How many times have we watched this show and thought we recognised aspects of something or someone we knew? Yes, the housemates are eccentric, and the situations are sometimes exaggerated, but surely these dramatised aspects of university life are indisputably relevant to us viewers in the real world too? And here’s how…
1. The Dodgy One Night Stand
Ballsy Welsh chick Josie is not only hilarious, but her antics are also totally relatable. She represents the classic liberated student who has left their small-town life (and, eventually, boring long term relationship) behind, to lead a life of sex, parties, and lots and lots of wine. However, in the unforgettable first episode, whilst we sat cringing at Josie and JP’s shameful one night stand, it would be a lie to say that this situation did not resonate with many of the show’s audience. Okay, so maybe in reality the lovers don’t usually discover that they live in the same house, but the same awkward feelings most definitely apply…
2. The Gross Chicken Leg Dinner
You know the one. Again, this may be a slightly exaggerated version of just how bad some student dinners can be, but unless you are one of the lucky few who still lives on Marks and Spencer’s, Howard’s horrific chicken (if it can be called that) brings not only shivers of disgust but also some not-so-fond memories of the cheap, weird food we have (probably drunkenly) consumed for the first time at university.
3.The Strange-yet-Intriguing Outsider
The new addition to the house, Sabine, reminds us of those housemates who are slightly more isolated than the rest. Whether distancing themselves deliberately or just not fitting in with the group dynamic, the outsider can be related to by many university students watching the show. Yet just because they’re different, this doesn’t make them boring; Sabine brings many pleasant surprises to the show, and is slowly showing herself to be not only a good listener, but a good laugh too.
4. The Desperation for Internships
The group came into conflict when faced with simultaneously attempting to get their hands on an internship, and we all as one universal audience related to their situation with a sense of ever-growing dread. The sheer panic that comes with a desperate attempt at landing an internship with a top company can be related to by most university students; although many of our experiences will hopefully not be as disturbing or hilarious as Vod’s seduction, rapidly followed by her crazy public protest.
5. The Posh Idiot
JP’s stereotypically arrogant, public schoolboy attitude may remind us of some guy who has the same overbearing sense of superiority at university. How many people have you met, or even overheard, at university, who you can imagine saying this:
“I’ll probably end up being Prime Minister or something one day. I don’t want to be. It’s just, that kind of stuff just happens to guys like me.”
Yep, thought so. Yet unfortunately some parts of the show do not resonate with actual university life, reminding us that, after all, Fresh Meat is just a program on television…
1. Reinventing Yourself
Oregon’s constant attempts to reinvent herself as a cool and careless rebel are just not that realistic, as we all gave up on this facade as soon as our weird, geeky habits were first exposed. We cannot truly reinvent who we are just for university, or at all for that matter; just as Kingsley will always be ‘Simon from the Inbetweeners’, Oregon will always be a middle class nerd from a comfortably wealthy background.
2. The Lack of Washing Up
This point pretty much speaks for itself. Why do they never wash up?! The characters are all messy and careless, and yet they never so much as load a dishwasher. Where do all the dirty dishes go?
3. Shagging a Tutor (and getting away with it)
We can fantasize all we like, but in reality, this would never happen. First of all, someone as good looking as Oregon would have no problem getting laid with people their own age, so would not need to turn to a married, distinctly average teacher for a confidence boost. Secondly, announcing his bribe of £1000 in class would pretty much guarantee that, in reality, the student and the teacher would both undoubtedly be chucked out of the university.
So unfortunately, although highly entertaining, it seems that Fresh Meat is not a true record of our university antics. Everyone has different experiences, and although this show is relatable in much of its content, there is a line to be drawn between actual students and the Fresh Meat crew – let’s face it, no real students could manage to consume 157 bottles of wine in a night and still be standing. Therefore our lifestyles, whilst undoubtedly hectic, remain purely our own; and whilst we can relate to the ‘Fresh Meaters’, they do not represent fully the variety of activities which students everywhere get up to in real life.