MTVs Made

MTV’s Made ™

I know. None of you watch MTV. At least, nobody in my age “demographic” does. (You “age out” of MTV’s demographic at 34. At 34, you are not necessarily ready to “age out” of things.) They all but stopped playing music videos long ago, opting out for inexpensive, reality television. (MTV2 will play your videos for you, but you have to pay for that service. Didn’t they learn from that mistake the first time?) Besides, they…   (WHAT WAS I GOING TO SAY BEFORE I ANSWERED THE DAMN PHONE?)

I, for one, would never be someone to try and sell you on MTV as a whole. For the most part, it is Tn’A fluff, and therefore could only sell parts of the network to parts of my inner circle (not forgetting to kill the witness’). On the other hand, good is good and bad is bad. Something good should not be judged or punished just because it landed on the wrong channel. By giving good shows good ratings, it sends a message that quality can sell. That is my goal in this blog; to convince you that MTV’s Made ™ is worth watching.

What Made ™ does is take someone of high school age, and in four to six weeks, help that person achieve a goal that a) they never could have on their own and b) is so far out of their personal comfort zone, that the goal is usually something opposite of the activities they had done up to that point in their lives. The students that participate in this transformation are required to treat it as any extra-curricular activity, so it cannot interfere with their current studies or other extra-curricular activities. They get a trainer called a “Made Coach” to whom they report to and with whom they cooperate. Generally, the challenge for the coach is that they have to make up for a decade of training in six weeks. At the end of the show, there usually is a competition for the student to use his new-found talent in, as well as to measure how far he or she has come. What I like about the show is that whether they win or lose places very low on the list compared to the other life-lessons Made highlights.

1. The Social Aspect – Social expertise is one of the common themes that run through all of the episodes. A symptom of someone wanting to break out and be something else is that they want to be noticed or known, but do not have the social skills to go out and find the attention in of itself. Almost every episode has some sort of training that strengthens the child’s skills. Usually, this covers going out, meeting new people, starting and maintaining a conversation. All activities that can be very challenging to someone that feels like they are on the outside. Seeing this personal transformation occur is nice, but seeing its value in relation to general success being emphasized is what I really like about the show. With a little practice, I think every subject came out of their shell, and with the fear of the unknown out of the way, realized that it was not the big deal they thought it was. This may sound basic to adults, but I can remember wanting more as a teenager, but also thinking that I did not have to “get along” to get anywhere.

1. Working Toward A Goal – I say this with an emphasis on “work.” There are many stories of these kids winning their competition or making the teams that they have worked so hard to join. Others do not reach the goal they initially intended. Regardless, another aspect of this show that keeps bringing me back is all of the important personal developments they take away from them that they will use for the rest of their lives. The idea that the success or failure does not come from whether or not they won or lost, but the sincerity of their effort. Sometimes, participants become overwhelmed. Sometimes, they break down. The idea is that it is okay to have your breakdown moment. You take some time; get it out of your system, and then you get your head back in the game. I cannot remember how many things I did not try because I was not instantly an expert at them over my lifetime. You might have a talent that you are not aware of, and it is just waiting just on the other side of a hill that you are unwilling or have been told that you cannot climb, because it “just not you.” It is good to see that good things do not come easy to others besides myself, but that is what makes them worth so much more once you achieve them. Also, once you gain a skill, it is not something that you have borrowed. It is something that is your own to use as you see fit.

1. Breaking out of Your Assigned Role In Life -- I feel that when people are growing up, they are regarded as being one way, and so they get filed into a rut of everything they do revolving around that rut. Some examples are the cheerleader that only cheers and shops, the football player that only goes to football practice and hangs out with his teammates, the metal head that only has a few friends and is only looking for negative attention. I personally grew up playing the tuba, so when I went looking for a creative outlet, it would usually be the next concert band in which to play. It was not until college that I even tried creative writing and only until a few years ago that I tried improvisational comedy. Made ™ has had the cheerleader that wanted to become the BMX biker, the football player that wanted to be an opera singer among many others. Another symptom of wanting to do something radically different is that there is something inside a person that cannot get out because they are being told, “Doing that is not ‘you,’ this other thing is you. You’ve done this all your life. Just stick to what you know.” I like the idea of people being deep, complex characters as opposed to caricatures that are there to decorate somebody else’s life.

1. The True Victory You Will Take Everywhere -- Even though they might not succeed at what they initially attempt, they succeed in realizing that if they want something, they can work at it, and do whatever they want in life. Life offers more choices than the category in which you are placed so early in life. If you are willing to leave your comfort zone, and strong enough to be off balance for a while, you can be almost anything.

I guess what I like about the show is that it demonstrates the strength of faith, hope, and determination; three things of which that I have just about ran out. Made demonstrates not only that there are talents out there for everybody, but hidden talents that must be dug for to be unearthed.

Now, I must go to the gym, and practice doing pull-ups.