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OPRAH'S BIG GIVE {SERIES PREMIERE} (TV)

Summary

The premiere of this reality television series hosted by Oprah Winfrey, featuring a number of contestants competing in various philanthropic challenges.

Oprah gathers ten contestants from across the country to compete to see who can perform the most charitable acts given access to a large sum of money. Secretly she plans to award the winner with a large cash prize. After weeks of auditioning, Oprah contacts the final ten personally, starting with Kim Prentiss, a childless 39 year-old advertising salesperson who describes herself as going through a mid-life crisis. She also selects Cameron Johnson, a 22 year-old self-made millionaire who started his own online business. Next is Brandi Milloy, a 23 year-old beauty pageant winner who feels that her experience has prepared her for the competition. Angelo Adams joins as well, a 29 year-old former army captain who led troops in Iraq. Oprah then contacts Marlene Snipes, a 37 year-old train attendant, and Eric Klein, a 37 year-old disaster relief worker who used money intended to pay for surgery to recover from injuries inflicted by a drunk driver to help tsunami victims in Sri Lanka. Next is Rachael Hollingsworth, a 32 year-old singer who hopes to use the show as a means to help her recover from incidents of sexual and physical abuse. Stephen Paletta, a 42 year-old contractor, participates in organizations to help children in Africa and in inner-city environments. Sheg Aranmolate, a 24 year-old Nigerian-born medical researcher, lives in Tennessee and is working to get into medical school. Carlana Stone, a 38 year-old television producer, was involved in a drunk driving accident as a teenager and became a paraplegic, hoping to prove that she is a “fighter” and does not require pity from others.

The ten contestants assemble in Los Angeles and meet with Oprah, who describes the format of the show, noting that “the biggest giver is the biggest winner.” Each contestant will be given money and be assigned to use it to improve the lives of complete strangers. Oprah also introduces the judges: celebrity television chef Jamie Oliver, Malaak Compton-Rock, wife of comedian Chris Rock, and professional football player Tony Gonzalez. Oprah also introduces her co-host Nate Berkus, who is to be monitoring the contestants during their assignments. They then pass out each person’s individual “assignments,” featuring a photograph of a stranger along with a brief description and $2,500 in cash. The contestants work in pairs for this assignment, and have five days to complete it before reconvening at the “Big Give Headquarters.” Eric and Stephen are assigned to help AJ Egan, a recently widowed woman with two young children, and introduce themselves to them. AJ describes her situation: her husband, a manager at a Home Depot, was shot and killed during a robbery, and she worries about how to go about taking care of her children on her own, particularly since she may be forced to sell her house. Eric and Stephen spend time with AJ and her children, and decide to try to raise money to help her pay off her mortgage. Angelo and Rachael are assigned to help a woman named Shante McVey, a mother of two living in a homeless shelter after escaping from an abusive relationship. She feels as though she is at her lowest point, and wants to be able to provide a more permanent home for her children.

Cameron and Brandi are assigned to help Karen Newman, a care provider who specializes in helping people with disabilities. The inspiration for her line of work is her son, who was born with Down syndrome, and she started a social recreation program for other children with similar disabilities. However, her organization is not large enough to support the many children in its membership. Carlana and Sheg meet with Eric Jackson, who is studying to become a doctor at the medical school at UCLA after growing up in a poor neighborhood in southern Los Angeles. He hopes to use his surgical expertise to help children with physical deformities, but is stymied by massive student loan debt. Kim and Marlene experience difficulty after getting lost on the way to see their assignment, much to their mutual frustration; they end up being unable to locate their intended assignment on the first day. Brandi and Cameron set about fundraising for Karen, plying a hotel lobby and local small businesses for donations, including a local casino. Carlana and Sheg strategize about obtaining celebrity endorsements to help raise money for Jackson’s loan debt. Marlene and Kim finally reach their assignment: Karl Newman, a wounded Iraq War marine veteran, having sustained multiple injuries during his tour and being awarded three Purple Hearts. He was honorably discharged, but was unable to secure another job and is now homeless, along with his wife and children.

Meanwhile, Stephen and Eric seek corporate assistance in order to help AJ pay off her mortgage, although their efforts result in little progress. Carlana formulates a plan to put on a fashion show as a fundraiser in order to assist Jackson; there is friction between her and Sheg due to her aggressive personality. Kim gets in touch with a prominent client of hers to help raise money to get Karl a head-start on purchasing a new home, and initial estimates prove to be promising. Angelo and Rachael make their own calls to help Shante, securing an automobile for her to help with her transportation needs. The judges pay visits to the contestants in order to check on their progress; Tony checks on Brandi and Cameron and they describe their progress to him, although he feels that the large scope of their goals may not be entirely feasible. Malaak hears about Rachael and Angelo’s progress, using Rachael’s connection to a spiritual center in Los Angeles to help host a fundraiser. Jamie checks in on Sheg and Carlana in the middle of organizing their fashion show, which he feels is “half-baked” and not particularly relevant to their cause. Marlene and Kim continue to make calls, although Marlene feels as though a more hands-on approach would have been more useful. Stephen makes progress for AJ when he manages to obtain a scholarship fund for her children. He and Eric contact AJ’s neighbors to organize a fundraising block party for her. Angelo and Rachael make a speech at the spiritual center on Shante’s behalf, including a singing performance from Rachael. This strategy proves to be highly successful, raising over $14,000.

The “reveal day” arrives, and the contestants make their final preparations to reveal what they have secured for their assignments. Stephen and Eric take AJ’s daughters on a shopping spree as part of the surprise. They then assist in setting up the block party, and it earns a large and profitable turnout; AJ is touched that so many of her friends and neighbors came to support her. At the block party, local religious leader Father Steve Sallot announces the creation of the scholarship fund, making AJ grateful and emotional. In total they raise $50,000 to go towards AJ’s mortgage. As a final gesture, Eric has AJ’s children write notes to their father and affix them to balloons, releasing them into the sky. Rachael and Angelo surprise Shante at the homeless shelter with a crowd of well-wishers and donators; among them is Lynnette Khalfani, a personal “money coach” who oversees the creation of a $20,000 scholarship for Shante’s children. She also presents Shante with a check for $50,000 to go towards the purchase of a new home, and others present her with various other donations before she is finally presented with the car, leaving her overwhelmed with gratitude.

Marlene and Kim give their reveal to Karl by taking him and his family to see the place they rented for him. They explain that the rent and utilities for the first month have been paid for, and they get the family in touch with John Gamauf, vice-president of Bridgestone-Firestone, who has agreed to send them a $25,000 check to help with additional housing expenses. Karl and his family are immensely grateful for what they’ve been given. Brandi and Cameron drive Karen and her family up in a limousine for their reveal, greeted by the children at her recreation center and by a crowd of supporters inside. Cameron reveals that they have secured a number of musical instruments for the center, and Brandi reveals that they have collectively raised over $43,000 and have secured a larger meeting facility able to support a much greater number of people for the center. Sheg and Carlana oversee their fashion show and direct all of the proceeds towards Jackson’s student loan bills. However, their efforts are unsuccessful at securing donations except with the assistance of actor Cylk Cozart, who secures $50,000 from his famous Hollywood contacts.

At the conclusion of the five days, the contestants assemble to be critiqued by the judges. They criticize Sheg and Carlana for their fashion show idea and for their lack of appropriate “strategy” and for miscommunication between the two of them. Stephen and Eric are singled out for their efforts and for the emotional connection they forged with the community around AJ. Brandi and Cameron are criticized for the amount of money they raised, although they feel that the difference they made for Karen outweighs any numerical considerations. Marlene and Kim are criticized for their lack of teamwork and for their unfocused and lackluster effort. Rachael and Angelo are congratulated for their efforts and for their hands-on approach to fundraising. The judges deliberate and ultimately Marlene is eliminated from the competition. Includes commercials.

Details

  • NETWORK: ABC
  • DATE: March 2, 2008 9:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 1:01:56
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:92880
  • GENRE: Reality
  • SUBJECT HEADING: TV - Reality
  • SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 2008
  • COMMERCIALS:
    • TV – Commercials – Ford automobiles
    • TV – Commercials – Sprint phone service
    • TV – Commercials – Target department stores
    • TV – Promos – “Dancing with the Stars”
    • TV – Promos – “Here Come the Newlyweds”
    • TV – Promos – “Lost”
    • TV – Promos – “Miss Guided”
    • TV – Promos – “The Big Give”
    • TV – Promos – “The Royal Family”

CREDITS

  • Bertram van Munster … Executive Producer, Director
  • Oprah Winfrey … Executive Producer
  • Ellen Rakieten … Executive Producer
  • Harriet Seitler … Executive Producer
  • Elise Doganieri … Executive Producer
  • Matt Rose … Coordinating Producer
  • Barry Hennessey … Senior Producer
  • Maren Patterson … Senior Producer
  • Wendy Hinton … Senior Producer
  • Jonathan Sinclair … Supervising Producer
  • Shannon McGinn … Supervising Producer
  • Fred Pichel … Supervising Producer
  • Jason Henry … Producer
  • Philippe Denham … Producer
  • Paul Boese … Producer
  • Luciana Brafman-Bienstock … Producer
  • Kirk Durham … Producer
  • Jordan J. Mallari … Producer
  • Sheila McNaughton … Producer
  • Antonia Mattia … Producer
  • Monica Martino … Producer
  • Annie Price … Producer
  • Jonathan D. Reiner … Producer
  • Risa Saslow … Producer
  • Ken Snow … Producer
  • Jerry Whitworth … Producer
  • Kristi Dixon … Producer
  • Ray Dotch … Producer
  • Courtney Higgins … Producer
  • Eileen King … Producer
  • Gabriel Landau … Producer
  • Larissa Matsson … Producer
  • Jennifer White … Producer
  • Dylan Conroy … Segment Producer
  • Michelle Oennis … Segment Producer
  • Mickey Mckeon … Segment Producer
  • Erynn Sampson … Segment Producer
  • Dave M. Barnett … Line Producer
  • Misty Tosh … Line Producer
  • Vaughn Johnson … Composer
  • Oprah Winfrey … Host
  • Nate Berkus … Host
  • Kim Prentiss … Interviewee
  • Cameron Johnson … Interviewee
  • Brandi Milloy … Interviewee
  • Angelo Adams … Interviewee
  • Marlene Snipes … Interviewee
  • Eric Klein … Interviewee
  • Rachael Hollingsworth … Interviewee
  • Stephen Paletta … Interviewee
  • Sheg Aranmolate … Interviewee
  • Carlana Stone … Interviewee
  • Jamie Oliver … Interviewee
  • Malaak Compton-Rock … Interviewee
  • Tony Gonzalez … Interviewee
  • AJ Egan … Interviewee
  • Shante McVey … Interviewee
  • Myrkshane McVey … Interviewee
  • William McVey … Interviewee
  • Karen Newman … Interviewee
  • Eric Jackson … Interviewee
  • Patsy Jackson … Interviewee
  • Karl Newman … Interviewee
  • Alexis Newman … Interviewee
  • Steve Sallot … Interviewee
  • Lynnette Khalfani … Interviewee
  • John Gamauf … Interviewee
  • Jeff Stone … Interviewee
  • Cylk Cozart … Interviewee
  • Chris Rock