{"id":88757,"date":"2016-09-23T09:35:57","date_gmt":"2016-09-23T13:35:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/?p=88757"},"modified":"2021-04-15T17:38:34","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T21:38:34","slug":"aes-inspiring-born-this-way-scores-an-emmy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2016\/09\/23\/aes-inspiring-born-this-way-scores-an-emmy\/","title":{"rendered":"A&E\u2019s inspiring \u2018Born This Way\u2019 Scores an Emmy"},"content":{"rendered":"

TBR News Media<\/a><\/h2>\n

In 2015, A&E Network collaborated with the team that produced \u201cThe Real World\u201d to create an original docuseries called \u201cBorn This Way.\u201d Just last week, the show took home an Emmy for outstanding unstructured reality program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, beating out a field of nominees that included HBO\u2019s \u201cProject Greenlight,\u201d Discovery Channel\u2019s \u201cDeadliest Catch\u201d and CNN\u2019s \u201cUnited Shades of America,\u201d among others.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have been overwhelmed and moved by the feedback we\u2019ve received for \u2018Born This Way\u2019 from viewers, as well as people with disabilities and their family members,\u201d said Elaine Frontain Bryant, executive vice president and head of programming at A&E Network, in a press release. \u201cIt\u2019s rare to be able to present a show that changes the way we see the world; we believe \u2018Born This Way\u2019 is one of those shows.\u201d<\/p>\n

The docuseries also received two nominations for outstanding picture editing for reality programming but did not win in that category. Now in its second season, the reality show follows the lives of seven young adults \u2014 John (JT), Megan, Cristina, Sean, Rachel, Steven and Elena \u2014 with Down syndrome through the ups and downs of dating, employment and the quest for independence. It also gives their parents, who are also part of the cast, a chance to weigh in on the joys and challenges of raising someone with an intellectual disability.<\/p>\n

Every episode is as inspiring as the last as many of the cast members look at their intellectual disability with a sense of unbridled optimism. According to Steven, it\u2019s more like \u201cUp Syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steven has mosaic Down syndrome and a contagious smile. His disability is rare and higher functioning, so he\u2019s always felt stuck \u201cin the middle\u201d growing up. He seems to have found his a place at Leaps N Boundz, a Los Angeles community center for people with special needs. If you ask Steven, he is the \u201cMatt Damon of the bunch.\u201d Beyond his wit, he is also the most thoughtful of the group, always offering his friends insightful advice. His wisdom makes it easy to see past his disability and he is often the voice of reason, especially for his good friend Sean.<\/p>\n

Sean has a harder time dealing with Down syndrome than Steven does. He can become very impatient with his parents when they try to talk to him about sensitive subjects like getting a job or moving out. When dealing with difficult emotions, he tends to snap and yell \u201cend of discussion!\u201d His parents are patient with him and Sean shows tremendous growth throughout the show. Beyond his angry little fits, Sean is an excellent golfer and a self-proclaimed \u201cladies man.\u201d We see him transition from a flirt who struggles to respect the boundaries of other relationships to a gentleman looking for marriage.<\/p>\n

Rachel, the adorable beam of sunshine with cheeks as rosy as her hair, will bashfully admit how \u201cboy crazy\u201d she is. She is always on the lookout for a serious relationship and is a little jealous that her brother is getting married first. Yet, she can\u2019t help showing how excited she is to be the maid of honor at her first wedding. Rachel\u2019s soft heart has been hurt in the past, which makes her family extra protective. In one scene, tears roll down Rachel\u2019s round cheeks as her mother tells her how lucky any guy would be to date her. When the romantic Rachel isn\u2019t singing along to an Adam Lambert song, she is consoling her friends with warm hugs and gentle compassion. She is great at helping her friends talk through their feelings and has been there from the beginning to support her friend Elena through some tough lessons.
\nJT is a performance artist with a sassy attitude and a love for rap and dance. Though he can be just as wild as Elena, JT has always been supported by the unconditional love of his mother Joyce. Joyce accepted JT before he was even born. She was told that her son was going to have Down syndrome and the doctor suggested abortion as an option. Right then and there, Joyce decided that regardless of her son\u2019s disability, he was still her son; she would love him just the same. She does worry about his filter in social situations, sometimes. Like Elena, he tends to be impulsive and unpredictable.Elena\u2019s life has been emotionally turbulent. She was born in Japan where her mother Hiromi admits that Elena \u201cwas a shame to the family\u201d \u2014 even to Hiromi. Hiromi\u2019s struggle to accept Elena parallels Elena\u2019s struggle to accept herself. Though Elena acts out her emotional impulses and has a hard time containing some troublesome behavior, she is intelligent enough to understand her negative actions upon self-reflection. It takes a longer time for her mother to realize the part she plays in Elena\u2019s outbursts. Elena likes to stand out and express her authentic self, just like her favorite dance partner, John Tucker.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

To Read the full story click here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In 2015, \u00a0A&E Network collaborated with the team that produced \u201cThe Real World\u201d to create an original docuseries called \u201cBorn This Way.\u201d Just last week, the show took home an Emmy for outstanding unstructured reality program at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, beating out a field of nominees.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":88758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"news-single-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[676],"tags":[615],"class_list":["post-88757","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-archive","tag-born-this-way"],"yoast_head":"\nA&E\u2019s inspiring \u2018Born This Way\u2019 Scores an Emmy - Best Buddies International<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bestbuddies.org\/2016\/09\/23\/aes-inspiring-born-this-way-scores-an-emmy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A&E\u2019s inspiring \u2018Born This Way\u2019 Scores an Emmy - 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