Review of Oprah's Big Give

Oprah's Big Give premiered tonight March 2, 2008. Despite what I had thought before watching the show it was actually very good. I had thought it was a nice idea to help people, but I didn't think it would make a good reality show. While some of the contestants didn't help their person as much as they probably should have, most of them helped a lot.

One group was assigned to help a woman whose husband had been killed in a robbery at the Home

Depot where he worked. They did the best of all the groups in my opinion. They helped set up a scholarship for her daughters, took them on a shopping spree to get all the toys they wanted, raised money to help her pay her mortgage and other bills, and presented all of it to her at a neighborhood party. The party at the end was the best part I thought because of how it pulled the family's friends and neighbors in to help them. This was a much better way to present the give than the other groups.

Another group was assigned to help a medical student to pay off his student loans, and did terrible at it. They had a fashion show to try to raise money. This was a bad idea both because it didn't relate to their task and they didn't raise any money by doing it. They did manage to get some money for him though by having some "celebrity" present money that was donated by someone else.

Other tasks included helping a homeless woman, a marine, and a woman who helps adults with mental disabilities. The group that helped the woman who helps those with mental disabilities did great at earning money for her by asking individuals and especially businesses. They gave her some of the money in cash and some they used to buy musical instruments for the people she helps, they also got her a place to use for meetings. The group that helped the marine didn't do very good. They got him and his family a penthouse, but they only paid for the first month of it, and they got him some money, but only from one donor. The group that helped the homeless woman got her a home and a car, also they did something that I thought was great and got her a money coach to help her learn to manage her money to keep her from being homeless in the future.

I thought the judging was done well also. I had thought that trying to make the giving into something that was a judged event, but they did it very well. It was similar to The Apprentice, they had judges who had watched what they did to help their people and then judged their performance. I also liked that Oprah wasn't a huge part of the show. It made it seem a little more like this wasn't just something to get her more publicity. The cars they drove around even said the big give instead of Oprah's big give.

I still don't understand what the competitors think they are competing for since they don't know about the million dollar prize though.