Lessons From Reality TV: A Peak Behind the Mask of Humanity
The idea that people on reality TV are "just like us" is a dangerous one. Lacking the filters and experience of professional actors, these folks often reveal that the people they portray on the screen are anything but real. They're just as flawed, vain, conniving and petty as anyone else, but without the age limitations or societal restrictions that keep their secrets hidden. In fact it's been suggested by some psychologists that reality TV thrives off of viewers falling into various mental disorders such as voyeurism and exhibitionism-a manipulation which creates a "safe space" for us to explore our deepest darkest personality flaws in DVR-free comfort.
The teaser for the new season of Big Brother has been especially effective in capturing this, as it shows a person who's been plucked from obscurity to join the ranks of strangers who are, essentially, playing "House". At first they seem completely normal. They're a bit nerdy, but sometimes socially awkward people can be like that and it just so happens that America loves nerdy people. But when we peel away the layers of this seemingly sweet and regular fellow we discover a true monster lurking underneath his warm exterior.
Thanks to so many years at their craft these folks have cultivated certain habits. They're living out their fantasies on the show while they're simultaneously having fun and making money with a social experiment in their own home. They're experiencing a "second chance" at life, getting to be the person they haven't been allowed to be in real life. Some become aware of their true nature just before the comps roll around, but for others it's a shock to the system.
But it isn't just about people going crazy, or seeing themselves as idols for all time. The way these folks are portrayed is also how we perceive them. They're not just afflicted by their own faults, but are depicted as being victims of circumstance as well. They're often subject to bullying, come from broken homes and have been through hard times. They're simply misunderstood and want a second chance at life. But reality isn't like that. We should know better by now. We all live in the same world, but not all of us are given the same chances to succeed in life.
Big Brother has always been about a bit of the voyeurism factor, but it's worth noting that this latest season is by far one of the most ambitious shows to date. In order for an experiment like reality TV to truly work you need a somewhat objective metric as well as sympathetic characters who viewers can root for (or against). When these things are combined it creates a truly addictive TV show-one that gets into your head and refuses to let go. It doesn't usually work out for the better.
Just look at the history of reality TV shows as well as Big Brother itself. It's obvious that these shows have always been in pursuit of that perfect formula for success, and often with good reason, but rarely have they ever been able to reach beyond a certain point. And while they may keep trying again, they've always been too close to their ceiling in the end.
One of the most successful reality shows the world has ever seen is Survivor. This show is unique in many ways, but in one respect it's brilliantly simple. The greatest part of this show isn't the competition, or even the island or location. It's simply a group of people who are cast together by fate and forced to live as one against one another. Since these folks are all strangers there can be no alliances or formation of friendships during this time. There's also no way for them to know exactly who they're up against at any given time. And because they can't tell who they're dealing with, they must rely on the same instincts that would normally be used in a fight. The victor is the one who makes the least questionable decisions when it comes to alliances and social interactions.
And this is exactly what makes Survivor so remarkable in the first place. In the traditional game of Survivor there are no rules. People must work together to survive against some of their own, but this usually leads to resentment and distrust among group members. This is one reason why many fans of the show believe it's not real Survivor at all-real Survivor wouldn't be about people getting along, seeing eye-to-eye or working together as a team. There'd be no such thing as "the tribe" and everyone would be out for themselves. It simply wouldn't work without some sort of social conditioning. Sure it's a cliché to say that people will only work with people they're comfortable with, but if that were true you'd never see how many shows have failed in the past. And it's not like the other survivors are strangers they can use as an excuse to make moves against them. They've known them before, trained together and gotten along just fine on their own.
But whereas Survivor has become an institution in reality TV we see one of the greatest attempts at this formula behind the scenes of Big Brother. And we all know what happened there too. CBS should be ashamed and embarrassed that they allowed this show to be turned into a live feed…but they shouldn't be. Because it's not their fault. The failure of Big Brother started way before they even realized what was happening, and if it weren't for their meddling the show wouldn't have ended up where it is now.
The first time around Big Brother was a surprisingly good experiment. It's hard to believe that the producers who brought us the world's first reality TV endeavor would be able to do so much better with each succeeding season, but they have. And Big Brother can only be as good as the people who are on it. We're seeing some of the worst people imaginable right now, but that shouldn't be shocking. People like this need to go somewhere where they can be themselves and be entertained by like-minded individuals. In other words they shouldn't really live among normal society because they can't handle it, much less appreciate it.
Being able to step back from this show a bit, it's difficult not to realize what a disaster this season has been for Big Brother. They've cast some of the worst people they could possibly find, and even the comps themselves seem to be stacked against them. Yet despite all this there are still plenty of people who want to be a part of the show, despite having absolutely no idea what they're in for. And that's all you need to know about them, because once you sign on for this show there's no getting out and no coming back. You can be evicted or leave by choice, but once you enter the Big Brother house there's no getting out until summertime rolls around again.
Conclusion:
It's pretty obvious that Big Brother is going to have their work cut out for them with the next season. But hopefully by then things will have calmed down a little bit to the point where they can go out and find some more decent people to cast on their show. It's going to take a lot of work, but it'll be worth it when they get there. At that point Big Brother will finally be able to go back to being what it once was. After all, this isn't the first time we've seen such an experiment fall apart, and it won't be the last either.