For those who have been fortunate enough to have missed any episode of The Spouse House, here is the thumbnail on the 10 week series. Seven men and seven women are trapped inside a house under the threat of expulsion if they do not get engaged to another person. It is a lighter version of the movie, ”Would You Rather.” But on to the reasons the show should not be renewed.
The first reason is the premise of the show: to put pressure on strange couples to get engaged and/or marry on a week by week basis. Talk about speed dating in public view and on steroids. One has to wonder if any couple can get their marriage annulled after the show ends. Maybe there is a contractual thing. And then you have to wonder how these couples will do 6 months or 2 years from now. Maybe they are prepping for a future show — “The Ex-Spouse House.”
Another reason to root for an axe to the program is the original cast. Regardless of gender, ask yourself whether you think people who have the following characteristics stand a reasonable chance of finding happiness in 10 years, let alone 10 weeks.
- a short attention span being the challenge to a long relationship
- many short flings
- four failed relationships under their belt
- been cheated on often
- a father of three
- previously married
No, the one who is previously married is not the same person who is a father of three. Maybe. The majority of people have college degrees and have been gainfully employed before joining the show. The question is whether any of these people are actually ready for a long term relationship let alone a long term commitment. The show provides expert advice to couple to tie the knot (presumably not around the other person’s neck) but based on the profiles it seems the individual participants should have been given counseling before the show began.
In one of the trailers, a contestant says, “I want to get married here.” Smiley and bubbly, she apparently does not understand that marriage takes two. A lot of people want to get married — there are 14 in the house but more than 320 million in the country. Why would her chances be any greater by leaving everything and coming here? True love is probably also a little naïve, but this show seems to maximize naiveté to create a sense of reality drama.
If there is a show that has the potential to profit from other people’s misery, it is The Spouse House. If no one chooses to propose in a given week, then the show chooses two people (presumably one man and one woman) to get kicked off the show. You have to ask why. Presumably the reason is to amp up the pressure because the two who are booted are replaced by two newbies. Besides, the show would get boring if the original 7 took their time and actually thought about whether or not they were making the right decision. But no time for that.
What if you buy into the whole idea and follow a favorite couple, hoping they will get married? Social media likely has an impact on who stays and who goes, and one half of your fave couple might get the axe. Do you continue to watch hoping they will find true love with someone else or do you stop watching?
Finally, one of the male contestants says the purpose of being at The Spouse House is to get married, not to have fun. Isn’t that by itself enough reason to cancel this show before it contaminates other naïve people looking for love?
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