★★★★★ 0/5

The ‘S’ Word

Well if it's good enough for the Prime Minister to say it, heck it's good enough for Bonnie Lythgoe.

15
Leave a comment

danceblThe ‘F’ Word might be prevalent across the M Rated Underbelly, but it’s the ‘S’ Word that is making its presence felt on television this year.

First there was that “shitstorm” that the Prime Minister noted was part of the global economic meltdown on Sunday Night. That triggered a slew of gags, debates and analysis. Was it a deliberate stunt or a slip of the tongue?

Well, whatever’s good enough for the PM is good enough for Bonnie Lythgoe who last night said two of the dancers in So You Think You Can Dance Australia were “shit hot.”

That was enough to make everybody react, with Lythgoe elaborating on what she meant. I’d say most of us knew what she meant already.

Dance is pre-recorded so the network obviously didn’t feel it transgressed the PG classification. And I’m guessing they’re right. PG allows for some use of language, so one drop of the S word is unlikely to be a problem. But it is a new addition to judging reality shows. Maybe they can mix it up with a few other PG style pearlers:

“You danced like a d***head”

“I thought you were blowing it out your own arse.”

And just for Jason: “That was bullshit, yeah?”

Keep your eyes peeled for more of the S word, 2009’s newest TV trend.

15 Responses

  1. I think, because it was a slip up, it should have been censored. If it’s live, and they miss it, that’s different, like on Australian Idol, didn’t they *bleep* what wasn’t even a swear??…. and yet pre-recorded is ok??…
    I’m only 21 myself, but I still think 8 o’clock is too early for “shit hot” especially on what is a “family” show

  2. It made me laugh too…as soon as she said it I thought of the Kevin Rudd moment….we all slip out certain words that probably shouldn’t be said… we are only human.

  3. They’ll do anything for ratings. However I do not think that it is appropriate, seeing as so many primary school kids watch this show. I thought British people had more class than that! I guess we’ve all slumped down to a new low.

  4. @ Zen Man, ‘Christina types’ can turn the tv off if they can’t handle some real world speech.

    As far as I am aware we do not rate tv programs on the basis that a ‘christian type’ may be watching.

  5. Just how is this even remotely newsworthy? This isn’t America which places puritanical restrictions on language.

    The show was rated PG so that they can accomodate some of the more colourful language that the judges are prone to using (such as d-head, a-hole etc.) in spurs of passion. If they dropped an F bomb (like one of the contestants did in the first season), I can understand the hubbub, but the word “shit” has been permitted under the PG classification for as long as I can remember. It’s often heard on other popular early evening programmes as well, such as The Biggest Loser, Thank God You’re Here and Big Brother (though following the ever precedential “turkey slap” incident; the “S word” was censored from the PG broadcasts in the final season). I’m pretty sure the Aussie Idol judges have dropped it several times over the years as well.

    Meh… maybe I’m just over-reacting… but I see absolutely no reason why the word “shit” should be rated equally with the likes of far stronger terms.

    1. In a TV blog I don’t see a prob noting that reality judges are becoming more liberal with their language. I even suggested a few more. And when you line it up beside the PM’s use of the word it’s becoming the word of the moment. There was no criticism, just an observation. It fell entirely within the classification. Trust me, TEN will be happier we’re discussing the point rather than the opposite!

  7. About a decade ago Rob Sitch said the F word on The Panel and there was a huge public uproar, only a decade later would it be constantly uttered by Gordon Ramsey with little fanfare. But I think shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Australian Idol etc. attract a lot of the family group and Christian type viewers and you wouldn’t want to offend them or you would lose a large portion of viewers hence why there was a reaction.

  10. I was watching this but ironically sneezed at the exact moment Bonnie said it and it was killing me trying to work out what on earth she said. The way she blushed I thought it would have been much worse, but then again, maybe watching Underbelly earlier that day sensitised me? 😉

  11. I think the use of the S word and others in shows like Dance is completely unecessary and it shows a lack of vocabulary and thought for not attempting to describe the situation with words more appropriate. F and S words are fine in shows like Underbelly as that is the nature of the story it is telling but should not be common place at all times on TV.

    Having said that, an occasional slip up is not the end of the world either (re: Rudd), but these examples on Dance are clearly not slip ups.

Leave a Reply