Thursday, April 4, 2013

I Watched It - Can You Say Fake Everything?

Thanks to all of our friends and bloggers who linked up with us on Medical Mondays. If you forgot to link your blog, no fear, it is available until Friday at midnight. And while we are on the subject go ahead and mark your calendar for Monday May 6th when we do it all again! I love reading what you are up to and having a day set aside where we all come together. It's a great way to start of a new month.
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Have you heard all the buzz about Married to Medicine, the new and terrible show on Bravo? I had vowed to not watch it or give it any of my precious time, but after hearing so many of you talk about the show I felt compelled to see what the fuss was all about. Plenty. If you are curious, you can download the first episode for free on iTunes and add your take on the show. For the record I will not be watching any episodes - and certainly not paying to watch it. I will scratch my own eyes out before I do!

The show is pure fiction, there is nothing real about it. Anyone who believes that those four women represent real doctor's wives is just wrong. Dead wrong.

I don't know a single woman like them, or even close to them, nor do I ever want to. Maybe I haven't run into them because I'm not technically a "real" doctors wife yet, but I would imagine the percentage of doctor's wives who are like them to be 5% or less. They represent such a small segment. Hardly worth noticing except for that fact that now they are on TV where everyone (who has Bravo) can see them!

Sure, they tried to capture moments that we all have had, like our husband get paged at inconvenient times and having to leave date nights, etc. What woman who is married to a surgeon can schedule two date nights a week when she says he is on call 24/7, 365 days a year? Is he in solo practice? Don't know many orthopedic guys, or surgeons for that matter, that go solo and private. Maybe he is super special, or can't get along with others. I digress.

The producers went overboard. He got home when it was still daylight! And did you notice his phone? It's an iPhone, lots of us have them. But when I answer/make a call on my iPhone the screen doesn't show my apps page, it shows the call. Someone on set could have at least called him to make it look real. His acting alone couldn't sell it, they should have helped him out a little. Fakers.

More importantly, I think there might be something wrong with their marriage. I don't know about you, but if I welcomed my husband home wearing what she did, my husband wouldn't even hear his pager let alone respond to it. And he certainly wouldn't leave without... you know. My husband is a hot blooded man, not a robot. And the day he doesn't notice that I am wearing next to nothing when he comes home is the day I hire a private detective to follow him around and find out what is going on.

I am picking on her character, probably because she is married to a surgeon and I thought perhaps would have a better grasp of reality, and maybe the character I could relate to. Not so. Sorry Kari, you are making us look bad. All of you are.

And how about Mariah throwing a birthday party for herself because her husband was working. He is an ER doc, and works shifts! You couldn't find a day to throw your party when he wasn't working? Most ER docs work 10-12 shifts a month. That leaves a whole lot of month to work with. But then again maybe he is working double or triple shifts to pay for that house!

I have turned down many invitations because I didn't want to go alone, and have hired a babysitter to go out with friends when the husband isn't home to watch the kids. I get it, we do what we have to do. But throwing a lavish party without your husband. That isn't how I would want to spend my birthday.

I am sure something similar to each of these situations has happened in the past, but I prefer reality to be reality, even if it is boring - not scripted and staged. Married to Medicine is stripped of anything resembling a real life and has been replaced with botox, fillers, and designer labels. The show felt like an advertisement for Louis Vuitton, and this coming from a girl who doesn't know Louis.  Maybe they are a sponsor.

Which brings me to my other point. Did anyone notice that they all live in NEW houses? I went to Bravo's page and looked at their home tours. I would be willing to bet that every single one of the wives bought houses just before this show started filming. They don't look lived in, they are that new. Even the furniture is new. I could almost smell the fresh paint.

No offense to ER docs or psychiatrist's, but I didn't think you got paid that well!  Maybe we should rethink Neurosurgery, and go for something less demanding but apparently much more lucrative.

What I would really like to see is their financial statements. You know, the real stuff. Have they paid off their loans? How long have they been working? Are they living paycheck to paycheck? Are they in the middle of a lawsuit and need to make some fast cash? Warning: if they haven't already been sued I am sure some viewers in the Atlanta area have them targeted, they should be very careful. Are they in debt up to their eyeballs? Is a reality TV series their solution for making ends meet? Seems that way to me.

I don't buy for a moment that these gals were all friends and have a history together or that their husbands know each other, or travel in the same circles. Two ER docs, an Orthopedic surgeon, and a Psychiatrist. Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke.

As for a code of conduct and being a proper doctors wife? I didn't see much that was proper, polite or civil. I won't even acknowledge half of the stupidity on the show. And should anyone approach me and tell me that I am doing this whole doctor's wife thing wrong, I will know where they got their information from.

I understand that no one wants to acknowledge what real life looks like. It's not glamorous and doesn't make for very good TV. But the life they are portraying is reckless. Everyone involved in the show is giving the general public another reason to view doctors (and their wives) as rich, arrogant, superficial, and fake. In it for the money and the stuff. Thanks, that's just what we needed.

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12 comments:

  1. Preach on sister!! I had a good laugh when you said, " two ER docs, an ortho, and a psychiatrist... Sounds like the beginning of a bad joke." Ha ha!! Erik says that housing in Atlanta is pretty inexpensive especially compared to the coasts. Even still their homes and lifestyles are WAY over the top. I don't know any surgeons who have been practicing for decades who live like that!! The bickering is what really turns me off as well as this notion that they're in this super special elitist club. Hello, everyone should have manners and carry themselves in a dignified way!! They definitely all act like post training wives- free of the traumas of raising a doctor/surgeon. Having endured THAT does give you membership to a special club, but that club is not who they're portraying. This show is bad news all around.

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  2. This show makes me sad. I think that it's all nuts. NUTS, I tell you! :( LAME too. I watched it for a few minutes and then felt like I was getting a headache from the constant yelling and annoying-ness that it projected. I couldn't watch it anymore. I'm happy to know the recap that I shouldn't waste my time any more.

    I agree- they will definitely be targeted, if they have not already been, at least due in part to this messed up show. :( I also agree that no one wants to see what "real life" consists of. No reality TV is really reality, it's a glimpse into something that people wish to be able to be part of (well, not in this case, I don't think anyway..)- I admit I watch those real housewives shows... Sometimes, but never once do any of those REAL housewives change a dirty diaper, or anything like that. How much real-er is it than changing a diaper, I mean, hello?! :) BUT, I digress.

    Hopefully this show will not last. :-/

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    1. It makes me sad and sick. Think of all the young girls who are going to be disappointed when they marry a med student or resident and face the harsh reality that the life they thought they were signing up for looks nothing like what they have. Oh, the unhappiness. I hope it doesn't last either, and only wish they wouldn't have squandered the opportunity to really show what it is like.

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  3. My husband began medical school this year at the nice age of 34. We have 2 little boys, two dogs, bills, and enough life experience to know life is never a bed of roses. My husband's grandfather asked me if I thought I will make a good doctor's wife. I told him I plan to be the same type of wife I am now and asked if he thout that will be ok. He smiled, winked, and said, "That'll be perfect."

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  4. I think maybe we should all move to Atlanta if that's the case! I was on the fence too, but decided that I should at least watch 1 full episode so I could form my own opinion of the show. If you are the type that can get hooked on reality tv of this kind (cat fights, bad behavior, swearing, etc) then don't.

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  5. I live in a LCOL city; my husband is a surgeon in training. I can't begin to tell you the haters in my life BEFORE this show started... now I get why the vibes are even more weird at preschool. I encourage you and anyone who is pissed to write a letter to Bravo. I looked up their address: here it is for those who come here to read:
    Bravo Viewer Relations
    3000 W. Alameda Ave., Suite 250
    Burbank, CA 91523

    I am beyond livid and disgusted with the recklessness of this show. I'm all for drama, reality and making a little bit of GREEN BUT this goes way beyond THAT. Andy Cohen SHAME ON YOU! Who the hell do you think enjoys your real housewives shows? Doctor wives and resident wives who take notes on "When I finally can afford a cleaning lady I want my closet organized like THAT". Seriously? I like your "bad joke" comment too.

    I can't sit in a room with just any doctor wife much less any surgeon wife. We are all different and having met the hubs at various stages in life leaves room for lots of disparity among women and their cattiness. My goodness! TGIF people!

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    1. Thanks for providing the address, I have a few words for them. I wonder if our outrage will just encourage them more. It would be nice if the show portrayed their relationships with non medical wives. Unless they really believe they can only be friends with other doctors wives:-)

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  6. This show sucks monkey nuts!!!! Aaaaaah!

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  7. Married to Medicine is an imaginary world of complete bullshit.

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  8. You hit the nail on the head with this one Jane! I second just about every line of your post :) And my hubby said the same thing about the ER docs. Crazy, just crazy.

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