30 Days

This was a great documentary series, the first episode drew me in because of it being featured in my home town of Columbus, Ohio. It featured Morgan Spurlock live various different lives of people for 30 Days, it was very entertaining and it is a shame it was canceled because no other documentary series is quite like it. Today when have world of jenks, which is similar though he only spends a week in someone else s situation and hes not that compelling. Check Super Size Me or The Simpson's 20th Anniversary special for other great documentary from Morgan Spurlock.

Even before watching I knew I would love it because of Morgan Spurlock! Taking the idea behind Supersize Me and make it a TV Show was genius. Having a person immerse themselves in a particular lifestyle that is the opposite or different then their own is eye opening and very informative! I just wish this show was on prime time and everyone had access to it. The integration of enlightenment and entertainment is perfect. The only downside is if the person immersed in the new lifestyle refuses to learn, but even then you experience strong emotions and learn from it like every single episode! THIS is what reality tv should be all about! I hope more episodes come soon!!

This show takes controversial subjects (most of the time anyhow) (IE: Gun control avocate vs Gun entushiast, pro choice vs non pro choice, etc). Some shows puts a person in a bad situation (IE: 30 days of minimum wage, 30 days of being "paralized", 30 days of living on an Indian Reservation, etc...). This show is directed and produced by the same individual (Morgan Spurlock) who directed/stared in Super Size Me (2004). This is one of those very rare shows that takes a controversial subject and makes it approachable with others. 30 Days will get you talking about you side of the issue with another person and will help you keep an open mind. In some cases with this show I have watched it, been FIRMLY on one side of the issue before the show started, and ended up questioning my side of the arguement at the end of the show after seeing the other side. This show absolutely has the power to do that each and every time it shows. I look foward to it each week. I don't use my TIVO to record shows very often (I have maybe 5 or 6 set to record weekly), but this is one of them. It is an absolute must!

This is reality TV in its true form. 30 Days is done very well, showing respect to its subjects. How would you like to see what it is like to walk in another's shoes without having to actually do so? To see how hard someone has to work to give society something that we take for granted? To see how the actions and beliefs of others can affect society for good and for bad? This show gives you that and more. This show should be mandatory viewing for everyone, and it should definitely be shown in the high schools. This show makes people think, understand, and, finally, to empathize. In this day and age, couldn't we use these traits? I cannot wait for more episodes. Thank you, Morgan Spurlock, for attempting to open up society's eyes. I've learned a lot and am a better person for watching.

I love this show because it shows one self to the side of the argument that rarely has a vioce. It lets one self look througth somebody elese eyes. The point just trying to say that you might have a different oppinion if you see the world with somebody eles eyes instead of oneself. Sometimes people change there side of the argument sometimes they don't but everybody have a new idea of the agument. The show gets a one sided person in a contrversel argument and let them live with another person on the oppisite side of the argument and live with them on their territory. Most of the episodes are great and informitive. And its a new topic everytime. This show is also funny at times and enterataining. It is also very down to earth. Over all I got to say this show is awesome. And worth a try.

This is what other news/informative, like 20/20 etc., shows should strive to be. I watched these episodes without even seeing the movie SuperSize Me and loved them for their honesty and integrity of reporting the truth that we are often blind or misinformed about.



As Americans, we need to WAKE UP to things that are going on. Too often we turn a blind eye or are just plain indifferent to what's going on because of how the media and programs water it down for us. For example, I hated watching shows like 20/20 or Prime Time because they painted pictures with their style of journalism to "persuade" you to think or feel a certain way about an issue in the first 30 minutes and then paint an entirely different picture in the last 30 minutes. It was more like watching them portray things the way they wanted and so conveniently in those last 30 minutes. This show DOES NOT do that but in fact shows the "reality" of life, people, etc. without fancy "persuasions". Plus the integrity is shown in the fact that, as you can see in the first episode as well as in the movie, that Morgan Spurlock is thorough with trying to find and relay his report to us. We could only be so lucky that the government worked this way! We definitely would have avoided alot of international messes and have a balanced budget to boot! But don't take my word for this show. Watch a couple episodes yourself and make an educated judgement. After all, that's probably what Mr. Spurlock would want you to do in the first place.

After I saw bits and pieces of Super-size Me, I heard of this show.

I decided to watch it.

At first it started out as people with different points of view try out places or ideas to make them think more.

But then slowy it seemed as though the show staryed away from and became preachy.

He needs to stray away from those aspects and teh show could be great.

How about a religious person goes to live with a Wiccan family or an Athiest?

Don't get me wrong, I like the show, it just needs to be tweeked a bit.

30 days,

the person who created the hit movie Super size me comes to televtion. This time around other people got into the obsticles. The person has to be in the location doing what ever they do of 30 days. Excaly. It was a great show to watch. Very sad though that they canned it.

Well when i first seen this show well i would not really calling it the show it was really the thing that started the series witch was the all knowing movie super size me when i first seen that movie i thought that guy was crazy but when i heard that they were making a series it took a little time to register in my mind and then i realized it was the guy that made the super size me movie and then after seeing the first episode i knew i was hooked so i think that this is a great show

I will go ahead and admit that I have not seen every episode of this series, but from what I have seen, the show is inaccurate. Every episode I have seen ends up with the person\'s mind being changed. When you have a single sole person surrounded by a family who is die hard against them for thirty days and put them on network tv, they are bound to cave into the pressure. They don\'t want to be viewed as horrible, stuck up, close minded people. It\'s not fair, nor is the Movie, Supersize Me, practical.

I watched "Super-size Me" and thought it was a great movie and when I heard he was going to do a tv show last year, I knew it was going to be good.



At first I was a little disappointed that Morgan Spurlock wouldn't be the focal point of the episodes, but I soon realized that the show was still great!!



Some of my favorite episodes are the ones where the person learns a valuable lesson. Every episode I watch, I learn something new, but in a fun way. Spurlock has the ability to teach you something without it looking like he's teaching you anything. I think some episodes would be a great teaching tool for kids if they were cleaned up a little bit.

Is this show off the air? I thought I heard an ad for it the other day (about Morgan going to prison for 30 days), but I couldn've sworn I had it Season Passed on Tivo, and I haven't seen any episodes in so long.



I can't wait for it to be back if it is. He is one of the best documentarians I've seen, and I really liked all the different situations he put himself in, particularly the minimum wage for 30 days, and living with a gay roommate in San Francisco for 30 days. I hope they come up with some more clever ideas.

This is a show more people should watch. With it's 90% straight forward nature, it's very interesting to see what these people go through in order to try to prove their superior nature. This show is under appreciated for it's honesty and the power it expresses as a dialogue. I wish more people would wathc this so they would at least be better informed. While it is a little liberal, it's general nature is to not censor the other opinion and I find that that's important.



I would recommend this to anyone and everyone I know; especially those who've expressed any sort of preconceived notions.

I just thought that my life is too difficult. But maybe not.

In finland we have free high quality healthcare for all our citizens. Minimum vage is about 8,50€ /h. I make about 15€ /h and pay taxes from 18% to 23%. I have no education higher than

gradeschool. Food is quite expensive here in Helsinki but i don´t have to worry about eating in daytime because my employer pays daily foodbenefits up to 7€ /day. So maybe I spend too much money to not important things/ services witch I really don´t need. I should try to live 30 days without spending. And so shuold many others.

Morgan Spurlock is one of the best directors/documentarians I have ever seen. I think that this show is one of the most original ideas, ever. This is what I feel "reality TV" should be. Taking issues that everyone can relate to, and then show the world what happens. I watched the first episode thinking "What is Morgan thinking?" But as the show went on, I found myself drawn in. The show got better and better. When the episode about Muslim beliefs came on, I was totally riveted. I can not wait to see what the second season brings. Morgan can only get better!

We've all got opinions, just that some of us get a show to display their opinions on. Morgan Spurlock ("Super Size Me") brings his unique style to FX on how certain beliefs would stand up when pitted against certain issues. Will subjects views change for the better?

Sometimes, we argues about issues and don't realize how they really are even when there are people who live through/with or put themselves through these kinds of things, etc (my sad catch-all subjects sentence). So how would someone completely opposite of this kind of world react being thrown into it.

Like I said earlier, everyone's got their own opinion. You have to go in with an open mind. You don't have to agree, but it sure is nice to know.

When I first heard of 30 days, I thought it was just FX trying to jump on the bandwagon of 'reality shows'. But after I watched the first 2 episodes, I found that this show had really captured the true spirit of 'reality'. It digs out the problems of the society and puts it out flat and square in front of the audiences. Some episodes were more of an entertaining issue of what happens if A + B that had never been done before, but it never deviated from what the show wants: to inform us, let us think instead of them judging. Instead of just feeding us with info and more info like documentaries, Morgan experiments it with real people, and of course with this, adds some entertaining stuff on top of it.



If you have not watch 30 days, start now.

TV has had a long period of time without any edcational shows. This show is fabulous for people who are doing the article on the different cultures. I alone learned a lot from it. It really changed my mind about the Muslims. I think all Americans should watch it. As one of the racial targets, I think this show can change a lot of the racist's thoughts.

This is what reality TV should be about. Unfortunately there is just so much junk around.



In this show people live for 30 days in a lifestyle very different to their own. Such as being a muslim, or being on a binge. There is usually a shock to the culture initially, but eventually the adapt.



Morgan Spurlock's doco Super size me had him eating nothing but Mcdonalds and the effect that had on him really has to be seen to believed. This is like a follow on from that except it's spread much further that fast food.

Well presented show that looks at many different lifestyles and the facts about the way these lifestyles are lived. Helps remove myths about certain lifestyles and the stereotypes that people choose to believe.



Morgan produced and starred in the hugely successful "Supersize Me" that looked at how fast food has "shaped" our lives and the impacts it has had on our health. The show places an individual in an environment where they have prejudged predjudices and will need to experience the lifestyle that often goes against their beliefs.



We see the individual ask questions that many would like answered and helps viewers to learn more about what is truth and what is fiction.



Excellent show for those that live a sheltered life and don't get exposed to other cultures. In this show questions are asked and answered, ultimately leaving the viewer to decide how they feel about the "topic" with their newly found knowledge.

30 Days is an FX Original Series that airs on Wednesday nights, 10 pm EST.



Everyone should watch this show.



Funny- today I was trying to figure out bills, expenses, etc. I was stressing out because there never seems to be enough money to go around. My rent takes up 90% of my first (of 2) paycheck every month. My car payment plus insurance is over $400 a month. That doesn't include gas, which is through the roof.



So I come home tonight and turn on the season premier of 30 Days. What an awakening.



Morgan Spurloch, the mastermind behind Supersize Me, spends 30 days living on minimum wage.



(Oh, and they saved the best for last.)



Morgan and his fiancee Alex, a vegan chef, moved to Columbus, Ohio for 30 days to both work minimum wage jobs. Within the week, they both needed to go to the hospital- Alex for a UTI and Morgan for a sprained wrist. They live in this ant-infested little 1 bedroom apartment in a complex that as little as a week ago was home to a crackhouse. The rent? Less than $400 a month. There was no furniture, so there was an especially touching scene where the couple go to a church and receive furniture donations.



They bought 1 bus pass to go between the both of them. Alex gets a job at a barista washing dishes and bussing tables, and Morgan goes to a temp agency. They offer him odd jobs at no less than $7 an hour- $1.85 ABOVE minimum wage. Morgan's first job was a construction site, and then he moves on to landscaping which pays a little more. This is where he sprains his wrist.



Morgan gets a paycheck every day- to the tune of about $46. Alex's weekly check? Under $200. Then Morgan makes a discovery- the guy who gives him a ride to and from the job sites makes the same amount that Morgan is making, yet he is a 22 year old with 4 kids. Morgan and Alex decide to invite his brother's 2 teenage kids up to visit for the weekend and the funniest part of the show happens- Morgan goes to the public library to see what kind of free thngs there are to do and finds



http://www.ohiotraveler.com/things_to_do.htm



which suggests he take the kids to an "Animal shelter: Kind of a sad visit if you don’t plan to adopt an animal but you may consider volunteering to walk a dog. Sometimes, the facility will allow you to tour its clinic and explain the shots and other treatments. It’s good for kids to learn about pet care." or "Bank: Call up your local bank and ask for a tour. Winter Advisory: If you wear a ski-mask, take it off before entering the bank." Truly some "original" ideas. Morgan's take on the latter: "Oh, yes! Come in and see the money you DON'T have!!" They end up taking the kids to the $1 movie, but Morgan spends $12 on drinks, which throws Alex into a tizzy.



At the end of the show, just when you realize that they are barely going to make it with a few pennies left over, the hospital bills come. $1300.00!! Morgan has to pay $550 just for walking in the ER door; Alex, $300. Alex's prescription was $25, and Morgan paid $40 for an Ace bandage. No health insurance is the demise of the couple's unsucessful run on a 30 day minimum wage scale.



Now this is AFTER Morgan is working 2 full time jobs (for the latter half of the month- but it's at a pizza place, so they can have pizza instead of rice and beans) and Alex works one. That's 3 minimum wage salaries for 2 people. If not for the hospital bills, they would have just barely made it.



And here I sit wondering about how I'm going to afford a vacation to NY for my friend's wedding. It's amazing how lucky I really am. Granted, I live alone with no 2nd paycheck to help, my rent is crazy expensive, and my car is still new, but I don't want to live in the slums and it's the car I wanted, so that's the price I have to pay. (Even though that "price" doesn't include cable, power, water, food, gas, phone, etc. I'm not rich by any means, but this program showed me that I should appreciate what I do have.)



The show was sad and funny and intelligent and poingnant all at the same time. It was a fantastic program, and I plan to tune in every Wednesday night.

I love social experiments on television. 30 Days, brought to us by Super Size Me creator Morgan Spurlock, is televised gold. It documents the events that occur when one is put on outskirts of believed norm for a period of 30 days. What happens when a homophobe is dropped into the culture that he marginalized and disrespected? What happens when a rich couple is forced to live on minimum wage and survive the underbelly of American culture? These are ideas that are admirable and deserve contemplation. And to me, that is interesting.



30 Days isn’t the only televised social experiment. Shows like The Amazing Race, Beauty and the Geek, The 1900 House, and Survivor are also worthy of note.

Originally I gave this show the worst review I could muster, but after a couple vieweings it has really won me over. It is every bit as unbalanced and even outrageously biased in parts as I expected, but on the plus size it is at least entertaining. Sadly, Spurlock still has a number of axes to grind and doesn't care whether or not he presents his case in any sort of a fair and balanced way. Just as with "Supersize Me" he completely ignores any dissenting information, and blows any supporting evidence way out of proportion, which is a real shame since his original concepts are truly excellent. I'm still undecided whether or not he is intentionally abusing his credit as a documentarian, but I am leaning this way as there are no disclaimers to the opposite at the start of the show. Nevertheless, I am eagerly anticipating any future shows, but remain hopeful that he will transform from a propagandist into a true journalist of sorts, becuase his ideas are inspired.

I give this show a 10 not for the people undergoing these experiments, I put it for Morgan Spurlocks sheer genius. What could be more interesting to watch then people who live in a metaphorical mouse cage for a month and volunteerily forced to try to change thier closed minded ways

This show is highly informative and teaches you that u don't have such a bad life , i've seen funny stuff but olso very sick stuff... It olso teaches you values witch you should cherish. Made by the creator of the movie Super Size Me



They should show this in school :P

This show has shown me 30 days in the life of people I have had very little contact with. It has certainly been educational and shown two sides of the situation or point of view well. I do not get the feel from this show that they are trying to convince me of anything in particular (It feels unbiased). It just shows me both sides and allows me to create my own opinions. I hope the show continues and the bias remains at a minimum.



The cartoons are awesome!

I really liked Morgan's film "Super Size Me" and as soon as I heard that he was doing a series I couldn't wait.



I think it's a shame that Morgan didn't personally do all the challenges set by the program but I suppose logistically each episode must take at least 30 days to make (plus editing and post production etc) so it just wouldn't be possible for him to be heavily involved in every story-line.



Because of the different "presenters" used in each episode I found that it became less of a coherent series and more like a collection of individual documentaries. I also found that my enjoyment of the program depended very much on who was involved in each individual task.



For example, Morgan and his girlfriend were excellent on the "Minimum wage" episode as they are obviously used to delivering pieces to camera. Whereas the "Off the Grid" episode was spoiled due to the fact the presenters weren't really interested in doing the task set them and seemed to spend the time making a joke of the whole eco-friendly movement.



My favourite episode was probably "Muslims and America". The presenter learned a lot about the Muslim population of America and even did some of his own research when he found that the liason supplied by 30 Days wasn't much help. Not only did he learn but I learned a hell of a lot too.



Other episodes included "Binge Drinking Mom". I thought that the Mom in the program did a very good job in trying to show her teenage daughter the possible long term effects of binge drinking and tried to do so in a calm and rational manner. The daughter however deserved a serious kick up the backside; she just didn't want to listen and I couldn't help but wish her a fatal liver failure in later life.



The series deserved more than 6 episodes for it's initial run but as I mentioned earlier maybe this was due to the logistics of making this sort of program. With an almost inexhaustable supply of topics waiting for them, I can't wait for season 2.

Let me start off by admitting that I thoroughly enjoyed Spurlock's Super-size Me. But the jury is still out on 30 Days.



After completing the first season, it feels like we are beating a dead horse with this "30 days" thing. Some good content, but might be better presented under a different premise.



The first season was short lived at only 6 episodes, but I guess this is pretty standard in the TV world. About half of the six shows that aired were good enough to get me to sit through the other half, which were somewhere between boring and abysmal. The season finale was absolutely horrible. Disjointed and pointless.



Hopefully they get it together and make Season 2 a lot better. The potential is there.

Back when I used to give a crap about Michael Moore, he made two of the most interesting reality shows on TV: NBC’s “TV Nation” (which moved to FOX in its second season) and Bravo’s “The Awful Truth.” They were informative, funny, and balanced (well…maybe they skewed occasionally to his viewpoint, but they attempted to be fair.) They were essentially the TV version of his movies, 1989’s Roger & Me and 1997’s The Big One. Then he did 2002’s Bowling for Columbine and 2004’s Fahrenheit 9/11, and he decided to fudge facts and be one-sided in order to make a political statement (don’t let my glowing praise of Bowling fool you…I found out that he falsified the facts after I wrote my review.) Another documentarian has entered the arena though, and he is funny and balanced as well…Morgan Spurlock. His FX series “30 Days” has become one of the best non-competitive reality shows that I have seen in a long time.



The show is basically the TV version of Morgan’s Oscar-nominated movie Super Size Me. The movie showed Morgan going for 30 days on nothing but McDonald’s food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He gained 25 pounds and felt sick, but he made it. His girlfriend, Alexandra “Alex” Jamieson, had to sit there and watch what happened to him (she was a very supportive girlfriend.) His point was to show how fast food restaurants have contributed to the obesity problem in this country. I didn’t agree with everything in it, but he showed both sides, which is why I rooted for it at the Oscars (it lost to Born Into Brothels.)



“30 Days” does what the movie did: test a person out a social situation for 30 days and find out its rewards and difficulties. In the premiere episode, Morgan and Alex (who is his fiancée now) lived for 30 days on $5.15 an hour…minimum wage. They found an apartment in Columbus, Ohio that used to be a crack house and got jobs. Alex got a steady job washing dishes at a coffeehouse, and Morgan got a series of temp jobs…mostly hard labor. They struggled to make ends meet, and both had separate medical emergencies. Alex had an infection at one point, and Morgan injured his wrist. He couldn’t risk going to the free clinic, because that meant he will lose out on a day’s pay. To make matters worse, his niece and nephew spent a weekend with them, which was relatively expensive for two people on minimum wage (Morgan had decided to do this to see what it would be like for a couple who was on minimum wage and had kids.) Later, Morgan celebrated Alex’s 30th birthday with an expensive $20 meal, topped off with an unfortunate expensive cab ride (they didn’t know that the buses stopped past a certain hour.) He did try to show both sides of the minimum wage argument (the government hasn’t raised it since 1997 while the prices of goods and services have gone up), but as you see in the episode, it’s a living Hell. The argument for keeping the minimum wage at $5.15 an hour is that more businesses will be able to keep more of their employees. If it is raised, they may have to lay people off. As a Libertarian, I support lowering or getting rid of income tax altogether…but that is another argument for another time.



In the second episode, Morgan turns the reins over to someone else to experience their 30 days while he hosts (I read somewhere that if Morgan had insisted to do all six episodes himself that Alex would leave him. I wouldn’t blame her!) Scott Bridges is a 34-year-old man who lives in Los Angeles and works for a cleaning supply and distribution company. He was an athletic swimmer in college, but a wife, three kids, and 14 years have passed, and he no longer has a swimmer’s body. He really wants to get that body back, so he goes through a 30 day treatment to see if he can do get it back. The good: He started a fitness program with a personal weight trainer, and he watched what he ate. The bad: He subjected himself with human growth hormone and testosterone injections to make his body bounce back quicker. Before he started the treatment, he banked a sperm sample, just in case (he and his wife had been considering having a fourth child.) It wasn’t shocking to see that the treatments affected his liver, his sperm count was lowered, and he had ‘roid rage. He didn’t make all 30 days (he stopped after 22.) I wanted to ask the anti-aging doctor, Dr. Alan Miles, who had claimed that he had been doing these things to himself for the last eight years, how old he was. Meanwhile, Morgan showed how easy it was to get steroids in Mexico, and he participated in a speed-walking race with an athletically fit old lady (he won…just barely.)



In the third episode, a 33-year-old Christian man from West Virginia named Dave Stacy attempted to see what it was like to live as a Muslim in Dearborn, Michigan for 30 days. He had to dress in the same style as the Muslims, do what they did (including praying five times a day), and he had to grow a beard. Since he wasn’t allowed to be alone with a woman (i.e. his host family’s wife) in their house, he had to spend his days doing other stuff. He used that time to get to know more about the religion, including consulting with a Muslim teacher in the ways of Islam. He had personal struggles doing these things, because he felt that he was turning his back against God. By the end of the 30 days, he learned a lot about the faith, and he found himself defending verbal attacks against Muslims. He doesn’t believe that all Muslims are terrorists, and that there are extremists in other faiths, like Christianity. Meanwhile, Morgan talked to people on the street asking some word association games, like what most people think of when they hear the word “Muslim” (I’m sure this was a little bit of creative editing though, since almost all of them said something like “terrorist”…but I don’t think that Morgan was pulling a Michael Moore-ism here. I’ll forgive him.) He also spotlighted the public prayer being blasted over loudspeakers, and the lawsuits that followed (the Muslims equate them to church bells.) I was wondering why Dave went through his 30 days though. I know why Morgan went through his 30 days (so that he could do this show), and I know why Scott from week 2 went through his 30 days (so he could get his swimmer’s body back), but there was no preconceived reward at the end of Dave’s 30 days. I guess that he either really wanted to find out about another religion, or he just wanted to get on TV, but either way, the episode was interesting.



In the three weeks that will follow, Morgan will be having more people go through the 30-day treatment. In week 4, a conservative homophobe will live with a gay roommate in San Francisco’s Castro district. In week 5, two 30-year-old professionals will live in an eco-village in Missouri and live off the grid, i.e. they will live without fossil fuels and electricity. In week 6, a mother concerned about her college age daughter’s drinking will go binge drinking herself to show the daughter what it’s like (and to see the pressures that college kids go through to drink.)



“30 Days” is the best reality show that I’ve seen since Showtime’s “Penn & Teller: Bulls**t.” I really hope that this show becomes a huge hit and it is renewed for a second season, because there are so many topics that he could explore. Also, if there is a second season, I hope that it expands beyond just six episodes.

Morgan Spurlock is a genius. First, he gets people watching him splurge at McDonalds. Now, he lets others into the act. One straight guy lives in a gay community for 30 days. One West Virginian guy spends 30 days in a Muslim community. The show would have you believe that spending 30 days wearing another's moccasins is a life changing experience. Each show is evidence of this. However, in most cases, the family of the show's 'participant' suffers. How is this healthy learning?



The show has promise but needs a few tweaks.