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"The Week the Women Went" review by Suzanne
Premieres Wednesday, June 6th at 10:00-11:30 on Lifetime

I can't decide if this show is complete antiquated or if it's a horrible commentary of how backwards and sexist some parts of the country still are.

The premise of this reality show is that, in this little town in Tennessee, they take all of the women over 18 away for a week, and the men then have to hope with keeping their houses and taking care of the kids. Really? This is an issue? There are women who still wait on their families hand and foot, and the man works and does nothing else? This sounds like something out of the 70's, not 2012. Then again, it is Tennessee...so maybe they are not quite up to snuff when it comes to modern feminism.

First they show each family, and the couples and their kids talk to the camera to explain their situation and what they are worried about for the coming week. One couple has an ADHD kid. With another couple, the mom is divorced and her teen daughters are staying with her boyfriend for a week. Another family runs a restaurant. Of course they always seem like "real people" in these reality shows, but we know that they are dressed up to look nicer, and people act up for the cameras (especially the kids).

I have to wonder if it really is the whole town that participated, or if they left some people out. Was this the only town they could find where everyone really wanted to be on TV that bad and expose their private selves? I have no idea. They don't tell you those parts.

Of course it turns out much like you'd expect... the men have a new appreciation for the women's work. It's sad that they didn't already or that the couples don't divide up the childcare or housework more evenly.

Sorry, but I'm not a big fan of reality shows. I always want to just kill all of the people in the shows or hope that they are really actors and not real people. I don't want to know ignorant people like this.

If you like reality shows, you might appreciate this one. If you're in this kind of relationship, please assert yourself and don't let anyone take advantage of you.

MORE INFORMATION:

Yemassee, South Carolina, is the Focus of Daring Social Experiment Testing Gender Roles at Home, Work and in the Community When its Women Leave the Town

NEW YORK, NY, APRIL 26, 2012 – Can you imagine a world without women? Which gender is more capable of running society’s day-to-day functions? What impact is today’s shift in gender roles having on the world? Lifetime dives deep into the gender gap issue to answer these questions by bringing a daring social experiment to life by removing the women from one American town in the major program event, The Week the Women Went. Premiering Wednesday, June 6, from 10:00 to 11:30pm ET/PT, the unscripted series will explore modern gender roles and find out what happens when all of the women leave town, leaving the remaining men to run their households, businesses and community on their own. One-hour episodes of The Week the Women Went will air on Wednesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 20 at 10:00pm ET/PT. The series concludes on Wednesday, June 27 with a two-hour finale beginning at 9:00pm ET/PT.

Based on the ground-breaking British social experiment format from the BBC, The Week the Women Went focuses on the tight-knit community of Yemassee, South Carolina, from which its women left for one week this past fall. With the women escaping to an isolated site, the town’s men are left to handle all responsibilities -- ranging from making the kids’ breakfast and putting them to bed to maintaining their households and coordinating events -- many of which resulted in unforeseen issues forcing them to create a new perspective on life during the seven day experience. Filled with a wide range of dramatic challenges and shocking emotions, The Week the Women Went will reveal what the men and women of Yemassee surprisingly learn about themselves and their roles in the home, relationships and society as close friendships are tested, unsung heroes recognized, old rivalries renewed and deep secrets exposed during their time apart.

Yemassee, located more than 240 miles northwest of Atlanta, was selected for The Week the Women Went after an extensive search that included nearly 100 towns in the U.S. Relationship expert, author and television commentator Dr. Wendy Walsh will narrate the program.

The Week the Women Went is produced by BBC Worldwide Productions. Jon Kroll (Big Brother, Amazing Race, Amish In The City) is executive producer. Elli Hakami (Dual Survivor, Gold Rush: Alaska) and Jane Tranter (Top Gear, Dancing with the Stars, Torchwood), are executive producers for BBC Worldwide Productions. Rob Sharenow, Gena McCarthy, Colleen Conway and Noah Pollack are executive producers for Lifetime.

The Week the Women Went first debuted on BBC Three in the U.K. in 2005, when it quickly became one of the channel’s highest-rated unscripted entertainment series of the year. The program has since been successfully formatted in a number of international territories, including Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Holland, India, Norway, Morocco and Sweden.

ABOUT BBC WORLDWIDE PRODUCTIONS

BBC Worldwide Productions, led by Jane Tranter, is based in Los Angeles and develops and produces scripted and non-scripted projects for U.S. cable and broadcast networks, as well as digital platforms. The production company is responsible for the smash hit “Dancing with the Stars” (ABC), “Top Gear” (HISTORY), “What Not to Wear” (TLC), “Torchwood: Miracle Day” (Starz), and the upcoming titles “Breaking Pointe”(CW), “Da Vinci’s Demons” (Starz), “The Week the Women Went” (Lifetime), “The Next Big Thing” (Oxygen) and “Lovetown, USA” (OWN), among others. BBC Worldwide Productions sits within one of six core businesses that form BBC Worldwide, the main commercial arm and wholly-owned subsidiary of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

ABOUT LIFETIME

Lifetime Television is committed to offering the highest quality entertainment and information programming, and advocating a wide range of issues affecting women and their families. The network posted major growth in viewership among the key demographics in First Quarter 2012 versus First Quarter 2011, including a 9% jump in Adults 25-54, +12% with Women 25-54, +14% with Adults 18-49 and +18% with Women 18-49. In addition, the quarter marks the first time Lifetime has posted First Quarter year-on-year growth for Adults 25-54, Women 25- 54 and Women 18-49 in seven years. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime DigitalTM are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group, Hearst Corporation and NBC Universal.

The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The TV MegaSite or its other volunteers.

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Page update 5/30/12