Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Paul Nelson reportingDoes Hollywood have a fascination with members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? David Archuleta is just the latest in a long line of Mormons on reality TV.
Recently, Newsweek Magazine asked, and I'm paraphrasing of course, "What's the deal with all the Mormons on reality TV lately?" Mormons seem to be everywhere from "The Biggest Loser" to "Survivor" and of course, "American Idol." While some LDS Church members may think that's great, some TV critics like Deseret News Television Editor Scott Pierce say it's only because Hollywood producers still see Mormons as weirdos.
"The producers are looking for someone who can be instantly identifiable that you can tag. For better or for worse, Mormons have… when you hear the word ‘Mormon' you think of someone generally straight-laced and uptight," he said.
Another point Newsweek makes is that Mormons still get excited to see one of their own on television, and their votes can affect results because there are so many church members. But, do Mormons automatically vote for Mormons?
"Anecdotally, I would say, ‘Yes. Mormons vote for Mormons,'" he said.
But what do church members think? I would need to ask some. Where could I find Mormons in Salt Lake City? Hmm. There's a temple around here somewhere, right?
One LDS Church member told me, "Within the church, it's a small world." Another said, "All Mormons voted for Mitt Romney. I don't know any Mormon that didn't." I pointed out that Harry Reid probably didn't vote for Mitt Romney. He replied, "That's about it."
So, on the surface the answer appears to be "Yes." All of the LDS Church members I spoke with at Temple Square said Mormons support their own. But, digging a little deeper, I took an informal poll of Mormons who watch "American Idol" on who they would vote for. In my highly scientific poll of 10 people, David Archuleta got only half of the votes. David Cook received four, and one woman said she'd be happy no matter who won.
But, Pierce says Archuleta did make it to the finals on the Mormon vote alone.
"There were 56 million votes on ‘Idol' last week. Granted, some people are voting over and over again, but if every Mormon in the country voted three or four times, I suppose it might have made some degree of difference. But you know that's not happening," he said.
Pierce says being a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints doesn't impact whether a contestant gets on a talent competition like "Idol." But, if a Mormon is trying to get on shows like "Survivor" or "The Amazing Race," it wouldn't hurt to put their religion on their application.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
