Wheel of Misfortune: Britons Spin to See If They Can Pay Energy Bills on Daytime TV

wheel misfortune
ITV / Screengrab

One of the leading breakfast television programmes in Britain has been chastised for a Hunger Games-style competition to pay the energy bills of struggling Britons.

On Monday, ITV’s This Morning offered up the prize of paying a struggling Briton’s energy bills for four months as part of one of its frequently held competitions in a move that has been labelled dystopian by some critics.

Like many countries across Europe, the UK has found itself in the grips of a massive cost of living crisis, with the price of energy, in particular, becoming unaffordable to many as a result of green agenda policies as well as the war in Ukraine.

In response, the showrunners for This Morning came up with the idea of having struggling Britons compete to have their bills paid by the show for four months. Contestants were either given the opportunity to spin for the prize on the competition wheel, or draw a ball with the prize on it from the show’s “tombola drum”.

To be offered a shot of spinning the wheel, contestants had to answer a random phone call from the show with a certain phrase, which, on Monday, was “Izzy wizzy let’s get busy”.

Monday’s bout of the competition saw two competitors end up winning the prize of having their energy bills paid by the show for four months, though only up to a maximum of £400 (~$460) per month.

The competition, which is free to enter, is due to be re-run on Tuesday.

While those who win the prize will no doubt be grateful to have their energy expenditure at least cushioned for the next number of months, netizens were quick to criticise the competition, with some calling it dystopian.

“[This Morning] has turned completely dystopian and Black Mirror by offering to pay energy bills as a competition prize,” said Scott Bryan, a broadcaster who lists himself as working with ITV’s main rival, the state-owned BBC.

Others compared the game to the Hunger Games film series and Stephen King’s book Running Man, which involves the protagonists entering into a televised death game in the hopes of paying his daughter’s medical bills.

Regardless of how ethical the televised competition is, however, it remains clear that being saved by a mass media entertainment show will not be an option for the vast majority in the country struggling as a result of the surging price of energy.

Instead, newly installed Prime Minister Liz Truss will be expected to come up with solutions to help ordinary people in the country, though the so-called Conservative Party’s track record in government will likely not serve as much reassurance to many, with authorities having frequently prioritised the likes of climate crazy ideology over the establishment of reliable energy infrastructure in Britain.

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