There are few occasions these days where it’s okay to express unbridled enthusiasm; at sporting events, during sex, if you’re a game show participant – definitely if you’re doing all three at the same time.  For the most part though, expressions of unqualified joy are considered signs of weakness and are generally a cause for mild social discomfort.  I know this because I date women and play poker.

It is okay to lose your composure and be unequivocally joyful when you’re ON television, but when you’re IN television (that is, in the business of making it) being happy without reservation about something is your tell, and there are people who are not above using it against you.   I don’t feel like I’m being cynical here – it’s simply a state of the world, not limited to the TV biz.  Again, I cite the example of dating; the men and women who play it cool are much more interesting than the ones who openly express their preference for you.   By revealing their feelings, the excitable ones have made it easy and somehow less interesting.

I’m thinking about all of this because a show I hosted for Discovery Channel is premiering tonight.  It’s called I Could Do That and basically what we do on the program is take people out of their regular life and let them do something they’ve always wanted to try but never had the chance.   Now, the participants on ICDT had no qualms about getting excited from being on the show, and we welcomed their enthusiasm.  The audience will get to live vicariously through the participants, and while it may never have been a viewer’s dream to pilot a freighter or drive a tank they will no doubt identify with the emotions of those people on our show.

I envy both the participants and the viewers, because they’ve got nothing to lose from a gratuitous display of happiness.   I would like to show that more often, but I’m not sufficiently removed from the outcome to situations that pertain to me.   For example, I could tell Goddess I think she’s immutably great,  in a way that is not contingent on her thinking the same of me.  However, my intuition tells me that kind of unsolicited comment would be met with suspicion, and right now I like her company too much to risk it.  I could tell the producers of my show how it has  added to my life and how I think it adds to the world, and I’m proud to be a part of it.  Of course, were I to do that, I can’t help but wonder if the producers might use that as a bargaining chip in our next contract negotiation.   Mind you, that conversation depends on Discovery green-lighting a second season, and THAT depends on viewers showing unbridled enthusiasm for our show by watching in vast numbers.  I’ve definitely got nothing to lose from their open display of enthusiasm.

Maybe I’m managing my expectations, but for me, I Could Do That will be a reminder of how much good will we sometimes have to keep to ourselves in order to get what we want.   At the same time, I’m grateful to have worked on a show where people get to be wantonly happy with no regard for the consequences.  It’s for these reasons I’ll probably find it bittersweet to watch.

Of course, you should feel free to openly enjoy it as much as you want.