I'm not convinced it's all about ratings and drama, although I do agree that this season does bring it up to question.

I'm thinking that support through love and understanding hasn't worked for these women. If it were that easy, they wouldn't need the show.

I'm also remembering that self-transformation often requires the total destruction of the old self so that the individual can recreate themselves. This is the essence of "initiation".

I think in season 2 or somewhere it was mentioned that it's normal for a new woman to have her first breakdown / breakthrough when they first arrive and present their story. Lately they seem to have more women who are so detached that perhaps they need to be pushed further to have this breakthrough.

Or, perhaps, it's as you say and the push for ratings have forced the LCs to ham it up more than they would in practice. I've no idea what their contracts say or require them to do. I do know that they showed a preview clip of a future episode where IV says that she might be the wrong coach for nuLisa.

As for changing lives, perhaps someone should start a thread and talk about what we know about SO's actual success rate. From brief skimmings of websites and such, it seams the most successful ones are ones who know how to market their SO experience and use it to their advantage.

How many are actually doing what their goal was? We had the makeup lady from season one who seems to be doing fine in the makeup arena. (And getting to come back to makeup all the graduates can't hurt either!)

I'd also be interested if any SO houses which aren't being filmed have been started anywhere. If someone could solve the funding problem, I think such houses could be a help to people. And without needing to worry about ratings, perhaps more practical work would get done as well.

>I have many of the same
>gripes that have already been
>mentioned, but one of the
>things that makes me so
>mad is when a new
>HG is telling her story.
>The two seem to gang
>up and be really hard
>on the poor woman who
>has got to be anxious
>as hell. They just seem
>downright spiteful during the story
>thing. They're also beotches during
>BOR but I can at
>least see why that could
>fall under a tough-love thing.
>It still bugs me though.
>Why not support through love
>and understanding like they do
>with their pets? Oh yeah,
>silly me. Because this is
>about ratings and drama.. not
>changing lives.