‘Project’ is wake-up call to self-absorbed adults
For normal people, there’s a real sense of disgust when shows such as “Jersey Shore” hit it big, seemingly glamorizing stupidity and boorish behavior. It ultimately encourages that behavior for a generation, leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack.
But there is finally a show that takes those same characters and turns the tables on them, forcing them to think about something other than themselves in a wonderfully uncomfortable landscape. It’s called “The Project: Guatemala,” and it premieres Monday, Sept. 23, on GLO.
The premise is that nine unsuspecting young adults think they’ve signed up for a television show about adventures in paradise. But what they get is the “journey of a lifetime.” It sounds pretty good if you don’t put much thought into it. And these sheltered, spoiled and self-centered 20somethings don’t put much thought into anything and believe they’ve been selected for an adventure in an exotic location.
But in a wonderfully poetic bait and switch, they quickly learn that they’re never going to see surfside nightclubs and bottles of Cristal. Instead, they’re undertaking an ambitious construction project in a place where people des- perately need their help. They have just six weeks to build a community center for orphaned and abandoned children in rural Guatemala. The work will be hard, the time will be tight, and they’ll have to work together — all while living in a makeshift tent apartment with no heat or running water.
It’s a well-done twist on what passes for modern reality television.
“I was reading an article on voluntourism, and it talked about how a new generation of young travelers is wanting more out of their vacations and feel like they’re doing something and not just ponying up to the pool bar drinking their face off and waking up and doing it all again,” says supervising producer and creator Jim Kiriakakis. “And I thought to myself, ‘Well, I don’t know ... .’
“I thought it would be cool if people thought they were going on an amazing trip that was going to be fueled by sex, drugs, and rock and roll, the luxury and overabundance of everything, but then suddenly they were smacked in the face with the reality that no, they’re here to do some good,” adds Kiriakakis. “It would be interesting to see what their reactions would be.”
As you can imagine, their reactions are priceless.
The show hooks viewers right off the bat by introducing us to a group of young adults who haven’t thought of anyone but themselves since the day they were born. They are as unlikable as anyone can be and still hail from Canada. But to their credit, when they are given the opportunity to head home in the first episode, all nine decide the right thing to do is stay and build the community center.
Of course, that’s not to say there isn’t some tension. Even as the group is introduced to the Guatemalan workers who’ll assist in the construction, the girls refuse to wear the sanctioned demure work gear in preference for cleavagebaring tank tops and short shorts. The fact that they’re guests in a foreign country with rather strong religious and moral codes is meaningless.
“We told (the Guatemalan workers) they’re going to be easy to hate at first,” says Kiriakakis with a laugh. “But ultimately, there will be a transformation.”