TV Land’s “The Cougar”

From the makers of The Bachelor comes the latest in dating reality shows,TV Land’s The Cougar. The Cougar, a gorgeous 40-year-old, has been given her choice of twenty 20 something men to choose from. Definitely, a case of the media capitalizing on this so-called hot dating trend.

Not surprisingly, people in the age-gap community are less than pleased. First of all, there’s the name. Cougar sticks in our throats like we’re trying to swallow a grapefruit and to see it used in this light is even worse.

Cougars

As I’ve discussed before, the term refers to an older woman who is hunting for prey…the younger man.

The definition, according to UrbanDictionary.com, is:

A 35+ year old female who is on the “hunt” for a much younger, energetic, willing-to-do-anything male. The cougar can frequently be seen in a padded bra, cleavage exposed, propped up against a swanky bar in San Francisco (or other cities)waiting, watching, calculating; gearing up to sink her claws into an innocent young and strapping buck who happens to cross her path. “Man is cougar’s number one prey”

Not at all complimentary. It is, in fact, demeaning and derogatory and has nothing to do with an older woman who prefers relationships with younger men. And this is exactly what The Cougar’s Stacey Anderson says she’s looking for. She’s not hunting them, she’s not looking to pump herself up by having sex with them. No. She’s looking for the man of her dreams and, she believes, he is simply younger than she is.

The Show

That being said, I watched the show to see just what exactly all the fuss is about. At first blush, it seemed low budget and a little on the “yawn” side. Then I realized it could just be that I watch too many dating reality shows on VH1. Rock of Love Bus With Bret Michaels it’s not. Oh there was a party and an almost fist fight, but there obviously was no “Blondtourage” getting all hoochy and drunk. It was tame and, yes, it had a little class. Well, for a dating reality show.

Stacey herself seems to have class. She seems to genuinely be searching for the boy of her dreams. She says that she feels flattered and empowered to have her pick of the 20 twenty-somethings. Stunningly beautiful at age 40, Stacey had no trouble catching the eyes of her suitors. It remains to be seen if all of that holds throughout the season.

The Boy Toys

Both on the Ageless forums and on The Cougar’s Facebook page, public opinion seems to be that the guys are not all that hot. While I agree they certainly aren’t all 10s, in some ways I find that refreshing. Tune into the other dating reality shows and they seem full of Barbie doll types and calendar hunks. At least these guys seem real. And there definitely some that are very easy on the eyes.

The Final Review

Truth be told, I’m not sure yet how I feel about the show or whether I even liked it. That will take some more viewing I suppose. This I do know, unless the heat is turned up and the show loses a little of its tameness, I don’t seeing ratings skyrocketing or a Season 2 in the future.

Thoughts?

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Posted by lisaq on Friday, April 17th, 2009 and is filed under Featured, Reviews, TV. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.