2004 - 1:58 pm
Did anyone notice that none of the "contestants" really have *careers*? (Well, except for the YMCA program director.) They are just "jobs" that can be left at any time. Fitness model? Between jobs? Former whatevers... No wonder these 20-something's jumped at a chance for 15 minutes of fame and possible fortune. If they stick it out, they get paid!
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Tashakinz
Member
11-13-2002
| Thursday, February 26, 2004 - 10:57 am
Shelb: That was toxic Toni Ferrari. ETA: The website is up on Fox. If their pictures are anything to go by this is going to be even more over-the-top than PH was...
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