ENTERTAINMENT

ANNE ROBINSON: SATAN'S ENGLISH NANNY
By: Robert P., Grade 12, Holy Heart High School, St. John's, NF

Since, by some bizarre twist of fate I actually sat down and watched an episode of "The Weakest Link", it became apparent to me that the host, Anne Robinson is actually the rudest person I have ever witnessed on a televised game show! After thinking about it for some time, I had to ask myself, "Why would anyone go on the show and get verbally marauded by an aging, brilliantine frump from across the pond"? It seems inconceivable that although the American public has never struck a chord of unabashed common sense and unflickering intelligence, even they would never stoop so low! Regrettably, I have not had the opportunity of viewing Ms. Robinson on her own turf in the original British version of "The Weakest Link", however I can imagine just exactly how caustic she could be given the stereotypical "dry" British sense of humor.

In light of Anne Robinson's increasingly infamous arrogance, it is interesting to note that the audience remains almost completely silent when she very outwardly shoots a contestant down. This interesting tidbit gives Ms. Robinson ample ammo, as it gives the impression that the audience, who almost positively paid some price to see the show live, are actually afraid of her. And as for the contestants, well, terror goes without saying! Just imagine being on national TV, and getting an answer incorrect, just waiting to hear what kind of snide remark would bludgeon you from the sledgehammer tongue asking the questions! Strange how masochism has seeped into mainstream television.

To a simple onlooker like myself, the show's concept is hilarious. The late-forties, stern, staunch hostess looks as if she would be more natural carrying a riding crop than a question card and (at least in the episode I saw). The questions are so unfairly distributed that it is impossible to mistake. One person could get a flow of insipid questions that are more trivial than mind stimulating, while another could get an onslaught of unbelievably difficult questions and have just seconds to answer. Then, if they happen to slip up, no matter how hard their question was, they are labeled "the weakest link" and asked to immediately leave the show!

One final insight into "The Weakest Link's" incongruity is Ms. Robinson's putdowns themselves. Biting comments such as "Well team, you got six questions wrong in a row. The idea is that you vote off the weakest links you get better, not worse", are not only embarrassing, but they are absolutely shattering in front of millions of TV viewers each week! She even pokes fun at the good ol' US of A with jabs like, "Well you certainly are a credit to the American education system aren't you?"

How Anne Robinson ever got the job of a TV hostess, we will probably never be told, but now that she's here on this side of the pond, I say we keep making those nuclear warheads, just in case!