New features on ‘Ellen’ hit viewers’ sweet spot

ELLEN DeGeneres got her own star along Hollywood Boulevard last year. AFP

Now that she’s been hosting her hit talk-variety show for a full decade, Ellen DeGeneres and the members of her think tank have to really stretch their creativity “muscles” to think of new ways to keep viewers interested. Familiarity does breed, perhaps not contempt, but boredom—so, it’s time to hustle!

A new feature of “Ellen” that really hits the sweet spot of viewers’ fascination and delight is the host’s use of a traveling “alter ego,” a production assistant who does her  bidding out there in the “real” world, to frequently hilarious effect.

Thus, the assistant has a penchant for showing up at people’s front doors in the wee hours of the morning to thrill them with unexpected gifts in cash or kind!

And, just last week, Ellen’s alter ego, upon the host’s bidding, put three gents to a “test,” in order to determine if chivalry and helpfulness are still extant, not extinct, in today’s notoriously self-centered world.

The test she put the hapless guys to was by no means easy to accomplish: First, they each had to help her carry a big box containing a new 50-inch TV set to her car, which was parked far away from the store.

Then, when they got to the vehicle, she belatedly “realized” that the big box wouldn’t fit in her small car’s trunk—so the helpful gents each had to carry the heavy box back to the store, so she could return it!

As we watched the test in progress, we saw ourselves agreeing to help bring the box to the car—but, when it didn’t fit in the trunk, we resented the woman for her cluelessness, and were less eager to carry the box back to the store. And yet, the guys who were made to take the “chivalry” test were less irritated—and readily agreed to carry the heavy box back!

Clearly, they were genuine knights in shining armor compared to us—so, chivalry is alive and well in the modern world!

That realization is upbeat enough, but the feature was made even more delightful by the surprise that the assistant had in store for each of her amazingly helpful “knights”: She gave each of them the TV set that they had carried for her!

Naturally, the “knights” were pleased that their helpfulness had unexpectedly been rewarded, and on national TV at that. But, it was clear that they would continue to help others even without being publicly recognized and lavishly rewarded for it.

On top of that inspiring shared insight, Ellen’s show had a final treat in store: Ellen thanked the TV outfit that had contributed the 50-inch sets used for the tests—and announced that each member of the studio audience would also get a free TV set!

Oh, wow, that’s when the studio erupted with absolute joy and rapture—because the show’s “little” test turned out to have a really big shared bonanza for every member of the studio audience at the end of it!

Thus did Ellen measure up, in her own way, to the iconic act of generosity that Oprah Winfrey’s talk show established as the industry standard years ago, when it gave each member of her studio audience a car! A TV set isn’t a car, of course, but the inspiring impulse of shared generosity that links Oprah and Ellen is the same!