by Deanna Reyes
Staff Writer
It is 8 p.m. and 16 castaways eat rats for dinner. A beauty queen helps dye a contractor’s hair blue. Five adolescent boys are scrutinized for not knowing the lyrics to a song. Cameramen are all around, watching every single move; capturing life with the unblinking eye. No, this is not describing an episode from the “Twilight Zone.” It is reality. Reality based television that is.
Reality based television shows managed to make a splash this summer. Almost every station was saturated with one type of reality show or another, from castaways on a deserted island to 10 people stuck in a house together for three months. Watching other people compete for cold-hard cash or witnessing the workings of everyday social interaction became a “glued to the television” phenomena. Audiences became drawn into these people’s lives, rooting for their favorites to win or making a 99 cent call to banish the “House Guest” they despised. Life as it was known was altered for those few summer months; schedules were rearranged so as to not miss an episode and dinner conversations changed from politics to the latest happenings in the show.
“Deprived of basic comforts, exposed to harsh natural elements, your fate at the mercy of strangers who would you become?” These the words Mark Burnett, creator of “Survivor.” “Survivor,” the first reality based show introduced this summer, captured audiences with its “primal instincts” basis.
In March, 16 people were made to abandon ship in the middle of the South China Sea, where they were forced to survive on a remote island for 39 days with total strangers. These strangers soon became friends, some even enemies. Back stabbing and malicious tactics proved to be the only true tools for survival.
The comforts of home were nowhere in sight; the castaways had to use their own natural means of survival in order to come out victorious.
The weak were weeded out in the beginning through a series of meetings called Tribal Councils. In Tribal Council, one person would be voted off the island by their fellow castaways. “Immunity Challenges” and “Reward Challenges” managed to keep the survivors busy. Due to extreme hunger and lack of food, the castaways ate rats, eel, larva and even tried dog food. They demonstrated the true definition of “roughing it.” After 39 days of mental and physical hardship, the ultimate survivor emerged. Richard Hatch, a 39-year-old corporate trainer from Newport, RI is now $1 million wealthier and the proud owner of a brand new Pontiac Aztek.
CBS’s “Big Brother” was also another prime time hit. The show dealt with 10 House Guests competing to win a cash prize of $500,000. These House Guests lived together for three months, completely secluded from the outside world. The house had no television set, no telephone, no computer and no washer and dryer.
The show featured a “back to basics” theme, making House Guests wash their clothes on a wash board and hang them to dry on a clothes line, bake their own bread, tend to their garden and collect eggs from chickens. Three months of 24-hour a day, 7-day a week exposure to one another led to close bonds between the House Guests. Each week, the House Guests had to mark one of their own for banishment. Differing from “Survivor’s” form of elimination, the television audience was able to make a 99 cent phone call to vote for who they wanted to leave the show.
After 88 days, three of the House Guests walked away with a reward. Curtis, an attorney from Fullerton, Calif., won the third place prize of $50,000. Josh, a student from Santa Maria, Calif., placed second winning $100,000. Lastly, the “Big Brother” winner was Eddie, a student from the University of Texas, and at 21 years of age, the youngest of the House Guests.
“Making the Band” was a reality show that followed the making of a new boy band. It took the audience through all of its successes and failures as the band tried to make it in the business. The group had countless arguments, leadership problems and choreography mishaps. Each episode highlighted their improvements or struggles, and showed them working toward their first performance and eventually, a record contract.
MTV’s “The Real World” was the leader of reality-type television, airing its first episode in 1991. The show features seven strangers from different ethnic and religious backgrounds who agree to live in a house together and have their everyday lives videotaped. They live together for a time period of five months, but unlike the other reality shows, are able to live their normal lives. They do weekly interviews and confessionals, as well as run a small business for the time they are on the show.
Students at the University of La Verne have differing opinions on the reality television craze. Some are avid viewers, even occasionally choosing to miss a party to watch their favorite show. Others, when questioned about reality television, got a puzzled look on their face and asked, “What’s reality television?”
Shawn Bailey, a sophomore at ULV, said the only reality-based program he watched was the last episode of “Survivor”, just to see who was going to win.
“I think it [reality television] is a breakdown in TV,” he said. “Who cares about other people’s lives? We should stick to our own lives.”
Bailey also said that he would not consider being a contestant on one of the shows, even if a lot of money was at stake.
“I’m not that important that people would need to watch me all the time,” he said.
Sophomore Josh Johnson had views similar to Bailey. Johnson said that with all the other things he had to worry about, he did not have time to watch any of the programming.
“I think the whole reality television craze is just another media fad,” he said. “It will be huge one minute and the next minute, something new will pop up.”
On the other hand, some students and faculty were huge fans of the shows. Michael Houdyshell, coordinator of campus activities and commuter programs, was a regular viewer of “Survivor” and “Making the Band.”
“Originally, I liked the whole idea of ‘Survivor’ with the island castaways,” he said. “But the more I watched it the more I got into the characters.” Houdyshell said he has always liked reality-based television shows, and has been watching “The Real World” for many years now. He also said he is planning on watching “Survivor 2” when it premieres, and was even seriously considering applying for the show, but the time when it takes place would cause conflicts.
Ross Mathews, a junior communications major, was also a fan of the reality-based shows. Mathews was a dedicated fan of “Survivor” and “Big Brother.”
“As a future journalist and communications major, I should be disgusted at this type of entertainment,” he said. “But the other part of me is indulging in this guilty pleasure.”
Mathews said he became enthralled with the basis of reality television and that the shows have a voyeuristic nature.
“Everyone has been somewhere and watched someone have a fight,” he said. “With these shows, you can spy on someone without the fear of getting caught.” He also said that he feels reality-based programs are both a breakdown and breakthrough in entertainment. He said that it is unfortunate that networks have gone to the point of entertainment that is somewhat degrading, but that the media reflects the changing times. As a true fan, Mathews even attended that final live episode at the “Big Brother” house and was able to meet the entire cast.
“I was there screaming out ‘I love you Brittany,’ like they were celebrities,” he said. “Then I stopped and asked myself, ‘Who are these people? They’re no one.’ ”
New reality shows are already in the works for upcoming seasons. “Destination Mir” will be a new show on NBC, scheduled to air in the 2001-2002 season. Burnett (“Survivor”) is the creator of this show that takes place at Star City, a cosmonaut training facility near Moscow. The show will follow several civilians as they go through intensive cosmonaut training in order to have the opportunity to travel into space to the orbiting space station, Mir. Each week, one person will be eliminated and the last person left, in a live event, will be blasted off into space aboard the Soyuz spacecraft headed to Mir.
“Survivor 2, The Australian Outback,” will have the same format as the original Survivor, except it will take place on the rugged lands of Australia. Castaways will face waterfalls, rapid rivers, fierce crocodiles and the rough climate of the outback. The season premiere is Jan. 28, 2001, directly after the Super Bowl.
