I'm a Celebrity...

I just got home, and now we're watching RTL. :-)
And just like every year, it's getting on my nerves right from the start, but I'm afraid I'll probably end up watching every episode, just like I do every year.
What do you guys think???

Hi,

“lol”—I feel the same way

Hey there, dear Arni,
I have to admit that I haven’t turned on the TV at all for several months now. Seriously… I take every chance I get to relax and indulge in my crafts.
BUT back when I used to have the TV on all the time, shows like this would pop up every now and then. And it’s amazing how ridiculous some of it is, but somehow you just can’t look away. Terrible, isn’t it?

But I always stay well-informed thanks to my mom.
She always knows everything. Although right now, I’m not really up to date on what’s happening on “Jungelkamp.” I don’t even know who’s on it.

Don’t let that deter you. These shows aren’t harmful—you can do your crafts while watching them and have a good time. So just watch them.

Best regards, Doreen

@Marina: Phew, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who feels this way. :-)
@Doreen: :-) Without my crocheting and without red wine, I wouldn’t be able to stand it either.
I think people who can live without TV are amazing and admirable. But I couldn’t do without it :-)

Dear Arni,
you can’t quite see it that way. My husband watches a lot of TV, but also a lot of programmes about Germany, science, health, and so on. He has a TV in his office; he’s self-employed. When he’s doing office work, the TV always has to be on, otherwise he feels too lonely. Sometimes he’ll come over and say, “Let’s watch this great show.” Then I’ll take a break and watch it with him, and I do find it very interesting.

But even so, the TV is mainly on regularly in our house because my son also likes watching things. And because of that, what’s on is usually more geared toward children. Of course, I could do without it. 

But you wouldn’t believe how much you miss that way. The other day I was already in bed, and my husband had to fill me in on the events in Berlin. I really would have slept through it, and the next day at the office I would have been completely uninformed.
Embarrassing or not?

Well, I don’t find it embarrassing. But it can get embarrassing if you miss out on such a major event.

On the other hand, you also spare yourself a lot if you don’t hear about all the terrible events.

Best wishes and good night (tomorrow I “get to” work again)
Sandra  

Ugh, “Jungle Camp”!
I hate that show—it really gets on my nerves when I watch it. Just one episode and you could have me committed.
I’m one of those people who can honestly say that, out of conviction, I never, ever, ever watch it! 

But please don’t get me wrong—I’m not trying to make this sound more “classy” than it is... I’ve gotten hooked on other weird shows (like the ones on RTL in the early morning, etc.) a time or two myself. In those cases, I felt just like you do: you think to yourself, “Oh my Gooood!” but you just can’t look away ;) 

Yeah, some shows are like a car crash—it’s awful, but you can’t look away. We used to watch earlier seasons of “Jungle Camp” too—back when it was still “new.” But now I don’t even recognize half of the “Z-list celebrities” anymore, and I just don’t want to be grossed out by nasty stuff at home! So we don’t really watch it anymore—we’re more the typical “series junkies.”

Oh dear,

I’m the only one in the family who lives without a TV… I don’t even know how the thing works, let alone where to find which channel.
Unfortunately, I also have to rely on my husband to keep me informed about things like Berlin and so on.
I don’t mean to put anyone down, but the junk that’s on there: No thanks!

What I actually do watch are documentaries about dinosaurs or archaeological digs—unfortunately, even the good ones are few and far between :-)

I used to watch quite a bit, but then we had more and more kids, and the kids’ shows were always playing in the background. Whenever I wanted to watch something, I’d constantly get called away with an “Oh, Mom, come quick—something happened!”—and that’s how my TV viewing came to an end.

My uncle watches Frauentausch all the time—I listen in (no one can force me to actually watch it)... and I often really wonder what kind of people you’d have to be to take part in that :-)

Everyone should do as they please; my mom watches pretty much every show, and I keep hearing her say, “You have to watch this—on that channel at that time…” Ugh! The debate about how I can possibly live without TV is always hilarious :-) If I could, I’d film a video of that and post it.

Something to make you smile at the end:

I’m a “Lord of the Rings” fan :-)
After owning the DVDs for a few years, I finally managed it: Last year, I set aside three evenings and banished my family from the living room so I could finally watch the whole movie without any interruptions. 
And lo and behold (after having watched it with interruptions several times before): I devoured the entire series without a single break. I heard dialogues and saw scenes that I’d missed during those previous “I need Mom” evenings....

Maybe my TV nights will return once I’ve whittled down the family crowd in a few years :-)

I admit it - once a year I enjoy feeling secondhand embarrassment, and I also enjoy gossiping about random people who call themselves "celebrities" and are so broke that they voluntarily subject themselves to the disgust of thousands of cockroaches or slimy "delicacies." I love the wickedness of Sonja Zietlow and Daniel Hartwich. The latter, just judging by his one-liners, is a worthy successor to Dirk Bach.

Otherwise I don't watch shows like that. No Big Brother or anything else. That's why I don't know most of the contestants in this year's season either. Thomas Häßler and Miss Menke ring a bell, Markus Majowski too, the rest only marginally.

During the last season, I gained a lot of respect for Menderes. He is so free of malice and dishonesty... and he works so hard on his dream - that really does deserve some respect.

@Sabine
We can shake on that. I love The Lord of the Rings too. I can already recite parts of the movies along with them.... "The world is changing..." ;-)

@Nadeleule
I've also turned into a series junkie. The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Bates Motel, Grimm.... from regular TV programming, I mostly only watch my favorite series and the news. 

Ooooh, when it comes to The Lord of the Rings and TV shows, I’m totally with you :)

I watched The Lord of the Rings 1 and 2 last night, for what felt like the 1,000th time! I never get tired of them!

Other than that, I almost only watch TV shows... Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Supernatural, True Blood... and while I’m crocheting, I usually have How I Met Your Mother or The Big Bang Theory playing in the background ;)

As for TV series, I basically only watch Criminal Minds, and while I’m ironing and sewing (I do that in the attic — I have a TV up there, but no reception), I watch Rosenheim Cops or SOKO Wien. A friend of mine has them all on DVD, and I always borrow them from her.

Otherwise, we watch a lot of Tatort or crime shows in general.
And once a year, Z-list celebrities in the jungle 

I usually watch series like The Big Bang Theory while folding laundry and ironing. In the evenings, I also enjoy mystery-fantasy series (Supernatural, Once Upon a Time, Limitless, The Vampire Diaries and the like). We usually record the series or watch them on Amazon Prime or Sky, since they’re not meant for children and our daughter shouldn’t be watching that kind of thing yet.
The Lord of the Rings isn’t really my thing. I read the books a while ago, and although they were well written, they didn’t appeal to me so much that I felt I also had to watch the films.
Although I’ve just realized that I still have quite a few unread books on my shelf... but unfortunately, I can’t do needlework and read at the same time, and I really don’t like audiobooks at all....

@Arni,

Vienna? Are you Austrian?

No, I meant “Soko Wien.”
Sorry, I’m at work and can only type on my phone in between tasks. My girlfriend likes the “Soko Wien” team best, so that’s why I end up watching it :-)

I know that feeling. When I start watching a series, it means I’ll spend the whole day on it. Lately, I’ve started watching *The Bachelorette*, and then decided to rewatch all the seasons. I also read up on all the series and shows I see on a blog; right now I’m reading about the contestant on this reality show https://... (EDIT: please don’t post external links)
Do you read any blogs?

It’s not my thing.
Pseudo-reality shows generally don’t tempt me in the slightest, either.

I’d rather watch crime dramas—especially old series from the 1970s through the early 2000s.
New episodes are welcome, too.

I also enjoy home design shows and science programs.

We haven’t had a TV for several years now, and I have to say, I don’t miss it at all. My son doesn’t have one either, so my two grandchildren are growing up without constant media bombardment. I’m really happy about that. My granddaughter is very creative and really good at playing.

However… we regularly use YouTube or sometimes the media libraries, but only for films that do us good—for example, cheesy romance films like *Traumschiff* and so on. You can find those on ZDF under “Herzkino.” Yes, there’s also one series we’ve really gotten hooked on, and we just haven’t been able to tear ourselves away from it so far. It’s *Sturm der Liebe*… Since I’ve been knitting, though, I mostly just follow it in audio form. ;-)

What we like to watch on YouTube are interviews or videos about alternative health, nature, the environment, and mindful living.

Now you know a little more about me in that regard, too. ;-)

We don’t have a TV either, and we don’t miss a thing. Often I can’t join in when my friends are talking about a series, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out. 

Like Monika, we specifically watch movies, documentaries, or series (that the kids recommend) in the media library. That’s enough for us.

Monika, we feel exactly the same way. We often watch “Traumschiff,” Herzkino movies, Pilcher movies, “Nord- und Ostseereport,” and all the “SOKO” episodes via the media library (I didn’t know them before, but my husband always watched them, and I like them too).

Back in Germany, I used to watch “Dschungelcamp” too—that was still possible seven years ago. Now I’m not really up to date anymore.
Here in Norway, we don’t have the German TV package. We don’t need it either.
I also liked “Bauer sucht Frau.” The same TV format exists here on Norwegian TV too; translated, it’s called “The Hunt for Love.” I still don’t watch it.
We often watch great documentaries about animals and things like that.
With the media library, you don’t have a lot of commercials in between.
We also do a lot of crafts (I do handicrafts or beadwork; my husband works on his model cars, and recently on his model train set).
So I don’t miss those annoying TV series in Germany at all.
Instead, I listen to a lot of radio, SAW.

My husband used to have a model train set, too. He sold it last year because his interests have shifted elsewhere now. He likes making movies—he enjoys that more. On his RV website, Womotipps, he’s posted a few videos of motorhome pitches. He wants to expand that section.

IHe inherited model cars from his brother-in-law two years ago. He’s selling some of them on eBay. It’s not really his thing either.

I like listening to our CDs while I knit. That’s nice, too. By the way, my neighbor’s son has often played small roles on *SOKO Wien*. He’s an actor and is currently touring on a ship with a theater group.

We lived without a TV for a long time and never missed it. Then the computer came along, and I started watching a few shows—mostly game shows and romantic movies. When our son moved abroad, he left us his TV—my TV habits haven’t changed much, except that now I can knit or crochet while watching! I also enjoy watching nature films, medical shows, and documentaries—always in the evening, and sometimes on catch-up.