What I’ve learned from watching the first three episodes of Exiled.

This show should be a great opportunity to introduce young people to the plights of the world and to encourage participation with the Think Organization to work on change. Unfortunately, there are glaring flaws with the show.

–The show is 30 min. with commercials, limiting how much information gets to the viewer.
–The focus is on the personal drama of the exiled teen rather than the plight of the host teen.
–The show documents only five days of interaction with the host family. Three of those days are spent highlighting the whinning and complaining of the spoiled teen.

The show is promoted as a televised punishment for spoiled teens so the main focus is on the teen. But viewers just wanting to enjoy the teens misery are probably not going to go online and research the area or people covered in the program. Only the information revealed on the show will be processed. Isn’t that why these global families agreed to be part of the show, to better their situation? The financial compensation for their time is just a temporary fix. Getting people interested in their situation is needed for long term change.

Is it really punishment to spend five days in an exotic location? Most of the people who are talkng about this show would love the opportunity to take one of these week long field trips. I know I would.

Just from an entertainment stand point, the drama offered has not lived up to the hype. The subliminal promise of the show is that these little brats are going to finally get their comeuppance. Problem is these teens know they are safe because they have a crew of at least 30 following them around. They know it’s only for a week and nothing too painful or humiliating will be allowed to happen. It’s just a primitive vacation they can boast about to their friends, rather than a learning experience. I think they should not be told how long they are going to be exiled. This would create more drama and stimulate the soul searching required for real change.

After their ‘life changing’ experience we see them return home to parents who do not even try to pretend that their spoiling days are over. All the parents should have been exiled with their kids. Maybe they would appreciate what they really have to offer their kids and take their role as parents more seriously.

What do we get from watching this show?

We get to see the wasted opportunities of people who are in a position to do something worthwhile.