‘Sperm Race’: the real race for life made for German TV
In many ways, reality TV is the perfect representation of the several rock bottoms we have drilled through as we hurtle towards the unknown in the modern era. As the oxymoronic title of the genre suggests, it has been used repeatedly not just to drive certain socioeconomic agendas by the status quo in countries around the world but also to exploit participants and viewers. One particularly strange example of this is Sperm Race.
Whenever we talk about the weirdest reality shows ever made, there are many examples that immediately come to mind. Ranging from the highly unethical Susunu! Denpa Shōnen, where a man was kidnapped and left to starve, to Kid Nation, a show where children were expected to survive on their own in the middle of nowhere, TV companies have crossed many necessary boundaries while trying to find the next big hit.
However, even that is a bit tame compared to the German reality show that was designed to combat the falling fertility levels and birth rates in the country. When said that like that, any average person would think that it’s an educational project designed to raise awareness about these serious issues that can have important consequences for society at large. However, that’s not what the producers had in mind at all when they were planning their approach.
It’s actually a literal derivation from the title of the show, where men will sign up to compete against each other and to compare the speed of their respective sperm. According to the producers Endemol, women whose partners have been affected by the falling fertility levels in the population can sign up to receive sperm donations from the participating men. But that’s just where the show begins, transforming a medical procedure into a trashy spectacle.
The camera would see the contestants off as they entered their cubicles to deposit their sperm, from where the samples would be frozen and transferred to the studio. Under the supervision of doctors and medical experts, the camera would then record the sperm as they raced towards the egg on live TV while being influenced by chemical incentives. It’s somehow simultaneously the most bizarre idea ever and also perfectly normal for reality television.
At the time this was announced, Endemol executive Boris Brandt spoke out against the criticism directed towards the project by claiming that it wasn’t the lowest point of German television. Rather, it was a necessary show for a country that was facing some major problems. In an interview about Sperm Race, Brandt clarified: “Sperm Race is serious. Fertility is a big thing in Germany.”
Justifying the existence of such an idea, the Endemol Germany President also insisted that Sperm Race was engaging in social service by providing such an innovative mode of assistance for women who wanted children. Brandt added: “About 1.8million German men are unable to have children because they suffer from poor sperm. And there are disappointed girlfriends and wives, as well as parents who wait in vain for grandchildren.”
Germany has its fair share of strange television, but Sperm Race took things a bit too far, which is probably why it never saw the light of day. Instead of the sheer craziness of the Endemol project, check out the similarly titled educational documentary from Channel 4.
