The producers of "The Joe Schmo Show" insist that it isn't one big, cruel joke.
They're lying.
This pseudo-reality show is exactly that. It's also a rather clever concept and amusing in spots. And whether anybody actually gets hurt only one person can say.
And he's not talking. Which says a lot.
If you happen to accidently tune in to "Joe Schmo" (7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Spike) a few minutes late, you might think it's just another reality show. A bunch of people have been sequestered in a mansion for something called "Lap of Luxury," a reality show in which seven people compete in various challenges, vote each other out and vie for a $100,000 prize.
The "Joe Schmo" here is Matt Kennedy Gould, a schlub from Pittsburgh. A law-school dropout, the chubby Gould is delivering pizzas and, as he admits on camera, "slacking off."
It turns out, however, that he's the only real thing about the game. The other contestants are all actors; everything that happens — with the exception of Gould's behavior — is scripted; and the premise of the show is to derive humor from his actions and reactions.
And there is indeed humor at his expense. The producers were hoping he'd act like a dope, and he obliges.
It's easy to see from the outside looking in, but at times it's hard to believe that Gould doesn't figure it out. The show is so obviously a parody of reality shows — from the smarmy host to the stereotypical contestants (the vixen, the virgin, the gay guy, the ex-military old guy, etc.) to the ridiculous tribal councils that feature that host intoning, "You are dead" as he smashes a plate emblazoned with the eliminated contestant's face.
Not that all the embarrassment can be blamed on the show. Gould comes off as a bit of a racist and a homophobe in tonight's premiere. And he enthusiastically participates in the show's challenges — which take tackiness to whole new levels. If you think the trading-underwear bit in the first of two episodes that air tonight is distasteful, wait 'til you see the contest to see who can keep their hand on a topless porn star the longest in the second episode.
Watching Gould plot and scheme to form alliances when we know none of it matters — he's obviously not getting voted out — can be uncomfortable. But watching him break down in tears over his eliminated "friends" isn't funny, it's just plain cruel.
But does he really get hurt? Like seemingly every other dope who signs up to participate in a reality show, what Gould really wanted was his 15 minutes of fame on TV. And he's going to get them.
Does he look any stupider than a lot of contestants on shows ranging from "Survivor" to "Fear Factor" to "The Bachelor" to "Joe Millionaire" to "The Real World"? No. As a matter of fact, he comes off looking better than a lot of them do.
(And, at least so far, thesmokinggun hasn't found any criminal misbehavior in his past, which is a plus.)
On the other hand, those shows are basically designed so that everyone on them has a chance to look stupid. "Joe Schmo" was designed to make one guy look like a fool — or, at the very least, to provide humor at his expense.
Did he get hurt? Apparently. Gould has refused to promote the show — he declined to appear when Spike TV presented the show to TV critics at this summer's press tour and he's not giving interviews.
And this isn't like when CBS refuses to let "Survivor" contestants talk to the press until after they've been voted out of the tribe on TV. Spike would love to have Gould talk.
The fact that he isn't clearly indicates that, yes, he did get hurt by the cruel joke. Which makes the show appear all the more sadistic.
E-MAIL: pierce@desnews.com