Teens Get Real in MTV's 'If You Really Knew Me'
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Want to find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real? That's exactly what's going down in MTV's new series If You Really Knew Me.The show was inspired by an activity which was featured on Oprah last year. The idea is that by finishing the phrase, "If you really knew me..." people will eventually open up and be able to establish deep connections with each other. And that's just what's happening with five students in different schools around the country.
Going through a one-day program called "Challenge Day," these teens are breaking down barriers and finding out who their peers are behind all the cliques and social labels. In the first episode, Freedom High School is struggling with its segregated student body. The jocks seem to hold all the power and the kids who hang out in the A-quad are called "freaks." We get to know Leikin during the premiere, and see an eye-opening transformation by then end.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
HEATHER HOLMAN Jul 23rd 2010 9:09PM
This was a really good show. I was shocked that it was on MTV. Most of their reality shows are about spoiled, nasty people. I have a teen and it really opened my eyes to the struggles they feel they face. I talked to my child about a lot of the issues the kids brought up: attempted suicide, loneliness, cutting, feeling like an outcast. It open a real dialogue between us. Bravo MTV. How would you get a program like this at your local school?
Kelly Jul 23rd 2010 10:05PM
I find it very hard to believe that these kids in the different "cliques" truly remained friends after the MTV cameras went away. I remember how I was in high school, and I would have acted however you told me to act in order to be on MTV. The 4 kids they showed hanging out close to the end of the first show were all pretty much labeled as "outcasts" already, so it wasn't like they were hanging out with the "popular" kids. Now I have no doubt in my mind that the things these people shared with one another were truly heartfelt stories, but again with the whole "I want to be on MTV" thing. Some people, especially teenagers, would do/say anything to be on MTV. Like I said, I'm not at all putting down the stories that these kids shared, but I would really like to see how these kids truly treat each other now that the cameras have packed up and gone away.
felisha348 Jul 23rd 2010 11:34PM
i have to agree this show was really a eye opener..i really enjoyed it. i just hope they do something like they did with 16 and pregnant, and go back to these schools and see if things really have changed! then i will believe that is really works and is as true as it says!
Jessica Jul 24th 2010 2:13AM
I participated in a Challenge Day in high school and it was one of the most emotionally draining and fantastic events I ever took part in. It's an incredibly revealing experience and does bring participants together, though not necessarilly for the long haul. Considering MTV has lost much of its "reality," I think videotapping a Challenge Day will produce artificial drama and teens may not get the most important thing out of it: a deeper understanding of oneself and his or her peers.
trnm20 Aug 6th 2010 11:15AM
I really loved this show, it made ahuge impact upon me, and i would love if we could get this at my school... can someone please let me know how this can happen?