Nobel Peace Prize winners spark war of words

It’s not often Nobel Peace Prize winners weigh in on reality TV. So when Bishop Desmond Tutu and eight others spoke out against a new NBC series, it got Dave and Luke’s attention.

“It’s sort of like “Dancing With The Stars” but it’s more like “Kill Osama With The Stars,” says Dave Ross about the new show “Stars Earn Stripes.”

The series, which premiered Monday night, features celebrities with inactive U.S. military personnel undergoing simulated combat challenges. It’s hosted by retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark.

The letter from the Nobel winners to NBC executives, producer Mark Burnett and Clark says “this program pays homage to no one anywhere” and criticizes it for “trying to somehow sanitize war by likening it to an athletic competition.”

Luke and Dave admit they haven’t actually seen the show, which bills itself as a “fast paced competition” aimed (pun intended) at paying “homage to the men and women who serve in the U.S. armed forces and our first-responder services.”

Luke says he’s having a hard time getting excited about watching such second-tier celebrities as Olympic gold medalist Picabo Street, Superman actor Dean Cain and Sarah Palin’s husband Todd.

“If you knew one B-list celebrity was going to die by the end of the season, that I would watch,” Luke says.

That drew the ire of several listeners in Tuesday’s Magic Messages.

Ari Vanerhouwen of Tacoma ripped both Dave and Luke for their seeming criticism of the show.

“I can’t believe I’m writing about this topic, but your judgments made me mad. Both of you admitted to not having seen “Stars Earn Stripes” but then felt the need to judge and make assumptions.

It is live fire, there isn’t extra sound put it, just lots of stuff blowing up around them, no parachuting, someone did almost drown. Each celebrity’s partner is either current or retired military (mostly Green Berets and Special Forces). No glorification of war, just people realizing just how hard our soldiers work.”

Tara in Parkland also takes Dave and Luke to task.

“Please don’t talk about something you haven’t watched!
The Stars Earn Strips takes Celebrities and pairs them up with a SWAT, Marine, Delta Force, Green Beret, etc. They are trained by their partners on the various weapons and put into scenarios that mimick what our troops experience in Iraq/Afghanistan.

So yes they are putting the light on “SERVICE.”

“I think people misinterpreted what we were saying,” Luke responds.

“We weren’t saying that was our opinion we were just telling you what guys like Desmond Tutu and others have said.”

“People really should listen more closely to what we’re saying on the show because we wrapped up the segment by saying ‘I don’t actually have a problem with it in the sense that it’s overly militaristic or that it somehow over glorifies military activity. I just said that I don’t care about Todd Palin,” Luke says.

As for the lack of real celebrity on the series, Dave has a solution.

“I would think you’d at least have a biathlon gold medalist there. Somebody who can ski and shoot a gun.”