Is Reality T.V. dwindling . . . or withstanding?
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| CBS's reality series Survivor finale ratings over the years |
Has Reality T.V. lost its zest, the tang of that lemon zest and tapered off . . . fading to black-out? Is it here to stay? Or have we just lived through another passing trend? You be the judge.
Reality T.V. shows’ ratings start out approximately half of 1990s hit prime T.V. shows. (Yup, reality does not equal to prime time before the millennium.) The first season of American Idol started out with 12.65 million viewers, a good turnout for a T.V. spot where Americans audiences tuned in and voted more for this show than at the polls; however, old T.V. prime shows turn out higher numbers in comedic sitcoms and drama.
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| The Simpsons |
Hit T.V. shows back in the day have slightly more edge than present day reality T.V. Nevertheless, reality T.V. shows have dominated the networks. Channel surfing on your T.V., you can find virtually every channel airing a reality T.V. show. Every main networks has it—Survivor (the reigning champion), Amazing Race, The Bachelor, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, Real Housewives, Big Brother, Project Runway, America’s Top Model, Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen. Teen audiences joined in on MTV, staying tuned for reality T.V. shows like Real World, Road Rules, Laguna Beach, and The Hills.
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| Real World: New York |
No, reality television actually started with MTV’s Real World New York in 1992. I watched
it. Seven strangers picked to live in a
New York City loft while pursuing their careers in the big jungle of the city;
like a social experiment, people watch their lives unfold during the course of their
route. Inevitably conflicts arise when
people from different backgrounds share one space. Julie, a nineteen-year-old from conservative Alabama
State gets into a heated argument with Kevin, a black guy who gets close when
he argues. Fearing her safety, she no
longer wants to be alone with him again in the loft. But the producers of the show edited out the
film rolls making the series centered on two tenants: Julie and Eric. Theirs unfold good chemistry.
But it has been nearly thirty years since. Since then, reality shows have evolved. Prime time shows has also evolved. Top prime time shows rake in approximately 10 million viewers compared to over 20 or 30 million tuned-in viewers 15 years ago. Millennium has changed how viewers watch T.V. Ally McBeal aired on Fox TV network close to the millennium pulling in more than 10 million viewers the first season; after the millennium, CSI ranking #1 in prime time network pulled in 10 million viewers. Prime time T.V. viewership has lessened since the 1990s —dipping by 100-200%. So I beg us to question: Will T.V. shows fall out-of-date in the future?
The turn of the millennium has given a dawn of new age—the rise of a new digital age and a major shift in consumers’ spending habits as we adapt to a world of ever-changing high-tech gadgets and new inventions. As technology leaped forward, consumers ceased to buy old products. Just what becomes old? VCRs turned antiquated. Then DVDs racked on shelves became the new replacing the old tapes. But that too turned old when Blue-Ray discs emerged. Video stores rentals like Blockbuster closed down locations nationwide as live stream, social media, $6.99-$9.99 monthly subscriptions opened up new avenues for T.V. viewers and movie-goers to watch in the comforts of their homes. But one constant truth holds evident: The Coliseum in Rome, Italy still stands . . . well, at least the remnants of it.
Take a tour around Rome, Italy and find the remnants of the colossal coliseum where thousands once turned out to watch great men compete. Today that coliseum equals to America’s favorite pastimes: sports. Or should I say football specifically the Super Bowl. American viewers love football and follow the games unflaggingly every year. In fact, viewership of Super Bowl increases every single year. Super Bowl viewership has surged multi-times folds, and by 2010, the numbers climbed over 100 million at- home viewers. As the numbers climbed, so did the price of the commercial spots. As a matter of fact, the price of a 30-second commercial spot now mounts up to $5 million.
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| Big Brother Challenge |
But what exactly do reality T.V. shows cover? The shows that withstand on air have to do with winning money. Contestants go through series of challenges to win prizes or cash until one final contestant takes home the grand prize: $500,000 or $1 million. Or sign up for an opportunity with a record deal, a designer brand, a chef at an established restaurant. No surprise there in this winning formula. Just why?
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| Who Wants To Be A Millionaire winner John Carpenter |
Contests and prizes are the oldest trick in the book, the tested-and-tried method in attracting people to stores and businesses. As a matter of fact, game shows with winning prizes were once T.V. show’s bankable time slot in pulling, attracting viewers on prime time television. As we approached the millennium, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire aired on ABC attracting T.V. viewers with an attention-grabbing $1 million prize. The millennium raised the bar higher; the stakes became higher; the shows up the ante. Why? Astound viewers. “For once, I see a winner,” an elderly woman called in after the season finale and said this of Zora, the contestant who won Joe Millionaire, a show centered on an average guy Evan Marriott who works as a construction worker but poses as a multi-millionaire. Given a choice of 20 women in a dating pool for one bachelor, Evan narrows it downs to one remaining contestant: Zora. He chooses Zora in the season’s finale, but he has to tell her he is not a millionaire that their whirl-wind romance has all been a set up dramatized by the producers. What a sham! If Zora walks away now they both lose out. But Evan made the right choice: A nice girl like Zora would not just rid of Evan from his empty pockets. They still have each other right? Thank heavens, no. Not in reality T.V. where anything happens. The producers have a sweet surprise in store for the new couple: $1 million for the couple. Happy ending? No, they have split since. Zora is a nice girl but far too nice and reserved for a big party animal like Evan Marriott. Well, at least they left with something to help them set their futures. Shows with sensational tags like a million dollars phased out. That too has passed.
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| Ellen DeGeneres Show 12 Days of Giveaways for Christmas |
Watch one of the longest running morning talk show, Live with Kelly on ABC at 9 am and you can catch a segment where one lucky caller gets a shot at a vacation hot spot by answering a trivia question and getting it right. A sure way in attaining your viewers, the show rewards only the loyal following who have watched the show. You have to tune in and follow the show to win. Ellen DeGeneres Show also has 12 days of holiday giveaways, giving away lavish gift cards to not a select few, but every one of her audience members for a colorful variety to splurge for the holidays —latest electronics or kitchenware, personal care, vacation packages —and after, they joyfully cheer, enthusiastically stand up, jubilantly jump up in receiving this generous gift packages for the holidays. Hurray.
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| American Idol first season: Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guerino on stage |
The shows that have contestants win big are close to this theme. American Idol contestants tearfully cry in joy from their ecstatic win for the once-in-a-lifetime deal that can change their lives. The contestants compete throughout the season where one episode after another have the hopefuls belt out a tune to songs they have chosen; after they are judged by the judges’ votes and viewers’ call-in votes until two contestants reach the season’s finale. From then on, the season’s winner is guaranteed a record contract. A runner-up usually gets one also. Kelly Clarkson won the first season of American Idol and sang her song, A Moment Like This at the closing credits —her voice cracking, finishing the song with full support of her fellow cast members who surround her on stage —sharing in the celebration. Ecstatic on her win, moments like this touch audiences’ hearts. So viewers went back for more.
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| Project Runway Season 16 winning finale design |
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| Project Runway Season 16 finale entry |
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| Project Runway designs |
Project Runway on Bravo gives an opportunity for one final contestant a shot at $250,000 alongside a feature of his/her design on Elle magazine, a mentorship — a jump start all-around, a big leap in launching your designer brand. The host of the show announces a specific theme for each challenge —anywhere from tuxedos, bridges, lights, tie-dyes, newspapers, futuristic inspiration from airport hotel—and designers scurry off to create fashionable wears that maximizes the chosen theme. The designers sketch their designs on paper for a given time frame (20 minutes); pick a model that can bring out their designs most appropriately; shop fabric materials to make the design come to life; cut, snip, sew, mend, iron fabric into wearable form on a two-and-a-half day deadline. The models get hair and makeup done by a professional staff on stand-by. Then models wearing the designs walk down the runway before the judges. The judges grade, critique, and deliberate on the designs based on how well each designer brought out the themes in their made-to-wear designs —and either you are in or out. If the judges score your design the highest, you win the challenge and immunity for the next round. If they do not you are eliminated. How do I grade their designs? Some are fair (B); some are good (A); some are bad (C- or below).
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| Sports Illustrated model Brooklyn Decker |
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| Cover Girl Niki Taylor |
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| Yoanna House of America's Next Top Model |
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| Eva Marcille of America's Next Top Model |
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| Adrianne Curry of America's Next Top Model |
Fashion would not be complete without models that walk the runway in them. America’s Next Top Model has been airing for a total of 23 seasons. I have watched the first few seasons out of curiosity; make-over segments have aired on morning talk shows but this explores a whole new realm altogether. Surprisingly the models do get jobs out of the show —photo-shoots, runways, ad campaigns, guest-starring roles on soap operas—and get paid for them. The contestants first get a make-over as they get comfortable posing in front of a camera. Tyra Banks, former Sports Illustrated model in a league with the likes of Heidi Klum and Petra Nemcova critiques their pictures from location shot photo shoots. Sports Illustrated models are fleshy, healthy, and athletic girls leading active lifestyles than most thin models on the runway. Most models keep in shape by adhering to a strict diet and regime that most women simply cannot live up to on top of their schedules. Niki Taylor, former Cover Girl model said in an interview after she had babies, “I finally have breasts.” The model contestants get a real hands-on experience in fantasy themes of high couture fashion subscribers of Vogue, Elle, Harpar’s Bazare magazines see when they flip through editorials in the magazines’ pages. They shoot at off-sight location spot and pose in unusual conditions— puddles of flooding water, bathtub of crimson wine liquid, Great Wall of China, large bowl of salad to lay in on the beach shores, tarantulas and snakes crawling, slithering onto their faces and shoulders. The girls on the show do not quite measure up to epic proportions of Sports Illustrated models dating back to Elle McPherson and later Brazilian beauties like Gisele Bundchen or Switzerland (a high upkeep to manage for most) known for their Venus di Milo bodies (perfect score in bust-waist-hip ratio), but they do hold their own by their accessible, relatable features, a look that everyday women can relate to than the unrealistic standards set by highbrow fashion of women’s magazines that has been retouched and air-brushed, slimming down their “bye-bye arms,” their waistlines, enhance the allure, the sex-that-sells look for a wide market of consumers; other women can look at these models and say, ‘hey, that is me up there.’ Average faces attract people more so than striking faces; people look at you and can relate to you so they naturally feel more comfortable around you. Tyra Banks has good modeling experience and that qualifies her in giving useful tips for these striving models. But some do have a model look. Yoanna House resembles Kristen McMenemy, a former model from the 1990s who walked the high-fashion runway alongside supermodels Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista. Hers is a look that is unusual and eccentric like Eve Salvail, another former model whose head was shaven bald with a bold dragon tattoo, a rebellious and individualistic statement in fashion. House talks with clarity on T.V. shows and she would have been a good fit as a host on T.V. shows — shows like Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood. Adrianne Curry has a look of a TV or movie actress had she known the right connections. Curry’s face is ethnic like Yasmeen Ghauri, another model that worked in high fashion back in the 1990s. Ethnic diversity has been promoted since then and Curry has distinctly noticeable eyes like Sela Ward, an Emmy-nominated TV actress, Oscar-winning Catherine Zeta Jones for her supporting role in Chicago, and a striking resemblance to country singer Shania Twain. Though Curry got a contract with a NYC modeling agency and Revlon, she said she was locked in a contract when ANTM signed another contract with another agency the following year; her agency did not always follow through as much with previously talked about assignments. She went onto VH1’s reality show Surreal Life and My Fair Brady, but had she been under the right tutelage, she could have done far more. Former ANTM winner Eva Marcille (Pigford) has an accessible look other women can relate to and has successfully parlayed into film and television (Real Housewives of Atlanta).
Watch reality T.V. shows branch out across the states as they expand wider on an international scale. Real Housewives branched out from Orange County to other cities/states like Beverly Hills, Dallas, Miami, and Atlanta. But Survivor is the returning champion on reality TV series, multiplying the chain from the Americas to continents worldwide —Africa, Australia, Europe, East Asia, Middle East. The Survivor franchise swelled up everywhere while Real Housewives surged across the states.
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| The Mole |
Reality shows either miss their mark or pass with flying colors. Why? The Mole on ABC lasted for 5 seasons. Out of all the reality shows, I had anticipated watching The Mole because of the show’s premise: Figure out who the mole is and come out on top for the winning cash prize. But as I re-watched few of episodes the first season, the show falls short on keeping me on the edge as a viewer who may be riveted to the screen had the premise hooked me in for the next. Good idea, but an error fobs the formula producers had in works—uninteresting cast members or easy challenges—combination of the two disinterest me as a viewer as much as I would not like to admit. Lacking solid dynamics between cast members (i.e. hook-ups, bromance, friendships, and bonding), it falls short of human bonding that make reality T.V. interesting to watch or the shock factor on challenges to keep viewers on the edge. What exactly is a shock factor?
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| Fear Factor Celebrity Edition: soap actress Alison Sweeney |
FEAR Factor has a shock factor; The Survivor is a fantasy. The contestants on both shows go through risky, daring challenges where they immerse themselves in mud or in a tank full of swarming maggots. People do not live on an island, far away from civilization, learn to fare well by fishing and picking fruits, setting up a tent, learning to start fire, and avoiding being voted off. Survivor has more shock element by the way its contestants endure many physical challenges while deprived of dash of luxury living —restricted on a bland diet portion-sized to fruits, limited in edible foods fetched on the island, and scaled down on any material comforts civilization has to offer its population at homes.
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| Survivor |
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| Survivor Rewards Challenge |
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| Survivor |
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| Survivor |
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| Survivor |
To win as a contestant on Survivor, you have to be limber, a problem solver, a people person, and low maintenance. Giving up everything that has a pinch of privilege, the contestants sleep openly by the beach in a hut built of densely green leaves and hollow wooden branches from the island. The group huddles together every night in close quarters which gives a look of a group bonding. They get by on a raw diet of fruits on the island. With each change in the wind, notice the survivors on the island trim down and shed pounds as they near the end. (Oh no, I’m not watching a Sally Struther’s feed the children fund!) They appear as thin as a yoga guru in India. Anyone who is used to a life of privilege is not the one to be on this show by its miniscule living in bare comfort and void of privilege. Immunity or Reward Challenges are fun, interactive entertainment that imitates carnivals, street festivals, and boardwalks pedestrians can accidentally stumble upon. Some remind of games on shows that date back to the 1990s like Family Double Dare but upgraded to outdoor games with a zest of risk and balance. For example, one challenge has contestants stand on a small pole on the beach waters as they cram in 10 feet (5 survivors) onto a small cubic platform. Though some challenges offer a winning team a basket of freshly baked pastries or juicy burgers, the contestants are purged of home comforts like grandma’s slow-cooked meal. Barren and severe in their daily living, the contestant who bears through it all gets to the final round and win the cash prize.
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| Real Housewives of Orange County |
Real Housewives is a hot rod on wheels, fire ignited with gasoline. Drama on fire. The drama, the fights, the fury is a throwback to trashy talk shows once on high demand. Trending back in the 1990s that was once a fad in our pop culture, even Oprah got into trivial subjects on her show. Subject matters were not as important; in fact, they were frivolous just to stir up talk. Dolled up middle-aged women wear cake foundation, don big hair-dos, inject filler lips, bleached platinum hair color bicker and fight with other housewives in cities and states across the country. Not suited for my taste but a guilty pleasure nevertheless.
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| Amazing Race |
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| Amazing Race |
Amazing Race is my pick in this pivotal point: adventure to explore at 360-degree angle. Jet-setting from one foreign locale to another, you and your partner dash ahead close or far and find clues to finish the race not last but first. Skid-slide-glide along the glass panels of city’s tall skyscraper like a surfer on a wave at the beach while suspended on a thin black cable line, running down onto the street pavements where there is no rest but are hashed out the next clue; then rush onto the airport and fly out of the city altogether to a foreign locale; elsewhere comb the snowy glaciers of the tundra where temperature drops down below Celsius in pursuit of a clue, search long and hard for a singing pair to get the next clue, hit the bulls eye with an arrow against the wind-chill factor, pull a sleigh carrying your partner to your destination, and get ready to set off to elsewhere quickly —preferably on the first flight out. The contestants race forth in a frenzy, rest assured thrills awaits at the end of each and every one of their travels; the escapes send titillating adrenaline through your blood-and-veins with plenty of supplies of rushing, pressing adventures to forge ahead in cities, challenges, countries. Get ready to constantly be on-the-go. Unknown destinations only supply the thrill in a chase that turns, twists, and keeps you on your toes. Travel not only by car but through all channels known to humankind —planes, helicopters, boats, trucks, buses, sleds, bicycles—certainly not a moment to spare for this traveling pair. And the pairs more than vary—married couples, siblings, divorced couples, colleagues—at any rate, the relationship have been in-tact and solidified. Coming into the series in already established relationships, the chemistry, the bond, the friendship stems from years of history. But will the thrill, the adventures merely break or batten the bond?
The Bachelor and Big Brother run 22-24 seasons. The Bachelor has one eligible bachelor choose from a dating pool of 25 women who all vie for his rose at the rose ceremony. The catch? He has to pick one girl to propose at the end of the season finale. Let go of one but only choose one to marry. I watched first few seasons of The Bachelor — business consultant Alex Michel, affable Andrew Firestone (heir to Firestone tires), two-time bachelor Brad Womack (who sought therapy after the first)—but they never wind up with the girl nor do they marry the girl of their pick on the show. The Bachelor mansion has rooms for girls to room-and-board, spacious kitchen and living space to socially gather, a pool to party, and a hot tub to relax or get steamy. I watched The Bachelorette because Trista Rehn, once Miami Heat Dancer and runner-up for the first season of Bachelor got her shot as the finalist after Alex Michel (to many audiences’ surprise) did not pick her at the altar. But Trista did not let this drag her down for too long. She was given her shot in finding her own man from a group of 25 men vouching for her vote at the rose ceremony. And she finds her man in one unexpected gift package. His name is Ryan Sutter, a firefighter from Vail, Colorado —a brown-eyed, brown-haired gentle soul with tall manly build, who habitually wrote and recited poems to Trista on their dates to woo her. Awww. Get this: He wrote poems to her about her. Not much money spent, but he spoke sweet-sounding words any girl would melt and be swooned. Definitely a keeper. So she picked him at the end; thus they wed in a big wedding ceremony paid for by the producers. And since then, they stayed married and had kids. That is one successful Bachelorette season.
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| Bachelorette Trista Rehn proposed by Ryan Sutter, her now husband |
The Bachelor or The Bachelorette goes on dates set up by the producers which propel the show forward as their fairy tale fantasy comes to life. The only question is: Will their relationship survive after the fantasy or the show is over?
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| Big Brother Season 18 |
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| Big Brother Season 18 winner Nicole |
Big Brother has 12 house guests live inside a house with surveillance video cameras stalled in each room until each guest is evicted out of the house. The last remaining house guest is the winner. The house guests endure events set up outdoors not tough to handle, but hard to balance as they adapt to plays and games that requires common sense, mobile/agility, focus/concentration, listening/memory and stick-to-it attitudes —sit back and watch as they tackle slippery hanging posts, glide on creamy, slippery floors, aim baskets or nets, and roll balls at tight angles. All the while building alliances to stay alive in the game, it comes down to social skills, street smarts, and undeterred focus. But watch out who you build alliances with and who you oust in previous votes because they will be your final voters on your path to win $500,000 cash prize.
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| Top Chef panel of judges |
Dish in for more than a plateful in Top Chef and Hell’s Kitchen. Handful of dozens chefs compete for a shot as a head chef at notoriously hot-tempered Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant or $250,000 to open up their own restaurants. Take not your thread and needle out to sew your best design, but your pots and pans and get ready to sear and sizzle your best dish. I have seen Gordan Ramsay while channel surfing and took a brief rest-stop because of my prior interests in cooking shows. (I used to watch Iron Chef and an acquaintance said I should marry a chef.) What I have concluded is this: Ramsay is to Hell’s Kitchen as John McEnroe was at the Wimbledon. Expect heinous fits and fiery spit-spat. Ramsay’s mouths off unfiltered epithets that Jimmy Kimmel once told him on his show to “Get out!” But it comes with being part of the show; theatrical antics hit well with audiences in reality T.V.
Twelve to twenty chefs compete in Top Chef on two cook-offs challenges that ultimately can make or break your career: Quickfire and Elimination. Quickfire, a short challenge, have the chefs rushing and scrambling to make a dish based on an announced theme at the onset of the show. The challenge is creating a dish that brings out the chosen theme. What’s the catch? Your time is ticking fast. Specified ingredients and theme must be met in your dish. Watch the clock’s hand tick-tock as your time is up in 20-minutes; time is of the essence when you are up against the clock to prepare and cook. Cut, dice, spice your dish; then boil, fry, sautée. Phew. Contestants are sometimes dropped with this bombshell: A sudden death Quick-fire. One of the chefs will be eliminated immediately. After all that is said and done, the real show begins.
Now the real challenge begins. With only few hours to spare, twelve chefs shop on a tight budget, prepare and cook a plate that not only sates your palette but tastefully brings out the theme. The challenge is meeting the budget and effectively dishing out a succulent dish that savors the judges’ tastes, leaving a panel of selected taste buds wanting more. As time runs out, the chefs are ordered to put their utensils down. The judges begin their taste for all of the chefs’ dishes and make their final decision —which dish is best/worst?
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| Hell's Kitchen |
Things are sure to get fired up in Hell’s Kitchen when peppery Chef Gordon Ramsay takes charge in the kitchen ring. A tough judge to his sous-chefs, Ramsay stirs up the show in a rowdy route at the pit of a fiery kitchen where his words spew out filthy spats as rough as a wrestle in a squalid mud ring. Pressure is on the chefs to cook up a dish that fits the bill in an open arena where customers sit in that night to wine and dine. Geepers. The chefs pan-fry and stir-fry dishes on the menu, garnish and present it on the fly to sitting customers at the restaurant. As the chefs clamor up to cook up assigned dishes, Ramsay hastily directs them with remaining time constraints, essential ingredients, and his unfiltered verbatim of their final creations. Ahhhh. The stress and pressure of this kitchen arena is high as traders on Wall Street in a spree to short-sell as quickly on a flip of a dime. Even Ramsay’s talking darts out speedily. Yikes. The hustle of chefs-in-action stirs up reality T.V. drama, and what spice up the flavor of the show is Ramsay’s force in the kitchen. Ramsay’s hustling makes the chefs’ cook-offs look like a speed race. Leave this guy not disgruntled but satisfied; otherwise he pellets out raw, unfiltered criticisms without hesitation. But his is not meant to slur or snub; tis his unrefined way of wanting more from you. Rest assured his passion is in the kitchen.
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| Hell's Kitchen winner with Ramsay |
The final two contestants making it to the last round duke it out at a cook-off battle with an hour to spare in front of a live audience. For example, in season 15 chefs Nona and Russell had 5 dishes to cook in front of a distinguished guest judges. Alfresco was their dining style; odds were less than favorable but a crowd of more than dozens stood by as attending guests to witness their battle. Then the final two enter the open kitchen arena again where they duel it out in a cook-off with the team on the kitchen floor. Alarm sounds the end of the challenge and they meet back with Ramsay. There the final two stand before a door; from here on out, only one contestant will open the door as the season’s winning chef. Simultaneously, well-chosen music accompanies the suspense at this nerve-wrecking moment. But do not hold your breath too long. The winner with the opening door is greeted by a live audience cheering in front of them and a rainbow variety of confetti —white, yellow, red, blue, greens, purple — rain, shower down revving up the festivity for this lucky winner. Wow, a moment to celebrate. Ahh. Our journey’s end has come to this defining moment and the finalist think to him/herself: I have won. That is reality TV playing up to its hype. Til next season, join them.
The only caveat in signing up for reality T.V. shows is that your contract may be only as good as someone else deems so as your worth. Consequently, few former reality T.V. winners have broken their ties to the show’s judges and branched out on their own. I have heard of actresses who have done that also with T.V. shows. (i.e. Katherine Heigl on Grey’s Anatomy) The deals they get may not be as good as it was initially promised; this is after all, reality T.V. where things can be staged and sensationalized for T.V. viewership. What I conclude from listening to follow-up videos on former contestants' update is this: Cash prize is your best bet. Most contestants new to the competitive world and fast-world of business and entertainment (“one day you’re in and the next you’re out”) may not be aware of the tricks of the trade and may get sucked into a whirlpool where they can easily drown. The industry may not be right for them; you have to be tough as nails to survive. For example, Cindy Crawford, a model from the 1990s said on T.V. “The modeling industry will use you and you have to use them back.” So nobody is going to hand you things in a silver platter like your mama told you when you were a kid. In the end, differences arise and they sought to make their own careers. They go at it independently. Take message from the proverbial adages you hear from wise old men/women: The best way to get a grip of your future is taking it by your own reins and steering it than leaving it someone else to decide. Justin Timberlake was on Star Search long, long time ago as an 11-year old kid, signed on as a N'SYNC member, later parted ways with Lou Pearlman but . . . look at where he is now. So has pop icon Britney Spears. Otherwise the winning contestants did get their first break from the reality T.V shows and you may be familiar with the following names: Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carrie Underwood, and Adam Lambert. But the rest is really up to them.
As for the reality T.V. show's rating? Yes, they have waned off over the long run by 20-70% drop in ratings over the last decade or two; but so do all T.V. shows that have gone on air for a lengthy time. The producers on reality shows can do something new and different to make the show exciting by changing things up to engage the viewers — fun, interactive ways for viewers to participate during the show via social media (during a live show for example) or ongoing, regular interactive game/play between contestants and/or judges with T.V. audiences via video/social media like boys do with video gaming. (i.e. Have former or current contestants answer phone calls than the usual telephone operators.) What do you think?
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