Learning who’s hanging from your family tree
THE FIFTH season of Who Do You Think You Are? is upon us as we prepare to see a new batch of celebrities get the shock of their lives when they learn the truth about their roots.
The show uses scientific methods to trace any given person’s origins. So, to ensure ratings, the producers need to use star power.
So we get to see famous people and they tell us what they think they know about their ancestry. Then, when the tests are done and the research gets under way, a lot of surprises ensue.
When Oprah Winfrey took the same test, simply out of curiosity, she is said to have hoped that she was of Zulu origin, but the results said something else.
Winfrey was linked to three groups – the Kpelle people of Liberia, the Bantu of Zambia and the Bamileke of Cameroon.
With that said, wouldn’t you be curious about where your genetics come from?
So many people respond with surprise about there being more to them than they had anticipated – and this what the show thrives on.
In this season, we will meet the likes of Cynthia Nixon, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Rachel McAdams, Valerie Bertinelli and Kelsey Grammer, among many others.
Not to give away any spoilers, however, there will be an old murder in one of the families, while some people found out that they were actually descended from a royal family.
It is exciting for the viewer to watch, but for some guests on the show, it must be one hell of a ride – and one that might leave them wishing that they had not begun to dig into their past.
The truth is meant to set us free, but there are some that are best left hidden.
Imagine if the results say that you are the descendant of a slave merchant, Hitler or Charles Manson.
That could not be something that you would want to live with, is it?
However, we can’t shy away from the research process in fear of what might happen. It is all part of life.
So, who do you think you are and do you want to find this out? Who Do You Think You Are? airs on SABC3 at 10pm on Sundays.