The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show
Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2015 4:05 pm
I know some on this board has Scandinavian ancestry, so I thought I should write about this.
There's a reality show that runs in each of the three Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where americans with ancestry in the country can enter. They're taken on a trip through the country, learn traditions and customs, and experience the country their ancestors left. During this time they also compete in different events that are loosely related to what they experience, and drop out one by one, until the last one gets to meet all his current local relatives in a big family reunion.
It's a very popular show here. It lets the Scandinavians see their own countries through fresh eyes, and see how people from the outside look at our countries. It's also very emotional, seeing the americans trace their ancestry and get answers to where their ancestors came from and why they left for America.
What I like it is that it's (mostly) a positive show. I hate reality shows with intrigues, back stabbing and voting people out. In this show people really hate seeing other people go, but even the people that loose gets a parting gift of all their Scandinavian ancestry, so they can contact their relatives here on their own. And from what understand most of them do. (A few of them has come to spend a lot of time here, and even managed to build careers here from their exposure in the show.)
The reason I though of it now is that the new season just started. And the first episode looks very promising, it seems all of the americans are really nice and friendly people without being boring. A show like this is very dependant on the cast, and last few seasons has had one or two people that you really wanted to get rid of, and had to wait until they lost.
If anyone is interested, or knows anyone that might be interested, a competitor has to:
* have ancestry in the country the show is taking place in.
* never visited the country. (and probably have no contact with relatives there either)
From what I've heard from different blogs, this is also needed:
* an ancestry that the geneologists can research and document, and trace forward to living relatives
* preferably a somewhat interesting ancestry, that makes a good story as to why they left
* an interesting personality type that works on TV.
As in all reality shows, the producers seem to want a mix of people and personalities. There's been housewifes, actors, military men, students, self employed, police officers, pastors, hairdressers and people from different states in the US. There's also been people with mixed heritage, muslims, mexican/swedish and korean/swedish to mention a few. There's been people of ages from 20 to 70 years.
Unfortunately, I dont think people in the US can see the show, unless they are competitors from this or previous seasons.
I know they can see it, because they comment the show on twitter and facebook.
Here's some more information for those that are interested. If you google a bit you will find a lot more, including interviews with competitors in US papers.
Alt for Danmark (show website) - the Danish show (danish language)
Allt för Sverige (Wikipedia) - the Swedish show
Alt for Norge (Wikipedia) - the Norwegian show
http://www.lifeinnorway.net/2014/10/the ... -adventure - Norwegian show, info in english
http://www.greatswedishadventure.com/ - US website for the swedish show, information and casting calls
There's a reality show that runs in each of the three Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where americans with ancestry in the country can enter. They're taken on a trip through the country, learn traditions and customs, and experience the country their ancestors left. During this time they also compete in different events that are loosely related to what they experience, and drop out one by one, until the last one gets to meet all his current local relatives in a big family reunion.
It's a very popular show here. It lets the Scandinavians see their own countries through fresh eyes, and see how people from the outside look at our countries. It's also very emotional, seeing the americans trace their ancestry and get answers to where their ancestors came from and why they left for America.
What I like it is that it's (mostly) a positive show. I hate reality shows with intrigues, back stabbing and voting people out. In this show people really hate seeing other people go, but even the people that loose gets a parting gift of all their Scandinavian ancestry, so they can contact their relatives here on their own. And from what understand most of them do. (A few of them has come to spend a lot of time here, and even managed to build careers here from their exposure in the show.)
The reason I though of it now is that the new season just started. And the first episode looks very promising, it seems all of the americans are really nice and friendly people without being boring. A show like this is very dependant on the cast, and last few seasons has had one or two people that you really wanted to get rid of, and had to wait until they lost.
If anyone is interested, or knows anyone that might be interested, a competitor has to:
* have ancestry in the country the show is taking place in.
* never visited the country. (and probably have no contact with relatives there either)
From what I've heard from different blogs, this is also needed:
* an ancestry that the geneologists can research and document, and trace forward to living relatives
* preferably a somewhat interesting ancestry, that makes a good story as to why they left
* an interesting personality type that works on TV.
As in all reality shows, the producers seem to want a mix of people and personalities. There's been housewifes, actors, military men, students, self employed, police officers, pastors, hairdressers and people from different states in the US. There's also been people with mixed heritage, muslims, mexican/swedish and korean/swedish to mention a few. There's been people of ages from 20 to 70 years.
Unfortunately, I dont think people in the US can see the show, unless they are competitors from this or previous seasons.
I know they can see it, because they comment the show on twitter and facebook.
Here's some more information for those that are interested. If you google a bit you will find a lot more, including interviews with competitors in US papers.
Alt for Danmark (show website) - the Danish show (danish language)
Allt för Sverige (Wikipedia) - the Swedish show
Alt for Norge (Wikipedia) - the Norwegian show
http://www.lifeinnorway.net/2014/10/the ... -adventure - Norwegian show, info in english
http://www.greatswedishadventure.com/ - US website for the swedish show, information and casting calls