I can escape reality TV (if I want to), but every once in a while I find a good, unscripted series that’s more social experiment and less catfight, like SundanceTV’s Dream School.
This time around Dream School hits NYC with Chuck D and 50 Cent; It’s produced by British chef Jamie Oliver and 50.
If you watched the first season, you already know Dream School brings 15 high school dropouts together with experts and celebrity “teachers” for 30 days, i.e. one semester is crammed into a month and there’s a test every week, final exam and graduation.
That would be a challenge for any teen, but it’s even more difficult if you’ve been suspended 55 times, have a kid, were diagnosed with ADD, lost your mother and aunt to AIDS or grew up in an orphanage in the Ukraine. For some, like Camille, who was previously absent for 102 days of the 180-day school year, it’s their very last chance to graduate.
Principal LouAnne Johnson is a bit of a celebrity herself. The former Marine wrote the book My Posse Don’t Do Homework, which followed her first years of teaching in a Black and Latino school in East Palo Alto, California.
Johnson’s book later became the box office hit Dangerous Minds.
Season 2 pulls out a list of impressive celebrity teachers, including chef David Chang, Olympic Skater Johnny Weir, graffiti artist and muralist Don Rimx and rapper/activist Chuck D. They’re paired with subjects based on their expertise, so don’t expect to see Chuck D rocking gym shorts and a whistle.
Check out the trailer and catch up on the previous eps online. Are you watching Dream School? Can these kids graduate from this special program or are the teachers and experts dreaming?
