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Allt för Sverige Posted by on Nov 2, 2011 in Culture, Living in Sweden

Last Sunday, the first episode of a brand new entertainment show aired on SVT, Sweden’s public television. It is called “Allt för Sverige” (Everything for Sweden) and the plot is pretty…well not simple but the concept is certainly recognizable:  Take 10 Americans with Swedish roots to Sweden. Teach them everything they need to know about Sweden and put their knowledge to the test by the end of every episode. One by one are knocked out and the last man or woman standing will get the ultimate price: To meet his or her Swedish ancestors.

The show’s webpage promises “lots of emotions and culture clashes” and after watching two minutes of the program, I think it’s safe to add “some major clichés” to that list. Of course. The most important things to learn first thing about Sweden are the following, according to the host: Kalles kaviar, pickled herring, cinnamon bun, red log cabins, allsång (sing-a-long), music, windmills, the idyllic countryside of the south, käckebröd (crisp bread), 60’ies radio hits, the word “lagom” (not too much, not to little) and Jante´s law (Don’t stand out).

The coming weeks, the contestants will compete in meatball making and Pippi Longstocking-hockey (clean the floor with brushes tied to your feet). They will try Kalles kaviar, surströmming (fermented herring) and proper Swedish style camping. They will experience the viking lifestyle and of course visit several different parts of Sweden and the capital Stockholm.

Entertaining? Perhaps. But is this really Sweden of today? We do love our Kalles kaviar and knäckebröd, and nothing beats a good old sing-a-long.  But I can’t help think that we are once again fed with the old sterotypical image of Sweden as an idyllic place filled with meatball and herring loving quiet people who all live in red log cabins. I’m more than happy to be proven wrong and I will definitely watch the eight episodes, you can do the same here!

And – for a clip of the last episode, click here! What’s your take on it?

(Photo: SVT)

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Comments:

  1. Judy:

    I wasn’t able to see the entire episodes due to copyright laws, or so it said. But I found a few clips here: http://svtplay.se/v/2564422/allt_for_sverige/allt_for_sverige_-_teaser?cb,a1364145,1,f,-1/pb,a1364142,1,f,-1/pl,v,,2561675/sb,k167322,1,f,-1. It looks a little silly, but entertaining, like most American reality shows these days. Funny thing is, I applied to audition for this show, a while back, but never heard anything back from them. The concept seemed a bit different from the bit that I saw just now. It sounded like it would be folks who had some connection to Sweden, not necessarily of Swedish heritage, who would live together, like MTV’s “The Real Life,” with various challenges and adventures in Sweden. You’re right about it portraying stereotypical Swedish cultural images. But, they are also showing stereotypical Americans. I wonder if they will vote off cast members and that sort of thing. Do the Americans actually live/work with real Swedes? That might be kind of cool to watch. Do they try to learn Swedish and get bombarded with folks who want to speak English all the time? Now THAT would be reality!

  2. Eric:

    This show is similar to a show called “Allt for Norge” which ran on Norwegian tv last year (and may run again this year). I saw the show and liked it. Alf Lundin is the program leader (he used to host Allsång) and I like what he is doing. All of the contestants are Americans with some Swedish backgroung who have never been to Sweden. The show may be a little stereotypical, but everything in Sweden is new for the contestants, so Alf is trying to get them acquainted with Sweden in a short time. I must say though that I do not like the idea of a contest. I wish that all of the contestants will be given contact information for their relatives in Sweden, even if they are not the last person standing.

  3. karen french:

    all last years episodes are on youtube. This years 2012 is filmimg now!!