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'''''Little People, Big World''''' is a [[reality television|reality television series]] produced in the [[United States]] that airs on [[The Learning Channel|TLC]]. The series follows the six-member Roloff family living near [[Portland, Oregon]]. Many of the show episodes focus on the parents, Matt and Amy, and one of their sons, Zach, |
'''''Little People, Big World''''' is a [[reality television|reality television series]] produced in the [[United States]] that airs on [[The Learning Channel|TLC]]. The series follows the six-member Roloff family living near [[Portland, Oregon]]. Many of the show episodes focus on the parents, Matt and Amy, and one of their sons, Zach, who all have [[Dwarfism]]. |
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''Little People, Big World'' debuted on [[March 4]], [[2006]] and began its second season on [[October 7]], [[2006]],<ref name=variety>Martin, Denise. (Apr. 23, 2006), [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117941923?cs=1&s=h&p=0 "TLC thinks big with 'Little'"]. ''Variety''. Retrieved May 8, 2006.</ref> continuing with season 3 on [[April 9]], [[2007]]. On [[October 15]], [[2007]], Little People, Big World began its fourth season, and ended on [[December 17]], [[2007]]. Season 5 is expected to premiere in [[2008]], although no official date has been given yet. It is expected to be started with a court trial involving Matt Roloff being acquitted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI), but being found guilty of refusing to take a Breathalyzer test and crossing out of his lane in traffic<ref>Christopher Rocchio (Jan 11, 2008), [http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/little-people-big-world-star-matthew-roloff-found-not-guilty-of-dui-6375.php "Little People, Big World' star Matthew Roloff found not guilty of DUI"] Retrieved Jan 27, 2008.</ref>. Seeing as this was his second alcohol related incident in 5 years, having previously been through a drunken driving diversion program, his license was suspended for 3 years and he was fined $742 plus $103 in court costs.<ref>[http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=33140&cat=2 "Matt Roloff, Star of ‘Little People, Big World,’ Found Not Guilty of DUI"] Retrieved Jan 28, 2008.</ref> |
''Little People, Big World'' debuted on [[March 4]], [[2006]] and began its second season on [[October 7]], [[2006]],<ref name=variety>Martin, Denise. (Apr. 23, 2006), [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117941923?cs=1&s=h&p=0 "TLC thinks big with 'Little'"]. ''Variety''. Retrieved May 8, 2006.</ref> continuing with season 3 on [[April 9]], [[2007]]. On [[October 15]], [[2007]], Little People, Big World began its fourth season, and ended on [[December 17]], [[2007]]. Season 5 is expected to premiere in [[2008]], although no official date has been given yet. It is expected to be started with a court trial involving Matt Roloff being acquitted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI), but being found guilty of refusing to take a Breathalyzer test and crossing out of his lane in traffic<ref>Christopher Rocchio (Jan 11, 2008), [http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/little-people-big-world-star-matthew-roloff-found-not-guilty-of-dui-6375.php "Little People, Big World' star Matthew Roloff found not guilty of DUI"] Retrieved Jan 27, 2008.</ref>. Seeing as this was his second alcohol related incident in 5 years, having previously been through a drunken driving diversion program, his license was suspended for 3 years and he was fined $742 plus $103 in court costs.<ref>[http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=33140&cat=2 "Matt Roloff, Star of ‘Little People, Big World,’ Found Not Guilty of DUI"] Retrieved Jan 28, 2008.</ref> |
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Revision as of 00:35, 29 January 2008
| Little People, Big World | |
|---|---|
| Starring | Matthew Roloff Amy Roloff Zachary Roloff Jeremy Roloff Molly Roloff Jacob Roloff |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 92 (Through Season 4) (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | TLC |
| Release | March 4, 2006 – Present |
Little People, Big World is a reality television series produced in the United States that airs on TLC. The series follows the six-member Roloff family living near Portland, Oregon. Many of the show episodes focus on the parents, Matt and Amy, and one of their sons, Zach, who all have Dwarfism.
Little People, Big World debuted on March 4, 2006 and began its second season on October 7, 2006,[1] continuing with season 3 on April 9, 2007. On October 15, 2007, Little People, Big World began its fourth season, and ended on December 17, 2007. Season 5 is expected to premiere in 2008, although no official date has been given yet. It is expected to be started with a court trial involving Matt Roloff being acquitted of Driving Under the Influence (DUI), but being found guilty of refusing to take a Breathalyzer test and crossing out of his lane in traffic[2]. Seeing as this was his second alcohol related incident in 5 years, having previously been through a drunken driving diversion program, his license was suspended for 3 years and he was fined $742 plus $103 in court costs.[3]
The show is also available for download on iTunes.
Premise
The show follows the daily lives of the Roloff family — parents Matt and Amy, and their four children, Zach, Jeremy, Molly and Jacob. Matt, Amy and Zach are dwarf, while Jeremy, Molly and Jacob are average height. Teenaged Zach and Jeremy are twins, despite the fact that they are not both dwarfs.
The family lives on the 34-acre Roloff Farms, located north of Hillsboro in Helvetia, Oregon (a suburb of Portland). Although crops such as peaches and pumpkins are grown and sold by the family, much of the farm has been converted into a series of playground set pieces for the Roloff children. They were designed by Matt, who spent most of his childhood in the hospital. He has tried to make his children's lives the best possible.
Episodes of the show typically showcase one or more members of the Roloff family engaging in everyday activities such as shopping, athletics and dealing with household finances. The drama of the show arises from the fact that many of these activities are made more challenging due to the height of the dwarfs in the family — Matt and Amy are 4'1" (124 cm), Zach is 4'4". (132 cm).
As with any reality show, the segments that are aired are ones that are expected to generate viewer interest. However, Little People, Big World avoids portraying the Roloffs in a stereotypical or sensational light. The situations encountered in the show are ones that most families deal with, although the ways in which the Roloffs deal with them are unique to them and are from the perspective of dwarfs.
The Roloffs have several close friends who appear regularly on the show, among them actor Martin Klebba who has known Amy for over 20 years.
The family
Immediate family
- Matthew ("Matt") — 46-year-old (b. October 7, 1961 in California) husband and father; Matt's most recent career was in computer software sales. As the series began, Matt was no longer employed by a company, but was engaged in establishing the business he co-founded, Direct Access Solutions. The company markets accessibility kits for dwarfs to the hospitality industry. As the first season ended, Matt started another job as a software salesman with Amdocs in order to provide the family with additional income. Matt's type of dwarfism, diastrophic dysplasia, resulted in numerous childhood surgeries. He walks with the aid of crutches and uses a motorized cart when needed.
- Amy — 44-year-old (b. September 17, 1963 in Michigan) wife and mother; Amy is a stay-at-home mother, although she recently took part-time jobs as a soccer coach and preschool teacher to provide the family with additional income. Amy's type of dwarfism is achondroplasia, and she has experienced very few (if any) complications.
- Zachary ("Zach") and Jeremy James ("Jer") — 17-year-old twin brothers (b. May 10, 1990 in Oregon); Jeremy is 6'0" (above average height), while Zach has achondroplasia like his mother. Unlike his mother, however, Zach has had numerous medical complications. As a child, Zach had a skull shunt implanted to drain excess cerebrospinal fluid. The shunt failed and had to be replaced surgically (as depicted in the season one episode "Zach's Emergency"). Zach used to play soccer competitively, but stopped playing for a time due to his size compared to the other soccer players. In Season 2-B, he started playing competitive soccer again as he made his high school's soccer team. However, his play is on hold as he recently had surgery to correct bowing of his legs.
- Molly Jo ("Mol") — 14-year-old (b. September 17, 1993 in Oregon) daughter; Molly, who shares a birthday with Amy, is average height. She plays volleyball and is a skilled student.
- Jacob George ("Jake") — 11-year-old (b. January 21, 1997 in Oregon) son; Jacob is average height. He plays on a youth soccer team coached by his mother.
Extended family and others in recurring appearances
- Ron Roloff ("Papa") and Peggy Roloff ("Honey") — Matt's average-height parents are shown in numerous episodes. They live a few miles from Roloff Farms.
- Mike Detjen — Matt's business partner, a close family friend, and soccer coach appears on most episodes. Matt sometimes puts Mike in charge when he is away so the farm chores get completed. Amy took care of Mike after the accident that injured Mike and Jacob.
- Camerino — Matt depends on Camerino to help keep the farm running. He is featured on some episodes.
- Martin Klebba — longtime friend of the Roloffs (specifically Amy), featured in several episodes.
- Sarah — Jeremy's former girlfriend, featured in a few episodes.
- Kirsten — Jeremy's current girlfriend, featured in most episodes.
- Casey Johnson — Zach's LP friend from California, a competitive paralympic swimmer who went to banquet with Zach during Season 1. Casey is dating Mike, one of Zach's LP friends from California.
- Eric & Jeff Manuel — LP twins who are friends with Zach, they play on the LA Breakers basketball team.
- William "Bill" Brogden — An LP who is one of Zach's best friends and is most notable for his appearance while at a conference in Phoenix, where he filled a plastic bag with water and dropped it from a five story high balcony, shattering a patio table and blaming it on another dwarf.
- Jen Montzingo — An LP brunette who is good friends with the family, although with Zach in particular. She is from Seattle.
- Andrew Chilcott, Mitchell Chilcott, Jacob Mueller, Dan Meichtry, Bryan Roth & Scott LeSage — school friends of Jeremy and Zach.
Seasons
| Season | Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | March 4, 2006 | May 13, 2006 |
| Season 2 | October 7, 2006 | December 16, 2006 |
| Season 3 | April 9, 2007 | June 4, 2007 |
| Season 4 | October 15, 2007 | December 17, 2007 |
| Season 5 | April 2008 | May/June 2008 |
Episodes
For episode information, see:
Reception
The first season of Little People, Big World generated solid ratings for TLC (especially in the important 18–49 demographic), leading to the show's renewal for a second season.[4] Critical reviews of the series have been generally positive, citing the show's positive portrayal of little people.[5][6] Conversely, other reviews have claimed that the show has a voyeuristic bent to it (albeit a non-sexual one), but allows the viewer to feel good about watching because it is not outwardly or overtly exploitive.[7][8]
Since the show began airing, Roloff Farms has become an extremely popular tourist destination. While the farm and its many attractions have long been available for public viewing during pumpkin season (October), it is now receiving far more visitors than can be accommodated. During the 2006 season, more than 30,000 people arrived to buy pumpkins and tour the farm, which only has space for a few hundred vehicles. The farm was shut down temporarily by Washington County deputies on one Saturday in October 2006, due to massive traffic. Area residents have complained about the gridlock caused by the visitors, as well as about the increased media scrutiny the show has brought.[9]
The Roloffs receive as many as a dozen emails per minute from supporters.[6] The increased exposure, however, has led to safety concerns for the family, who now deal with trespassers and zealous fans. They recently installed a security gate on their property.[9]
Jacob's accident
Jacob Roloff (along with family friend Mike Detjen) was seriously injured in an accident on the family farm on Saturday, October 28, 2006. They were injured when the family's trebuchet, know in the Delaware valley as a pumpkin chunkin' machine,(which they use to launch pumpkins as part of the pumpkin season promotion) prematurely triggered. Jacob was rushed to nearby Legacy Emanuel Hospital, and underwent surgery to relieve swelling in his head caused by a small piece of skull pushed into his brain. Roloff and Detjen were released on Monday, October 30 and have made full recoveries.[9][10]
Although a TLC camera crew were at the farm recording footage, they were not in the area where the accident occurred. The incident, therefore, was not recorded. Prior to the airing of two new episodes on November 4, TLC aired a brief segment with Matt and Amy acknowledging the accident and thanking everyone for their support. Jacob was shown with what appeared to be an injury around his right eye.
Footage taken shortly after the accident occurred on the farm was shown Dec. 16 in the final minutes of the season finale, "Farm Overload." A crowd had gathered around Jacob, who was lying on the ground near the trebuchet. The first two episodes of season 3 focus on the accident, and how the local media reacted to it.
References
- ^ Martin, Denise. (Apr. 23, 2006), "TLC thinks big with 'Little'". Variety. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Christopher Rocchio (Jan 11, 2008), "Little People, Big World' star Matthew Roloff found not guilty of DUI" Retrieved Jan 27, 2008.
- ^ "Matt Roloff, Star of ‘Little People, Big World,’ Found Not Guilty of DUI" Retrieved Jan 28, 2008.
- ^ Crupi, Anthony. (Apr. 24, 2006). "TLC Gives Little People 2nd Run". Mediaweek. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Gelman, Pam. Series review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ a b Mandel, Michelle (3 December 2006). ""'Little People' delivers big lessons"". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Kennedy, Dan. (Mar. 24, 2006). "Will TLC's new reality show change our perception of dwarfs?". Slate. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ Heffernan, Virginia. (Mar. 4, 2006). "The Challenges of an Oversize World". The New York Times. Retrieved May 8, 2006.
- ^ a b c ""Accident adds to scrutiny of Roloff family"". Retrieved November 5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ ""Pair in pumpkin launch incident still hospitalized"". Retrieved November 5.
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