Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire?

03/09/2000 English German

Edition # 20
San Francisco, 03-09-2000

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Who Wants To Marry a Millionaire?

Figure [1]: Freshly married on TV ...

Angelika And then we were allowed to witness the pinnacle of tastelessness on American television. However, this will certainly not prevent German broadcasters from producing a similar show for the German market, since every American show has always been copied, no matter how bad it may be. The show was titled "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" and was broadcast by the American network Fox. Fifty women competed against each other. The prize was to marry the super-rich bachelor in front of the camera. One of the rules is that none of the women are allowed to have met or even seen this potential husband beforehand. The final round is, so to speak, the highlight of the show. This is when the identity of the multi-millionaire is revealed for the first time, as he appears on stage and proposes to the woman he likes best among the finalists. And then, of course, they get married right there on the spot. It's legally binding, as the show takes place in the state of Nevada (where Las Vegas is), where such things are possible.

Figure [2]: ... and immediately schmoopi-schmoopi!

I emphasize once again: The woman only knows that the man has money. Game rounds include, for example, women parading on stage in bikinis while Mr. Multimillionaire awards points. Family members and friends are also allowed to give points. In hindsight, the whole thing might not have turned out to be such a brilliant idea after all. The ratings were huge, but Mr. Multimillionaire had already faced a lawsuit for beating up one of his girlfriends. His wealth is also smaller than stated. It seems the network didn't do its homework properly. The marriage will definitely be annulled. The American media were on cloud nine, as they could report on this event for days. In the end, the jilted bride agreed to do an interview with "Good Morning America." And she actually said that she only participated to get a paid vacation (she meant the honeymoon). How stupid can one be? And was the show's title perhaps: "How to Train to Be a Prostitute?" For those interested in the story: A rich selection of "links" leading to reports from various news agencies can be found at http://pw1.netcom.com/~warnerwa/rockwell.html .