The grandaddy of reality TV game shows is Survivor. Every year a new wave of contestants try to outwit, outlast and outplay each other. But every year, we also see slightly different variations of the game each year. Tribes get mixed up at different stages, if at all. Tribes merge at different stages. There are different numbers of tribes at different points in the game. Because of the security surrounding the production of this show, no one outside of the production staff know what is up ahead.But...how do we, the unsuspecting public, know that what happens has been planned right from the very beginning? I think it is obvious that the votes at tribal council are adjusted in the pot to be revealed in the most dramatic way possible. It is also very apparent that the host, Jeff Probst, has really disliked some of the contestants. Surprisingly enough, none of these have ever won a series.
Survivor is not the only reality game show out there that could be manipulating things, but as with any largest participant in a given field, it makes them an easy target. I don't want to target only Survivor (I am a fan of the show) but I am too lazy, and harried by children to get them something to eat (go eat some cardboard, kids), to properly research other shows.
My point still remains: How do we know that the sequence of events are not manipulated to suit particular contestants. How do we know that it is reality TV, and not just actors pretending to be reality TV contestants?
DPS
DPS
5 comments:
In Australia I think there's less chance of rule fiddling because it's a "competition", which is governed by a set of laws. Our reality TV shows always seem to have a "voting" element so it's more a case of how they choose to edit their footage, to portray some people sympathetically over others that makes the difference.
But Survivor? Sometimes I do think they make it up as they go along. Not that they're actors (reality is more weird than fiction), but I know that if I was in control, I would want to make the nice people win. They could give the people they like a good feed off camera so they have more strength, or whisper in their ear about voting, or who knows what... remember how all those game shows used to be rigged?
I always find it amusing that you never see a hairy armpit on the women in Survivor. So they obviously are not living as rough as they make out on camera. Who knows what else is hidden from our view.
Re: Comps decided by voting. How do we know that the votes really count? The producers may just be getting loads of money from the 1900 phone numbers, ignoring the result, and deciding for themselves who wins.
Re: Survivor; I don't care much too be honest! I view the whole thing as fictional entertainment, and the people as much as characters as any other show (say, Grey's anatomy), so as long as I'm entertained, I'm not phased.
Unfortunately, however, I don't think your theory holds up because they show footage of the people actually voting at the end of every episode. Unless the whole thing is one vast conspiracy.
That said, I have no doubt they edit it for maximum shock and entertainment. Thank God, I say, otherwise it would just be like Big Brother!
Re: phone votes. They are very strict about that. Accounting companies like Price Waterhouse or Andersons actually run all the auditing and absolutely every last thing is accounted for. After the whole Quiz Show thing, I think the industry was once bitten twice shy...
Apparently in Oz the crews felt so sorry for the contestants they chucked fun sized mars bars to them.
Or at them.
And filmed it for the Christmas blooper tape.
Cause it would be funny. Emaciated middle class people all dirty scrambling for lollies.
Ia m not sure the whole thing is rigged as much as 'manipulated' to a desired outcome or prefered outcomes.
Through editing they can certainly influence peoples opinions in the public arena...in their 'world' I belive they have a whole bag of games/merges/etc/etc/etc up their sleeve and manipulate them and use the various ones the assist in the desired type outcome.
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