It seems that the Starting Over House Guests either over-stay their welcome or graduate too soon. Do any of you agree? Also, who do you think overstayed their welcome and who's graduation do you think was rushed?

Granted, the people at the beginning seem to stay longer and the late-comers seem to be rushed through graduation for the end of the season. But I think T.J. would have benefitted more from staying longer, as well as Christina and now Antonia.

What are your opinions?

• RE: Graduations in general...,Seabisquit, 04:05 PM, 05-19-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,L_11, 04:11 PM, 05-19-06
  • RE: Graduations in general...,candyprincess, 06:47 PM, 05-19-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,eire_heart74, 07:50 PM, 05-19-06
  • RE: Graduations in general...,alaholly, 08:53 PM, 05-19-06
    • RE: Graduations in general...,Zoey, 09:18 PM, 05-19-06
    • RE: Graduations in general...,maryellennaco, 11:35 PM, 05-19-06
    • RE: Graduations in general...,cynicalgirl, 00:38 AM, 05-26-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,SOfan0221, 07:02 AM, 05-20-06
  • RE: Graduations in general...,EMTBGRL, 10:57 AM, 05-22-06
  • RE: Graduations in general...,wallyhoohoo, 11:11 PM, 05-25-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,GoodnightLittleBear, 11:14 AM, 05-22-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,wallyhoohoo, 11:10 PM, 05-25-06
  • RE: Graduations in general...,cynicalgirl, 00:41 AM, 05-26-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,wallyhoohoo, 01:17 AM, 06-03-06
  • RE: Graduations in general...,AshLanie, 08:26 AM, 06-03-06
    • RE: Graduations in general...,techstyle, 01:13 PM, 06-03-06
      • RE: Graduations in general...,techstyle, 08:58 AM, 06-04-06
• RE: Graduations in general...,Toushay, 12:52 PM, 06-04-06

I like Niambi...but I don't think they should have even brought her into the house knowing full well she would have 6 weeks or less in the house before the show ends.
Antonio graduated way too early IMO. Christie has been there quite a while, but this chick is never going to get it. Life should never be this pathetic.

Honestly, I think graduations anymore are a pure function of ratings. Either to a)make a splash with someone they know will draw people in (Jill/Allison) or to b)get rid of someone who may actually be progressing but isn't creating enough drama(Kellie/Lisa2).

It really has become a pretty sad show.

IMO, I don't think that just because the season is coming to a end they should push hg out the door. They could let them stay until they have reached their goals, then if there is another season they could update viewers then. I think it is a real disservice to the hg to bring them in than rush them out the door.

I wish they wouldn't rush a houseguest but it is a tv show and that's the nature of the biz they are in. All ratings and drama.

Is Antonia ready? I'm not sure. She seems ready to face her debt and pay it but they haven't address her need to aquire junk she doesn't realy want or need. Nor the fact she runs to mommy everytime she is really in a jam. Yeah I call my mom for advice support what have you. But if I broke my tooth, I wouldn't be calling her to fix it.

Her dad issues. Not even so much a scratch on the surface. Yes that does effect the choices she has made. Ignoring her mounting debt is just as bad as him ignoring her.

This rush to graduate everyone before the show ends makes the whole show even more unreal. It would be a lot more believable if they left some of the HG's stories open ended with some actual goals still to be accomplished.

For example:
"Antonia is continuing to work on reducing her debt and sees her credit counselor on a regular basis. She now has a (real) steady job and has developed a budget to control her spending. She also continues to see a therapist who is helping her with rebuilding a relationship with her father."

Not:
"You're graduating. Whoopee. It's a wrap."

^ That would be great, *if* they plan on coming back for another season. I hope they do.

That would be the REALISTIC way to go, but no...... This is one big giant pant-load of a freak show!! What the heck are they gonna do with Niambi??? Run her out on a rail, or what?? Miraculous self discovery in a week while "supporting" the sloth of the house??

And then we find out that in REAL real life, Antonia is now living in LA (moving from Boston), and is working as a temp.

NOT working the two jobs a day, or whatever it would take to get out of her massive (now, less massive) debt.

Apparently, this girl ain't trying, AGAIN.

Yet, she can call herself a SO graduate.

What a pity.

LAST EDITED ON 05-21-06 AT 04:44 PM (EST)

I don't know why they bother with graduations, it appears quite a few of them still have unresolved issues and are brought back on the show; as per Fridays episode when Jill arrives back.

SO far this season we have seen mutlitple repeats of Cassie had graduated seson 2 returned and graduated season 3 and then returned again, Allison graduated season 2 and returned beginning season 3, Sommer a return from season 2, Josie, and now Jill.

I thought of the whole premise of graduating from starting over was to START OVER. I didn't realize it was run to SO everytime your life took a dip. Where are all the tools these women were supposed to be equipped with when they left? This season it seems more like a revolving door of reappearing graduates.

I have been very disappointed with this season. There are only a couple of women I really thought got help, T.J. was one of them. I also thought Jill but have since changed my mind on that one.

Do you remember when they all met in the living room to show the "Steps Revealed" on the plasma screen TV? And, they revealed ONE step at a time? Now? What happened to the "steps?" imho: The point to the SOH is NOT changing your ways or achieving your steps (the goals themselves became psychobabble.) So, I am not surprised that the end result was some editor or producer somewhere saying, "This girl is staying, and this one has just GOT to GO!"

Antonia isn't graduating fast enough for Iyanla. Antonia doesn't do Iyanla's bidding at every turn.

Lisa1 gave Rhonda a punching bag. (and she was a good punching bag, too) and that's why she stayed around so long (and came back.)

Jill graduated late. The whole "trial" was lame.

Christie? -- Too long. Everyone else is planning the 5K anyway.
I actually don't see her learning, just acting.

Jodi. Why is she STILL on my TV screen?

Niambi. I agree that if they knew the show was being cancelled, that meant her goal should have been "Run for your life!" (away from the SOH) and that's less about Niambi, and more about the show.

And, as Forrest Gump says, "That's all I have to say about that."

im sorry, i responded to this post before i saw yours. we said pretty much the same thing, tho you did it better.

IMO, I think they are rushing people to graduation because not only is it the end of the season but it's the end of the show. If the show were to continue, they could either do a cliffhanger or have the ones who have not graduated, return next season.

i agree. antonia graduated with no improvement or goals. i mean, she still had alot of debt, climbing a hill didnt make it go away. she swore she wouldnt go the bankruptcy route, but no plans were made for her to either pay off her bills or to even avoid the debt from happening again. when i saw she was graduating i was speechless.

christie was told she was graduationg before her 5k. i thought the success of the 5k was going to be a determining factor in her graduation. essentially, she graduated before taking finals.

it seemed to happen a few times. people graduating without a plan or accomplishing the goals set out at the start. none of the housemates seemed to have a structured plan for after they leave the house, which is like leaving a pile of dynamite unattended. if there is no plan, how easy is it to revert to who they were?

I agree with my fellow posters. Everything that has happened in the final season of SO has just confirmed our worst fears.

They threw women through the house/counseling to get them back for the finale.

I used to like to watch the show to gain insights. It was a sham this season.

i think i posted this already, but how in the world does antonia deserve to graduate. she didnt make 50 from 100 bucks, it was never mentioned her plan to handle her finances, and i think the group was polarized when antonia said ppl should offer tohelp. instead, she and niambi, who i call ms. boring,had pity party with niambi that nobody helped(christie DID offer)needed help(doing her guest room)why didnt she ask? cuz she is a spoiled witch martyr. you dont wait around for ppl to say they would help, especially in the SOH. instead she had a sense of entitlement like everyobdy just should KNOW. yet she graduates.

Tagging on:

I remember graduations (season one) being ones of joy and tear droppers for most viewers. We learned about the Ladies from the show (Back then they weren't allowed to publicize anything anut themselves til after they wrre off the show tv viewing time).

Then towards the end of season one we see Amy (Her Dad was a senator (?) from a midwestern state) on a news show discussing her upcoming appearance on S.O. So, a lot of viewers find out before hand she comes from a wealthy political family. Her biggest gripe: The Mom got rid of the nanny/housekpeer when she, Amy, was sixteen and she, Amy, now has to take some responsigbilities of the running of the household.

Then comes interviews the ladies did soon after gradutating but before even the viewers get to see them.

Then comes along myspace......where we know all about these ladies dang near before they enter the house. We knew for the most part who would graduate and who wouldn't by who had a myspace site.

And speaking of myspace, I wonder just how much time was spent by these ladies on their site while they were in the house?

Graduations were at one point a climax for the viewers when we could see the results..Where we cheered them on...but in time graduations went the way of most viewers just wanting it over with in hopes that whoever entered to replace the one graduated might be the one we could cheer on...the one to bring us back to season one.

Kim, season two said it best and most of the ladies learned this lesson well and went on to graduate:

Fake it til you make it.

Sidenote:

At the finale, the 5K run.....Mo (One of my all time fav houseguests)was there I am supposing because she had to be-She was the first to ever graduate from the house. Otherwise who was there that had not or presently wasn't advertising themselves elsewhere (Exception is Candy & TJ)? Either on ebay, web site, myspace etc.......Most there were still trying to seek fame in one format or another.

Ones I would loved to have seen but then again the following aren't oens that feel the need to seek fame:

Brenda One of the first six originals

Lori One of the six originals

Karen season one loved her!

Erika latter half of season one loved her

leah last of season one Was invited back for season two but declined after seeing how she was being edited.

Rain latter half of season one

Susan season two loved her story and her

Bethany Season two

????????? Season three

I thought Kelly had issues they did not even touch on. (The touching fear) Jodi had issues that were not dicussed ( A child) Antonia needed a graduation present- and someone wanted to give her one, I understood that. Lisa 1 had issues that just seemed to be too comical but,in reality, were sad. I think it's time for US to graduate.

LAST EDITED ON 06-04-06 AT 11:47 AM (EST)

Listen, I think a lot of you girls , or guys posting can write, or cast a better T.V. show than what we have seen this season turn into. It could be a play, it does't have to be real, some of the stuff we've watched wasn't real anyway. I was ALWAYS entertained by the board. There was always something interesting to read, even the times when I thought I was watching a different show than most. What I really wanted to say was that the writing was great reading. I would love to see a spoof ( a very light spoof-- more like a drama ) of SO someday on the stage somewhere, maybe some of the HGs could play themselves (maybe NOT) Anyway,...... Then the graduations would truly be staged.

Graduations in general showed us that:

1) It's a TV show, needing ratings to get sponsors.
2) It's a set-up.
3) The way it ended, with the short term HGs like Antonia and Niambi, just shows again that "life has NEVER been this real", they told us that every day! It was never about therapy or fixing the women's lives or they would have left a couple of them open-ended, as suggested above.
4) Apparently there has been some long term care, as some HG have posted that they are keeping in touch with the LCs after their story was over.
5) There was great disparity in the graduation presents. Like all the stuff Allison got, twice, vs. what Christie or TJ got, or the last couple that got furniture (sponsor: Ethan Allen). The graduations were just a way to get to the sponsor plugs.

Sad as it may seem, TV is not reality. Reality TV is not real. The bottom line is ratings, and the shows obviously will do whatever they THINK it takes to get them. Sadly, in this case, this year, with this show, THEY were wrong!

The only part that, IMO, was real, was Dr. Stan Katz, and his work with the ladies. They all said that they spent much more time with him, and with the confidentiality involved with psychotherapy (he is licensed), none of that was shown, nor should it have been. Working with him should have been more beneficial to the women than anything else that was done, and a major plus to them for being on this program.

But the show (or actually the producer) must go on, and with Murray's new show it is plain that he thinks he found a new pot of gold in the "bad girls" concept. He must have been the one behind South Beach Lisa and dragging her story out so long, and other "bad girls". I bet the LCs were going nuts with the way the show went, because from a lot of their previous work, they are truly wanting to help women. They just found a way to make a load of money doing it! Other women do the same thing, but in the background, even for free.

The graduations were unequal in air time also. An entire program for Allison, but whip Antonia out so fast people didn't even know she graduated.