"I had nothing else to do and I decided to look up the "unique woman" Janet Hsieh after hearing her ad where she is selling the latest "health supplement" and I found this blog (and your other one as well).
I should start out by saying I am an American expat who is married to a local Taiwanese woman. 10 years of marriage going strong, and we have 2 boys.
I too find Janet a little too-phoney for my tastes. She seems like a model (which she is, apparently) who was offered a job in front of a camera, and she took this job to further her career (possibly back to the USA???).
The series always shows everything about Taiwan in a wonderful light and how fabulous places are here in Taiwan. Yes, there are some nice places, but I have been to a few of the places she has been to and they ain't that good looking. The look good on the camera due to how they film things, yet if you get beyond the range of the camera you will see most are not that great, and some are downright bad.
As for Janet, she will do and probably say anything due to either what her boss tells her what to say or what will help further her career.
If Janet has any courage, she should just report things as they are and not try to embelish them. Granted, a lot of travel shows are like this, such as the former "Lonely Planet"/now "Global Trekker" shows. If you ever read the books about behind-the-scenes-of-"Lonely Planet," you will be amazed at what the support staff go through and what is not shown on the televsion shows.
By the way, did you see te You Tube video where Janet is recruiting people to join her on their show? Only approximately 1900 people veiwed the video (including me). Boy, that went over REAL WELL.
As far as Janet goes, I do not know her so I am only basing on my observations of her "show" and of the various articles I have read of her. And I must say I am none too impressed with her. I feel she is just a somewhat model (only able to get a lot work here in Taiwan and just a tiny amount int he USA as she would be a dime a dozen" model in the USA). My wife flat-out cannot stand her as she knows A LOT of places Janet has been to and calls "B.S." on a lot of what she promotes on her show.
As for the comments on Janet's Facebok profile, I think they reflect the same type of dribble that Hollywood stars get from their fans. The fans only see what is shown on the TV and/or what the "star" (or the star's PR person) want people to see. So let's see what people write after Janet gets caught in a "compromising position." Then we shall see the real Janet Hsieh come out. "
"Coming from America and now living in Taiwan there are very few good shows on TLC here vs back home. All honesty any show Janet hosts rivals Jeremy Lin for the worst and only things to watch on Taiwanese TV.The problem is the Taiwanese have no concept of "overkill" .So if you were a couch potato before you are now REPEATEDLY force fed so much of the same awful television you have to pick up a book and/or new hobby.
Taiwan's lack of confidence as a nation is obvious when they desperately cling on to anything/anyone that gives them international recognition. Even if they are native Americans who would not be successful and have developed the proper credentials if born in Taiwan.Yes,that is you fellow Americans whose parents made the correct decision Janet and Jeremy.
When I see Janet instantly I change the channel.As a person I don't deny she is probably nice but as a host she is simply painful and phony.The fact there will be a second season to the Fun Taiwan is so sad. The first season from what I could stomach was a very low budget Amazing Race.It was a painfully boring hosted,lame contestant ridden and had carnival style challenges.
Thanks for the outlet"
"I watched her show a few times and followed her on Facebook.
I was drawn to her in the same way people rubberneck at a car crash.
I find her unfunny and stupid acting with the cross eyes and goofy faces. It seems her Facebook pages just glorifies her life style and attracts attention to herself.
Asking her fans to vote for her as sexiest woman on FHM website, Please! I really don't care about her broken thumb."
"I have to say I stumbled upon your website while google-ing Janet Hsieh and I find it very refreshing, truthful and eye-opening. Nice critique out there for the unfortunate masses of cut-paste plastic-fantastic, bobble-headed, too tanned Chinese girls who happen to make it big cos' most people are simple airheads who cannot discern fact from fiction or fakery :)"
"Yah I think she's fake. She's been paid by Taiwan Tourism Department. Taiwan's really got nothing to offer now in Tourism World, the competition is getting stiffer. Nice try Janet, but we don't buy it!"
"you're right. the woman goes to boring places and pretends to make them interesting. but her really fake acting doesnt cut it...
and the woman is literally selling everything in Taiwan and is on every billboard. she is like a 7-11, there isnt anything she wont sell... it doesnt even make sense....i often wonder if she doesnt understand the concept of "over-exposure"?"
"PART I: I have to applaud you Winston. As Col Kertz said in Apocalypse Now "the "sheer will" to start this blog and keep it running is remarkable.
I'm a Taipei-based foreign journalist, and like you, I was revolted by Janice after about five minutes of her inane, dull schoolgirl act. But like a car wreck, I couldn't help but watch and hurl abuse at the screen every time she whitewashed something about Taiwan, its present and its past.
I'm pretty sure she is an invention of the GIO, which probably pays TLC to air this drivel. While its true that travel shows are often on the sunny side of the street. They should NOT be paid for advertising content from a corporation or body. The fact that other shows lie doesn't make it OK for her to lie too.
This is journalism 101 people. Frankly, it saddens me that so many Taiwanese have so little internal focus that it is OK for them to support PAID-FOR advertising. I just don't get it. It makes me wonder if just being a celebrity is enough to be liked in Taiwan. Like success, no matter how it is attained, is all that's important, so she can sell flog off shampoo and herbal products.
It's sad really, and paints a picture of shallow, mentally and morally regressing society.
Janice's complete lack of context in everything she covers is little more than a lie. And I am insulted by her, the GIO and TLC every time I see her programme. There needs to be some professional balance. No country is utopia, but to paint a picture of it as such is used car salesman douchery of the highest order.
This also speaks to the Taiwan government's totally dated profile-raising playbook. Pick an Asian American girl so she straddles both cultures. She must be American because they are the only people who count, although I doubt this farce is shown outside of Asia. Make her a smiling dolcit retard so she doesn't offend. And then plug OVER AND OVER AND OVER again about how great everything is.
Go to a beach with three foot waves and talk up this massive surf culture that doesn't exist. Go to Sun Moon Lake and dance with Aboriginals but don't mention that there are only about 300 of them left because Taipei has been hammering them for generations to the point that they will be EXTINCT within a generation. But that's OK because the tourist dollars count more.
Go to Orchid Island and don't get down to how it is a nuclear waste dump and how cancer rates there are through the roof.
PART II: Now I know a lot of you retards might come back and say that I hate Taiwan and I should leave. But the truth is I am personally a supporter of Taiwan. My wife is Taiwanese (who loathes Janice BTW). I've spent years in the country. BUT if you care about a place you should care about its problems, which all countries have. By shining a light on them you hope to forward change.
Besides a personal supporter is one thing. You need to be professional and do your job. I had some media friends from outfits like Bloomberg, WSJ, the Guardian etc come for a visit recently and they just hammered her. In short, she does as much damage as good, if not more so.
These sycophantic ramblings from a dull, tired, bland looking woman, who compares most things to America, a sure sign of an amateur who doesn't work on the minimal skills she has, are exactly what Winston claims them to be: lies. total lies.
I don't care if Winston is driven by bitterness to be honest, like many have claimed. the crux of his argument is correct. She is a walking billboard. A vessel for interest groups. And these people are the bottom of the barrel. They have no soul. No opinion and worse no thoughts of responsibility to the public.
At least public relations professionals are upfront about what they do. Janice alludes to a balanced professionalism that doesn't exist.
As Kurtz also said: "We must kill them. We must incinerate them. Pig after pig. Cow after cow. Village after village. Army after army. And they call me an assassin. What do you call it when the assassins accuse the assassin? They lie. They lie, and we have to be merciful, for those who lie. Those nabobs. I hate them. I do hate them."
Remember people: every time she is on that show, she is lying to YOU for money. And she knows she is doing it. Why would you support her?
Winston: good job, and you may want to check out her links to that terrible not hop outfit LA Boyz. Apparently that's where she got her start. Might have a lot to do with the tongue button. I mean really? A tongue button? How tacky."
"Winston,
I found your page because in the past 2 years I've been in Taiwan, I have seen multiple commercials with an annoying girl as the spokesperson.
One of the commercials showed her English and Chinese name and googling her brought me to this page.
I'm not sure what it is about her that makes me dislike her, as I've thankfully never had to watch her Fun Taiwan program. Maybe it's her ABC accent or maybe you really are right and she sounds/acts too "fake."
Watching her 15 second commercials is already too much for me. I'm glad I'm not the only one out there who feels the same way about her. It's unfortunate that she is successful here just based on her appearance and the fact that she is an ABC. I find the local girls more appealing."
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Thanks to all the above contributors.
More prior interesting comments can be seen here:
Update:
Btw, someone on Janet Hsieh's Facebook page finally agreed with me about her:
"Jake Robbins: He's totally right Janet. You're a complete fraud. You would go anywhere and sell anything if the money was OK. Your entire show is a 30 min advertisement bereft of context. You never point to the problems of a Taiwan because your trying to sell tourism dollars. Even the Winston seems totally f..d up, your still a lying vessel of the tourism and Government Information Office machine. You make me sick actually."
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