Been watching a variety of competitive reality TV recently, from Hell’s Kitchen (my favorite of the bunch) to So You Think You Can Dance, and Rockstar: Supernova, which are two of Ei-Nyung’s many addictions. The thing that’s really occurred to me recently is that a lot of the contestants on a lot of these reality shows, even when you get down to the last 10 contestants, are *obviously* never going to win. Either they don’t have the talent to do so, or they’re simply not a right fit for the contest, in a situation like Rockstar. On Rockstar, it’s so clear that there’s maybe two people in the running, at the *most*. On Hell’s Kitchen, the same thing – for the judging process to have any integrity, there’s honestly only maybe two people who could *possibly* win.
But for some reason, you often hear the fodder talking smack about how they’re gonna win it all, and it’s strange – I wonder if I were in that situation, if I were a generic college folk rocker, trying out to be the lead singer for a metal band, if I’d just go, “You know, maybe this isn’t the right thing for me,” and finish the competition without saying, “I’m AWESOME, and if you don’t realize it, you’re a LOSER!”
*shrugs*
Maybe I wouldn’t know. Maybe I wouldn’t care, because really, if what your goal is is stardom, you just need people to remember you. And a whole lot more people are going to remember Sara, from psychobitch from Hell’s Kitchen, than her meek, quiet competitor Maribel, who will fade from the public’s consciousness in a matter of … who?
Still – It’s just weird to see people who are so, so obviously out of their league competing for something – it’s almost boring to watch, because you know that for the next five weeks, nothing of consequence is going to happen…
Ah, well. Whatever.
“which are two of Ei-Nyung’s many addictions.”
LOL, buuuuurn. You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.
In any case, to borrow and mangle a line from Barbara Bush, I don’t know why you ruin your beautiful mind wondering about stuff like “So You Think You Can Dance.”
Here’s a blog topic: Why smart people who know better watch that garbage! 🙂
A_B-
because they can. because everyone has to allow themselves those dirty little things that make them smile or make them happy. for me it’s euro-pop or 80’s music. sure it’s really not all that unique as far as music goes, but it puts a smile on your face and makes you feel like hopping around like a bunny.
That’s a good point. I shouldn’t feel dirty and ashamed because of my love for Ann Coulter. joseph, you have set me free!!!1!!11!
*dance like a bunny with signed copy of Godless*
I *knew* you were into Coulter. Tsk tsk.
The guy they kicked off this week on RockStar was apparently kicked off because — in addition to not having a good week and not getting the right style of music — he was quoted in an interview saying that he isn’t too psyched to win and that he doesn’t like the band’s music. So they called him on it and he couldn’t really defend himself, so he got the boot.
I think that there are at least 4 people really in the running for RockStar.
So You Think You Can Dance is awesome because at top 6 (or even at top 8), every single person is a great dancer, both technically and expressively. It’s pretty clear who the winner will be, but despite that clarity, the competition is exciting because they are just that good at what they do.
My own shameful reality addiction is Project Runway. Early on, it is pretty easy to tell who will probably make it to the final three, but it is still fun to see what the others come up with each week. Fashion disasters are just as satisfying as beautiful outfits.
These shows always frutrate me because they are heavily edited and many times semi-scripted. Life can not fit into a one hour show, unless it’s reality television.
Reading “Me and Pedro” helped me to really think about these characters as real people. And if that is how real people are in the United States… well, it’s no wonder Bush is President.
I’m actually pretty peeved with So You Think You Can Dance right now. I hate it when the competition isn’t about the task at hand and is instead about something as ridiculous as someone’s ability to speed dial for two hours. I wish the judges had maintained control over the final results like they did in the first half of the season. If they did, I think Allison would still be in it.