I have to admit, I’m not sure exactly when this news broke amidst the bustle of the AFI Fest, newly single Britney ditching hastily re-monikered “Fed-Ex”, and…oh, that election, but apparently the America’s Next Top Model writers have lost their battle against “The Man”, and were not allowed the outrageous demand of *gasp* health insurance. Oh, the nerve! Those guttersnipes! Harumph, harumph! Their bid to gain union status made them popular with the media, the Norma Raes of a slightly more glamorous profession than textile manufacturing, but in the end it was just not enough.
The point I’m trying to make here is that models are boring*, and if we had to watch this show the way it happened in real life, it wouldn’t have lasted seven seasons. Yeah, yeah, we all love to talk about Tyra’s weave, but that alone is not enough to keep the show afloat. Of course, if you let these twelve reality show writers into the WGA, you have to let all the reality show writers in, and people seem to be very, very afraid of this. Why? Are you worried that these writers will tarnish the golden reputation of the member of WGA? Is it because they aren’t really writing the TV show, that they’re just molding what happens, teasing story lines and highlighting histrionics into 42 minutes of guilty pleasure? I’m not a member of the WGA, so I have no reputation to defend. And I’m also not an avid viewer of the show itself, so I cannot vouch for whether or not the show has gotten worse without the writers. All I’m saying it: it’s going to happen, and when it does these writers will be considered pioneers. Like, you know, Rosa Parks. Ok, maybe not Rosa Parks.
*Except that one contestant who was going to med school after the show and dating the dude from the Shins. Girl’s alright with me.