Maui Fever - Reception

Reception

Some critics expressed skepticism as to whether the "reality" in MTV's Maui Fever was real. In the tradition of Laguna Beach and The Hills, Maui Fever has been called "MTV's latest faux-reality semi-scripted hit TV show." Many find that the aggressive editing tactics, used to mimic the style of a traditional television drama (rather than a reality show), make the scenes feel fabricated. In spite of this criticism, MTV's "reality dramas" have been popular, including Maui Fever. The show's ratings were successful, attracting millions of viewers each week.

In Hawaii, Maui Fever garnered a negative response. Even before the series premiered, rumors circulated that the youth and culture of Maui were misrepresented. Objections stemmed from the show's failure to represent the ethnic makeup of Maui. According to the 2000 census, Maui County is 31 percent Asian, 10 percent Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and 22 percent mixed race. Caucasians account for 33 percent of the county population. However, all seven of the Maui Fever core cast members were caucasian. Due to the lack of racial diversity and the fact that very few of the cast members were long-time residents of Maui, at the time of the show's airing there were online petitions against it on websites such as MySpace. Locals were also disturbed by the show's sexual content, lack of cultural diversity and resulting misconceptions about Maui. According to State Film Commissioner Dawson, public reaction to Maui Fever was stronger than the response to any other Hawaii production.