The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show

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Erik
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Joined: Mon Aug 18, 2008 5:36 pm

The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show

Post by Erik »

I know some on this board has Scandinavian ancestry, so I thought I should write about this.

There's a reality show that runs in each of the three Nordic countries, Denmark, Sweden and Norway, where americans with ancestry in the country can enter. They're taken on a trip through the country, learn traditions and customs, and experience the country their ancestors left. During this time they also compete in different events that are loosely related to what they experience, and drop out one by one, until the last one gets to meet all his current local relatives in a big family reunion.
It's a very popular show here. It lets the Scandinavians see their own countries through fresh eyes, and see how people from the outside look at our countries. It's also very emotional, seeing the americans trace their ancestry and get answers to where their ancestors came from and why they left for America.

What I like it is that it's (mostly) a positive show. I hate reality shows with intrigues, back stabbing and voting people out. In this show people really hate seeing other people go, but even the people that loose gets a parting gift of all their Scandinavian ancestry, so they can contact their relatives here on their own. And from what understand most of them do. (A few of them has come to spend a lot of time here, and even managed to build careers here from their exposure in the show.)

The reason I though of it now is that the new season just started. And the first episode looks very promising, it seems all of the americans are really nice and friendly people without being boring. A show like this is very dependant on the cast, and last few seasons has had one or two people that you really wanted to get rid of, and had to wait until they lost.

If anyone is interested, or knows anyone that might be interested, a competitor has to:
* have ancestry in the country the show is taking place in.
* never visited the country. (and probably have no contact with relatives there either)

From what I've heard from different blogs, this is also needed:
* an ancestry that the geneologists can research and document, and trace forward to living relatives
* preferably a somewhat interesting ancestry, that makes a good story as to why they left
* an interesting personality type that works on TV.

As in all reality shows, the producers seem to want a mix of people and personalities. There's been housewifes, actors, military men, students, self employed, police officers, pastors, hairdressers and people from different states in the US. There's also been people with mixed heritage, muslims, mexican/swedish and korean/swedish to mention a few. There's been people of ages from 20 to 70 years.

Unfortunately, I dont think people in the US can see the show, unless they are competitors from this or previous seasons.
I know they can see it, because they comment the show on twitter and facebook.

Here's some more information for those that are interested. If you google a bit you will find a lot more, including interviews with competitors in US papers.
Alt for Danmark (show website) - the Danish show (danish language)
Allt för Sverige (Wikipedia) - the Swedish show
Alt for Norge (Wikipedia) - the Norwegian show

http://www.lifeinnorway.net/2014/10/the ... -adventure - Norwegian show, info in english
http://www.greatswedishadventure.com/ - US website for the swedish show, information and casting calls
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."
John Wayne
toad
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Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:00 pm

Re: The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show

Post by toad »

It's a good thing that I'm poor and don't have any Danish ancestry
"So you like Bang & Olufsen products? ", "Oops, I thought he said Bang'n Olsen."

Many decades ago I worked with a fellow who was saving up to go to Denmark with his wife, and he would blither on about how great Denmark was, and about every other time he'd speak about Denmark he'd blather on about his Bang & Olufsen audio gear. I didn't want to bust his bubble, but he would also bring up the Danish Welfare system and about how he and his wife would never have to go hungry. I didn't have the heart to tell him that even then their were a number of Danes that weren't all that happy about welfare shoppers or that the system required a fairly heavy tax rate to support it. I can't remember if he spoke any Danish or not :?:
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Darrell
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Re: The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show

Post by Darrell »

For some background, check out the classic movie The Emigrants, with Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullman; also the sequel, The New Land. Powerful stuff.
The Emigrants (Swedish: Utvandrarna) is a 1971 Swedish film directed by Jan Troell. It tells the story of a Swedish group who emigrate from Småland, Sweden to Minnesota, United States in the 19th century. The film follows the hardship of the group in Sweden and on the trip.

The film is based on the first two novels of The Emigrants suite by Vilhelm Moberg: The Emigrants and Unto a Good Land. It was adapted to the screen by Bengt Forslund and Jan Troell. The Emigrants stars Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann in the lead, along with Eddie Axberg, Sven-Olof Bern, Aina Alfredsson, Allan Edwall, Monica Zetterlund and Pierre Lindstedt. The Emigrants was followed by a 1972 sequel, The New Land (Nybyggarna), with the same cast.

The Emigrants was critically hailed all over the world, and was nominated for Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in 1971. After screened properly in 1972, it was nominated for four more Oscars the following year, all in the major categories: Best Picture, Best Director for Troell, Best Actress for Ullmann, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emigrants_(film)
Eppur si muove--Galileo
toad
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Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2008 5:00 pm

Re: The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show

Post by toad »

There was a TV show about a Norwegian Family in turn of the century San Francisco. The Titile as I remember it was, "I Remember Mama."
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041039/
It was shown live IIRC and was on air for a number of years. It seems to be listed as "Mama"

Next: Swedish Meatballs, tasty treat or Scandinavian revenge?
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Erik
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Re: The great Scandinavian adventure, reality show

Post by Erik »

Darrell wrote:For some background, check out the classic movie The Emigrants, with Max Von Sydow and Liv Ullman; also the sequel, The New Land. Powerful stuff.
A lot of Swedes have very mixed feelings about that movie. But as a portrait of the time and the people in it, it does a very good job. The overall movie feels very authentic.
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid."
John Wayne
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