Who else saw this?

Here is a show that seems to have its heart in the right place, but IMHO fails miserably with it's emphasis on competition and do or die mentality. I had real hard time sticking through the premiere, which in the end really left me cold. From the ads, I knew this was not going to be something that would appeal to me, but I decided to give it a go in any event. I should state that I don't find anything wrong with a show that promotes philanthropy - I get sucked into Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - but I have a big problem with a show that continually pats itself on the back before the first commercial break.

I think the off-putting tone was set early when Oprah stated, "This is a show designed after my own heart. The biggest giver becomes the biggest winner." Hmmmmm. I wish she would have elaborated on that. Does Oprah believe that simple charity, the kind most of us who are not millionaire's or billionaire's perform on daily basis, doesn't equal the type of charity that big money can afford? I don't know... the show never goes there, but instead rushes into the competition, which mixes equal parts The Apprentice, American Idol, and The Amazing Race. Perhaps that was the only way to sell the show, or insure some type of ratings, but it just left a bad taste in my mouth to see charity work turned into a game show, and not a very original one at that.

Too much throwing money at the various problems that contestants were trying to solve, rather than coming up with solution that would have long term benefits. Of course, setting a time limit (5 days, in the case of last nights show), there really isn't time to analyze a person's situation and come up with lasting solutions. In a year, I'd like to see some organization do a follow up on the people in need from last nights show, and find out whether the short term fix had some lasting value. I honestly wonder how many corporate checks would have been written if contestants were not able to throw Oprah's name into the mix.