One of the articles that has been floating around my Facebook newsfeed this past week involves a call to Maine lobstermen for a potential Deadliest Catch-type show. My boyfriend brought this up to my father, who is a lobsterman, at dinner on Saturday night, suggesting he might want to get in on the action.
“He’s not funny enough,” I reasoned. Dad glared at me, and I tried to amend what I’d said, emphasizing that I only meant he just wouldn’t make for good TV. He agreed with me then, saying that he wouldn’t be interesting enough, wouldn’t “fit the mold” they likely had in mind.
Isn’t it strange? My dad, who has been lobstering his whole life, wouldn’t be what the producers of this potential show were looking for because he doesn’t have enough drama going on to keep viewers interested. Granted, my family and I made assumptions about type of Maine lobsterman they are looking for, but when so many men and women have grown up in the lobster industry in Maine, how else are these producers going to choose who to feature except by who stands out the most?
Thinking back on it now, I’ve sampled a bunch of these shows that investigate a certain industry or occupation, and I don’t remember ever having a feeling of doubt or questioning how these chosen stars are representative of their job. Are they acting or are they the sort of extreme examples of the drama within the business?
Of course, you’ve always got to take reality television with a grain of salt, but I’ve never really considered what lengths could be taken to create these shows until the idea was introduced in my backyard.
Who knows if this show will even happen, but it would be fascinating to see who they find to feature, and whether the depictions get people across the country interested in the Maine lobster industry. The real test will be how accurate it feels to the people who have grown up with lobstering as their reality.
Melanie Floyd is a recent graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington who has returned to her native Long Island in Casco Bay.