CMT has aired two seasons of their new reality television show, Sweet Home Alabama. Season 3 is scheduled to debut in early January, 2012. This new series takes a whole new approach to reality shows of the past, such as The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, by pitting country vs. city folks.
When I first heard about another reality television show based on finding “true love” I cringed. Don’t get me wrong, I watch all the Batchelor and Bachelorette shows and love to pick them apart. I just couldn’t imagine another reality show of the same concept. However, CMT makes Sweet Home Alabama work, and the ratings confirm this.
So what makes Sweet Home Alabama click? My observations of this fairly new reality show reveals that Sweet Home is way more laid back than The Bachelor and/or The Bachelorette. The setting is a warm and inviting country home in southern Alabama. It’s not a ritzy mansion that most people only dream of living in.
Southern hospitality also plays a big part in the show, as most people raised in the south are very courteous, polite and out going. With half of the cast members being from the southern states, and being filmed in the south, you can see how this show takes on a southern feel.
The contestants on Sweet Home Alabama, whether male or female all seem to get along much better than contestants on the popular ABC series. Of course, there are always exceptions, but as a majority I think this statement stands.
I also like the way this show doesn’t drag on and on with eliminations–or lack of eliminations. The southern bachelor or bachelorette has the option to send home as many or as few contestants per episode. This makes for spontaneous actions and keeps the viewers tuned in to see how many (and who) will go home each week.
The basis of the show is very simple and consists of the southern bachelor or bachelorette meeting all of the contestants on the season opener. They go on group dates, romantic one-on-one dates, and film the contestants hanging around the house. Each episode concludes with contestants sitting out on the porch waiting to be “summoned” to find out if they will be eliminated or perhaps going on the next big one-on-one date.
To me, Sweet Home Alabama just seems more real compared to the reality shows on the ABC network. The contestants appear to be more down to earth, they all get along with each other and the show flows much better with no messing around to eliminate the contestants that don’t click with the southern bachelor/bachelorette.
The new season of Sweet Home Alabama premiers on CMT on Friday, January 13, 2012 at 8:00 Central Standard Time. The southern bachelorette will be Paige Duke from Season 2 of Sweet Home Alabama. Tune in to see all the action!
Sources:
CMT: Sweet Home Alabama
Personal Observations from watching Sweet Home Alabama