I have a confession to make - I am a total and complete sucker for reality shows. Yes, I know it's ridiculous and I am glad that I only have the channels you can get with an antenna so that it curbs my reality show options, but it's true. For some reason they are absurdly addicting for me. Survivor, Amazing Race, Big Brother, Hell's Kitchen - they have all had their run of me watching. Thankfully I'm not addicted enough that I have to watch every season, but if I start watching a season at any given time I generally end up watching it the rest of the time. My new reality show obsession...So You Think You Can Dance - known on the website chat rooms as SYTYCD. It's one of those talent shows where people try out for a position in the top 20 and then America votes for who they want to stay each week. The cool thing is everyone has their own type of dancing, but they are required to partner with an assigned person and dance all different genres of dance - which in my opinion is why it's pretty cool.
But onto the point of the post: The reason I know what it is called on the chat rooms is I went on their site yesterday to figure out what a t-shirt 3 different people were wearing meant. I learned two things on this chat room. The first is that in the grand scheme of the world I am not obsessed with SYTYCD or any other reality show - these are the people who are obsessed with it. Wow. I have been known to go onto the LOST chat rooms from time to time to read different theories, but that show is based off the idea that there IS a plot, and that you can figure the plot out if you are smart enough. SYTYCD is not. It's a glorified talent show people. It is great entertainment, but it is certainly not worth hours of my time chatting about who I think is going to be voted off and whether I think the judges are being mean, and who is my favorite and why. It was a nice reality check to make me realize I am far more normal than I was coming to believe after watching three hours of reality TV this week. The second thing I learned is that there are some very (how do I put this nicely) not bright people out there. The t-shirt I went on to investigate said 'IV Real'. That's it. So I saw a chat thread that was titled IV Real and I clicked on it to investigate. There were a number of people asking what it meant and then someone answered 'well IV is the number 4 in roman numerals so I think it means For Real'. Ok, idiot, I got that much. What I'm wondering is what it is - a company, a website, a new celebrity 'I give money to poor people so I'm great' thing. But, when I thought that person was not bright in that they felt the need to explain it there was further down a person who said 'oh, I didn't get that'. As they say 'not the sharpest tool in the tool box'.
I guess I can only expect so much from religious watchers of a reality dance show :) If you'd like to see what are in my opinion the coolest dances so far on YouTube: Bollywood Dance - an Indian dance - very cool. Bleeding Love - I think this was a contemporary dance. HipHop Routine - obviously it was Hip Hop based on my title :)
it means "4 real" ... like, keep it real, we're for real...it's a race thing...stick together, etc...there are four black people left on the show. sad this day and age that it still has to come down to that. as if race has anything to do with the show.
ReplyDeleteI was also curious and found two possibilities.
ReplyDelete"4REAL is a project that began as a documentary television series and has expanded to include an online global community (4REAL.com), educational materials (4REAL School), the 4REAL Foundation and special events.
The television show, 4REAL, is a series of half-hour episodes hosted by Sol Guy that takes celebrity guests on adventures around the world to connect with young leaders who, under extreme circumstances, are affecting real change on some of the most pressing issues of our time."
from http://www.4real.com/
"For anyone who still isn't sure about the meaning, 4 REAL is a community of individuals from around the world who are passionate about creating social change through action, ART, and culture."
From http://www.witchymama.com/2008/07/iv-real-t-shirts.html
Look at that - you blog about it and random smart people answer your question! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI believe it means Season 4 is "where the real dancers are at," so to speak. For all those who seem to think it's about the 4 black people, I remind you that there were SIX black people (Chelsea and Marquis are gone).
ReplyDeleteActually, I did a little research and the rep from the show was quote as saying IV Real is, or was, an inside joke between cast members because it is the 4th season of the show and the cast made up the the 4 real sign to show their pride. 4Real foundation is a real organization, but that's not why they do the whole arm thing.
ReplyDeletebut where can i get one of those t-shirts?
ReplyDelete