Common Sense Media Review
By Kari Croop
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Ay, dios mio! Reality show big on sex, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In VIVA HOLLYWOOD!, 12 bilingual actors and actresses are packed into a Hollywood mansion to compete for a $100,000 prize and the chance to be cast in a \"career-making role\" in a Telemundo telenovela. As part of the competition, they're put through their paces in a series of acting challenges designed to test their mastery of the \"Seven Deadly Sins of Telenovelas\": passion, lust, charisma, drama, fire, seduction, and scandal. Each week, the bottom two contestants are chosen to act in a fight-to-the-death scene in which one of them is \"killed off\" -- i.e., kicked off the show.
Is It Any Good?
The producers of this reality show knew what they were doing when they decided to dub the contestants' mansion "La Casa de los Locos" (that's "The House of the Crazies," for all you non-Spanish speaking folk) -- because that's basically what viewers are getting. While Viva Hollywood! does provide an eye-opening look at the world of telenovelas and give big-name Latino stars some well-deserved crossover exposure, the series seems more or less designed to be high on camp and low on meaningful content.
Teens who watch aren't likely to walk away with any important life lessons, but they'll undoubtedly learn that it looks cool to hit somebody over the head with a bottle made of breakaway glass. And that's definitely something to consider.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the differences between Spanish-language telenovelas and American soap operas. How do the content, characters, and storylines compare? Are telenovelas steamier than English-language soaps? Are they any more or less violent? Are women portrayed any differently? What about men? Parents might also want to stress that most telenovelas are meant to be taken as escapist entertainment, not as a model of how people should act in everyday life.
TV Details
- Premiere date : April 13, 2008
- Cast : Carlos Ponce , Maria Conchita Alonso
- Network : VH1
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 20, 2019
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