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Stars Earn Stripes

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TV Series

The Resume

Why Stars Earn Stripes might be annoying:

    It was marketed as an 'action movie' 'Fear Factor' knock-off.
    It was accused of glamorizing the horrors of war for ratings.
    Its title is a cheesy play on the 'Stars and Stripes Forever' song.
    Producers were accused of dropping Jack Osbourne from their lineup of celebrities after he came public with his Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis (spokesmen claimed that no official deal had ever been made in the first place).
    Stephen Colbert and a group of prominent Nobel Peace Laureates (including Desmond Tutu, Jody Williams, Betty Williams, and Shirin Ebadi) lobbied hard to get the show cancelled.
    Eliminations were carried out with unusual, extremely nerve-wracking, 'shoot-out' competitions with M16 rifles.
    Wes Clark would tell the eliminated celebrities 'thank you for your service, you're dismissed!' before sending them home (even though the celebs weren't exactly enlistees).
    Competitions were termed 'Missions' in that they resembled real-life military scenarios (which were dangerous and probably could have seriously hurt the contestants).
    'Biggest Loser' trainer Dolvette Quince was eliminated in the first week due to swimming difficulties.
    It was never officially cancelled by NBC; rather it just faded off the schedule radar without any real explanation.

Why Stars Earn Stripes might not be annoying:

    It made for exciting TV.
    Two words: Chris. Kyle.
    It briefly lent renewed relevance to the great Wesley Clark, eight years after his unsuccessful Presidential bid.
    The show's first (and last) participants were deeply respectful and in awe of the servicemen they were paired with.
    The group of trainers was variously comprised of ex-Green Berets, Delta Force Operators, SWAT Commanders, Navy SEALs, a Navy Corpsmen, and Marines.
    At least two of the military 'trainers' repeatedly turned down offers to sign on until it was made clear that the show would not be a mockery of the military or veterans' issues.
    Desmond Tutu admitted to not even watching a whole episode of the show before calling for its cancellation.
    J.W. Cortes bestowed Todd Palin with the nickname 'Rambo' on the show for his handling of the various competitions so well.
    Celebrities were able to raise money for worthy charities geared towards Veterans (USO, the Wounded Warrior Project, The Pat Tillman Foundation, etc.)
    Dean Cain became lifelong friends with Chris Kyle doing the show (and remained close with the Kyle family after his untimely death).
    It may have attained a greater following had it aired during or after the release of 'American Sniper' (Kyle's past as a reality TV showman came as a shock to many).
    It gave celebrities an opportunity to understand what combat veterans have had to go through when during their deployments (unlike the WWII-era, its extremely uncommon to find movie stars pursue military service willingly).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 14 Votes: 71.43% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 83.33% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 92.86% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 11 Votes: 45.45% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 72 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 16 Votes: 81.25% Annoying