While Oprah’s Big Give premièred to big numbers, many critics and viewers have criticized the show for taking advantage of the word “charity” and capitalizing on the reality genre.
Since we couldn’t talk to Oprah herself, the next best things were host Nate Berkus, celebrity judge and NFL superstar Tony Gonzalez, and producers Ellen Rakieten and Elise Doganieri, who were more than happy to stand up for the show they believe in.
TVGuide.ca: Were they any qualms about turning charity into competition?
Ellen Rakieten (Executive Producer): No. Nothing spurs people like a little good old-fashioned competition. Every single person that auditioned for this show knew what the rules were and what we were going for. Additionally, since the first episode, we’ve had thousands of people emailing us about wanting to be on the next one. Nothing was done in a dehumanizing manner.
We get the fact that there we’re eliminating people for doing good, and Jamie (Oliver, celebrity judge) acknowledged that in the first show, but we’re not saying ‘you’re a big loser, goodbye’. We’re saying ‘this might not have been the best thing for you’.
The idea for this show, and the entire sole intent and motivation is to inspire other people to give back. I think to judge who needs a give is a little missing the point. It makes it fun, it makes it exciting. And I think there’s some real reality to it.
Nate Berkus (Host): The other thing to add to that, as well, is that it’s not easy to give. People have to be very creative, they have to think it through. By making it into a competition, the judges do a fantastic job of giving constructive criticism to all the contestants week after week to inspire them to push themselves to do better. And that’s what people at home need to understand. This isn’t a show that’s just about giving away money. You saw in the first episode how creative certain contestants got and how much effort they put forth, and how others didn’t.
Elise Doganieri (Executive Producer):This is about starting a movement that Oprah has already been doing for years on her television program. And this is just a bigger, better way of getting it out there to everyone and for everyone to share in the experience. So hopefully, it’ll light a spark and continue to grow, and you can see whether they do big things or small things, the littlest thing can affect somebody’s life in the most positive way.
TVG: Doesn’t it spread the message that charity only matters as long as there are other people watching?
ER: Believe it or not, Oprah is not someone who looks at the ratings. But I do. Because the more people that are watching, then the more people are getting the message. Where are you seeing a show where people are giving and not getting? It’s giving people the idea to look around them and see that somebody is need of a big give.
TVG: What’s the message that you want to get across to young people?
NB: One of the goals of the show is that families are able to watch this together and that there’s stuff out there that parents feel good about watching with their kids. And this is definitely a show that does that. I know the children in my life watched the show last Sunday, and came to me and said ‘wow, that’s so cool, we want to start a drive at our school’ and ‘we want to help the new kid.’ It’s a great place to sit with your children and then start a conversation with them about how they can open their eyes to their community.
ED: It’s refreshing to have something so positive on television that can inspire people. There’s not many other programs, reality or scripted, that you can feel comfortable sitting with your child and actually feel good about watching with them.
TVG: Nate, how has your ordeal and your loss made this experience of being involved with the Big Give more personal for you?
Nate: Going from decorator on the Oprah show to hosting this series was definitely very personal for me. Once I understood what the heart of the show was about, I was really excited to be involved. I had both the misfortune and the good fortune to have had to rely on the kindness of absolute strangers. It definitely opened me up to being much more sensitive as a person. So when I heard about the show, and what the point of the show was doing, and the fact that this was a show that I could be really proud to be involved in, it was something that felt like a true gift to me.
TVG: Tony, what was your motivation was for getting involved with Oprah’s Big Give?
Tony Gonzalez (Celebrity Judge): Well, I’ve been very fortunate that ever since I’ve gotten into the NFL (as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs), I’ve had the chance to touch people’s lives by helping them out by giving back to them. So when this opportunity came along to be a part of the show, I jumped at it. I was like, ‘yeah, that’s right up my alley, that’s what I like to do’. The best example is looking at the team captains that are on the show and looking at it from their perspective. And the common theme they keep saying is: ‘This has been the best experience ever, this is changing my life, this is the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever done’, (because) just to go out there and give to complete strangers will just change your life.
Look, I’ve scored touchdowns on Monday Night Football in front of millions of people and it’s an unbelievable feeling, don’t get me wrong [laughs]. But when you can go to a hospital and give back to a child and put a smile on some child’s face who has cancer, or give to someone who didn’t even know it was coming…now that’s an unbelievable feeling. That’s the heart of this show, that’s what hopefully gets people inspired. And whether or not it’s a competition, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about going out there and giving because once you give, you’ll see that that’s probably the highest form of living which you can achieve.
ER: Right on!
Oprah’s Big Give airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on CTV/ABC
denette@tvguide.ca
