Viva Hollywood...Viva Stereotypes?

Ok, so I’ve been meaning to write about this show for a while. So on April 13, 2008 VH1 premiered their new reality show “Viva Hollywood.” The show follows 12 aspiring Latin@ actors who are competing for a role in one of Telemundo’s telenovelas. They all live in a house together (“la casa de los locos”) and the show is hosted by Maria Conchita Alonso & Carlos Ponce. Oh yea, Walter Mercado is around too giving the contestants their challenges, which all center around one of the “7 deadly sins of telenovelas.” This is what VH1 says about the show:

“Our cast of fiery wannabes will live together, fight together, make love together...while competing for the coveted title and a Hollywood prize package that includes a contract with Telemundo, the biggest telenovela production company in the United States.”

To perceive this show as a positive sign of the increasing Latino presence in U.S. English-speaking television is utterly wrong. “Viva Hollywood” is just a catalog of all the worst stereotypes regarding telenovelas and Latin@ culture. The show is set up in a way to exploit tons of different stereotypes about Latin@s and they succeed. The VH1 website states : "Latin telenovela stars are so hot, so sexy, so emotional, so extreme...don't you wish you knew what the hell they were saying?" In this same vein, VH1 proclaims that the show will introduce telenovelas to an “American audience.” Last time I checked millions of Latinos in this country who already watch telenovelas are American. Thus, in VH1’s subtle wording, they are making it clear that they don’t consider Latinos to be real Americans. So who is the target audience? I’m assuming just like they’re other reality hit “Flavor of Love,” the majority of viewers are white. Which poses a whole bunch of other questions about the implications of this show….
The show runs the gamut of Latin@ stereotypes from the oversexed Latino to the bitchy confrontational Latina. Everyone is “hot blooded”& this reflects VH1’s website which believes that “Latin Telenovela stars are so hot, sexy, so extreme—and so emotional.” The show does touch on some critical issues, although unknowingly. For examples, issues of language, body image, immigration, sexuality, machismo, homophobia, and others are evoked, but rarely addressed or unpacked.

Lastly, instead of competing to stay on the show like many other reality shows. The contestants are essentially asked to beg for their place in the house & justify to the judges why they deserve to stay. Hmm…kind of like the way many Latinos need to justify the right to stay in this country? Or how many of us have to legitimate our identity as authentic Americans?

So overall, there is a lot to be said about this show and a lot of issues to address & I hope to write more about it once the season is over, because VH1 will undoubtedly have a 2nd season to capitalize on its success.

One side note I found interesting is that the intro for the show is a “Viva Hollywood” Reggaeton song. Never before did I associate Reggaeton with telenovelas, but I guess this is VH1’s attempt to appeal to a young demographic because us kids respond really well to Reggaeton, right? I guess it falls in line with the whole hot, spicy, and sexy motif they were going for.

Here are the first two segments of the first episode:


video.vh1.com


video.vh1.com


I’m curious to hear people’s thoughts, reactions, and overall sentiments towards the show.