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Lesson 11

Candid camera

Have you been a victim of a candid camera or have you
ever seen anyone being candid on TV? Spoofs are those hi-

larious, at times outrageous, shows involving a hidden cam-
era that catches an unsuspecting bystander. A spoof catch-

es us at our most vulnerable, embarrassing moments, and

beams these to the TV satellites, for the entire world to see.
It normally starts with a seductive babe enticing a stranger

to participate in a seemingly innocuous event. The victim is led on to reveal his raw self, all
the while believing that he is alone with this mysterious but exciting stranger, when in fact

there is a hidden camera with zoom lens and hyper sensitive microphones recording the in-
terchange. While the victim stripteases, pours his heart out, or led to do things he does only

when he is drunk or just crazy, the viewers laugh uproariously. Then the whole situation is
revealed. The victim’s reaction paints a thousand words: he turns red in the face, he shrugs

his shoulders stoically, pretends that he is not surprised or shocked about it, or he just runs
out of the camera sight. The viewers chuckle and heave a sigh of relief, “Thank God, that

isn’t me!” What a curious breed we are! I bet if it happened to us, we wouldn’t be laughing

anymore.

Comprehension

1. What is the writer talking about?
2. What are different reactions between victims and viewers of candid camera?

Questions

1. What do you think of a candid camera?
2. Have you ever seen candid camera shows on TV? If so, tell me about it.
3. When do you think people use a candid camera except for the purpose
of TV shows?
4. How would you feel if you are caught by a candid camera?

Vocabulary & Expressions
spoof : a funny book, play, or film that copies a serious or important one and makes it seem silly
bystander : someone who watches what is happening without taking parts
seductive : someone who is seductive is sexually attractive
entice : to persuade someone to do something by offering them something if they will do it
innocuous : not offensive, dangerous or harmful
uproarious : very noisy, because a lot of people are laughing or shouting (adv. uproariously)
shrug : to raise and then lower your shoulders in order to show that you do not know something
or do not care about something
stoical : not complaining of feeling unhappy when bad things happen to you (adv. stoically)

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