Spilling the Tea on Reality TV: How Harmful Is Your Reality TV Fix?
We’ve all experienced that feeling when your delicious takeaway has just arrived & you’re searching for the perfect food/ tv combo & feel the magnetic pull of the mind-numbing brilliance of reality TV. Aaand if you say you haven’t...well either you’re lying or you have incredible self-control teach me pls.
Listen...I too am incredibly guilty of falling victim to the plethora of reality TV drama oozing out of Netflix’s pores (lmao vivid right.). But with the world seeming to have ‘woken up’ over the past few years, we’re becoming increasingly more conscious of the lasting, damaging effects that reality TV is having on all who partake in the process. All the way from your Love Islands to your I’m a Celebs, as addictive as it is, how dangerous is reality TV really?
As a girl who religiously watches Love Island as soon as it hits screens every summer, I’m always shocked at how invested I become. I end up chatting about the contestant’s relationship highs & lows, as if we were best mates. And it’s not even just the infamous Island De Amour, just last week Selling Sunset caught my eye on Netflix & needless to say, 2 days later I was desperately googling for Season 4 release dates. The passion I felt discussing the iconic Christine/ Chrishell beef on Selling Sunset with my friends was invigorating, to say the least. Yep. Lockdown hit me hard guys. (don’t judge me pls lol)
*FUN FACT: Lil 15 year old me thought she was quite the singer, back in the day, and tried her luck auditioning for The X Factor. I mean... since my name isn’t emblazoned on billboards & I’m not a staple in your Spotify playlists, you can safely assume that I was not successful in said auditions... (loooooostillsaltyaboutthatooooool)* But heyho, life goes on...
What all these shows have in common, however, is the temporary highs & the long lasting lows. What I mean by this, is that it’d be naïve & dangerous not to admit, that although the contestants on these shows enjoy living their lives in the warm spotlight for a bit, when it starts to fade they’re left under the cold, interrogative watch of the public eye. Not to mention (but definitely to mention) the harmful effects that reality star’s ‘dream lives’ have on their viewers; from becoming consumed by the star’s every move to comparing our own flaws & failures to their seemingly ‘perfect’ lives.
Although we become so invested in the drama, like our lives depend on finding out who will become America’s Next Top Model (wow what a throwback (‘: ), do we ever really consider the producers behind the camera ? We’re told we’re watching a reality show. But how much of it is actually real ? Just as you would have an inciting incident, conflict & resolution in a typical episode of How to Get Away with Murder, producers for reality TV are responsible for ensuring the show sticks to this ‘storyline’ format, orchestrating inciting incidents & adding fuel to the fire as they go. The word ‘storyline’ is definitely a weird one to describe a show that is meant to feature real people in real-time situations, as opposed to a scripted fictional TV show; but alas this format is what provides the very theatrics that glue your bums to your seats, so as strange as it is to think reality TV thrives off ‘storylines’, it is in fact 104% true. From the casting process to the editing, all the people involved in creating reality TV have one thing on the brain. Drama (*cue jazz hands*). I mean, how much do we really consider that every reality show has to have a ‘hero’ who we root for to the end, and a ‘villain’ who makes our blood boillll ?
The authenticity of these shows is effectively completely destroyed when it comes to the editing which is essentially the last line of truth-telling defence. In many reality shows, to give viewers the illusion of a ‘villainous’ contestant, a lot of conversation that could justify their actions or in which they apologise for what they have done, is cut out. This maintains the masterful mirage of a continuing rivalry between cast members. How justified are the show’s creators for painting these people in hugely unflattering lights in the name of entertainment, if it surely breeds the inevitable onslaught of key-board warriors along with death threats, media scrutiny and overall rancid reputations ?
Various Love Island stars have spilled the tea on their experiences in the villa, specifically how the dramatic moments are filmed. Reading about the ever-watching, ‘eye-of-Sauron-esque’ producers judging the entertainment levels of the Islanders conversations & having the power to cut them short by a scolding on the tannoy, is truly terrifying. I would assume spending 8 weeks with no access to books, music, tv or even the correct time (Yup all clocks & phones in the villa show different times. Feel free to Google if you’re also flabbergasted at this fact) would get pretty boring & tedious after a while. So hearing that even their freedom of speech is compromised by the drama-thirsty behind the scenes crew is shocking. Not to mention the various other tricks of the trade that producers use in Love Island to poison us against certain contestants & feed us bowls full of drama each day. In recent years we’ve seen first-hand the tragic consequences that come from contestants being portrayed a certain way on TV. We become so invested in these shows that when the participants come out of them we feel entitled to pieces of their lives; the public & media take over the role of ‘camera’ once they end the show. Which begs the question, do reality TV shows ever really end?
Although Selling Sunset is over (for now...) all the cast are still doing their jobs as real-estate agents, but are also having to still deal with the not so nice side of fame that comes along with the show. Speaking to Metro, Jason Oppenheim, half of the Oppenheim Group’s Dynamic Twin Duo, mentioned that if he had known the show would become a ‘reality show’ instead of a ‘real-estate show’ that he “probably wouldn’t have signed up for it”. It just goes to show you the hidden mind games & tricks of the trade buried in the TV world. Even the cast weren’t aware of the kind of show they were taking part in.
The most hard-hitting moment, I think all fans of the show can agree, was Chrishell’s very public & messy divorce with husband Justin Hartley. Chances are she probably, maybe, kinda didn’t want a whole entire camera crew documenting this difficult & unexpected event in her life ?? (idk just a crazy thought ya know). We need to remember that these are REAL people with REAL lives & REAL problems, not just ‘characters’ on a show existing for our entertainment. I, for one, was truly shocked that the show’s team felt it appropriate to document that devastating occurrence in her life, as part of their ‘storyline’. In actual fact it was completely inappropriate & solidifies further the true intent of reality show creators, which is to provide ‘entertainment’ no matter the cost. The Oppenheim brothers gave Chrishell as much time off as she needed before she felt okay to come back to work. Clearly, the Selling Sunset producers did not have the same courtesy.
Even shows that are centered around talent & offer a grand prize for said talent, are guilty of succumbing to the dramatic format of reality TV. Take Hell’s Kitchen for example. Again, I will wholeheartedly admit that this show occupied a lot of lockdown for me & my flatmates because aside from being a fun group activity, it helped satiate the lack of normality in our lives. The thing that hooked us in, aside from Chef Ramsay's iconic insults, was the hilarity of watching the chefs go absolutely ballistic at the sight of a raw scallop. While we could laugh & make light of something that, to us, seems so menial, to that disgraced chef, the lowly scallop was a testament to their livelihood & their talent in their craft. That scallop could be the difference between career life or death for them. Whereas to us, it was just another chance to hear the classic Gordon Ramsay party line “IT’S F***ING RAWWWWWWW”. As well as losing out on the prize of their dreams, contestants in competitive reality shows come out from the show with reputations, not all of them good. So essentially, aside from having wonderful experiences at the time, for those portrayed in bad lights while on the show, it seems like a fairly lose-lose situation, once they come out of it.
My experience auditioning for The X Factor taught me the value of ‘joke acts’ for reality competition shows. The vigorous 3/ 4 rounds of producer auditions before you hit the screens is enough to sus out the productions ‘filtering’ process. You don’t think Jedward just ended up on our screens by chance did you ? (they were pretty cool tho I can’t lie) Truthfully, if I had gone to the auditions wearing some wacky neon clothing & singing in *cursive* I probably would’ve made it further as a ‘joke act’ than I did as a serious wanna-be singer. This is why shows such as The Voice have wayyy more credibility for being real & authentic, since every act is clearly amazing and auditions are done blindly. However, I for one, never really followed The Voice & honestly I couldn’t pick any winners out of a line up if my life depended on it. It’s a fair assumption to say that The X Factor was more of an entertainment show, rather than a show based solely off talent. Clearly, having those ‘joke acts’ was masterful in hooking viewers in and surely contributed to the show’s success, ultimately giving the serious musicians more exposure. However, my mind is with those people who auditioned wanting to pursue their dreams and got taken as a joke, by the show & all who watched. The Voice may not produce as high profile winners or contestants but the ethics & morals of the show are absolutely spot on, in my opinion.
Now, it’s no secret that in a lot of reality dating shows, there is a huge lack of diversity. A lack of racial diversity, a lack of body type diversity, a lack of LGBTQ+ diversity. Yes dating shows provide some hearty laughs & spirited relationship discussions, but the lack of diversity inevitably breeds body dysmorphia, anxiety & a whole host of mental problems for viewers. Ofcom is rife with complaints about the lack of diversity in various different reality shows. Is the temporary entertainment we get out of these shows worth the lasting feelings of inadequacy & anxiety ? That’s the money question.
In the UK, First Dates is one of the most real reality shows, as it includes people of all shapes, colours, sizes & sexual orientations. However, even First Dates, a show which truly can be applauded for its authenticity, is still highly artificial as couples are matched by producers before they meet. Proving once again, that the all-seeing, all-knowing TV producers love to play God & concoct their shows by mixing some quirky contestants with an uncomfortable situation. Who would you trust to set you up on a blind date, your mates or a reality TV producer?
Reality TV & social media go hand in hand. Regardless of the marketing & promotion done by the production companies & TV channels, social media is a massive free promotion aspect of reality TV, which is also one of the reasons it becomes so addictive. As well as keeping up with the show, us millennials & Gen-Zers are all about the socials, and keeping up with the golden memeage that generates from these shows is like a whole other ball game - can you say ‘peer pressure’ (*throws up peace sign/ duck lip combo*). It almost seems like taking stills & quotes from these shows and relating them to our own lives, through memes, is the most real aspect of reality TV. Yet another example that memes define Gen Z culture & are just really f***ing great and iconic.
Moral of the entire story. Indulge in the guilty pleasures of the reality-tv-sphere as much as you want. But keep in mind that the participants in the show are just as real as you are (although their on-screen situations might not be, as I think we’ve learnt by now). These shows are made for entertainment & although it’s easy for me to sit here & say “Don’t compare yourself to them !” I really do mean it.
Remember to show respect to those putting their lives on show, and not to become consumed with their lives to the point where you feel the need to express negativity towards people you don’t even know online. And also to respect yourselves, your life is yours and comparing it to reality stars you see online is pointless, remember you’re only seeing their highlight reel, everyone is going through their own battle. Be kind, be grateful & be gracious for what you have and treat yourself to a yummy takeaway & a mindless watch of reality TV every now & then. I know I will xxx
Image Credit - Thumbnail Image - Morrigan Rawson - Image 1 - Shutterstock / Image 2 - ITV: The X Factor / Image 2 - PA: Press Association / Image 3 - Netflix: Selling Sunset / Image 4 - Stills from Hell’s Kitchen / Image 5 - Getty Images / Image 6 - Netflix: Too Hot to Handle / Image 7 - ITV: First Dates / Image 8 - Funny Pics Plus / Image 9 - Twitter