Weird TV - Does Someone Have To Go

The fall shows are on hiatus and it's time for "summer" programming.  This typically amounts to a lot of filler shows, shows that have little substance but are semi-interesting and kinda-sorta entertaining.  "Wipeout" on ABC is one of my favorites even though I can not figure out how those people don't die or end up seriously maimed. 

Tonight I managed to watch the series premier of FOX's Does Someone Have To Go? Mostly because it was so unfathomable that this could be real life.  Also - who thought of this title?  It sounds like a bathroom reference.

The premise is this, a business is in trouble so the bosses turn it over to the employees to shake things up.  Although one would think this would mean the employees would come up with innovative ideas to change the company's direction, that's not it at all.  In reality, no one would watch that show.  Well maybe someone would, but those few souls wouldn't be enough for the advertisers.

Instead of coming up with things to actually help the company, the employees get together to determine who should be fired.  This seems to be a three step process:

• Everyone does a confessional about what they think of the other employees.  Sue Ellen is always late, Larry will stop you in the hallway to tell you a story and you end up losing 30 minutes of your life that you'll never get back, Linda steals other people's ideas.  Then they watch them all together.  Everyone gets butthurt. 
• Then they display everyone's salary one at a time.  You see the person's title, the number of years with the company and their salary.  I couldn't see this happening in real life.   I don't want to know how much these other people make.  I don't need to know.  No good came come of this.  Lisa Mae makes $83,000 and has only been here 2 months?   Rufus only makes $25,000 and he works 60 hour weeks.  I can think of one individual specifically who would make me go HAM if I knew they made more than me.  HAM!!!!  Databases would be deleted, things set on fire, all of the keyboards stolen.  I don't need to know, never tell me. 

This is a really bad idea.

•  Then everyone votes on who they think should be fired.  Of course it's not about what's best for the company at this point.  It's about getting back at the coworker that said your PowerPoints suck or makes more money than you even though you are in completely different roles.  

Once the votes take place, the bottom three are given to the bosses to think about making a decision.  Huh?  I'm sure that's great for morale.  I'm sure no one is plotting to take everyone out with arsenic after this process.  I'm sure the company will be so much better the end.   Or the cameras will go away, everyone will hate each other, productivity will be nothing, the company will go under and none of these people will be able to get a job because when you Google them this foolishness will come up.

One of those. 

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Written by Rebekah C