In early January, I made a move from small town Kansas, to the big city, well the big suburb, of Arlington, Texas, and I found a reality show that piqued my interest. It was on NBC, in the place that my favorite soap was supposed to be on. An African-American woman named Audrey was in a radio station next to a perky blond. Audrey was trying to start a career as a country singer/songwriter. The perky blond was Rhonda Britten, Audrey's lifecoach. A couple of days later, Audrey graduated from the Starting Over house and the cycle started again. The show intrigued me in many ways. First of all, it was produced by Bunim/Murray productions, the people behind the Real World, Road Rules, and Making The Band, all shows that I had watched and, mostly, loved. Secondly, it was very life-affirming, that anyone can do anything, if they have a little help. Starting Over is what I was doing, and it really made me love the show.
The PR people pushing the show when it debut in August called it '...a cross between Oprah and soap opera.' or simply Soprah. The show, at its best, is much more Oprah that a soap. Since I became addicted, many women have passed through the doors. Teresa was in the house to get out of debt. Brenda, a teacher, was looking for a different career and for love. Also seeking a career change, Hannah, a voice artist, found that she wanted to be an auctioneer (British-style not American), Karen was a costumer for adult films, but wanted to break into the normal film industry, P.J. wanted to separate from her parents and create an identity of her own, and similarly, Erika, a twin, needed to create an identity separate of her sister Ebony. Then there was Christine. Christine was more parts soap opera than anything else. Mood swings, ups and downs with housemates, and inability to make decisions caused conflict between Christine and everyone she came in contact with. While the other women, that I have seen, have graduated upon reaching their goals, Christine was eventually asked to leave, because she refused to take the steps necessary to start over.
Though the show's producers tend to sensationalize a bit, the overall tone of the show is very life-affirming.
These women are creating new lives for themselves, with little assignments from the lifecoaches, Britten and Rana Walker. Change is often something that people are afraid of and it is witnessed everyday on Starting Over. Currently, the six women in the house are making those changes, and thanks to the medium of reality television, we get to see how they do it, so maybe, just maybe, we can apply it to our own lives. To catch you up to speed a bit, the current women in the house are: Rain, a single mother of two who wants to get off the system and start over in Chicago. Currently, Rain is searching for an apartment, is about to graduate and make the move. Amy, the daughter of Senator Tom Harkin, is an Ivy League graduate, who gave up all career paths to follow her husband Steve, a professional basketball player, currently playing in the Ukraine. Amy tried her hand at public relations, but hated it and is currently working on a career as a travel writer and correspondent. Lynnell and Haley are a mother and daughter who have such a rocky relationship that they came to the house to get a new start. The most poignant stories of the current women are that of Susan and Josie. Susan is a woman in her thirties, whose mother was killed when she was two, and whose father never knew she existed. While it might seem a little operatic, it touches your heart. Josie is a pregnant, single woman, who doesn't know who the father of the baby is. There is a man in her life and he could be the father, but if it's not his, he won't stay with her. She came to the house, because she was homeless and had no other recourse.
Starting Over isn't everybody's cup of tea, but, it's helped me to see that there is so much in this big world. If you don't want something for your life, take the bull by the horns, get help if you need it, and change your life. Starting Over has been renewed for a second season, and will wrap up at the end of May, with 'Best of' shows during the summer, so please, if you have the time, take a bite of Starting Over, you might just like it. The show is syndicated by NBC, but check your local listings and don't forget to check out the ElitesTV message boards for daily discussions.
Email webmaster
Write An Article!
![ETV Store](<IMG SRC="images/store.gif" WIDTH="129" HEIGHT="17" BORDER="0" ALT="ETV Store">){kind=link}