The Couch... With a Twist

ChannelNewsAsia has this TV programme called 'The Couch' where a pair of 'celebs' such as Joscelin Yeo and her brother, Eric Khoo and his rich friend etc, are invited to sit on the same couch and have a conversation, prompted by a set of questions from the producers.

(I can't find website, pics, links of the Couch online though.)

I was doing the dishes on Sunday morning, when I caught some bits of conversation between Joscelin Yeo and her brother. They talked about their sibling relationship, tough times of their lives etc. Mostly 'inspiring' stuff.

Wouldn't it be a great watch if the producers of the Couch had invited 'average everyday' people instead? Example, someone who used to be in Top 5% of his cohort (went to top schools), but now stuck in an average dead-end job with little savings and no girlfriend. Get him and his sister who went to poly, is now married to an Army technician, and have 2 kids.

Then give them a set of questions such as 'As a child, what was your ambition?', 'Do you think you can still achieve your childhood ambition?', 'Do you think you are successful?', 'What pains you the most so far?', 'What makes you happy?', 'Describe yourself assuming you are 80.' etc.

I guess it wouldn't work.
Coz in a society where 'face' and 'shame' are very much ingrained in our psyche, it's much easier to go on national TV to talk about failures, pains, losses, love, family etc, only when you are deemed successful by 'society' and yourself. It's much much tougher to get someone who has not achieved much to agree to be on TV and talk about why and how they are not 'winners', but 'losers'. What's more... 'losers' can't hold themselves well on TV. They don't look/sound good... Probably speak Singlish, instead of American-accented English.

But hey! This alternative format may shed more light than the 'inspirational stuff' you and I are used to.

Maybe not Channel News Asia (atas channel mah!). Maybe Channel 8 or... 5. And maybe, it'll not be the Couch... But more like... The Stools.