25 Most Overrated in America
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AP | Getty Images
What's All the Buzz About?
These days, with just about anything, it all seems to be about the buzz and the hype. But which products, people and places aren't all they are cracked up to be? The bloggers at WalletPop have some pretty strong feelings on the subject.
Click through our gallery to see WalletPop's list of what's most overrated in America.
First Up: CrocsHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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AOL | Getty Images
Crocs
Why They're Overrated: A year ago, even President Bush was wearing Crocs. Now, knockoffs are everywhere, and this WalletPop blogger has had wet feet one too many times.
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Next: American IdolHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Kevork Djansezian, AP
American Idol
Why It's Overrated: Every season there is more of the same -- sweet virginal types with no real talent (Kevin Covais), sexy types with no talent (Antonella Barbra), rockers (Bo Bice), wildcards (Sanjaya Malakar) and vapid blondes (Kristy Lee Cook). People with real talent such as Melinda Dolittle and Jennifer Hudson stand little chance of prevailing.
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Next: MerlotHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Business Wire / AP
Merlot
Why It's Overrated: Merlot blends well with superior grapes such as cabernet sauvignon to make great wines such as Chateau Lafite Rothschild. As a varietal, however, this blogger finds the reasonably priced bottles lack complexity and depth, while the cheapest remind him of unsweetened cranberry juice.
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Next: Jonas Bros.Here's What's NOT Overrated:
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K. Winter, Getty Images
The Jonas Brothers
Why They're Overrated: Sure the boys have some talent, but are they the next Beatles, as some have claimed lately? Not by a long shot. This blogger thinks they lack the star quality of other Disney teen sensations and certainly can’t hold a candle to the Fab Four.
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Next: Disney WorldHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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AP
Disney World
Why It's Overrated: Standing in line in Mickey's gulag, baking under the brutal Florida sun for another whirl on the teacups or another ride with Mr. Toad, this blogger began to doubt the promise that a visit to Disney World was really the pinnacle of human experience.
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Next: Buying Foreclosed HomesHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Cassandra Shie, AOL
Buying Foreclosed Homes
Why It's Overrated: Buying a foreclosed home isn't like shopping Sunday open houses. The homes often go up to bid without inspection, clear title or even vacancy; squatters could be cooking meth even as the gavel falls. The family who lost the house may even still be living there, forcing you, Simon Legree, to evict them.
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Next: PlatinumHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Tiffany & Co., AP
Platinum
Why It's Overrated: Sure, platinum wearers get a certain kick in knowing the ring on their finger is made from the same material as the pollution control gizmo in their car. For a 69% savings, though, this blogger suggests choosing white gold for your diamond ring, and using the savings to splurge on a pair of knockout earrings.
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Next: iPhone 3GHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Courtesy of Apple
iPhone 3G
Why It's Overrated: One WalletPop blogger writes "It's hard to imagine how callers got by without the ability to do those cool iPhone tasks for all those years. Oh wait, I forgot -- the same tasks that the iPhone can do, Windows Mobile users have been doing for years."
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Next: High-Tech StrollersHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Shannon Stapleton, AP
High-Tech Strollers
Why They're Overrated: Why buy expensive high tech strollers? The wheels still fall off at the same rate; the covers get dirty and ripped no matter how strong the material. After a year or even a couple of months, all strollers smell a little funky, no matter how much money paid for them.
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Next: Social NetworkingHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Chris Jackson, Getty Images
Social Networking
Why It's Overrated: Although "social networking" is a hot buzzword right now, critics claim that the premise discourages actual relationships in favor of the quick fix. In other words, real, face-to-face relationships take time to develop, are messy, and require some actual work.
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Next: Summer VacationHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Summer Vacation
Why It's Overrated: Thank goodness it's over. Every June it's the same thing: parents' tightly-honed schedules come crashing down around their ears, and chaos reigns supreme for the next three months. For kids, summer vacation may be a delight, but for busy parents, it can be quite overrated.
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Next: Charlotte, N.C.Here's What's NOT Overrated:
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Charlotte, N.C.
Why It's Overrated: While Charlotte's housing prices may seem like a breath of fresh air to Yankees giving up on what the Northeast has to offer, this NASCAR-fueled boomtown may be headed for a wreck in the near future. Three of the major employers (Wachovia, Bank of America and Lowe's) have been hurt by the credit crisis and housing crunch. Property crime is up 3.8 percent and violent crime is up 2.3 percent in the past year.
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Next: Home OwnershipHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Home Ownership
Why It's Overrated: In the midst of record foreclosures, and plummeting home values leaving people upside down on their mortgages (i.e. they owe more than the home is currently worth), the American Dream has turned into the American Nightmare for too many families.
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Next: Donald TrumpHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Getty Images
Donald Trump
Why He's Overrated: Trump's ability to make money is entirely dependent on the public's perception of him as a billionaire. He charges $1.5 million per speaking appearance at Learning Annex events and, according to Forbes, other builders pay him seven-figure sums to affix his name to their properties.
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Next: Financial ProsHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Professional Financial Advisors
Why They're Overrated: Professional financial help is like a swim coach who attaches himself to your back for the Olympic Trials. Study after study has shown that professionals are extremely unlikely to earn you better returns than you could achieve on your own by buying low-cost index mutual funds.
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Next: PriusHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Sven Nackstrand, AFP / Getty Images
Prius
Why It's Overrated: The price of a current Prius hovers somewhere around $25,000, pushing it out of the range of many consumers. By comparison, a used 1990s Geo Metro gets 38 mpg in the city and 45 mpg on the highway, yet starts in the $2,000 range. For a fully refurbished model, purchasers can expect to pay $4,000-$5,000.
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Next: Low-Fat FoodHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Cassandra Shie, AOL
Low-Fat Food
Why It's Overrated: Low-fat diets don't contribute in the least to weight loss or reduction in heart disease. To the contrary, diets low in animal fats and high in refined flours and sugars (read: the contents of my dorm kitchen) could be the cause of diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. The real mind-blower is that low-fat diets can make you fat.
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Next: Owning a CarHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Owning a Car
Why It's Overrated: In 27 months without a car, this blogger has saved thousands of dollars and become an entirely new person; happier, more balanced, and much more muscular. Though she spent decades of her life in love with American car culture, and then stumbled into the decision to give it up without much forethought, she learned that owning a car is highly overrated.
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Next: BlogsHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Blogs
Why They're Overrated: The blogosphere is choking on itself. Blogoreah is the result of well over 100 million blogs out there in the vast cyber wasteland. With new blogs being created about every three minutes and mainstream publishers putting out their own blogs, aren't we just about finished riding this wave?
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Next: High GPA in CollegeHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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www.imagesource.com
A High GPA in College
Why It's Overrated: A 2006 survey by Collegegrad.com found that only 6% of employers think that a job candidate's GPA is the most important piece of information about an individual. The survey found that the interview and prior work experience were ranked higher than GPA when considering an applicant.
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Next: The WiiHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Nintendo, AP
The Nintendo Wii
Why It's Overrated: Playing the Wii is fun, and may have even inspired three kids in the U.S. to get off their couch and lose weight. However, the novelty of swinging around a Wii 'mote to play a game wears off about the time the last party guest heads home. For many, the Wii seems to get the majority of its use when they haul it to a friend's house or to their grandparents for Christmas.
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Next: Angelina JolieHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Anne-Christine Poujoulat, AFP / Getty Images
Angelina Jolie
Why She's Overrated: The media obviously writes about Ms. Jolie because they know that people are interested in her. Still, one WalletPop blogger wishes we could all agree to declare an Angelina Jolie détente for six months or a year. Then, when she reappeared, she'd be like a breath of fresh air.
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Next: Two Shower HeadsHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Cassandra Shie, AOL
Showers for Two
Why They're Overrated: There is no way that both people can adequately get submerged under the shower head to stay warm. In a standard shower, standing side to side is impossible, so one person must stand partially out of the spray to make room. Shivering while watching your partner enjoy the warm water can leave your heart cold.
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Next: Rachael RayHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Amy Sussman, Getty Images
Rachael Ray
Why She's Overrated: Rachael Ray is a traitor. In addition to her product endorsements for cookware, grocery stores, and knives, she has made a lot of money shilling for Burger King and Dunkin' Donuts. What else could explain how the woman who won an Iron Chef cook off actually has the temerity to describe Dunkin' Donuts' coffee as "fantabulous?" when we all know it's mediocrastic?
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Next: ChipotleHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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Tim Boyle, Getty Images
Chipotle
Why It's Overrated: Eating in a Chipotle is like grabbing lunch in a high school metal shop. The hard surfaces create an echo chamber that turns table talk into a hearing test. The chairs and tables, welded into place like a bus station cafeteria, aren't conducive to the enjoyment of a 1,250-calorie burrito the size of a bed and breakfast pillow.
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More on AOL: Cheapest PeopleHere's What's NOT Overrated:
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More From AOL:
Cheapest Person I Know
Now that you've seen what WalletPop thinks is the most overrated in America, see if you think extreme penny-pinching is too. AOL users spilled the beans on the cheapest people in their lives. See what crazy things they do to save some coin.
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Recent Comments
xsummerxskiesx1 05:01:42 PM Sep 28 2008
FINALLY the jonas brothers are labeled as overrated! i cannot describe how much i hate them. but why isn't that skank hannah montanna/miley whatever her name is on here? she's ever worse than those god awful jonas brothers. and that's saying a lot. disney just needs to stop with these kids.
Cheez15 04:58:13 PM Sep 28 2008
I was just reading this article to a friend of mine who is a hiring manager for Bank of America (one of the largest companies in the U.S.). He says most large companies consider GPA very important, and he is pretty sure he knows the survey AOL is talking about. The survey being cited used wording such as "GPA is the only and most important factor I consider when hiring". Obviously thats a lot different than what AOL makes it sound. He said GPA may not be the most important, but when they're deciding who to interview, a 3.8 GPA is the cutoff- so unless you have a good GPA, you don't even get interviewed!
Duch2izBack 03:34:32 PM Sep 28 2008
American Idol isn't overrated, it is at the top of the ratings. It has so many inferior knockoffs, it's hard to count. I think since you mentioned Doolitle and Hudson, you feel that blacks don't get a fair shake on the program. Guess you've never watched it (Fantasia, Jordan Sparks).
guitarchick22493 03:16:26 PM Sep 28 2008
I dont believe the Jonas Brothers are overrated. Everyone is entitled to thier own opinion but mne is they are very talented young men. The Beatles are also amazing and the Jonas Brothers are not trying to be them. They are inspired by them.
Pleasemakesense 03:15:40 PM Sep 28 2008
Crocs are ugly, but they do have their place. I would not have made it through Disney World during my last pregnancy without them. I don't wear them as a an attempted fashion statement, but they are great for swollen pregnancy feet/ankles. Now I still use my Crocs for any sort of dirty job, like gardening or outdoor cleaning. For that reason, they rock! They can get covered in mud and dirt, but just hose them off and they are ready for more. As for Angelina, she is pretty when she is not emaciated, and a high GPA never hurts.
DaBoyzruleperiod 02:49:46 PM Sep 28 2008
Hey folks, you know who their missing on this list and before I say I KNOW your all sick of him, let me give you a hint "if you have diabetes....." LIBERTY and that clown Wilford Brimley. We've had nothing but problems with Liberty but then again there may be some of you who haven't had problems. But they kill you with that commericial just like GEIKO.........HELP
dividedsky55 02:29:19 PM Sep 28 2008
I am a proud college graduate... i worked my ass off and got a 4.0 GPA (I wanted to prove to myself that I could achieve this, as I struggled throughout HS). It was a personal goal, and I don't think AOL should say that GPA's are overrated. Education is important, knowledge is power. A good GPA shows a lot about one's character and dedication. personally I feel I'd do great in almost any job!
Kldd0o 02:27:54 PM Sep 28 2008
Angelina Jolie is hideous. Especially in the picture up top by Rachel Ray and her delicate pretty features. I'm sure glad I don't have ugly fish lips like hers! Gross!
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