Molly Shattuck: Reality show was filmed last April
Yesterday I blogged the bad timing of a new reality show, "Secret Millionaire," co-starring Molly Shattuck, and the recent troubles of Constellation Energy Group, run by Ms. Shattuck's husband, Mayo Shattuck. The show features well-to-do folks living in downscale places and giving away money. From the press release, via Zurawik's blog:
The secret millionaires will leave their opulent lifestyles and go undercover to experience life in some of the most impoverished areas of the country including a community devastated by Hurricane Katrina, an old coal-mining town in Schuylkill County, Pa., and areas outside of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Las Vegas, where people in need live just minutes from those in upscale, gated communities.The millionaires include an internet mogul worth $300 million, a husband-and-wife team who own a multi-million dollar magazine-publishing business, a successful Southern California lawyer, an owner of a restaurant empire, a Baltimore socialite and former NFL cheerleader, as well as a software inventor worth $50 million.
Shattuck is the Baltimore socialite and former Ravens cheerleader. More than one email correspondent has suggested to me that the show's timing -- just as Constellation stock has lost three-fourths of its value from its January high -- is unfortunate and insensitive.
In fact the show was filmed in April, according to Shattuck. That's when Constellation was still riding high.
"This is a project I got involved in almost a year ago," she says on the phone. "I did it before all this has happened."
“I was literally in Pennsylvania for less than a week" for the shooting, she said. “I had no idea it was going to be picked up as a major national show," adding that she didn't know it would be named "Secret Millionaire," either.
“I despise the name, but I love the concept of it."
She added: “I chose to do the show because I believe it’s going to show people how easy it is to help other people. It doesn't matter how much money you have or how little money you have. We're all just people... I did this because I thought it was the right thing to do."
Comments
Hello I enjoy the show and it makes me cry on so far all of them that I have watched,I emailed one of them and asked for help cause my family and I are in need of a vehicle not new one but,used one.My family and I reside in Kentucky in country nearest town is 12 miles away thats where I buy food for house and my baby no longer has medcaid cause we have no car to get to office to get it back for her they want me to come in for appointment and no way to do that.are only car motor locked up on us and since then my baby has lost her mecaid and she is past due on her 2 year old check up that is very important that she gets that done.When food runs out I dont have any one to call we my partner and I dont have friends nor family in state of Kentucky to call or turn to he works on a farm making 5.50 an hour I want also to look for work lady from health Department comes out once a week and does paranting classes.after that she sets and listens to my problems she is only oen I have to talk with she understands my problem.Before car motor locked up on us she was going to type me up a resume with 20 so copys to hand out to companies so that I could help out bring more income into the house but before she could is when or problems begain car motor locked up now it just sets in out drive way I dont like to ask for hand outs never have but is my last hope I called pastor at church once cause we was running low with only canned goods in pantry and pastor said people higher up in chruch then him said he was not able to transport people to and from places I assume for liabilty reasons but we had to do with out food for awhile on canned goods a used vehicle that runs and that is safe to put my baby girl in would help out our family alot on comments about the secret millionaires its nice and sad to watch when its people like my family and I in need gives alittle hope to us but again makes us give up hope at the same time.cause we dont have any one to talk with or call for help is this just to get there names out there to public to be known or do they really care as much and help people out really like that in real life.its like the websites that claim to donate vehicles to needy families I have appiled for them and they email me back saying they get 20,000 a year in storys that not anough vehicles to help even though they want to its a shame then see this on Tv seems they are like i said before to get there names known to the public then when someone asks them for help they say they can not help what would you call that? Thanks for your time and listening to my story and comments
Posted by: Penny | December 15, 2008 12:22 AM
Penny,
How does someone contact you?
Posted by: Sonja | December 17, 2008 8:51 PM
Are you kidding? The person writing this can't get out to buy groceries or take her child for a check up YET has Internet access, a computer (or at the very least the ability to get to the library) and the knowledge base to find a blog and post?? Please!!
Posted by: Jenna | December 18, 2008 9:06 AM