Ok this person is just sad. No, strike that, make it pathetic. Background info: there was a program (I use that word loosely) that was on tv an hour or so ago called Elimidate.

I think the name pretty much describes what it is, but here is how they describe themselves:

Combining the most intriguing elements of the new wave of reality shows and traditional dating strips, this all-new half-hour comedy dating series simultaneously pits four suitors against one another for the hand of one lucky single on a group date. These candidates, three of whom will be eliminated over the course of the game, need to outflirt, outsmart and outlast their competition using their wit, charm and sex appeal. Their strategy should ultimately ensure that they're the one left standing when the dating dust has settled.

Ok, maybe they should add 'out-bullshit' into that statement. Tonight the 'episode' (actually, tragedy would be a better word) consisted of one male and four females. So far, so good - at least it was, until one of the female contestants opened her mouth.

This contestant with the far out hippy throw-back type name delivered loudly in a strange accent that she was from New Zealand. Well, that got my attention. She then added that she was from the island in the north that has a population of twenty thousand people. One can only presume she meant the North Island of New Zealand - population of around 2.5 million at least. That really got my attention.

By this stage I'm saying to the tv, IceQueen, the room in general, and in fact anyone who cares to listen, that this person is completely full of crap. I start listening a bit more closely to this strange accent she has, and realize quickly that whatever it is, it sure as hell isn't a NZ accent. It sounded like someone trying to imitate a London (British) accent who's been living in Australia for too long, moved to South Africa for about a year, and then spent the next ten years in the USA desperately trying to keep the foreign accent because they think it makes them sound groovy. To my ear it was just some winner with no idea trying to imitate what they think a NZ accent would probably sound like.

But wait, there's more! This person was also wearing a lei. For those of you who are culturally ignorant, a lei is a 'necklace' made of flowers which is given as a greeting or welcome to visitors, and I believe originated in Hawaii, although is also common on other South Pacific Islands such as Fiji, Tonga, Samoa ...but not New Zealand. So what? So she's wearing a lei? What's the big deal? Well, in itself, absolutely nothing, had she kept her mouth shut. Unfortunately when the sorry guy commented on her lei (no pun intended ..or was it?) our heroine had to come back with, "yes, it is a lei, to remind me of my home country."

What an idiot. I mean, she could have at least done a bit of research first. I'm surprised the producers of the show don't screen their guests a little more carefully. Whatever. At this stage I stopped paying too much attention to the tv, which is probably the smartest thing I've done all day.

p.s. she was eliminated in the second round.