Intervention- Cristy
I don't watch a great deal of television, but one show that catches my attention every time is called Intervention. Intervention runs on the A&E network typically on Sunday nights and in hourly segments. The show is about individuals who are addicted to an unhealthy and demonizing lifestyle that is destroying their families (mainly alcoholism and drugs). The addicts agree to be followed and believe they are helping A&E make a biography, however they have no idea that at the end of the show they will be faced with an intervention. This reality series is going on its fourth season with A&E and the executive producers are Robert Sharenow, Colleen Conway. Both producers have previous experience and an extensive background for reality television. Since this TV show features a different individual and their family every segment, I have chosen to focus on episode 31, season 2- Cristy for my critique.
The show introduces Cristy as a fun loving 20 something girl, who was born into a tight nite family and once had aspirations of being a clothing designer. However, things didn't go as planned for Cristy, she quickly fell into a lifestyle that could be the end of her according to her mother. Cristy is addicted to Crystal meth and alcohol. Throughout the show Cristy is never sober, and basically displayed as a waste of life according to the critiques. She supports her habits by stripping at a local club, and stealing from her loved ones. She is shown on television basically naked in many scenes desperate for cash. Her family is portrayed as very loving, but tired of her abuse. As for Cristy she is very disrespectful toward her family and very single minded in the episode, which could be edited to portray this or could be reality. This episode is very heart wrenching and hard to watch, like most Intervention segments that air on A&E but for the viewer, we just can't seem to get enough.
Intervention's audience is that of a wide array. The show draws in viewers who are both young and old, current users looking for help, and people who have never used at all. This show is good at further demonizing alcohol abuse and drugs by showing the audience it can happen to anyone, however is a very extreme example(s). I feel that people who watch the show or who get really into the show have something to gain from it. Possibly because they have a family member that needs help and the viewer doesn't know how to help them. It's important to note that this series doesn't always end with an happy ending. Sometimes the intervention is not successful and the users relapse or even pass away. The show leaves the viewer almost empty in episodes where there are children involved and families ripped apart. It also shows people at their lowest of lows and is degrading to women by showing their bodies nude on TV. A&E's producers are trying to get the message out that if someone needs help to get it before it's too late. It's very close to a public announcement type reality show to scare people straight. The producers have shown music that relates to how people are feeling throughout the episode, and the filming is very harsh. There doesn't seem to be much editing out or anything that the show doesn't show, they catch it all and show the harsh realities of drug addiction and alcoholism. The family’s members of the addict are interviewed and speak throughout the whole segment, disclosing how they feel and how it's turned their life upside down. There is a lot of crying, begging, and violence in the episodes, but are often closed with counseling. The interviews of family members are very sad and give the audience a glimpse of their reality. This is very useful in the production of this show and also what makes it so interesting to watch.
The series focuses on all types of addicts and people involved. They are all ages from 13-65 and of all walks of life. The stories told are from all over the United States not just a given state and all have one thing in common, and that is that they will face an intervention at the end of the episode. The show often features lower class individuals though, and often displays them as dirty. It's important to keep in mind that not all addicts are dirty or of lower class, so there is some stereo type going on here. In more than a couple episodes the addicts are shown to be stealing in order to support their habit and not all addicts steal either. There are some issues the way this show represents people and needs. The bottom line is that A&E wants to generate money and the only way to do so is to make a show that keep viewers coming back for more.
There are many, many different types of gazes throughout these different episodes of Intervention. The way people view themselves and others. Cristy for example strippers to make money to support herself and her family doesn't support this behavior. They feel that if she gets out of the stripping environment she could stop using meth. The temptation and drugs wouldn't be there if she worked somewhere else according to her family. In conclusion this series is very heart wrenching and humiliating for individuals. Like that of the reading, if the show successfully humiliates individuals and they can look at themselves on nation television, we have high hopes that this will bring on change.