TLC asks, Who wants to be a monk?

By Marilyn Moss

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Reality television has a habit of
making a contest of most things. Who will get to their destination
first? Who will become top model of the year? Who will win the cooking
competition and get their name on another broadcast?

Now TLC comes up with another competition, and in the most unlikely of
places. In the new series "The Monastery," five men agree to give up
for a time their mostly unsatisfying lives and enter a monastery. The
goal: Who will find grace, repentance (implied, of course) and
spiritual fulfillment first? Who will cross the line before the others?
The series will be watchable for most and especially fascinating for
those who already have faith (or would like more).

The five men in question are, among other things, a former Satanist, a
fireman, a recovering alcoholic and an ex-con. They travel to the
Monastery of Christ in the Desert in northern New Mexico and undergo
the challenge of their lives. From the installments so far, the pace of
the series is rather slow-going and painstaking. The men let the camera
in close and offer plenty of narrative about their difficulties. This
is not to everyone's taste but will no doubt find more than a viewer or
two.

Rose_...

For anyone who can remember, the Odd Couple did a rather funny episode
in which Felix and Oscar temporarily joined a monastery. I have no
idea anymore what the pretex was (if that very funny show would just
get rerun I could probably say), not that it mattered, but it was
pretty entertaining.

Victor Velazquez...

That was great! I loved when they fought over the toothpaste because they
both needed something to read to get sleepy.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Seerialmom...

Luckily it's not a "competition" (except in their own head) but does
show a human side to those who choose to live the life of a monk. I
watched it; felt compelled to smack the guy from McKinleyville a bit
though. Leg or no leg, he was being a brat :) . I suspect the
recovering alcoholic will finally come to terms about his God issue
through the beauty of the environment. I remember my cousin having a
similar problem with AA. Note: there's no requirement to do anything
but accept a power greater than yourself...it's not that hard,
actually. Mother nature and the Universe are definitely more powerful
than me :)

ravenlynne...

I'd probably watch it. It's different.