Big Donor: Dutch kidney donor show proves a hoax

The finale of the Dutch "Big Donor" Show revealed that it was nothing more but a hoax.

Big Donor: Dutch kidney donor show proves a hoax If you haven't heard of the show yet: It's a Dutch TV reality show, in which three contestants in need of a kidney donor compete to win a kidney. Much like in the Big Brother spin-offs, the viewers vote on which of the three contestant will get the kidney from the single donor.

Understandably, the kidney-donor show met an avalanche of criticism. Many people were left wondering if there is any part of life left without its own reality show. The Big Donor Show drew condemnation from Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, the Royal Netherlands Medical Association and many others from all over the world.

Today was the season finale of the show, and the producers from the channel BNN revealed it was a hoax. The organ donor, her name on the show was Lisa, proved to be a paid actress. During the show she was said to have been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and was to choose who would receive one of her kidneys.

The three finalists of Big Donor, who were also privy to the hoax, are indeed waiting for organ donations.

According to Patrick Lodiers, the host of the show, the producers wanted to draw attention to the problems and struggles of people waiting on the donor lists. The show aired on the fifth anniversary of the death of BNN founder Bart de Graaff, who died after waiting seven years for an organ donation.

Published on 06/01/2007