Last week while visiting Canada, I was flipping through TV stations when I came across an episode of an MTV show that was shot in Panama. The show is called “Exiled – The Real Deal” and takes spoiled, coddled, rich kids and puts them in a trying situation for a period of time.

18-year old Cher, from the US, was sent to live with the Embera people in Panama. She was guided through the process of living with the tribe by a young Embera woman named Lizette. Cher was forced to leave her silver spoon-fed life to live in huts with Panama’s Embera. Part of Cher’s duties included cooking for the family and building a canoe. It was the type of hard labor this young woman has never experienced in her life.

I was pleased to see that even though there were incredible cultural difference between the two young women, they were both quite respectful of each other’s upbringings. I was expecting to see Cher (the American) complaining and critical of the way the Embera live.

If anything, Lizette, the Embera girl was a bit more critical of spoiled Cher. Lizette was constantly pushing Cher to work harder, which the girl definitely needed! It was interesting to see that even though the two girls were near opposites, they ended up as good friends. Cher admitted she learned to be self sufficient during her time in Panama.

Did you catch the Panama episode of Exiled? How do you think Panama and the Embera were portrayed? 

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Filed under: Culture, News on November 21st, 2008