The newest Jersey reality TV show follows five couples as they plan the most over-the-top nuptials you can imagine -- complete with smoke machines, surprise pregnancies and, of course, enough tanning to make the American Cancer Society cringe. But does My Big Friggin' Wedding go too far? WeddingChannel.com asks what the big friggin' joke is all about.
By Amy Eisinger for WeddingChannel.com
The Big Idea
It's no surprise that the show was cocreated by SallyAnn Salsano, who also did Jersey Shore. And the show's couples have plenty of similarities to their Jersey Shore originals. One couple, Alyssa and Tyler, are party animals with a 3-year-old who are trying to sober up long enough to say "I do" (remind you of the nonstop boozing antics of Snooki and JWoww?), while another bride-to-be, Megin, just wishes her fiance would drop the title "Meatball King of New Jersey" (it's like when "The Situation" refuses to go by his real name, Mike).
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The Big Issue
For plenty of Jersey viewers, it's a setup that looks all too familiar. Fans love the larger-than-life personalities and the tell-it-like-it-is attitude of these brides. And it's hard not to snicker at what one groom describes as "the biggest ultimate Jersey goombah, crazy, fist-pumping wedding."But Italian American interest groups, like UNICO, take issue with the show and have asked VH1 to pull the plug altogether. Saying that Salsano has "done more harm to the perception of young Italian Americans than everyone before her, combined," UNICO went so far as to call the show a "big racist stereotype of Italian Americans." Not one to take things lying down, VH1 issued a (snarky) response statement on their blog, noting that 10 of the principals aren't even Italian (and pointing out that technically, Italian isn't a race). Moreover, VH1 asked, "Do a few drunken Italians spoil the bunch, or is [the show] an equal-opportunity portrayal of UNICO's gripes?"
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The Big Joke
Sure, it might be foreign to some brides to hear these couples worry about which laser machine to pick for the reception or which stripper to hire for the bachelorette party, but plenty of other couples out there find these topics perfectly relatable. And while we kind of cringed when Danny and Tammie's wedding is nearly derailed due to her refusal to sign the pre-nup, we also think Joey's obsession with Sandra's derriere is pretty hilarious.
Bottom line: My Big Friggin' Wedding pretty much falls into the same category for us as Jersey Shore does. It's that guilty pleasure that, well, we just can't stop watching.
© 2010 WeddingChannel.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Photo: Courtesy of VH1
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