Before the show airs, Keith Barry---the hypnotist for the show---works with many candidates to determine which of them are the best subjects for hypnosis. Some people are more susceptible to hypnotic suggestion. These people are put under hypnosis about a half hour before the show is taped.
This is ostensibly a game show, and the four contestants can win up to $100,000. The object is to complete a series of rather easy tasks, but the tasks are made more complicated by the various suggestions Barry give them, such as "when you see the color red, you will think it is hysterically funny" or "you will think you are a crazy abstract artist and you will use anything to create your art". These suggestions make their tasks more difficult, but not too difficult; they actually do win substantial amounts of money.
But entertainment is the real goal of this show. Some of these people do crazy things that are totally out of character for them.
The first problem for this show is that some viewers will not believe these people are really hypnotized. I know because I asked some who have watched.
The second problem is that it can be hilarious to watch someone you know do something that they would never do if operating under their normal behavioral constraints. But when you watch strangers act up, it is not the same, because you don't know them. The producers try to overcome this issue by including short video bios of the contestants, and by having their friends or relatives in the audience to attest to the abnormality of their behavior. It works to a degree.
Personally, I find the show very interesting from an educational point of view, as an illustration of how the mind works, and the restraints imposed upon it by one's views of propriety and normality. It is also fairly funny. But there are so many shows available for viewing now and this show wears thin after a few episodes.
This is ostensibly a game show, and the four contestants can win up to $100,000. The object is to complete a series of rather easy tasks, but the tasks are made more complicated by the various suggestions Barry give them, such as "when you see the color red, you will think it is hysterically funny" or "you will think you are a crazy abstract artist and you will use anything to create your art". These suggestions make their tasks more difficult, but not too difficult; they actually do win substantial amounts of money.
But entertainment is the real goal of this show. Some of these people do crazy things that are totally out of character for them.
The first problem for this show is that some viewers will not believe these people are really hypnotized. I know because I asked some who have watched.
The second problem is that it can be hilarious to watch someone you know do something that they would never do if operating under their normal behavioral constraints. But when you watch strangers act up, it is not the same, because you don't know them. The producers try to overcome this issue by including short video bios of the contestants, and by having their friends or relatives in the audience to attest to the abnormality of their behavior. It works to a degree.
Personally, I find the show very interesting from an educational point of view, as an illustration of how the mind works, and the restraints imposed upon it by one's views of propriety and normality. It is also fairly funny. But there are so many shows available for viewing now and this show wears thin after a few episodes.
