Reality show contestants with diabetes?

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Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
As far as I'm aware there haven't been any reality show contestants with diabetes. I think Anthony Worral-Thompson was in the jungle, and he has Syndrome X, but that's it. Wouldn't it be a good idea to have someone with the condition as a good way of gently educating the broader public of what the condition and its treatment entails?

I think something like 'Come Dine with me' (C4) would be a good one. 4 or 5 strangers cook each other a dinner on successive nights and the others vote on the meal/evening. They often have vegetarians, which means that the other contestants have to cater for them. I think it would be interesting to see how non-diabetics would react and if they would live up to the general ignorance which surrounds the condition. Would they realise that we can eat most things that are on a healthy diet? Would they investigate and see if cholesterol-raising foods were more of a problem? If on insulin, would they react negatively to the diabetic injecting at the table? Would they expect that the person had 'lifestyle' problems, and brought it on themselves?

Maybe they could go the whole hog and feature all the contestants as diabetics, but have some on insulin, some low-carbers, some diet and exercise?

I used to enjoy cookery programs, but now I really notice how unhealthy so much of the food is, with all the butter, cream, pastry, sugar etc. I know they always say that such food isn't for every meal, but the message that comes over is that if you cook it yourself, it's healthy, it's only the supremarket stuff that's bad for you.

Which programme would you choose?
 
Northerner said:
I used to enjoy cookery programs, but now I really notice how unhealthy so much of the food is, with all the butter, cream, pastry, sugar etc.
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This annoys me too! I hate how they say "add a pinch of salt" and then throw about 2 tablespoons of it in. And the amount of oil they add, it's so much. If you cooked all your meals like a chef I'd hate to see the inside of your arteries.

I think it'd be nice to see a diabetic on Come Dine With Me. As you said there have been some vegetarians on it and I think overall it's shown them in quite a positive light. One week there was a vegan lady and one of the meat-eating guests announced he was going to give it a try on the Friday which was quite nice.

To be honest I think about how healthy my food is when I cook, I don't focus on whether it's diabetic-friendly. Especially with DAFNE I find any meal can be diabetic friendly.
 
oh I'd definately agree with you on come dine with me, we seem to be rather obsessed with that show in my house!!!

I think it'd be great to have better depiction of diabetes on tv, not just reality. I can think of only a couple of diabetic characters that I've ever seen on tv and they never seem to last long. The most recent I can remember was a few years back in corrie. As I remember it the character was diagnosed with type 1 then not many months later she killed herself by having too much sugar, not particularly educational!!!
 
The only one I recall is the kid in Panic Room, and it was pretty much the same as the Corrie one only very very condensed.
 
Northerner why dont you put yourself forward and get the ball rolling! I would love to see a diabetic in a reality show or a cookery programme, it would help take the 'mystery' out of it all, and help to gently introduce the subject.

What i find odd is that when i tell people my son is diabetic, they will ask how often he injects, when i tell them its 4 times a day they look shocked and automatically think that means he is somehow 'worse' or more 'critical' than someone who injects twice a day! It would perhaps help to 'educate' the general public about the myths and old wives tales that seem to be taken as fact. Bev
 
I love come dine with me, a diabetic one would be good to see.

I think the problem is with films/tv programs if they are going to have a character with diabetes then they will need to make something of it. It's not very interesting to watch 'david' test his blood sugar, oh it's normal, count his carbs and inject his insulin, then carries on with the rest of his day. More interesting to see David having a seizure due to a hypo, brought on by the police not giving him anything to eat after being arrested and not beliving he was diabetic. so I think that the times we see people with diabetes in films/on tv they tend to put us in a bit of a bad light, and focus on diabetic emergencies, rather than how we are 99% of the time.

I remember the corrie storyline, I suspected that she was going to be diagnosed with diabetes a few episodes before she actually was, they did the build up symptoms quite well.
 
I think in TV and films, it’s a pointless characteristic unless it’s a plot device. Which to be fair, only dramatises and adds to the general misconception, all we do is hypo/pass out/die/not eat sugar..

I always think of Con Air… where they treat hypoglyceamia, which is somehow slowly killing him, with insulin (?!?)… 'put the bunny back in the box' still a brilliant film though..

Equally, I don't think a cooking show is that great, its bad enough people judging me when I eat now, let alone if they were actually sure they knew they were right. My insulin regime gives me much more freedom, and I wouldn’t suddenly want further condemnation for that, equally what different people can and can't eat is different, its not a one shoe fits all situation.

But I think you're totally right, reality TV might actually be the only one where it could be true and useful. I think it would be great if people were better educated and actually understood what living with it was actually like.

Or even a straight up documentary..
 
If someone who takes multiple variable insulin doses was on Come Dine With Me, it wouldn't be too exciting, especially if someone like me who enjoys any food (except tinned lychees, overstringy beans from our garden and a bowl of intestine soup I once ate in Turkey) - they'd simply make a guess by testing before the meal, then looking at the plate of food or asking the host and taking some insulin and perhaps an adjustment dose in the taxi on the way home, when they also score the meal. As it's a special meal, I wouldn't worry too much about the fat and calories, just exercise a bit more during the day. I realise that the programme involves 5 meals over 5 nights, implied sequential in the programme, but I wonder if they actually spread it over a few more nights? However, it's not a typical week, and won't be followed by similar food intake for weeks. Also, it is OK to say "I've eaten enough, thank you" after trying everything on the plate.

Of course, for someone who is diet controlled or taking tablets, it is more difficult.

I remember seeing a contestant on "Ready Steady Cook" some years ago, who brought sweet ingredients and said that because of diabetes (can't remember what type, but they were adult - female less than 40 years, I think) they didn't have many pudddings, so wanted to have something exciting and enjoyable once in a while, which seemed a very sensible approach - quality, not quantity.
 
I agree with what people say about it not being exciting, but that's my point really, not to make a big thing of it, just show that we're pretty much normal just with a 'manual pancreas'🙂
 
jax said:
I think in TV and films, it?s a pointless characteristic unless it?s a plot device. Which to be fair, only dramatises and adds to the general misconception, all we do is hypo/pass out/die/not eat sugar..

I always think of Con Air? where they treat hypoglyceamia, which is somehow slowly killing him, with insulin (?!?)? 'put the bunny back in the box' still a brilliant film though..

.
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Absolutely, what would be great though is yes maybe have some dramatic storyline of diagnosis etc but then 'leave' the character as diabetic without drama, every character I can think of seems to be killed off (for one reason or another) not long after diagnosis.

And totally agree, Con Air is still a great film!
 
I was thinking perhaps on big brother they should have someone with diabetes on it would help educate the general public pretty sure they haven't before but then I'm pretty sure no one with any type of medical condition has ever been on there which seems a little unfair really, I wonder if anyone has ever tried auditioning.
 
I was thinking Big Brother too, but certainly more cookery shows should cater for the diverse dietry needs that seem to be about these days.

At home I am diabetic, hubby has a dairy intolerance. I work with a chap who has a wheat intolerance, one friend is alergic to sea food and another has a nut intolrance. I also know someone who can't have anything strawberry. And that is just in my circle of family and friends...

I think other shows that should feature diabetics are things like strictly ball room and the ice skating thing as it would be encouragement for others to take more exercise!
 
Sadly, in a real situation, a nurse at a Grantham hospital a few years ago killed some infants using insulin.
There have been one or two copycat incidents since the trial and conviction.

Isn't it wonderful that like so many other topical items, it doesn't make the news unless it is violent or ends up with a death.
 
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