Yanno, as much as I like coming here and reading the posts on a near-daily basis, the show has gone downhill for me really badly. I used to admire Iyanla, and now she seems totally whacked out to me with her assignments. I don't know what's happened to her this season, but I'm finding that there's nothing that her charges can do that will please her. When Allison stood up for herself (what a laughable charade that was) she was rewarded by hugs. When Jill stood up for herself ("I ain't carrying that baggage no more."), IV got her knickers in a knot. She's been totally arrogant with Lisa2 and Jodi. Mind you they prolly make it easy for her, but still, they're not developing healthy theraputic relationships with their LC -- more like a surrogate mom.

Nah, if they can this show, I won't miss it. I can only watch it from 7-8 am, and since it's a repeat from the previous day's show, I'm always catching up to what is being discussed on this board.

Reality-therapy, I've had enough of it.

Nope. I think the show has "jumped the shark" this season. Too much drama, hysterics, lame assignments from the life coaches, whining...

The only thing that is good about the show is Dr. Stan. He's a straight-talker. I actually learn something from him when he interacts with the women.

I won't miss the show. In fact, if there was a petition that supported it's cancellation, I'd sign it.

Reasons for that are too many to list but mainly it's because I simply don't believe what I'm seeing and I'm tired of feeling insulted after watching.

But I will definitely miss this SO forum. I think, in large part, it's what kept me (and who knows how many others) connected to SO.
imo, if not for the forums (which, remember, Iyanla bashed) the show would have probably been cancelled long ago.
SO underestimated us, ladies, and if gets dumped then I think we should proud.

Ya know, with all the bitchin and moaning I have been doing for the last season, the drum and poem solo was the singular "jump the shark" moment for me!!! Good grief, and my hubby looked at me with the "you actually watch this stuff" look on his face and I was embarassed to say yes.

Will I miss SO if it goes away?? Which SO ... the old SO or the new SO??? IMO, they are not one and the same. I DO miss the old SO. I've been missing it all season. As far as I'm concerned, they can take the new SO and throw it immediately in the can. I have it scheduled to record each day on the DVR and occasionally scan through it to see if there is some actual insight, help, therapy, compassion, personal responsibility, support, and all the rest that innitially made SO the amazing, original, helpful show it began as. THAT's what I miss.

During the OldSO, watching angry, hurtful, or irresponsible behavior of some of the women wasn't the irritating, blood-pressure rising, agony it has now become. "Bad" behavior of old was shown ... yet you could be comforted knowing it was being shown BECAUSE it would be delt with, if not in the immediate episode, within the next day or two. Now, "bad" behavior is being shown strickly for the "rubber-neck" curiosity value. And that's why the blood pressure gauge climbs anytime I attempt to really WATCH and actual concentration on this years show. It's like watching a spoiled rotten brat completely controlling a group of adults and the adults being clueless of the irritating behavior and even more clueless of any actual solution. Or like the school bully with the bully dad who controls the school board, continually getting away with horrible, hateful behavior and still getting all the awards never earned nor deserved.

I'll be the first to admit, I want to see the bullies have to answer for their behavior and have to learn another way, apologize, atone ... whatever. I wanted to see Allison called on her selfish, whining, attention-seeking behavior, made to see how it doesn't serve her, and I would have loved watching her learn to be truely giving and compassionate, not the fake self-serving compassion she loved to TELL everyone she had. I would have stayed glued without blinking if I could have watched GagLisa being shown in a session with the LCs her fake, rediculous, worse-acting-on-the-planet crying and puking and being called on it each and every time she tried to get something from it. I would have liked to see Jill have to answer for her entitlement issues more than just at the first of her marathon stay and not given even more reasons to increase this harmful attitude. I would love to watch as Kelly is made to see her hateful, obsessed, lazy attitude and ... again, called on it each time. And not because I want to see the women "whipped" just because their behavior is obnoxious but because none of these women will be able to have the happy, successful, fulfilling lives they truly want without someday being what I know they deep inside wish they could be ... the confident, successful woman we all want to be. We all have varying degrees of a lot of irritating or self-limiting behaviors. Watching as these women learn of theirs, understand them, then learn what to do to limit or eliminate them is what made SO the unique program it started as. Was it good to send Allison or any of the others home with a fake graduation seemingly worse off than the day they entered the house? Is Allison getting the positive life-affirming attention she desperately tried to get? No, Allison is one of the biggest jokes of SO. Is this what she came on the program for? I'll admit, I saw more than enough evidence of Allison's whinny, self-serving behavior during her 1st season to not care for her at all but there are others who came to the SOH that I didn't like at the beginning but grew to support and pull for as they learned and grew during their time on SO. I would have loved to have gotten behind and pulled for Allison also but SO never gave me the chance. Now, my memory of her will always be one of dislike ... one that would only be humiliation for her. Do I blame Allison? I don't know. Yes, she came on a reality show, maybe wanting fame or a new career or some other self-serving gain. That was Allison. But I don't think she fully deserved what she got. I'll always believe those who came on the show the 1st couple of seasons honestly came for help in "starting over" for any number of reasons ... and in the mix, they may have also wanted the attention. Allison has problems, as do many of those we see. But now it seems what I see is more of SO exploiting these problems, putting the women in situations to exadurate their problems, then editing them to laughable proportions. Yes, that is what reality TV is all about. But when SO started I thought maybe thay could actually be a bit different. They seemed to start that way ... and my worst fears were realized ... that they would morph themselves into the exact replica of the hundreds of other reality shows scattered all over the TV schedule.

I've gotten a lot out of SO, especially at the beginning. It came at a time for me when my own life was barely liveable. I was fighting for my life, physically. My body was a prison, making my own bedroom a prison cell. I needed whatever I could find that was positive and affirming. SO was a drop in a huge bucket of void I was trying to survive. My own siblings and parents had abandoned me during this life-threatening illness when I had spent my entire adult life giving and being supportive to them all. I couldn't understand their behavior. It was devistating. My only child, one of the strongest positive forces in my life, had just moved 500 miles away out of state to college. I'd never sat still a day in my life and just before the illness I was running marathons, playing competitive tennis and beach volley ball, riding bikes and hiking at every chance, finally hubby & I had the resources to travel nationally and internationally, and I'd quit one career & was back in school for a new masters degree and a new career. I was living the life I'd dreamed and worked many years to attain. In a matter of weeks I was fighting for my life and completely bed-ridden. I was struggling.

Though my health is finally improving and it looks like I MIGHT be able to SOMEDAY run just a teeny tiny bit (please God - it's my mental, physical, & emotional salvation!) I got used to the daily affirmation and reminder to continue to strive to be the best me I can be. I hope to resume one class this fall so hope I have less and less time to fill ... but I will still miss OldSO.

Yes I will miss it!But I do wish it was the old SO.

I sure will. I've watched SO since the first show. I live in Texas and it's aired at 4 am so I have to tape it. I hope it stays on. I'd like to see some of the old characters especially Josie come back.

Yes!!!! I'll truly miss the show no matter how crazy the antics get, I believe this show has "merit" ... it offers women in crisis an avenue to transition thru life. There has never been a show like this and it beats the heck out of any soap opera...I don't watch them...had given up on daytime TV years ago..wasted time.

I was hooked on the show from the very first season...I was newly retired and had loads of time...and I discovered SO and the rest is "history". Inspite of some problems this season, the show was still very enlightening. There is a lesson for everyone....it helps those of us in the viewing audience, if nothing more than finding out that we can be compassionate and understanding people...that we won't like everybody and it's okay... we learn to be who we really are...we learn acceptance and respect for boundaries and we learn to agree to disagree....and the saddest thing I learned was that our local station isn't going to carry it next season and I've made my voice known...my only hope is that some network will listen to our pleas and keep this meritorious show on the air....now, I'll get off my soap box and go to bed. Peace!

Yes....I'm going to miss SO.....

****************************
"I walk in my own shoes..."
****************************

Well said, 26mitogo. Which SO are we talking about?

Without this board and the people who regularly and thoughtfully post, I would have lost interest in this scripted piece of fluff by November. Even the posters with whom I disagree are a welcomed piece of the fabric of this board, and I truly enjoy hearing their perspectives. There is so much wisdom, experience, and perspective here. Starting Over is the subject matter that brings us all together. So yes, I'll miss that because I'll miss all of you.

As far as the actual program is concerned, I've decided that the show may be doing more harm than good to the women who have sold their privacy and stories in exchange for help. A lot of them have left the house being told that they've met their goals and have "truly started over". The graduations have become huge fanfares that are, for the most part, devoid of any real meaning besides, "you're leaving...tonight". Look at Lisa1. She couldn't follow the course when the cameras were monitoring her. Are we now supposed to believe that giving her less accountability and freedom at home was the missing piece to her puzzle? Allison felt so ill-prepared and sickened by the thought of leaving that she faked a hyperventilation scene. Jill, who's original goal was to "lose weight and gain control" did very little of either, but you wouldn't know that by watching her graduation. What about Cassie, Josie, and Christina? Where are they now, and do their golden statuettes mean a thing?

Besides that, the producers have let far too many women come through that front door under false pretenses. These women have tried and failed to disguise their real motives, but the truth is that SO was never supposed to be a "Star Search" for any of them.

To everything there is a season. I guess the seasons are changing.

*******************************************

"My own siblings and parents had abandoned me during this life-threatening illness when I had spent my entire adult life giving and being supportive to them all. I couldn't understand their behavior. It was devistating." - Yuck 26mitogo, that's awful. And yet I know what that feels like, without the illness. Hopefully you can put yourself into a bigger picture with newfound friends maybe, because some people can just let you down, often especially those that should know better, unfortunately.

Seasoned Refinement, I agree that even the posters you disagree with are a welcome piece of the fabric of this board. There is much to be learned from different perspectives.

And too SR, whether the SO women were receiving more harm than good... I often wondered whether the stuff that's gone into my head from watching the show has done me less good than I'd like. Sometimes I've gotten the message that all can be fixed, and... well, it can't.

I hope they do cancel SO because I think they've given enough advice... and I really want to graduate!!!! Besides it's the only way I'll get rid of my obsessive behavior of watching the show and reading these boards.

Shazbot writes; I hope they do cancel SO because I think they've given enough advice... and I really want to graduate!!!! Besides it's the only way I'll get rid of my obsessive behavior of watching the show and reading these boards.

********

I couldn't agree more! As addicted as I am I will be happy to have my life back. I will miss the boards because they will eventually fade away when SO is gone but there is always the off-topic forum.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Yep, we've always got room for a few more on OT.

And we've got plenty of other shows to yammer about, in the blue column to the left. If yours isn't listed, there's always the Other Shows forum.

Better than I deserve.