Living The Dream (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Living the Dream was the New Zealand
version of Spike TV
's Joe Schmo Show
, produced by Touchdown Television
for TV2.
show (actually a parody
of reality game shows) that began airing in August 2004 and involves a setup that is reminiscent of the movie
The Truman Show
.
One man, Sam Chambers, thinks he's on a reality TV show called Living the Dream. However, all of the other members in this reality TV show, including the host, are actually actor
s and the entire show is an elaborate hoax
centred around the main character. All of the events and games played are staged to give a particular outcome designed to elicit a response from the main character for comedic effect.
The other "contestant
s" are stereotype
s of common reality TV show contestants. They are (real names follow character names/descriptions):
At the end of the show, Chambers received the $50,000 prize for which he was "competing" as well as all the other prizes given away in the show.
Sam's colloquial exclamation "Crikey!" became the show's catchphrase.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
version of Spike TV
Spike TV
Spike is an American cable television channel. It launched on March 7, 1983 as The Nashville Network , a joint venture of WSM, Inc...
's Joe Schmo Show
The Joe Schmo Show
The Joe Schmo Show is a reality television parody show which aired on the American cable network Spike TV from 2003–2004. The show's premise is that a target person or persons are led to believe that they are contestants on a reality television show; in reality, all of the other participants in the...
, produced by Touchdown Television
Touchdown Television
Eyeworks Touchdown is a New Zealand-based television production company specialising in reality and unscripted formats, which has become a leader in the field in New Zealand, and the world...
for TV2.
Description
It was a reality TVReality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
show (actually a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of reality game shows) that began airing in August 2004 and involves a setup that is reminiscent of the movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
The Truman Show
The Truman Show
The Truman Show is a 1998 American satirical comedy-drama film directed by Peter Weir and written by Andrew Niccol. The cast includes Jim Carrey as Truman Burbank, as well as Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone...
.
One man, Sam Chambers, thinks he's on a reality TV show called Living the Dream. However, all of the other members in this reality TV show, including the host, are actually actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
s and the entire show is an elaborate hoax
Hoax
A hoax is a deliberately fabricated falsehood made to masquerade as truth. It is distinguishable from errors in observation or judgment, or rumors, urban legends, pseudosciences or April Fools' Day events that are passed along in good faith by believers or as jokes.-Definition:The British...
centred around the main character. All of the events and games played are staged to give a particular outcome designed to elicit a response from the main character for comedic effect.
The other "contestant
Contestant
A contestant is someone who takes part in a competition, usually a professional competition or a game show on television. The participants competing against each other have to go through rounds...
s" are stereotype
Stereotype
A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. The concepts of "stereotype" and "prejudice" are often confused with many other different meanings...
s of common reality TV show contestants. They are (real names follow character names/descriptions):
- Mick the PrickPrickPrick may refer to:* Prick , style of marking tool* Goad, a synonym in an agricultural sense* Prick * Fingerprick, wound for blood sample* Prick, slang term for penis or inconsiderate person- Titled expressive works :...
– Jason Fitch - Rima, the Schemer – Awanui Simich-Pene
- Billy the GayGayGay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Guy – Jeremy Birchall - Mule the Former SASSpecial Air Service of New ZealandThe New Zealand Special Air Service was formed on 7 July 1955 and is a special forces unit of the New Zealand Army modelled on the British Special Air Service . The New Zealand Government states that NZ SAS is the "premier combat unit of the New Zealand Defence Force". Its key roles are to...
Soldier – Stephan Hall - Betty the New AgeNew AgeThe New Age movement is a Western spiritual movement that developed in the second half of the 20th century. Its central precepts have been described as "drawing on both Eastern and Western spiritual and metaphysical traditions and then infusing them with influences from self-help and motivational...
flake – Kirsty Cooke - Tiffany the Rich BitchUpper classIn social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
– Sarah Thomson - Ben the Best MateBuddyBuddy may refer to:* A friend or a partner for a particular activity* Buddy , pet of former U.S. President Bill Clinton* Buddy memory allocation, a dynamic memory allocation system for computers...
– Charlie McDermott - Mary the Virgin – Victoria Blackman
- Mark FergusonMark FergusonMark Ferguson is a New Zealand-based Australian actor and television presenter.-Biography:Ferguson was born in Sydney, Australia, in family of Scottish ancestry . He attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art and graduated in 1981...
, the Smarmy host – Himself
At the end of the show, Chambers received the $50,000 prize for which he was "competing" as well as all the other prizes given away in the show.
Sam's colloquial exclamation "Crikey!" became the show's catchphrase.