Fire Island News

One Ocean View Missing Elements of Reality
By Edgar Spenser
Tuesday, August 8th, 2006

Entertainment executives make mistakes. Take, for example, the 2006 NBA All Star Game festivities. A dynamic and energetic event, the pre-All-star-game gala featured rookie exhibition games, an exciting 3-point shootout, and the awe-inspiring slam dunk contest. For some inexplicable reason, upper-level executives selected the Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli as musical entertainment for the All-Star game festivities. Exacerbating the awkwardness and ill-fitting match of this selection, during the festivities Bocelli sang a mournful song about impoverished children, accompanied by a heart-wrenching video. The entire arena deflated, leaving the previously excited crowd visibly bummed out. Common sense could have easily predicted this show-killing reaction – so what the heck were the executives thinking?

In what may be a similar situation, ABC’s One Ocean View, the new reality TV show, is poised to debut. While it may draw decent ratings, as one would expect of a new ABC television network reality TV show, the match-up of reality TV summer beach house share and Fire Island community appears, on the surface, to be as awkward and ill-advised as pairing Andrea Bocelli and the NBA All-Star Game.

Jonathan Murray, who produced ABC’s One Ocean View, also produced the seminal reality TV series “The Real World.” Not surprisingly, ABC’s One Ocean View features the reality TV formula popularized by MTV’s Real World over 15 years ago: cram complete strangers into a house, watch them compete for reality TV camera time, and wait for the fireworks. Normally, this reality TV formula is foolproof. However, its success is usually contingent upon one special ingredient in the reality TV stew: conflict. And here is where ABC Television Network executives may have made a terrible reality TV blunder with OneOcean View.

In the One Ocean View ABC reality show, the house occupied by strangers is a summer share beach house, located in Fire Island’s Ocean Beach. Anyone who has visited Ocean Beach may raise an eyebrow at the notion of a conflict-based reality TV show formula succeeding there – because conflict simply does not thrive on Fire Island. Perhaps ABC reality show executives and producers failed to visit Fire Island before launching One Ocean View.

Without conflict, there is no reality TV gossip, no reality TV news, and no reality TV ratings. One Ocean View’s cast of characters – Anelka, Heather, John, K.J, Lauren, Lisa, Mary, Miki, Radha, Usman, Zack – may have had a difficult time feeling or even feigning ire or depression, let alone living the staple reality TV show self-destruction plots, given the irresistibly soothing Fire Island summer share beach house surroundings. How can the One Ocean View cast bicker, fuss and fight in such beautiful Fire Island beach environs?

Scratch conflict from the possible One Ocean View storylines. Next up on the list of reality TV show plot devices: partying at bars. Bar-hopping has driven reality TV show plots since Real World season 1, delivering wildly successful dramatic storylines filled with alcohol poisoning ambulance rides, angry drunk fistfights, and weepy drunken confessionals. While Ocean Beach offers a number of bars that would provide a suitable stage for such reality TV drama, once again, ABC reality show producers seem to have failed to plan ahead. Ocean Beach initially refused to allow One Ocean View to film in the village. After a town hearing, One Ocean View was granted a permit to film, but was forbidden to film after 11 p.m. – well before the nightlife starts sizzling in Ocean Beach. Due to additional restrictions and agreements with local restaurant and bar owners, the One Ocean View crew ultimately ended up filming in the village during the least congested hours; usually during lunch or dinner. Does this sound like the no-holds-barred, wild-and-crazy atmosphere that drives reality TV show success? Hardly.

ABC reality show producers may have been banking on interactions with locals to drive the reality TV drama of One Ocean View – but again, they may have misjudged Ocean Beach inhabitants. In New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and other popular reality TV settings, locals are eager to get face-time on camera – they actively approach the boys and girls of reality TV and are excited to contribute to reality TV drama. But Fire Island is different. People come to Fire Island to get away from such hubbub. As a result, One Ocean View crews reportedly had difficulty finding any reality TV drama in interaction with the locals. When the One Ocean View disclaimers came out and the cameras turned on, the locals turned off and headed for more peaceful watering holes.

There’s one last plot device that makes the reality TV world go ‘round: sex. When the boys and girls of reality TV have sexual intercourse, reality TV news shows and reality TV gossip go wild. Considering the dismal prospects of conflict, drunken revelry, and dramatic townie interaction, sex may be the saving grace of ABC’s One Ocean View. Will it be enough? Time will tell.

On the eve of One Ocean View’s debut on ABC television network, reality TV executives and Fire Island locals are holding their breath in anticipation – one side desperate for huge reality TV ratings success; the other side quietly hoping for a reality TV train wreck. With success will come droves of tourists who destroy Fire Island’s privacy; with failure that privacy is preserved for Fire Island locals. In the case of One Ocean View, the most interesting drama seems to be based in real reality – because Ocean Beach is a few plot devices short of an entertaining reality TV show.

 

Are you a fan of reality TV? If you’re keeping score at home, here are the stats on the cast of One Ocean View:

Zack, 22, Headhunter/Recruiter. Zack is OneOcean View’s resident “nice guy,” with a pre-existing relationship with cast mate Lauren – will Ocean Beach make or break their relationship?

Anelka, 23, Senior Account Executive of a photography company. The “farmgirl” of the cast, Anelka is self-assured and confident, having recently moved from a rural setting to conquer the big city.

Lauren, 23, Hedge Fund Junior Analyst. Lauren brings to One Ocean View some romantic baggage, seeking deeper exploration of her relationship with cast-mate Zack.

John, 24, Wall Street Broker. John is returning to his site of his parents’ initial meeting on One Ocean View, hoping to find a nice girl who will lead him to a similar loving long-term relationship.

Mary, 24, Handbag Company Founder. An accomplished businesswoman and upper-crusty aristocrat, Mary is appearing on One Ocean View in search of lifelong love.

K.J., 26, Health Club Franchise Owner. Newly on the prowl after an ugly breakup, K.J. is on One Ocean View to play the Casanova and seduce a trustworthy femme.

Heather, 27, Recruiter and Sales Account Manager. Heather, a late-blooming bombshell of feminine sexuality, is on One Ocean View searching for love and long-term commitment.

Usman, 27, Attorney on Wall Street. The “alpha male” of One Ocean View, Usman is smooth with the ladies and somewhat abrasive with the guys.

Miki and Radha, 27, Co-Owners of an Organic Pizzeria. There’s twice the fun with these identical twin femme fatales; Miki and Radha bring sisterly competition to the One Ocean View house.

Lisa, 28, Dancer and Grad Student. Lisa brings a devastating mix of brains and beauty to OneOcean View; she intends to parlay her exotic dancer sexuality to land an intellectual soul mate.
Send a letter to the editor