By John Yuan
Sick of clichéd soap operas or corny shows? Now you have another option: reality shows. Live, unscripted, and unedited, reality shows have swept the world with their unthinkable genuineness. Far more dramatic than TV dramas, they appear too real to be true! Reality shows cover a wide range of themes. From business to fashion and modeling, prepare yourself for cut-throat and vicious backstabbing among business partners or ugly catfights between posh models. You may be “Auf’d” by Heidi in Project Runway or be told by Donald Trump in The Apprentice that “You’re fired.” Like they always say, this is a competition and I am here to WIN! But only one person can laugh in the end. Who has what it takes? And who will be eliminated tonight? That’s something that keeps our eyes trained on the tube every week. How do reality shows keep us so spellbound and intrigued? How could reality shows feverishly rage on for so many years? It all comes down to one factor: a good use of psychology. Subconsciously, we identify themselves with the characters on TV. When we watch American’s Next Top Model we may be diehard supporters of one of the contestants. We register our empathy onto the figures who seem to be like us and come from similar backgrounds. We bond with them. This catalyzes our addiction to reality shows. Human nature inevitably plays another big role. As we are fed up with plain and cheesy shows, we need something spicy to stimulate our appetites. Crystal-clear as it is, every one has a talent for dishing it out and chewing the fat, and the intricately interwoven relationships and maliciously ugly feuding among the contenders are good gossipy topics for a sunny afternoon. Furthermore, reality shows satisfy our craving for prying into people’s privacy and digging out scandals. We may curse a badmouthing boy for being such a calculating jerk. But we may also shed tears for a girl who was set up as a scapegoat. The feelings we have for the participants are direct and intense, because it’s not just a show, it’s real. A global phenomenon, Taiwan also has its signature reality show, the Starwalk singing contest. Perhaps our version doesn’t have as many vicious fights on the screen, and the relationships between the contestants is relatively benevolent and cohesive. But we still recall how many times we cried over a sad good-bye to one of our favorites, as the others still in the competition also burst into tears. And after the debut album of the winners, ”Star Gang,” all the participants were assembled and enjoyed the fruits of joint popularity and fame. Though reality shows vary with regions and countries, their worldwide fever is the same. But is this just a passing fad? Or will it grow even bigger? We can only be sure of one thing: audiences always want something “real.” a
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May 2024
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