Sorority Life

I think this show is great! It may be completely fake and a load of bs, but that doesn't matter- its totally entertaining! I can't stop watching it. It's just like the Real World, you feel like you get to know these girls and go through everything with them. It's great. There were a few things that confused me like the Jewish aspect of the sorority never playing any part aside from the first episode. But still, the show is great. It all seems so real, even if it is not, I don't care. This show is awesome. I can't wait for the second season!

I explained in the summary line for my review of Scary Movie 2 that I generally reserve my ratings of 1 out of 10 for those VERY few movies that are absolutely incomprehensible, even at the level of the most basic plot. And also in the case of Scary Movie 2, I decided (very quickly, I might add) to make an exception for the load of garbage that is Sorority Life.

Maybe 8 or 10 of my friends all gathered at my house so we could all watch the first episode of Sorority Life and see MTV's depiction of Davis, California in the reality show that we had all been periodically seeing them filming around town, especially during the last few months. What we were treated to was a torturous hour of film about a bunch of sorority girls here in Davis. There are only so many ways you can say that you don't know if those girls are at the rush because they're really interested in the sorority or just because MTV's there. It is truly a testament to the appalling content of the show when the vast majority of the conflict is derived from the very fact that it's being filmed.

I am a director for Aggie TV, the UC Davis television station, and as a student who is very interested in film and a regular moviegoer as well, I LOVE to see behind the scenes footage of just about anything. There is nothing that I enjoy more than watching behind the scenes documentaries, and I would do just about anything to visit a movie set. In the first episode of Sorority Life (and probably many to follow), there are several shots of some frat guys in the fraternity next door goofing off on a huge slip and slide. I was filming a news segment about MTV's filming of Sorority Life for Aggie TV when they were on that slip and slide, and I actually have footage on my personal video camera of the MTV film crew standing there and shooting the very footage that was broadcast on the first episode of Sorority Life.

In most cases, I would by hugely excited by this, and would be able to watch it endlessly, but Sorority Life has managed to sink to such a level of sheer idiocy that I will never insult my own intelligence by wasting another second watching it. Truly a waste of time and an insult to Davis, sororities in general, and your own intelligence as a member of the audience.

I was in a national sorority back in college and this is a poor representation of what it's like. First of all, no national org would let MTV come in and tape. Every sorority is different and even an individual national sorority is different on each campus so I can only speak of my university experience. As a pledge I never had to deal with the "sister police", curfews, etc. When I pledged I was treated as any other member. Nothing really changed after initiation, except I was an official sister. It was not near as petty and nit-picky as the "get a life" sisters on this show are. Also, Greek organizations don't vote out loud the way they do on Fraternity Life, and Sorority Life 2. The idea is that you don't want to taint each other's vote & it's kept anonymous.

Like many other girls, I had preconceived notions of what a sorority would be...you know, ditzy, superficial. The previews on MTV didn't help either ("I love to party!") After watching five episodes, it's my favorite show. I still don't want to join a sorority but now I see that many of these girls are intelligent and generous. My favorites are Jordan and Candace. I often look forward to every Monday night to catch the new episode. My only complaint is that "Sorority Life" is almost identical to "The Real World"...they even have confessionals! And there are no black people in the show either.

"Entertainment Weekly" described the show as "those pugnacious pledges" and frankly, it's what makes the show so watchable. It reminds me of the girls I actually knew in college, whether they were in a sorority or not, and you have to admit there is non-stop conflict and drama on this show. A lot of it is self-made (as the mom of one girl told her "everything in your life is drama!") but hey, that's what makes it real. When the Real World began in 1992, these girls were only 8-11 years old and most likely have seen it throughout the years, so they know how to talk to a camera in confessionals yet they don't turn themselves into camera-aware hogs.

I love when someone is speaking in English yet they give you English subtitles because they are so unintelligible -- it's a hoot!