Hello everyone!
As a follow-up to ANT's previous review on 'Big Rich Texas', we bring you 'Millionaire Matchmaker'! I've also created a new label for ANT's TV reviews so it should be easier to find these. Enjoy ;)
"This is perhaps the best reality show that I've ever had the good fortune to discover, and I'm neither ashamed nor embarrassed to admit it. The show follows Patti Stranger, queen bee of the 'Millionaire's Club', a dating service that caters for America's elite, as she attempts to match wealthy and often arrogant individuals with their soul mates...in return for just a few thousand, of course.
The whole concept of matchmaking has always struck me as a forced and unnatural method of finding love. However, particularly in regards to this show, watching said method is also very comical. To begin with, the fact that Patti, a millionaire herself, has made money by exploiting other people's desperation is unbelievable. It's tragic that these seemingly intelligent people have not realised that they are spending money on finding something that, if they were to simply go outside and live once in a while, would come to them sooner or later... and in much more honest circumstances too. I suppose after you reach a certain fortune you stop caring about what you spend as you have more than you could ever need anyway.
Not only this, but the ways in which she does this continues to humour me. The first stage of the matchmaking process is finding suitable candidates. The idea is that Patti and her minions question a number of men or women, depending on the client's preference. This is also Patti's chance to destroy as many people's self-confidence as possible. She is particularly brutal with the females. Despite the majority of them looking strikingly beautiful, Patti still has her complaints. Oh your hair? I don't like it, dye it blonde. Your outfit? I hate it, put on a revealing black mini dress because no man will ever love you looking like that. Oh you work in a restaurant? Well, I'm looking for a girl with aspiration, but you can come anyway, I always like to test the men with a bimbo. Your figure? Well, it could be better, lose some weight before you come back. *cough* Is that bitterness and jealousy I smell? *cough*
One alarming thing that this show seems to endorse is the idea that a person's affluence and appearance entitles them to a certain type of person. It's as if because these people are wealthy, the 'regular' people that are meeting them must hide everything about themselves and instead allow Patti to mould them into what the millionaires consider a beautiful, perfect person. She also does this with the millionaires themselves, coaching the shyer singletons into becoming fierce, confident and dominant in order to woo - like they won't ever find a partner if they don't. Shouldn't she be encouraging them to be themselves? That's how love blossoms in the real world, you learn to appreciate someone's individual qualities and characteristics. It also favours chivalry in every aspect, meaning that the rich individual must plan and pay for the date. I find it infuriating that she encourages stereotypical gender roles, scolding any female that dares to ask to plan the date. In most cases the men use this opportunity to, as Patti describes, 'lead with their money.' If, as Patti claims, the potential dates are not interested in money, then why not remove this aspect of the show? This is a genuine suggestion, why not send them away with £20 and see what they can come up with collectively?
However, despite my criticism, I cannot deny that Patti is a hugely successful woman. And, judging by her fortune, there must be something in her matchmaking serves. At the end of the day, I suppose we all need a little love in our lives. These people are just a little more despeare and, conveniently, able to pay a high price for it."
- ANT
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