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There are moments when Sacha Baron CohensWho Is America?really says something.
It reveals something about America and Americans.
The segment fails largely because of who Baron Cohen chooses as his target.
Olympios rose to her current heights of public prominence after appearing as a contestant on season 21 ofThe Bachelor.
She outlasted the field of contestants to make the final four, and then Viall sent her home.
But her saga did not end there.
Now, Olympios is also onthe list of unfortunates duped by Sacha Baron Cohen.
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The pranks ofWho Is America?fall into two camps.
He asks them to say bad things, and waits expectantly until they do.
Even deciding the camp in which a segment belongs is based on our intangible gut reactions.
Which brings us back to Olympios.
As she reads from the prepared statement, her eyes dart around nervously.
She looks like an imbecile, yes, but she also comes off as someone desperate to be seen.
Her confusion in the episode is soevident, its painful.
Her appearance, her desperation to be on TV, and her complete bewilderment struck me as overwhelmingly sad.
Which makes me wonder: What is this segment trying to satirize, exactly?
Im so excited to be a part of his new project, she told the Daily Beast.
I mean, not everyone gets to just be a cameo as themselves, so its fucking awesome.
She indicts herself more thoroughly thanWho Is America?ever does.
But the segment does raise questions aboutWho Is America?and its goals.
Why is this reality star a target?
Why is the assumption that its hilarious to watch a powerful man manipulate a fame-hungry, clueless younger woman?
Olympios already participated in a TV franchise that makes ordinary people famous because theyre willingly manipulated by producers.
Whats really new here, aside from the jokes about child soldiers?
Who Is America?has some fantastic pranks with fascinating targets for Baron Cohens antics.
But Corinne Olympios isnt one of them.
