Oprah Makes Giving Competitive

New show's contestants will compete to be the best philanthropist

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 2, 2008 12:42 PM CST

(Newser) – Heavyweight philanthropist Oprah Winfrey will outsource giving to a whole new level tonight: Her new ABC reality show, “Oprah’s Big Give,” makes charity a competition. Contestants compete to raise money for needy folks and causes, and each week the lowest-earner is given the boot, reports the New York Times. But warm fuzzies aside, even a blogger for Oprah’s hometown Chicago Tribune notices “something off-putting” about competitive giving.

The show appears to be a mish-mash of “Survivor” type free-for-alls and “Extreme Makeover” altruism, and could provide “the welcome delusion that one person” can make a difference, even if you are bankrolled by Oprah. Maureen Ryan, writing for the Tribune, is more skeptical: “Not everything can or should be turned into a contest.” The kicker? Whoever wins gets a million bucks.

[Images (2)]

[Videos (2)]

Producer Oprah Winfrey poses at the premiere of the film "The Great Debaters" in Los Angeles Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2007. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian) (Associated Press)

Oprah Winfrey walks on stage before speaking at a rally for Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Saturday, Dec. 8, 2007, in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall) (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Oprah's Big Give Episode 101 preview 2 (Brent0788 (YouTube))

Get a sneak peek of Oprah's Big Give! (OPRAH (YouTube))

View larger videos >>

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

With Big Give , Oprah Shows Smaller Side

Reality charity show provokes sniffles, but writer calls it vain

(NEWSER) - The new ABC show Oprah’s Big Give might be exactly what it claims—an epically scaled, nurturing-obsessed cult of personality—but the format is old and unsuitable, Nancy Franklin writes in the New Yorker, and the star is self-obsessed. The competition charity program sometimes reduced to her tears, Franklin allows, but mastery of manipulation is no great shakes in and of itself. More»

ABC Schedules Only 2 New Fall Shows

Reality show, drama get green light; Oprah passes on Big Give

(NEWSER) - ABC will debut just two new shows in the fall, partly because of the writers' strike. One will be a reality show produced by Ashton Kutcher that tests family members on how well they know each other. The other, Life on Mars, is based on a British show about a police detective transported back to 1973, the AP reports. ABC also is picking up Scrubs from NBC, but the network said Oprah Winfrey has decided not to bring back Oprah's Big Give. More»

'Extreme Makeover'? Try 'People's Court'

Heartwarming reality-TV episode ends in orphans' bitter lawsuit

(NEWSER) - It was supposed to be a great story: ABC's hit reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" transformed the home of Phil and Loki Leomiti and their five adopted children into a nine-bedroom dream house. Today the children, who moved out within weeks of the show's broadcast, are locked in a legal battle with the couple and the network. More»

Ryan O'Neal: Tatum Drama All Oprah's Fault

Winfrey didn't work her magic, he complains

(NEWSER) - Bad news: Turns out Oprah Winfrey is not always the magic antidote for what ails you, a lesson Ryan O’Neal learned the hard way: It seems that simply appearing in a reality show on her Oprah Winfrey Network did not manage to fix the long-troubled relationship between O'Neal and daughter Tatum. While the pair appeared to reconcile on the show, which premiered in June, they didn’t actually reconcile in real life—in fact, things are even worse now, O’Neal tells TV Guide , snarkily adding, “So thanks, Oprah, for all your help.” (O’Neal’s rep is backpedaling on the quote, calling it “very old.”) More»

Chaz Bono DWTS Pick Sparks Dialogue on Transgenders

ABC message board lights up with critics, defenders

(NEWSER) - If ABC wanted to generate buzz with the announcement of the new Dancing With the Stars cast , then it looks the selection of Chaz Bono was a wise choice. Tim Molloy of the Wrap notes that the show's message board has been besieged with comments about the transgender Bono, many of the I'm-not-watching-this-season variety. But Bono also has his fair share of defenders on the board, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation welcomes the attention, notes the Daily News . More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Oprah Makes Giving Competitive