“Camera roll, Action!“
Somebody says those words and a new episode begins filming. What is it that they’re filming you ask? Why, a reality show.
It is a curious case to examine. It has the word “reality“ in its name and still nothing about it is real. There are scripts or guidelines to each and every scene. The participants are obliged to behave in a very specific way. The drama, the comedy, the joys and the sorrows we see on screen have been carefully orchestrated by a directing crew, built in such a way to emphasize the intrigue and keep the viewer’s interest peaked. Still, when a new episode hits our screens, and we see the protagonists argue or hook up or both, we deep down believe that what we see is in fact what their reality is. We knowingly fool ourselves into this belief.
The definition of a reality show states that it is a television programme in which ordinary people are continuously filmed, designed to be entertaining rather than informative. As one who never really saw the appeal of reality shows herself, I have always been puzzled over the way my friends and family have almost religiously been following their events. Watching one episode, talking about it with each other, contemplating hard on whether “Kyveli should be the one to win“ or making memes over Kim Kardashian’s lost earring. It gets to the point where each day has its own show devoted to it. What is it that attracts people so much to these shows? There are plenty of entertaining shows with fantastically written scripts, worldbuilding, social messages… all put together by screenplay writers, directors, seasoned and certified actors. Shows brought by artists into the world. Why do people choose to watch unprovoked drama, or people acting out their parts in the worst way possible (I’m looking at you “Family Stories“ – “Oikogeniakes Istories“)? Why are people so drawn to this type of shows?
Well, to begin with, there is not one type of reality shows, but two. There’s the “Competition“ type and the “Next in the life of…“ type. The most popular examples would be “Survivor“, “(G)NTM“ and “Masterchef“ for the first, and the famed “Keeping up with the Kardashians“ for the second. It is true, the latter never gained much popularity in Greece, but we have to admit slight awe over the popularity the show gained in America and the money and fame it brought to the family behind it. Even though the formatting the two types follow is different, the objective is the same; to film the most drama, the best comedy, the most shocking revelation and, most of all, the gossip surrounding each member of the cast.
Whose will be the next betrayal? What did one girl say about the other? Oh, no, he did not just imply such a thing!
All emotions in a show such as this are deliberately exaggerated. The members are encouraged to reveal their darkest thoughts in front of the camera. It is a natural phenomenon in this part of the world of television to be kept or discarded based on your behaviour’s impact on the viewers’ numbers. To be adored is the same as to be hated in these shows since both can make you the object of conversation.
But wait… what about the viewers? As humans, we discuss other people in our lives, and it doesn’t matter if we like them or not. A great number of people are excited by drama and dare I say most people look for some «spice» in their own lives, whether that is adventure or gossip or a challenge. So when we bring someone into our everyday conversations doesn’t that make that someone closer to us? Isn’t examining and evaluating a stranger’s behaviour what in the end results in getting us to know them? Don’t we get a taste of their life even by simply observing it? So if we do that with a reality show protagonist, don’t we slowly feel like we know them? That we stand there beside them. That we somehow gain the right to judge them, vote for them or sabotage them?
We watch these exciting lives on screen and we can’t help but feel a part of them. We can’t help but have favourites instead of friends and dislikes instead of enemies. As humans living in this world where so many things have become easy and reachable, we seek something to shake our world. It is in our nature to tire of peace in living. To crave the spice these shows provide, especially when we have nothing similar in our reality to compare. We want another reality, more whimsical and emphatic than the one we have. And that is not a bad thing. It is something that keeps us happy and sane. It is an escape from our troubles. It is a coping mechanism, and those… we do need.