Q: You are premiering a dating show called ‘If Mom Tells Me’ AtresplayerHow did the recordings for the program go? What can we expect from it?
Carlos: I also think that this is a perfect moment because it’s a time to turn off the brain, I want to see something that makes me laugh, that makes me have a good time… It doesn’t require much from me, I want to do this, I can be a spectator and be calm and that’s what I want now, at least for me.
: It’s a really fun show, I think it’s really good for the summer months because it coincides with when young people are coming home from studying abroad. And I think it’s the perfect breeding ground to watch a show that bonds young people so much with their parents. It’s really fun to see them poke each other with their mothers, for better or worse. It’s a great way to spend a Sunday with your family.
Q: The dating show genre has expanded a lot in recent years, what do you think this show offers that others don’t?
M: I think the formulation of the program is that it’s a dating show that chooses the mother, not the person who’s going on a date. I think that’s quite novel, especially because we don’t hear the Iranian protagonist, who’s the suitor and looking for a partner, speak until the last three minutes of the show.
A: Yes, what usually happens in these dating sessions where mothers participate is that the mothers end up talking to their children too much and the children end up being too present. They are really a bit like dolls here, they are mannequins who stay silent until the last moment. So even though it is a dating show, I believe that the children are the dates, the heroes and the ones who run everything are the mothers.
Q: Is there anything in the program that particularly surprised you?
M: I think about the comfort that mothers have who have never seen themselves on camera. It seems like they’ve been on TV sets their whole lives.
A: Overall, I mean, it just seemed crazy to me. A lady from a town of 300 people who’s never left, all of a sudden they put her in front of a camera with 300 spotlights everywhere, 300 entrances, and it looks like she’s been doing this her whole life. It just seemed crazy to me, how there are people who are that star in it, who are crazy and who know how to talk.
M: From what we’ve seen, there must be something in the blood because all the mothers who died were like that. It seems that if you’re a middle-aged woman living in a town, when you’re 45, you suddenly become Susanna Griso in front of the cameras.
Question: Are we going to see any conflict between the kids and the moms because they maybe don’t really agree with the quote they chose?
M: The Perse conflict isn’t that they can’t talk, but there’s going to be a lot of staring, a lot of elbowing, a lot of focus on the child’s face because mothers are shitholes sometimes.
A: I don’t know if there will be a “what a bad choice mom made” moment in the kids’ confessions. But I do know that there will be some who will say, “I didn’t leave the show very happy.”
Q: How did you approach the more television format this time?
A: The truth is, it was a very easy challenge, considering that we were the drivers to some extent. We go out at the beginning to introduce the mother who was leaving, and then we help her make a decision at the end, but the burden of the show is not really on us. There are some entertainers, some bards, I would say. But I didn’t feel there was too much pressure because by the end of it, the show was over with the characters and the mothers. That also happens to us on the podcast. When the guest is someone who talks to themselves, you don’t have to say much because they have a lot of their own mind, they’re very relaxed. And all the mothers on this show were like that.
Question: Do you have an anecdote about the program that you can tell us without giving away too much information?
A: I was quite amused by something that happened on the show: a mother who rejected one of the girls for her son because she reminded him of his ex. And the boy seemed to like it, he looked at me like I was getting married now, and his mother said: no, I don’t like it, she reminds me of your ex.
M: Yeah, I think that’s the essence of the show. Your mother is going to choose what’s best for you as a mother, what she thinks is best for you. And they show that constantly on this show.
Question: Would you agree to participate in this program with your mother?
M: No way, not even a joke. They have to point a gun at me.
A: Look, I think our mothers are pretty good-natured and calm and not really on TV, but I’m definitely not okay with my mother telling me about my private business. I do that every day on the podcast for free, and my mother doesn’t have to come and tell me about my personal stuff, but you telling her that isn’t the same as her telling it to her from her perspective.
M: Moreover, without being able to speak in front of the camera.
Q: Would you bring the show back for a hypothetical second season?
A: Yes, it was very fun, very easy. So yes, 100%.
Question: Now that you have taken your first steps into the world of television, is there an existing or upcoming program that you would like to present?
M: I am ‘Anthill’.
A: I would like to present ‘Temptation Island’. I would love for the girls who have been cheated on 35 times to say: “Honey, sit down, you can handle this, no drama.”
Q: And finally, why can’t people miss ‘If Mother Tells’?
A: Because summer is here and you have nothing better to do. If there are people who like us and follow us, we need to buy a house. They need to see what we do.
M: Because Madrid is very expensive.