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"Millionaire" wedding makes a mockery of marriage
By Jill Pearson-Wood, MN NOW Times Editor Many who watched Fox’s “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire” show a few weeks ago were appalled at the network’s beauty-pageant approach to marriage. Women paraded around stage in various stages of undress, vying for the chance to marry multimillionaire Rick Rockwell. Never mind the fact that a prenuptial agreement precluded the winner from getting her hands on any of his money. In the end, five women donning wedding gowns stood like beauty contestants waiting to be crowned the next Miss America. The millionaire chose the blonde on the end. They were wed on the spot. As it turns out, the winner, Darva Conger, had second thoughts about the TV marriage and has since asked for an annulment. The 34-year-old registered nurse and Air Force veteran said she made an error in judgment and never thought she would be picked. In fact, most of the other contestants interviewed from the show said they weren’t interested in getting married, but wanted the free trip to Las Vegas where the show was taped. They also looked at the show as a chance to get exposure on national TV. Fox chose not to rerun the show as planned because of the negative publicity. How else did anyone expect this to turn out? In an article in the Washington Post, the network executive behind the show said he wanted to capitalize on the success of the other “millionaire” program on ABC. He thought about what made that show successful: wish fulfillment. Then he thought about what people wish for: money and a good relationship. So he decided to combine the two in a pageant format. The rest is history. The show was a return to the 1950s when many women thought their dreams would be answered by marriage, rather than through themselves. (NOTE: FOX reported before the negative publicity the next millionaire marriage show would feature a female millionaire). There are thousands of same-sex couples who have been working for years to gain the right to marriage, and FOX showed us it’s nothing more than a game. With annulments available to the contestants, FOX showed us marriage is easy to enter, easy to exit. And lastly, the program showcased the growing greed in our society. Turn on TV any night of the week these days and you’re sure to see a get-rich-quick game show: ABC has “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”, NBC has “$200,000 Pyramid,” MTV has “Play a Million Pay a Million” and FOX has my personal favorite: “Greed: The Series.” (This one doesn’t pull any punches with its appropriate title). These prime-time game shows are a network’s dream: they’re inexpensive to produce compared to a sitcom, and they’ve been at the top of the ratings. More than 30 million people tuned into the “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” show—many of which were younger women. At a point in history where women have more opportunities and freedoms than ever, why is there still so much intrigue surrounding marrying a rich man? As Darva discovered, it wasn’t worth it. When will the rest of us wake up? |