Just watched a few Steve Wilkos episodes

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and am reminded of this:

 

I've never seen this show -- is it pretty incendiary?

 

Steve Wilkos was a 6 foot 3 bodyguard on the Jerry Springer show. He was formerly a cop and a marine. Nuff said.

The general format of an episode rarely deviates from the following:

1. Get a scumbag or accused scumbag on the show.

2. Steve Wilkos refuses to let them take a seat, as he doesn't let scumbags sit on his stage. Cue moronic audience cheer. Apparently 'innocent until proven guilty' is a foreign concept to ex-cops.

3. Steve Wilkos gets in his guest's face, preventing them from speaking in their defense, screaming at them and condemning their vile behaviour, while building himself up as some sort of saint. "I was a marine, I was a cop, I protected the world from evil like you." I'm not kidding either, I'm quoting him almost word for word.

He will also attempt to judge guilt presumptively from the guest's reaction to the accusations. If the guest is restrained, he will go 'Wow, X just accused you of this, and you didn't react with anger. I was a cop, and I know that is the behaviour of a liar!'

If the guest gets angry, he will go ' 'Wow, X just accused you of this, and you're furious. I was a cop, and I know that you judge a man's character by how he reacts under pressure. You are behaving like an animal, so you are lying!'

4. Wilkos works himself up into a feigned rage, which culminates in him throwing a chair hard against the wall. Cue moronic audience orgasm. I'm left wondering if a chair killed Wilkos' mother.

5. Wilkos dares his guest to take a swing at him (lol). When the guest refuses to do so (rightfully realising that it would be pretty stupid to assault a 6 foot 3 ex-marine ex-cop on national TV, who also happens to have a horde of security guards and lawyers at his beck and call), Wilkos hurls more insults which essentially amount to 'you are chicken ****'. Cue moronic audience cheer. Sometimes he will try to extort a forced apology from the guest.

6. The results of the lie detector test (which Wilkos holds as gospel) are then presented, although naturally there is an advertisement just a second before Wilkos reads out these results. Almost inevitably, the guest he has abusing was found to be lying. Gee, what a coincidence. If on sheer luck they do pass, he will blame them for being 'compliant' or 'not doing enough to prove their innocence'.

7. Steve Wilkos screams some more, and professes that if he were still a police officer, he would love to beat the guest's ass into the ground. Cue moronic audience cheer.

8. Steve Wilkos then screams 'get off my stage', literally chasing his guest off while screaming 'You're a cockroach, I want to kick your ass, etc etc.' Sometimes he will demand that the guest come back on to the stage, screaming 'Why are you running away, coward, don't you want help!?'


Personally, I find the series both tragic, and also rather educational regarding human nature. What really pisses me off is that nothing is ever resolved on his show, he just whips the audience into a frenzy until they mindlessly chant 'Steve Steve Steve'. 'Deadbeat Dads' remain deadbeats, 'Crack***** Moms' remain crack*****s, wife beaters no doubt return home and give their wife a good beating in retribution for their treatment at Steve's hands, and accused murders/rapists have their name defamed based on pseudoscience (ie. the polygraph).

At the end of the episode, the producers are aiming for viewers to be filled with righteous fury (ala. 2 minutes hate), but I'm just left with a dead, sick, empty feeling. Thank god I've never watched Jerry Springer.

 

I would like to see an episode of this just to see if it's really that bad. Given the crap I've seen when channel-surfing past Springer and Maury, I would not be surprised if you are not exageratting(sic), Mordea. I wonder at the type of person who watches this on a daily basis.

 

This garbage used to play after (or what it before?) Monday Night Blah, I believe... and yeah, mordea has nailed the show's format DEAD RIGHT on the head. It sucks.

 

They are uploaded on Youtube. That's how I got exposed to this trash. Boondocks did a 'parody' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oVGwC0g8D8w) which actually depicts the show quite well. The only inaccuracy is that Wilkos has never antagonised a black man of his size and strength. Take from that what you will.

These sort of talk shows are the modern day equivalent of public executions IMHO. A 'socially acceptable' outlet for human vindictiveness and mob rage. At their very core, human beings are a very cruel, social convention just causes them to suppress this. When society provides them with the chance to lynch somebody, then you better bet they will take it!

 

I had to watch a few clips on youtube and I agree with the sinking, depressing feeling. But more because of the guests on the show, and how cruel/callous they are. Not exactly a day-brightener... Steve Wilkos himself doesn't seem like a bad guy, abrasive for sure. Yells a lot, I don't particularly enjoy watching him, but I don't feel a drop of sympathy for the criminals on his show.

He does seem to talk rationally until the guests stop acting rationally. In the clip I watched the first four minutes were pretty basic, he talked about going to beauty school and having long hair when he was 15, used a pretty passive tone, etc. Public humiliation isn't exactly my preferred method of entertainment, as I said, but if criminals go on that show willingly, then I have no problem with Steve Wilkos yelling at them and telling them that they're pathetic.

Edit- Forgot to add, the audience is more like a mob than an audience... I tuned them out after 30 seconds. Detrimental to the show if it wants to be taken seriously... I'm sure it's just for viewers though. And more reason why I think Steve Wilkos is a decent guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEJ1gaXJuAo&feature=related He hugged a girl and complimented her on asking for help. When the guest is nice, he seems nice.

That's just my take.

 

What is the first thing Steve Wilkos usually does to a guest who is accused of some 'horrible' crime?

 

I don't know, like I said, I just watched a few episodes. But he didn't 'start' off yelling at anyone in the episodes that I watched unless they were openly admitting to something horrible: "I killed someone and feel no remorse." "I let my daughter get raped 7 times from age 2-8 because I was confused." etc.

Very depressing topics irregardless.

 

Hmm, he usually starts by denying them a seat. That sets the tone for the rest of the discussion, IMHO. Little wonder his 'guests' are so defensive.