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THE REALITY OF REALITY TV
THE REALITY OF REALITY TELEVISION: The Psychological and Emotional Experience of the Reality TelevisionContestant
Supervised by
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UNIVERSITY OF
THE REALITY OF REALITY TELEVISION: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF
THE REALITY TELEVISION CONTESTANT
Bachelor’s Degree of Psychology
May 2014
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Contents
1. Acknowledgements 4
2. Abstract 5
3. Introduction 6
Methodological Issues 10
4. Method 12
Participants 12
Analytic Procedure 13
5. Findings 14
A Composite Textural Description 14
6. Discussion 28
Applications of Research 34
Limitations and Implications of Research 35
7. References 36
8. Appendices 40
Consent Letter 40
Interview Questions 42
Interview Transcriptions 44
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Acknowledgements
Thank you to Honey Langcaster-James for the interview supervision and guidance
provided as well as the extensive knowledge of the area. Thank you to Donna
Rockwell and David Giles for the advice given towards the methodology of this
study, and most importantly I would like to take this opportunity to thank the
participants that graciously gave their time in order to assist in the completion and
enablement of this study.
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Abstract
Reality television has recently become a cultural epidemic, yet there is minimal
scientific research available on this modern day phenomenon. This study investigates
the psychological and emotional experience of being a reality TV participant through
interviews with 14 previous contestants. Each had experience of the audition process
and televised programming of either a talent or non-talent reality TV show, all of
which experienced some level(s) of fame. A phenomenological approach to
qualitative analysis was used to extract textural themes from the interviewed accounts
in order to examine the true experiences and essences of being a reality television
participant. The study found 8 composite themes of the reality TV experience those
being; Instant fame, mistrust, participant expectancies, roller coaster emotions, family
value, reality TV stigma, all alone, and desire for aftercare. Giles & Rockwell’s Four
Phase Temporal Design of the celebrity process consisting of love/hate, addiction,
acceptance and adaption could also be applied to the reality TV participants in this
study. Participants describe the experience as nerve racking, surreal, extremely
stressful and life changing. As well as providing fun, excitement, career and life
opportunities, celebrity access, fan adoration, wealth, ego gratification, and for some
personal growth. Areas of psychological concern include feelings of isolation,
loneliness, confusion and abandonment. Findings are presented in the form of
Composite Textural Descriptions.
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Introduction
Reality television programmes are currently at the forefront of popular culture, with 5
of the top 10 most watched shows in the UK being reality TV based, pulling in an
annual average viewing figure of 13 million people (TV Licensing, 2011). Reiss and
Wiltz (2004) propose that the rising success and demand for reality television is a
consequence of Sensitivity Theory. What is proposed are 16 basic desires or motives;
those being 16 feelings of joyous emotions, goals and experiences that humans are
instinctively motivated to seek out throughout life. They found that watching reality
TV is in fact linked to arousing these basic desires, primarily status, social contact,
vengeance, order and romance. On account of this exponential demand for
mainstream reality TV and its inherent host of fame-seeking hopefuls, the dream of
fame no longer seems unattainable to the ordinary individual (Maltby et al., 2008).
Reality TV shows such as Big Brother, The X-Factor, The Only Way is Essex and a
hundred a like, have seemingly been successful in reincarnating the average Joe into
wealthy celebrity idols. And with the current economy in ever declining turmoil it’s
easy to understand the desire for such high material success in exchange for very little
effort (Rojek, 2001, p.148). The Learning and Skills Council (2006) in the UK found
that 16 per cent of 16-19 year olds believe that they are going to become famous, and
11 per cent are willing to abandon formal education in order to achieve their goal of
fame. Modern day popular culture has seemingly had an effect on those even younger
also; children under 10 years of age were asked to disclose their Christmas wish list
by National Kids Day (2006); residing in the top spot was the desire to be famous or
achieve celebrity status, followed by wealth and good looks (Johnson & McSmith,
2006).
Fame and celebrity are marked in history as two separate entities, for instance famous
historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Shakespeare and Napoleon are
glorified for their influential accomplishments among the masses of society (Braudy,
1997), whereas the more recently born title ‘celebrity’ is given to ‘a person who is
known for his well-knowness’ (Boorstin, 1961, p.57), generally measured on the
quantity of media exposure circulating contemporary culture (Gamson, 1994). The
phenomena of fame and celebrity is a significantly under researched field, and even
more so the psychology of reality television with it being a much more recent
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phenomenon. By being constricted to using mainly qualitative research methods this
area in particular has had difficultly attaining scientific credibility, not to mention the
difficulty in recruiting participants (Giles, 2000).
Some psychologists however have devised theoretical and empirical approaches to
fame examining fame desire, self-esteem, narcissism, and celebrity worship (Evans &
Wilson, 1999; Giles, 2000; Young & Pinsky, 2006; Maltby, Giles, Barber &
McCutcheon, 2005). Research has shown a positive correlation between materialism,
fame desire and the wish to appear on reality TV (Moschis & Churchill, 1978; Ryan
& Deci, 2000; Gountas, Gountas, Reeves & Moran, 2012), as well as the
susceptiveness to social influence and celebrity social power. For these particular
people their desire for fame is extrinsically motivated (Kasser & Ryan, 1996), they
seek to emulate those they admire and the lifestyle they live (Cowen, 2000). Although
seemingly materially goal orientated Maltby (2010) however discovered that these
types of extrinsic fame seekers may actually be sufferers of emotional insecurity and
aim to fulfill these materialist desires in an attempt to increase their feelings of self-
worth, and has also been associated with low physical and psychological well-being
(Kasser & Ryan, 1999). Where acquiring material attitudes can actually contribute to
the reduction of lifestyle quality (Sirgy, 1998), fulfilling intrinsic goals through fame
such as validation, developing better coping mechanisms in dealing with negativity of
the self, affiliation, and self-acceptance (Jayson, 2007), can foster personally
enriching outcomes such as self-fulfillment and genuine well-being (Kasser & Ryan,
1996).
Research into the implicit theories of fame desire has suggested a model consisting of
six factors; ambition, attention seeking, vulnerability, meaning derived through
comparison with others, conceitedness and social access. Four of these factors being
negative among the UK public the two positive factors being ambition and social
access (Maltby et al, 2008). However there is some ambiguity when determining
whether these factors are in fact negative or positive outcomes in the desire for fame
(Furnham, 1988) and lacks validity when applying across different population groups
due to no test-retest reliability. However this research and the six-factor framework
derived from it has enabled a starting point into the insight of fame desire. Maltby &
McCutcheon et al’s (2001) research implemented a three-part characterization scale
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emphasizing personality and coping in engaging in celebrity worship. Most
importantly they found that engaging in celebrity worship for intense-personal reasons
(feeling as though they share a special personal bond with their favorite celebrity) is
positively related to neuroticism, poorer physical and mental health (depression,
anxiety, somatic symptoms, social dysfunction) and poor self-concept (negative affect
and low life satisfaction). This research evidently contributes towards the ability to
understanding the mental health implications that celebrity worship involvement can
procure.
There has been a recent increase in research surrounding the psychology of the
famous and the phenomena of fame; Giles and Rockwell (2009) conducted a first of
its kind qualitative research study on the experience of being famous, using structured
interview protocol on 15 well-known American celebrities. Public recognition and
press coverage were used as criteria for selecting participants. Textural themes were
used to develop structural descriptions in the phenomenological analysis of fame and
celebrity. Moustakas (1994) data reduction guidelines were carefully followed to
audit the textural content they collected. Their research showed that loss of privacy,
gratification of ego needs, and symbolic immortality were trending topics in relation
to self. Wealth, temptations, and family impact were re-occurring worries in relation
to others, and character splitting, mistrust, and unwillingness to give up fame were all
areas of psychological concern. A developmental design within the theme of
temporality emerged from this study, which they named the ‘Four-Phase Temporal
Design’, which suggests that love/hate, addiction, acceptance, and adaption are all
phases of being a celebrity.
In addition to the many perceived benefits of becoming a celebrity (Giles, 2000), in
more recent light seen and expressed by media culture controversy has surrounded the
supposed glamour of reality television claiming that contestants are being subdued to
vulnerable emotional states for better manipulation, in hope for ample amounts of
audience grabbing entertainment (Andrejevic, 2004). Reality television contestants
are commonly faced with personal criticisms at the hands of the press and the general
public, the consequences of having consented to participate instantly allows their past
misdemeanours to become available for all to dig up and publicise, without sensitivity
towards the psychological implications that this could have on the individual in
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question (BPS, 2001). Jade Goody a 21-year-old dental nurse and former contestant
on Channel 4’s Big Brother became a media phenomenon; she acquired millions of
pounds in endorsement deals and was crowned an icon of reality TV Britain
(Independent, 2009). However during her second reality TV stint and she was re-
named ‘the most hated woman in Britain’, she was publicly called ‘pig’ and ‘fat’ and
was targeted with a number of vicious hate campaigns. One newspaper columnist
wrote “Jade is one of the most hated women on British TV and life will be hard for
her when she leaves the house but don’t feel sorry for her … vote the pig out.”
(Mohan, 2002). Sir Michael Parkinson (2009) spoke out to the BBC about the
treatment Jade had endured during her time as a celebrity, highlighting her economic
and educational background as relatively underprivileged whilst stating; ‘she was
projected to celebrity by Big Brother and, from that point on, became a media chattel
to be manipulated and exploited till the day she died.’ The story of Susan Boyle also
highly emphasised the responsibilities or lack thereof of the sufficient care of the
reality TV participant’s well being by their production company. Susan Boyle
suffered a severe ‘emotional breakdown’ after her winning appearance on Britain’s
got Talent resulting in her receiving treatment at The Priory psychiatric clinic.
Professor Chris Thompson chief medical officer at The Priory group (2009) primarily
blamed the production company involved in failing to provide her with the
appropriate psychological care needed in order to help her cope with her new found
fame, stating ‘the fact that there is consent between the TV company and contestant
does not prevent the TV company having a duty of care once that consent has been
given.’ Talkback Thames the producing company of Britain’s got Talent admitted to
not psychologically assessing participants before recruitment and agreed that their
psychological treatment policies were in need of ‘reviewing’ (Revoir & Simpson,
2009).
But what are the psychological implications of an experience such as Jade Goody’s
and Susan Boyle’s? Does everybody who partakes in reality TV seemingly suffer so?
What is the price one pays when succumbing to the dream of stardom through a
reality TV outlet? And do the affects have permanency? When interviewed about her
celebrity status Jade seemed to be under no illusions of grandeur or victimisation; "I
put myself in the limelight and I like my job”. While an ever-emerging flow of media
reports on the negative affects of reality TV and its affects on psychological wellbeing
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increasingly become apparent through media outlets, there is still insufficient
scientific research in this area to support the statements made, essentially due to the
extreme difficulty in the recruitment of applicable participants. The purpose of this
study aims to seek out these truths on a scientifically based level in order to gain true
perspective on the affects of reality TV on the reality TV participants’ psychological
and emotional wellbeing. And while most of these shows claim to use psychological
analysis as a clearance tool for participation and aftercare, it is unclear to know how
much psychological help is actually available and whether it is beneficial to those
individuals.
Methodological Approach
The primary objective of using Moustakas (1994) phenomenological approach to
qualitative analysis is to extract the true essence of the lived experiences through the
eyes of the participant, and to understand the essential meanings of the phenomena in
question. Interviews are organised into textural themes, which are derived from the
narratives as overlapping or reoccurring statements. These themes are then
synthesized into descriptions of each individual’s experience (textual and structural
descriptions), and a composite description of the meanings and the essences of the
experience is captured and constructed.
There are multiple desired aims of conducting this study, the first being to improve
our understanding of the psychological and emotional experiences of reality television
participants, by analysing the interviewed accounts of reality television contestants’
experiences. Apart from a handful of public media interview accounts from a small
number of reality TV participants, which lack scientific validity, and the theoretically
based contribution made to the area of fame and celebrity, the purpose of this
particular study was to explore the true experiences of what it is really like to be a
reality television contestant. With rare and exceptional access too relative reality TV
participants this study is able to examine the audition process, the contestants’
subjective psychological experience, the emotional journey into reality television and
the experience of ‘fame’ alongside any psychological and emotional support provided
to them. The results of this study could provide a clearer account of the psychological
experiences involved in being a reality television contestant and whether the
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psychological support during such programming is sufficient for the welfare of the
persons involved.
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Method
Participants
Approximately 60 minutes interviews were conducted with 14 selected participants
who had previously been a contestant of a UK reality television programme. The
sample consisted of 5 females and 9 males between the ages of 19 and 35. The
selection criterion was that each participant had experienced both the audition process
and the televised programming of either a non-talent or talent based UK reality
television programme. Neither age nor gender was a factor in the participant selection
process, as well as the duration of their involvement within the programme or their
celebrity status gained from appearing on such programme, as some participants
would be considered to have achieved ‘fame’ through their reality TV involvement
and some would not have. Due to geographical differences a Skype setup was used to
conduct and record the participants’ interviews. The participant’s responses were
video recorded as well as being fully transcribed manually for data analysis.
A semi-structured interview protocol was followed within this research study in an
attempt to obtain a substantial amount of qualitative data to analyse. Open-ended
questions such as: ‘Can you explain the application process?’ ‘What were the positive
experiences of taking part?’ and ‘What do you think the general public don’t know
about reality TV?’ were used in order to gain an extensive detailed account of the
participants reality television participation experience.
Each possible participant had been emailed a letter of consent to sign prior to their
interview, explaining the nature of the study, the process in which the interviews will
be conducted, and the anonymity and confidentiality of all aspects of their
participation. They were also informed about their right to remove themselves from
the study at any given time. After the interviews the data will be held anonymously.
Every effort was made to remove any details that could reveal individual identities
from the eventual report. However because they are public figures it cannot be
guaranteed that speculation will not be made as to the identity of the studies
participants.
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Analytic Procedure
Following Giles & Rockwell’s (2009) qualitative analysis methodology,
transcendental thematic analysis will be used to develop structured textural themes
using the qualitative interview data collected from the reality television contestants.
The aim in using qualitative research methods in this study is to gain a better
understanding of the experiences, emotions and the perspectives of the persons being
studied, helping to define the phenomena beneath the area of research (Elliot et al,
1999). According to Moustakas (1994) the first job of the researcher before any
analysis is to suspend any prior beliefs, perceptions and judgements one might have
about the phenomena being researched, this process is called epoche.
Moustakas (1994) data reduction guidelines will be carefully followed during auditing
to ensure objective analysis:
Every significant statement is treated as having equal value (Horizonalization)
Significant statements are highlighted and irrelevant repeated text is removed
(Delimiting Horizons and Themes)
Similar text is clustered into themes (Invariant Qualities and Themes)
Provide integrated textural descriptions of each participants experience
(Individual Textural Description)
Seek and write a composite textural description integrating all of the
participants experiences, enabling essential themes and structures to present
themselves (Composite Textural Description)
Write a composite Textural-Structural Description of the phenomena;
Moustakas refers to this as ‘intuitive integration’.
‘This description becomes the essential, invariant structure of ultimate “essence”
which captures the meaning ascribed to the experience.’ (Moerer-Urdahl &
Creswell, 2004, p.20)
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Findings
The Experience of Being a Reality Television Participant: A Composite Textural
Description
Several themes emerged from the data:
Instant Fame. Unlike those who achieve fame gradually through achievements made
in music, film, sport or their role in society at a steadier ascent the reality television
contestant acquires their fame instantaneously, overnight, and often at an
overwhelming level; “this was instant ready made fame on a real hard core level you
know.” Most participants described this as being a very surreal and difficult
experience to adjust too and felt extremely unprepared for:
“Its like a big buzz because you don’t know what to do with it when you come out, because
you go in there not knowing anything about this world and you come out and it’s like people
chasing you left right and centre. I remember like second day or third day I was like ah let me
just get the train, I’m normal I don’t wanna you know, I’m like I wanna get the train like I
used to, and I got on the train, I got off like 3 stops later, took a taxi because like everyone
was like taking pictures of me, its like [people shouting your name] etc. I was like really… it
felt good but I didn’t know how to handle it.”
After initial feelings of disorientation most participants generally reported positive
experiences with the general public following their first reality TV appearance and
innocently enjoyed the explosion of attention they received, “I started to enjoy it.” A
surge of Twitter followers, Facebook requests, people shouting your name in the
street, “people following me in their cars,” the magnitude of attention is “crazy,” and
“unreal,” provoking a mind set of “paranoia” to present itself, along with feelings of
suffocation; “everyone wanted a piece of me,” another participant reported “people
suddenly become very overly friendly and you know quite intense.” However a
humble expression of uncertainty as to why people are so interested in them is
apparent, disregarding themselves as celebrities and feel almost undeserving of the
praise they receive, “you have to make yourself feel worthy of the praise that you’re
getting.” The process of being recognised is described as being unexpected, “strange,”
and mostly flattering.
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For others, being recognised created a sense of feeling “quite powerful,” and
“important”, some even comparing themselves to the likes of “Harry Potter” and
“James Bourne” suggesting an embellishment of grandiosity. They embraced the
adoration of their fans and instated a version of themselves to deal with the invasion
into their privacy, “when you're out in public you have to you know... you have to be
someone.” And although the celebrity appreciated the worship they received
anonymity is increasingly desired, “sometimes I just wanna go oh for fuck's sake, I
just wanna do my shopping please leave me alone, but you can't.”
Regret
And for those that previously relished in anonymity soon faced the realisation that
maybe fame wasn’t for them after all, ‘subconsciously I quite like to blend in and not
be noticed, which is completely at odds with being on a reality TV show.” And
another celebrity reported “I wasn’t ready for it, like I didn’t necessarily want to be
famous, I just wanted to be successful.”
Press
When facing the invasive nature of the celebrity world and the press attention that
comes with it some participants expressed a grave sense of unpreparedness, many
participants had no idea how to initially deal with the media “games,” and somewhat
felt obliged to “sell their soul” in hopes of furthering their celebrity career. Once the
initial “novelty” wore thin a guardedness presented itself, a high sense of mistrust and
negativity towards the press built through their experience, “I actually avoid
interviews,” having press knocking on the doors of their loved ones in an attempt “to
dig up some sort of dirt on somebody to tarnish their potential career or something
like that, which happens all the time.” An element of protectiveness was displayed for
friends and family when regarding press, it’s this invasiveness that many found tough
to accept, “the press going to mum and dads house, I hated the thought of that and
what it was doing to my family members.” Negative press coverage was impactful to
those with new found fame, often facing their past misdemeanours and relationships
in printed form or on occasion unmitigated confabulation, “their stories were just
completely made up, like there was one where they said id got beaten up, which was
completely false.” However participants explained that they did start to understand,
accept and adapt to the press’ intentions and strategies, “you just kind of have to take
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that in your stride,” and many learned to use this for their own advantage; “the PR
game for me is a tool of profit.”
The monumental “jump” from being “totally unknown” to a household name
overnight is a colossal amount to adapt too in such a short period of time, “It’s such
an unnatural thing” and as a consequence “no one really understands how to deal with
it,” one participant explained. Inevitably this process sometimes caused psychological
disorientation, confusion, and distress, but was simultaneously extremely exciting to
those participants that were able to develop strong coping mechanisms in order to
embrace it.
“I think there's always psychological difficulty with being famous, and so if you're going to be
famous you have to want it in spite of that.”
Mistrust.
Production Crew
Several participants explained that whilst partaking in a reality TV programme the
very people that were put there to help, advise, assist in building careers and
essentially look after the welfare of participants also assisted in the prominent
emergence of mistrust, “I don’t trust anybody that works in television” one participant
explained. Although reporting having generally “nice” and “supportive” relationships
with the production crew participants felt torn over “who's genuinely there for like
your wellbeing or who's there because it's a TV show.” Production members were
soon looked upon as “friends,” they were very much depended on for support in an
environment where a familiar face was inexistent, but at the same time there was a
strong awareness and acceptance of “that distance, like they were just there, they're
being paid to be there.” This created a state of confusion and insecurity, so whilst
wanting to approach production for help during problematic times participants felt
unable to do so as a consequence; “next thing you know you’re getting interviewed
about it and it's going to be made into a big deal like, it's not really worth taking that
risk.”
“Trust is a thing that you sort of question with new people because they start talking to you
saying ‘oh you were on this,’ and they ask you lots of questions and you think are you actually
interested in me or just like because I've been on a TV show.”
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Personal Relationships
Creating new relationships post participation is reported as being something that
doesn’t come easy, along with people of the past that “crawl out of the woodwork,”
intentions are often questioned and feelings of being used often arose. “We had not
spoken for years and then as soon as I was on the show he was messaging me,” one
participant speaks about an ex-partner, “like do you think I don’t know why you’re
messaging me?” Many found it difficult to create friendships with new people at all
outside of the reality TV show they participated in, claiming those people to be
“hangers on,” clinging on to the fame and status they possess. Personal security is
upheld by whittling down old and new friendships to form the “circle of trust” which
acted as an emotional safety net, “a lot of those friends I've realised don't have my
best interests at heart.”
“I realised I needed my friends round me because there's a lot of industry people, people in the
industry are very fake and very you know, they tell you what you wanna hear, they tell you
what you know, you think they're your friends you're like oh my god they're amazing what
lovely people to meet, and then when stuff goes down that's bad or stuff that happens that isn't
great they don't wanna know you anymore.”
A friend or a family member selling a story to the press is the ultimate betrayal
according to some participants, and is one of the most difficult aspects to deal with,
undoubtedly it impacts ones trust beliefs irreversibly. “The people that we thought
were our friends were ringing up papers,” others have experienced the disowning of
family members “the only thing that's hurting me is he sold stories, that's the only
thing he could have done, and he's done it,” one participant explains, “knowing that
someone you love has gone to the newspapers to tell the world that story,” It’s an
extremely painful situation to be faced with and is a constant worry to those that are
thrust into the limelight.
Participant Expectancies. Some reality TV participants felt an obligation to fulfil
certain expectations in order to secure a space on reality TV, “if you want to be
successful on it you’ve got to give them what they want, because if you don’t they
will probably find someone else who will.” There’s was a general consensus of
“character casting” in which participants felt pressured and encouraged to play a
particular role assigned to them, “I think you were just there to play a role and that
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was it. I don’t think they really had your interests at heart at all.” As a result
participants became restricted in how much of their true selves was revealed, however
many learnt to accept their reality TV fate and gracefully played along with what was
expected of them, “[I remember] feeling a bit uncomfortable like in certain situations,
but just doing it because I knew that that’s what you have to do to get through.” And
unfortunately for some that also meant playing the role of the villain.
“When I first got in there I sat down on the sofas and I started watching people coming in, and
I was looking at everyone and I was thinking right right ok, she’s the sweetheart, she’s the
buxom blonde, that’s the slag, that guys the asylum seeker, that’s the hunk, he’s the
heartthrob, he’s the token gay guy, he’s the other guy gay, where’s the villain, where’s the
villain, me… these guys are trying to make me the villain.”
In spite of feeling manipulated, encouraged to over exaggerate their personalities and
probed for sensitive story lines, whether or not it’s approved of most participants
accepted that it is all a necessary part of reality TV, “it is a TV programme so it does
need to have all those things in place otherwise it’d just be a farce wouldn’t it.” And
some were better accepting of it than others, those that gracefully embraced their
character, which did sometimes mean having to say and behave in ways not
necessarily true to themselves; “I felt like, sometimes you had to kind of put on a
happy face when you weren't really happy and say things you didn't necessarily
mean,” have no regrets in doing so and have gone on to have successful careers, “I
think that’s why we did so well,” another celebrity explained. Those that struggled
with these expectations did so mainly due to unawareness, “in hindsight I didn’t really
know the scale of what I was getting myself into,” they had more regrets and had a
harder time adapting to public scrutiny and expectations; “had I been more of a strong
character… people would have loved me and I probably would have made it to the
top three.” They felt guilt over not enjoying the experience as much as they were
expected too and chose to accept circumstances they normally wouldn’t as a way of
proving their gratefulness for the opportunity; “sometimes I just wanna go home and
just like wish it'd never happened, but I just have to think of how like lucky I am, like
there's thousands and thousands of other people that would be in, want to be in my
position, and it would be like ungrateful to just throw it all away.”
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“I wasn’t a favourite so, and I had to just accept that and just go along with the game. And it’s
hard because sometimes I just wanted to go home, I just wanted to be out of it because I’m
such a realist and I will never ever change, and once I realised it was just a game I just kind of
wanted out of it, but I couldn’t get out of it because you’d have the backlash of you know,
you’ve been given this fantastic opportunity and you just chuck it in their faces kind of thing,
and I was scared of what the public and other people would think of me, so I just kind of had
to go along with it.”
Whilst dealing with the dilemma of authenticity many participants described
experiencing personal growth, for the first time seeing and learning the negative and
positive aspects of their personalities, allowing room for adjustments and the ability to
build better coping mechanisms as a result of the trials and errors of their experience,
one participant explained; “I grew up immensely… and the confidence it gave me to
know that I’m good enough how I am and I don’t need to impress everybody and
everybody doesn’t have to like me… that’s given me a positive for the rest of my
life”.
Roller Coaster Emotions. The emotional journey that the reality television
contestant embarked on was commonly compared with being on a “roller coaster”
with many “ups and downs” to travel through. From experiencing “one of the most
amazing feelings in the world” during an audition, feeling the “buzz” and
“excitement” of stepping into the unknown “it was a really big high, really big high,”
to becoming frustrated with diminishing anonymity, experiencing negative press
attention, while still trying to reap the enjoyment out of the experience, all the while
having minimal time for friends and family, it possibly was a lot of emotional
pressure for some to handle, “there’s times where I wanted to walk out.” For those
that struggled to process all of these concurring emotions there could be extreme
psychological consequences sometimes with long lasting affects; “I didn’t know what
was happening to me but it was a panic attack, and its the first time I’ve ever
experienced it, and its took me a while to kind of control that and get over it.” This
kind of emotional “breakdown” was often blamed on “lack of preparation” for dealing
with the pressure that’s amounted onto participants, blame was also projected on to
the TV show and the mechanics behind it; “Its not just manipulating people but, just
everything was aimed at being confrontational, negative, somebody could have had a
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meltdown in there, seriously, serious melt down and everything was designed like
there was no thought given to peoples mental state.”
“I personally think there are some people who you know just really shouldn’t do it, I think that
some people cant deal with it and I mean need like continual therapy as they’re becoming
famous you know in order to deal with it… I think people who are very very insecure to begin
with, because you’re always getting people saying things negative about you and if you don’t
have a thick skin… then I think you’re potentially a lamb to the slaughter, I don’t think that
some people should do it.”
Those who were more accepting and understanding of the emotional pressures of
reality TV tended to cope better, they relied heavily on the emotional support of the
other contestants and felt “lucky” to be “experiencing it altogether as a group,”
gratefully acknowledging that they would have struggled without them; “if it was just
me on my own doing it I think I probably would have cracked up.” For some,
research into what was to be expected during their experience better prepared them
for their roller coaster ride and inevitably had a more enjoyable time as a result.
“I knew that it was going to be stressful, I knew it was going to be happy, I knew it was going
to be amazing, I knew at times it was going to wanna make me cry, I knew at times it was
going to make me incredibly happy and, but that was the roller coaster of being on TV and
being a pop star.”
Family Value. The impact that being on reality TV could have on the family was a
constant worry for participant, “I don't wanna upset my family you know… I don't
want them to feel jealous of what I've got or anything you know so I try and include
them all in everything that I do.” The support of family members during this
transitional period was absolutely crucial in “staying on a level” of normality. But for
the unlucky few family support wasn’t always available, making the experience
somewhat tougher to enjoy; “my family weren't very supportive of me going on the
show so that was quite hard, that was quite difficult for me.”
“If you haven't got the family and friends you know support system around you when you get
back, I can imagine it's a big struggle, I can imagine it's very very tough to adjust in being
back and possibly feels very lonely as well.”
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Family support was essential during participation, for those that become successful
and even more so for those that struggled with the tough journey from reality TV star
status to the once before “working man.” Most participants dedicated overcoming
emotional challenges, loneliness and insecurity to their family and close friends, “I’m
so grateful for my family,” and admit they probably couldn’t have survived the
transition without them.
“If I lost all my friends and family because of this job I would 100% quit it because I don't
think that you can, you can do this job and it can be amazing, but I think one thing I don't
wanna have is to look back in 20 30 years time and be sat in sat in my house having all this
success that I have but having no one to share it with, no family, no friends.”
Reality TV Stigma.
Hidden Realities
Most participants expressed that what went on behind the scenes of the typical reality
TV show was far from what it seemed to the general public, describing it as being
stressful, tiring, demanding and far from the glamour that’s portrayed.
“I think they don't realise how much pressure it is, how stressful it is like, they don't see like
the hours that you get up from, the time you go to bed, they don't see how much you rehearse
and how much filming you doing. You know they don’t see like your relationship with other
contestants, I think that the majority of the public probably just think it's such an easy ride,
like you audition, you get through, you get on the live show, you get lovely hair and make-up,
and then you get a record contract at the end, like and its really not like that at all.”
There was a certain amount of acceptance for the hard work that was expected of the
participant even though there was a lack of preparation and awareness for it;
“rehearsals I dunno it was all pretty stressful and tiring but it was a big opportunity so
I think if you wanna, if you’re lucky enough to get an opportunity like that then
waking up and having to sing on a Tuesday at 9 o'clock in the morning isn’t that bad.”
However there was a sense of feeling unappreciated by the public for the hard work
and pressure that went into participating in a reality TV programme, due to feeling
stigmatised by the public. There was a strong dislike for being labelled a “reality TV
star;” that being someone who wants to be famous just to be famous, some even
describing this as being the worst aspect of their experience. Even though some
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admited having the same pre conceptions of reality television participants before
experiencing it for themselves.
“People would say 'you were on [reality TV programme]?' and I’d be like, I would be like 'yeh
but you know I'm not like a reality TV star’… And I had this whole thing pattered down so
that when people asked me about it I could basically tell them like 'yes but I'm different, I did
a good one', and like 'I'm not one of those douchebags'… it was just kind of like 'I don't think
[other reality participants] are losers but I assume you think that they are, and I don't want you
lumping me with them'.”
Post-Involvement
Coming off the show some reality television participants felt wrongly judged by the
general public; “if I meet new people they have a pre conceived idea of what you’re
going to be like,” resulting into feeling pressured into having to become or act as the
character or person they were portrayed as. They also felt as though they had to
“prove themselves” as being serious musicians/actors/entrepreneurs when stepping
out into the world of career opportunities post filming, due to the “paranoia” that
consumed them, other people’s opinions started to rule their sense of self, “now in my
head I feel that people think that I cant sing, and I feel that its a constant thing that I
have to prove that I can sing.” Even those that became instant successes were filled
with paranoia about being “good enough,” one celebrity explained “I'm always
questioning whether people like me or not and it's something that unfortunately in this
industry you get paranoid.” Participants described it as being a constant battle against
the inevitably gained stigma of taking part in reality TV, trying to be true to oneself,
whilst living up to the expectations of the general public, whilst trying to prove
themselves as seriously career driven, success hungry individuals. Many struggled
with clearing themselves of their “label,” some went into hiding in hopes that time
will rid them of it, some worked extra hard, extra hours, even changed names for a
better shot at a job opportunity. “A lot of the big theatre company’s and casting agents
wouldn’t even look at me because id been on a reality TV show so I found I had to
work really hard to prove that I can do the job.” One participant explained:
“Its quite hard like being in the music business and trying to get deals and stuff is hard, you
get meetings because you’re on a programme and you got a good reaction or you looked like
you had good potential but then you leave the meeting because you were on the programme
and they cant do anything with you.”
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Back to Reality
Going back to work can be quite the struggle explained some participants, as feelings
of being a “failure” consume them, the transition from being a celeb, “next thing
you’re a z-lister, next thing you’re a working man, but as a working man you’re still a
z-lister… people are always going to recognise you” some participants describe this
as being embarrassing. Many participants expressed continuation of the pursuit of a
celebrity career in hopes of never experiencing failure, but this can lead to becoming
penniless in the process, having this “level of fame” and no money “it doesn’t balance
up, there’s no synergy,” some are wise enough to face this reality sooner rather than
later; “I’d got out before it go to that point for me… otherwise, that’s how you start
getting depressed,” one participant explained “there’s nothing worse than being a
broke celebrity.” For those that were fortunate enough to develop a career from the
back of appearing on reality TV are extremely lucky, others felt that appearing on
reality TV did their career damage, rather than improve their chances of success.
Peace is found by appreciating the positives that being on reality TV has given them
such as, gaining prosperous contacts and experience within their desired industry,
building helpful coping mechanisms, and experiencing an initial “taste” of success; “I
moved to London and I started going in the studio just two days here and there with
loads of different new people… It was good though, good times, I was proud of it, I
wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t meet half of the people that I’ve met
without being on that programme.”
Isolation. Once the participant’s television experience is over, the question of what
happens next is of key to all. Some are evicted, some voted off, some finish filming a
series or some just leave, although very different circumstances all the above tended
to have very similar emotional and psychological effects. In whichever way the
participant ends his/her reality TV experience, the minute they stepped through their
metaphorical exit all support, communication, security and self-importance that once
played a substantial part in emotional survival were instantaneously dissipated, “I
came out and it was like oh my god I’ve got no money, no job, nothing, like nothing,
like no one cares, you’re just dropped like a hot potato.” As many participants gave
up aspects of their lives such as jobs, accommodation and other opportunities for their
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reality TV spot, this could be even more of a shock to the system once one left the
“bubble” of the show.
“Well that’s the hardest thing is there is no transition as such, it's you're in you're out, that’s it
and the first time it really fucked me up like in terms of, I just didn't know where I was… just
really down and down for ages coz it was over and there was no, kind of no one to talk about
it too… apart from friends and family, like it would have been nice if one of the producers
rang and been like 'how've you been [participant’s name]?’.”
A huge sense of feeling “dropped,” left alone, and uncared for overcomes many of the
reality TV participants, left to their own devices with no advice as to what comes
next, how to deal with celebrity life, how to cope with being famous, or how to deal
with the disappointment of not achieving what was hoped for, “[I thought] you know
this is finally the time, and it obviously didn’t and I mean that was like a massive
disappointment, a lot of emotion and kind of like frustration and kind of like felt lost
again, confused and questioning everything.” Also most importantly help and advice
on how to care for their own psychological wellbeing was not provided, “you just
come out and you just go straight into the big wide world. The first night you come
out the next morning you’re in the hotel there is like agencies pitching to you, but
after that no, you are pretty much on your own.” Shoved into a whirlwind world of
being photographed, being asked for autographs, expected to make public
appearances, people screaming your name, being bundled from event to event, some
even having to deal with negative press and public attention, but all the while not
having the initial underlining emotional support that was somewhat in place during
filming to help the participant process and understand their new environment; “like all
of a sudden you're, you haven't got these sort of people around you anymore.”
“There was never really a time to actually process what id just gone through, you’re just on
this roller coaster and then all of a sudden it stops. But even when you come out you got
people coming up to you in the street and you just don’t really know how to process it, and
people are like 'oh you’re famous' and I’m like no I’m not famous… I think you could do with
[support] after being a part of something so huge, it’s not normal.”
Exploiting Fame Opportunities
Some participants explained that they are signed up to celebrity management the
second they left, life catapulted into extreme busyness and most expressed that they
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enjoyed this initial period of attention and new opportunity, however due to lack of
knowledge/understanding of the industry many initially expected more from their
management in terms of advice, support and guidance, grasping on for some kind of
help in handling their manic surroundings, but swiftly learnt to know otherwise;
“unless you’re doing an event with [management]… you’re on your own.” Time with
management was dependant on how much demand there is for the participant, and
once this demand began to decline the effects could be destructive, management
expresses no reason to continue, press attention diminishes drastically and the reality
TV participant slowly integrated back into anonymity, “what emotionally messed me
up is like the things that the management wanted me to do I didn’t want to do, and
then they just dropped me straight away.” This process affected self-esteem,
confidence, stability and the ability to face reality, hiding away from the fact that their
five minutes of fame may just be about up.
“I didn’t know how to take all of this. Bearing in mind one minute I was nobody, next minute I
was somebody, so it went up like this, went like that [flatline] and then down, it went flat and
then it went down… I would hide at home and just not leave my house for a few days, I’d get
invited to events again, but not go and not attend to the event, just say like no I’m not coming
out.”
Some seemed to cope better with the transition than others. Those that emotionally
handled it better had lower expectations before partaking, had a stronger support
system in their friends and family, are more objectifying, and were a lot more
emotionally resilient; “I’m quite resilient but I’m able to react to a situation and try to
turn the negative into a positive, there’s no point moaning about it, there’s no point
bitching and crying, now I’m here how can I get back to here in my own way.”
Desire for Aftercare. The desire for psychological and emotional aftercare was
reported by many, even for those that felt they handled the experience well still
expressed they would have benefitted from “an obligatory sort of half hour to an
hour” session with a someone to talk too about their experience, as most felt uncared
for, forgotten about and cut off from the production company, “even if you tried to get
in contact with them it was like you're yesterdays news, you're not in the competition
anymore so go away, stop bothering us, you know.”
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“I felt like there just wasn’t enough help, I feel like they should have maybe just kept in touch
for the first few months or even throughout the duration of the show, and I'm not saying like a
daily kind of thing but you know every couple of weeks, why couldn't they have picked up the
phone and just you know, give us all a call and just, send a message, an email, anything.”
The want for aftercare was emphasized during emotionally difficult times, especially
during fame withdrawal. A lack of guidance was also prevalent among the
participants, many felt misled with their finances, not given enough guidance in how
to utilize possible opportunities, and left feeling like a money making entity to those
around them; “you should have more time with them to advise you what to do with
this, that would have kind of helped, but no, no guidance, so there should have been
some sort of guidance towards everything.”
In some instances there was a psychological session offered to the participant on
exiting the show, but the excitement and “buzz” of this new environment clouds any
awareness of needing psychological help or support. It is time after that the help is
needed but not available, “someone should be there to help you out.” The “crash” is
an emotionally and psychologically significant time period in which any disturbances
that may be present start to emerge drastically during fame withdrawal, if these issues
were not dealt with to the satisfaction of the participant they can go on to interfere and
influence the reality stars future emotional and psychological wellbeing. Permanent
damage is possible; some speak of “lost confidence,” experiencing “depression,”
alcohol being used as a coping mechanism for the “lack of support” available, stints in
rehab, emotional turmoil and even suicide. It is during this time participants required
psychological support and felt it’s the production companies duty to provide this, but
were left disappointed, let down and left to go home and deal with the struggle alone.
One participant explained:
“I moved back home, and I got, then I got really depressed… I actually got really like tearful,
I couldn’t stop crying for about a week like I kept bursting into tears, it was a bit of self pity,
and it was a bit like I’ve finally realised that it was all kind of, just really need to let go of the
past, stop over playing things in my head, draw a line under it, take what I’ve learnt from the
experience and move on.”
Many participants reported that family and friends played an essential role during this
time, but a feeling of disconnect naturally establishes itself; “I felt detached to my
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friends,” due to a lack of mutual understanding of the experience, “you can’t expect
other people to understand what you’ve been through and what you’ve gained and
what you’ve seen.” As a result participants craved the chance to speak to someone
who has shared their experience, as a hope in gaining some perspective and
understanding over what they were emotionally dealing with, whether that be a fellow
participant, a member of the production team or a psychologist. One participants
describes how having such support could have contributed to an easier transition;
“they may be able to give you some coping mechanisms as to how you proceed and
go forward which would be really helpful coz you don’t know what to do.”
“Three months in a situation that’s so surreal you cant even explain to anyone else, no one
else will ever know unless they’ve done it, so that puts a little like disconnection or little
barrier between you and someone, they cant really know where your heads at or what you’ve
been through.”
Reality TV experience as a Four-Phase Temporal Design
There was a period of love/hate towards the reality TV experience and the fame that
can be acquired; a phase of addiction in which participants acknowledge feelings of
withdrawal to the experience of reality TV and fame, and the goal of fame upkeep is
of focus; an acceptance phase that allows participants to accept the fate of their
experience as well as the ambivalent aspects it encompasses; and lastly a phase of
adaption where new coping mechanisms and behaviors are developed in order to deal
with the new life changes that appearing on reality television can create.
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Discussion
The objective of this study was to understand the emotional and psychological
experiences of being a reality television contestant, using Giles & Rockwell’s (2009)
qualitative study on the affects of fame as a model. Firstly the findings corroborate
with Giles and Rockwell’s Four Phase Temporal Design theory of fame in that reality
television participants travel through a process of four temporal phases; love/hate,
addition, acceptance and adaption. They describe these phases as a general
progression in which those who are experiencing fame travel through throughout their
life span. This developmental design can be applied to those partaking in the
experience of reality TV as well as the fame either acquired or unsuccessfully
sustained during the process.
Love/Hate. There is a strong sense of enjoyment when discussing partaking in reality
television. Most participants describe it as being a ‘brilliant experience’, having much
gratitude for the people they have met and the ‘surreal’ surroundings they have
encountered, whilst at the same time having many reservations with the process of
participation, and the psychological implications left to deal with once the show is
over; “the best parts for me actually were also the worst parts.” Emulating Giles and
Rockwell’s findings those that acquired fame through reality TV generally relished on
positive public attention but also struggled when adapting to their sudden magnitude
of popularity; “the novelty of it is exciting but then actually how tedious time and
time again to never have your own space for... your own thoughts, like to yourself.”
The reality television experience overall has a strongly reported theme of being both
negative and positive; “It's good and it's bad.”
Addiction. The feeling of addiction is present in both those who have achieved and
sustained fame and those who have experienced diminishing or short-lived fame.
Those that once felt the enjoyment of adoration, attention, self-importance and the
material benefits that accompany fame evidently express a sense of withdrawal once
their public demand and status starts to decline, one participant stating; “I think its
just having that mass exposure and then... just having the rug pulled out from
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underneath you that’s the best way I can describe it. Some people can take it, some
people cant,” and another, “everything stops, the attention stopped, autographs
stopped, the pap’s stopped, the whole lot just cuts off, fizzles out within about a week
and then you suddenly like, I just crashed.” Those that have been fortunate to
maintain their attained fame through reality TV express fear toward the possibility of
having to live without fame; “I've never been addicted to anything really, but I'm
addicted to my job, I couldn't live without this job.” The fear of one day having to
return to a regular job is difficult to deal with, “that's going to be the biggest struggle
for me,” one post reality TV celebrity said, “I'm not going to be able to just walk back
into a call centre and start working again.”
Acceptance. During the initial encounters of reality TV and its resulting fame
concerns such as mistrust, manipulation by production, expectations as a contestant,
disappointment, press evasiveness and emotional pressure arise intensely. The
participant learns to accept these challenging aspects of the experience as either being
a necessary part of taking part in reality TV, “I understand that's the process and that’s
what its all about,” or of being famous, “unfortunately like I said before it's what my
job's all about, you just get used to it.”
Adaption. Once accepting that the consequential aspects are “part and partial of
being on reality TV” the participant unsupported and unprepared embarks on life after
reality TV, learning new ways in which to best adapt oneself to their state of
surrounding. Whether that be going back to a regular job or launching a celebrity
career most participants struggle emotionally and psychologically during this period,
“there was times I was like, I would hide at home and just not leave my house for a
few days.” Whilst some participants used drugs and alcohol as an adaption tool, “the
more pissed you get the less you cared about people recognising you,” another
participant said “I mean emotionally I didn’t wanna, I was like if I felt sad I will
drink.” Most participants acknowledged the great importance of friends and family in
their adaption process, “I think in this kind of job you need that so much, you need to
have good people around you” one celebrity reported, “I think that's by far the most
important thing and that made me very easily adjust,” said another.
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Expectedly many of the emotional and psychological struggles found in Giles’ study
of fame such as mistrust, isolation and the un-pleasurable loss of anonymity were
present in reality TV participants as well as the appreciation for celebrity access, and
fan adoration. The feeling of “being in a bubble” during their experience is a
consuming one, in which participants become “paranoid,” lonely, and self-
diminishing, whilst also experiencing self-importance, extreme emotional highs and
enjoyment. Stepping outside of that reality TV bubble can lead to a sense of
withdrawal and feeling alone, increasing the probability of psychological and
emotional affects; “that bubble goes along for so long and then its going to burst, and
it will either burst and you’ll be fine, or you’re going to break down.” This part of the
research is important in understanding the potential psychological implications and
the extent of their continuance.
The process of becoming a reality TV ‘star’ appears to be an extremely stressful,
tiring, terrifying, manic and more than anything exciting one. The desire for fame,
celebrity careers, future opportunities or just a life altering experience drive the
participants into their journey with high hopes of success and happiness. Fame is
acquired instantaneously and the unknown becomes the well known, privacy quickly
diminishes, and a sea of fans flock to adore, admire and support. Being “constantly
watched” anonymity soon becomes a thing of the past and unenjoyably so, once
establishing their fame participants start to crave their once owned obscurity, again
confirming the findings of Giles & Rockwell’s (2009) research. This sudden attention
is difficult to adjust too, disorientating and most feel extremely unprepared for it. The
rollercoaster “ups and downs” of suspense, anxiety, excitement and disappointment is
a tough and gruelling ride for many participants who on occasion feel the need to seek
psychological advice and support in dealing with this magnitude of emotion. More
resilient characters still experience these emotions but prepare themselves before
partaking with better coping mechanisms and knowledge of what was to be expected.
“Once you're famous you can't not be famous, like you can't all of a sudden decide ‘oh today
I'm not going be famous anymore,’ like you can't just quit your job, like even if you know,
even if you packed your job in now you're still always going to be [recognised], so it's kind of
like a life long commitment that you don't really prepare yourself for.”
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Amidst this new environment relationships with family, friends and acquaintances
begin to change, acquaintances start to become “much more friendlier,” with a 1/3 of
the population affected by Celebrity Worship Syndrome (Maltby, Houran &
McCutcheon, 2003) it’s easy to understand why the participant senses aspects of
fakery and feelings of being “used.” Friendships and partner relationships either
strengthen with the support needed from them or can become strained under the
pressures of absence, and jealousy, with mistrust being a destructive factor. During
this period of “people coming out of the woodwork,” it is difficult for the reality TV
participant to know who he or she can trust, as a result the trust previously formed
with friends and family is sacred, breaking of this trust can be devastating to
emotional stability, this parallels Giles & Rockwell’s study also. Having a strong
family and friends’ support system is “by far the most important thing” for the
psychological and emotional wellbeing of the participant during this time.
During filming the reality TV production company and the press reinforce mistrust,
feeling tricked, misinformed and not caring for their best intentions the participant
starts to retract away from the proposed support that is offered to them by production
in a bid to protect themselves from being misled into emotional battle. Although
developing pleasant friendships with production professionally they are viewed as the
untrusted, they are there to seek out TV entertaining emotions, and to the detriment of
participants’ emotional wellbeing. Some participants are pushed to emotional limits,
which in extremities can lead too lasting psychological affects such as the loss of self-
esteem and confidence, panic attacks and in some cases even violence. One Big
Brother incident saw its psychologist resign due to a violent occurrence that broke out
between contestants, media manipulation by the production company being the
biggest topic of debate (Andrejevic, 2004). To many the participant-production
relationship is confusing; participants wish to seek support from them but are also
weary of their presence, peace and respect are found by accepting that “they are just
doing their job.”
The participant feels manipulated into acting and behaving as a character they have
been “cast” for, in fear of loosing their opportunity; “I think we were being pushed
into being more, maybe a caricature of who we are.” Some happily and willingly
accept this as being a necessary part of reality TV, and begin to depersonalise
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themselves whilst in public to better reflect their portrayed character, in a bid to earn
success in doing so, Adler & Adler (1989) call this “self-glorying,” this process can
potentially see the sacrificing of personality dimensions and “future selves”, as Adler
& Adler’s research found that those who follow their portrayed media character are
more likely to become that character. For those participants who struggle in the up
keep of their assigned image, confusion of self, a sense of feeling lost and isolation
are experienced. Those who have gained celebrity status post filming and those that
experienced less emotional struggle felt as though they were honest and “themselves”
during filming, and those that suffered emotional distress and disappointment in their
achievements felt less like themselves and more manipulated into playing a
“character” during filming. Some unfortunately are cast as playing the villain,
inevitably a cause for concern on their entrance into the media spotlight, Nadia
Almada a former Big Brother contestant attempted suicide after extensive negative
attention she received from the general public and press due to being ‘shown as the
villain,” explaining “I’m just gutted. I hate my life so much right now and sometimes
ending it all is the only solution” (Mail Online, 2010). Marshall (1997) explains that
this kind of public ridiculing occurs due to the celebrity representing false success, in
that they have essentially achieved it without any work. One participant expresses the
same beliefs; “I like internally validate myself by own like achievements… business
pursuits, and that’s what I kind of consider real achievements, not being famous.”
However the production’s editing process isn’t or shouldn’t be the focus of concern
because essentially “it’s a TV programme,” one participant explains; “I understand
that's the process and that’s what its all about, if you cant open yourself up to it you
shouldn't even, people shouldn't have even gone on there.” In this example it’s
Nadia’s psychological aftercare that should be of priority and ultimately under the
spotlight, as public shaming and humiliation is a risk factor for suicide (Kaslow,
2009).
Expressing or finding ones ‘true self’ is of high priority within celebrity culture (cited:
Giles, 2000) and the obsession with authenticity has had some devastating and
extreme consequences, as a way of ending their battle with self-insincerity suicide can
seem like the only answer. Like Cobain and Hemingway they ‘would rather be dead
than be insincere.’ This is not the only precursor of suicide within celebrity culture,
the loss of fame can have tragic results also, within this study the withdrawal from
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fame or from the reality TV “bubble” is the most detrimental to psychological and
emotional wellbeing. Addiction to fame keeps the participant motivated in the upkeep
of their attained fame, if all else fails and it is lost the participant is left feeling
“dropped” and overwhelmingly alone, depression possibly being a resulting
condition.
The pressures of instant fame, attention, expectancies and mistrust can take their toll
on the unprepared reality TV participant. Although admitting “nothing can prepare
you for being famous,” those that did prepare themselves before hand or had previous
audition experience coped better emotionally. Raising the awareness of the lack of
psychological preparation that reality TV contestants receive, many expressed the
wish for more. And although it can be argued that participants nominate themselves to
take part, this is not always the case. A resident of the recent Channel 4 reality
television series ‘Benefits Street’ claimed he was ‘duped into taking part.’ Richard
McKerrow the creative director of the series admitted that more support should be
offered to participants post reality TV. Professor John Oates Chair of the BPS
commented on this issue (BPS, 2014):
‘Richard McKerrow is right in that more care is needed. However, if the effort is put in to
ethics and care at the very earliest stages of production it can improve the support for
participants from the start, and in some cases steer production companies away from serious
mistakes.’
The findings in this study show the strong desire for aftercare is unanimous among
participants, as well as better designed care during filming i.e. somebody who’s not a
part of the production company they may have trust issues with. Some participants
appreciate the nature of reality TV shows and accept the emotional difficulties that
affiliate with partaking but would still appreciate more advice, guidance and support
before, during, and over a period of time post filming. Some TV programmes offer
the opportunity to meet with a psychologist immediately after exiting the show but
participants express this as being and unhelpful tool as they are in the midst of
experiencing the excitement of the fame they have acquired. Although many do
express the need for support in dealing with the initial attention and expectancies they
experience. Psychological help from a psychologist or someone who has experience
in the field is of need further along the line post filming, and is stressed by
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participants to be most desired during the decline of public attention. Participants
predict that this help would have decreased levels of stress, anxiety, feelings of
confusion, isolation and unhappiness. General guidance with finances, utilising job
opportunities, transitioning back into work and home life was also of importance to
the participants, many felt lost in regards with what to do when it all ended, which
contributed to declining happiness.
The experience of being part of a reality TV show is an unimaginable one, almost all
participants regardless of their discrepancies admitted that they would “do it again in
a heartbeat.” Some appreciated the experience much more than the fame, explaining
that “not being famous is the key” in being able to completely enjoy the experience.
For the lucky few it has provided, worldwide fame, wealth and unimaginable
opportunities, “the pro's definitely outweigh the con's.” One said:
“I love the whole experience it was amazing from start to finish, I mean there was always highs
and lows, the stresses, the happiness, the confusion, everything, there was so many, all them
different emotions, but it was probably one of the best life experiences I've ever had and you
know it changed my life.”
Applications of Research
This research has applications for counsellors, psychotherapists and other mental
health professionals as well as the BPS, reality TV production companies, and others
that have responsibility in caring for the wellbeing of reality TV participants, family
members and the participants themselves. These findings can also be used to increase
the knowledge of the usually untelevised experiences of reality TV participants whilst
perhaps increasing the empathetic understanding of their psychological journey,
particularly in cases of negative press and public attention. The psychological
consequences can be irreversible so it is important to address them. Also these
findings present the importance of having strong family support systems during this
type of experience, this is something to consider with future reality TV participants,
perhaps in providing extra support to those who are disadvantaged in this area.
Preparation is key to enabling a smoother transition into fame, or even back into
normality, this finding can help production companies in improving the structuring of
their support systems. This research can also provide helpful information to those
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planning on pursuing a reality TV experience, in aiding them with some guidance of
what psychological and emotional implications to expect on their journey.
Limitations and Implications of Research
Participants were firstly asked questions about their application and audition process
in a bid to make them feel more comfortable and at ease when facing questions about
their emotional and psychological needs, in a hope to extract responses as truthful as
obtainable. With a great owning of mistrust towards press and interviewers some
participants may have felt reluctant to be completely honest during their interview.
Some of the participants have a personal relationship with the researcher, which could
be proposed as a being a limitation, however this study wouldn’t have been possible if
this wasn’t so, as the recruitment of such participants is extremely difficult. The
interviews were conducted over Skype due to geographical difficulties, which caused
some limitations in a few instances of recording and connection difficulties, which
could be improved in future studies of this kind, although again this was the only
feasible access available in retrieving the interviews. With psychological research into
the experiences of reality TV participants being extremely limited this research could
enable further scientific research into this area, as this study was limited by the lack of
attention to the participants backgrounds, childhoods and personality dimensions etc.
Further research in this area is required in order to look at therapeutic interventions,
designing individualised coping mechanisms and preparation strategies as part of a
better care system for reality TV participants.
Nether the less the experience of taking part in a reality television programme is one
that nobody can prepare himself or herself for. It is a rollercoaster journey of intense
and exciting ups and downs, feeling excitement about what prospects the future might
hold whilst living in a fearful world of becoming unknown. Along with feelings of
isolation, loneliness and confusion participants describe the experience as a nerve
racking, surreal, extremely stressful and life-changing process. Despite its hardships
being a reality television participant is also described as being an extremely fun and
exciting experience, providing career and life opportunities, celebrity access, fan
adoration, wealth, ego gratification, and for some personal growth.
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