Once in a while, we need some reminding on what reality shows are and how it plays with the truth for both the cast and the audience
In the midst of enjoying another episode of our favorite reality shows like Pinoy Big Brother or Love Island, have we ever thought about how genuine things unfold for the people we are watching? For one, there are situations that producers create where the cast members can establish an atmosphere of authenticity through their reactions and actions. It’s the same for survival shows—how much of the participants’ truth or reality are we seeing? Do you ever wonder what else we are not seeing when the cameras are cut and the lights are off?
As much as we are engrossed in these reality television shows, the people involved surely experience it tenfold. After all, even when we are on the other side of the screen and the cameras, we still get affected by them. So, MEGA Entertainment breaks down how reality shows keep us hooked but at times, to a fault.
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A Mental Struggle
It’s not new for netizens to flock to social media and share their thoughts on the latest happenings of their favorite reality show. In fact, many use their platforms to promote these shows, even reminding people to vote. However, it’s also common to see many hurtful comments and ill wishes directed to people involved in these shows.
Former PBB Winner Slater Young shared in his episode of the SkyPodcast his experience during his stay in the PBB House, saying that it required a lot of his mental fortitude. With the different challenges given to housemates such as being stuck inside a house for several weeks, he shared that he couldn’t help but be lost in his thoughts even after his PBB stint. He added that he wasn’t very familiar with PBB back then, and even admitted that he experienced culture shock during his stay.
Today, the public has realized the gravity of one’s mental health. Isolated from the outside world, reality show participants such as housemates would have no one to turn to but each other—and their own selves. During PBB Kumunity Season 10 Celebrity Edition, Dr. Dellosa diagnosed former housemate Alexa Ilacad with body dysmorphic disorder or BDD. She shared that she had this insecurity ever since she came into the entertainment industry at a young age. Even before PBB, she would receive comments about her weight. Meanwhile, Albie Casino and KD Estrada were diagnosed with ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and anxiety, respectively—two conditions naturally affected their interactions with housemates and outlooks in life.
Being in front of the cameras 24/7, people watching your every move, production people closing up on your tears—having to capture reality can be exhausting. Even American media personality Kylie Jenner has opened up her experience as a reality TV star, saying how much it affected the way she saw herself, especially because she has been a public figure since she was barely a teenager.
@kardashfanss It’s so sad to see Kylie crying🥺 #kyliejenner #kendalljenner #kardashians #thekardashians #kardashianshulu #socialmedia ♬ original sound – Kardash Fanss
At a young age, the youngest Kardashian-Jenner sister has been on camera since her early childhood days. Being on the spotlight ultimately for Keeping Up with the Kardashians and The Kardashians, the Kylie Cosmetics founder grew up being judged by audiences publicly.
How Real is a Reality TV Show?
Reality shows come with cameras pointing at the personalities—sometimes 24/7—with the public eye watching their every move. With each shot comes the pressure, anxiety, and gravity of the audience, creating the need for the cast to present themselves in a way that makes them interesting and likable enough.
But at the end of the day, these productions have the capability to edit these shows to dramatize the narrative. Much like vlogs, there is so much we don’t see when the cameras are off. For all we know, the cast that we see on TV may not be the same people we see outside. Even though the goal of a reality show is to depict some sort of authenticity, productions can so easily manipulate these clips to show a good or bad side of their cast.
Audience Participation
As consumers of these reality shows, we have the tendency to treat them as such: characters from a series—and we often forget that these are real people put in certain situations. There is only so much that we can know about them. With social media at a hand’s reach, it’s easy to judge and share one’s opinion about certain shows or people. With survival shows, they even use social media to spread the word of voting for a person to safety or even for elimination.
With information readily available in the internet, a cast’s content is easily a couple searches away, and the audience uses this information to create another perspective of this reality, shaping the narrative in a way that makes their favored competitor look good and vice versa. This then creates a train of judging one’s character right away, easily believing what could be manipulated information, and leading to spread what could most likely be false information or hurtful comments without a second thought.
At the end of the day, reality TV shows, even with their so-called authenticity, are still a show. There is still a screen, a camera, that separates us from these individuals and scenes. No matter how influential and authentic these shows are, it is important to take a step back and “touch some grass.” We have to remind ourselves that these people in these shows are real people with real feelings, but we also have to be responsible consumers of these shows. And now that we’re a part of it for reality’s sake, we should be mindful of our role as the audience.
