What is Reality?

As somebody who’s consumed The Challenge religiously for the better part of 20 years (I vividly remember the first time I saw a hulking, drunken CT barrel through 15 security staff just for the chance to slam Adam’s head against a concrete wall), it would be especially rich for me to claim that reality TV has ever been a bastion of virtue and ingenuity. But there is a bogeyman beginning to seep into the cracks of the reality infrastructure as a whole, threatening to disrupt its entire foundation. That creature? Expectation.

Netflix and other streaming services have helped usher in widespread interest in reality TV from across the globe—giving us vast exposure to the Korean market (who have incredibly detailed reality competition shows like Devil’s Plan and Physical 100), while series like The Traitors, Love Island and The Mole originated across the pond quite some time ago, unbeknownst to nonplussed Americans. Even streamers and YouTubers like plaqueboymax and The Sidemen have their own reality shows now. Reality entertainment has never been as accessible and omnipresent as it is today.

Since its inception, reality programming was never billed as being ‘real’ in a sense of pure authenticity—or at least, most people instinctively understood this. Ask somebody about their guiltiest entertainment pleasure, and you’d more than likely hear a reality show being named. (Yes, a 365 day a year Jersey Shore lifestyle would be exhausting, and I’m a Gabagool Gatorade logo shorts Italian.)

With the integration of celebrities, well-known influencers, and reality re-treads increasingly being announced as cast members in upcoming reality shows, the whole consumption of this space is heading in an uncertain and potentially complicated direction.

(DEVIL’S PLAN 2 SPOILERS AHEAD.)

Devil’s Plan 2

Is Expectation Eroding the Reality Experience?

You’ll often find that discussion around the topic of parasocial relationships seem to have an amorphous haze around it—lambasting the not-so-hidden damage it’s causing our youth, and even making us begrudgingly question our own unchecked biases. The Magic School Bus tour of microplastics, vape juice and brain rot have added another roommate to laze inside our vessel.

But there has been a gradual, looming shift over time in our media consumption that isn’t always being accounted for—a massive uptick of expectation, which, by proxy, affects reality television in ways most people haven’t even considered yet. “Expectation” isn’t a scary word, and there’s no real downside to it in real time, but peeling back the layers to the ongoing parasociality of it all exposes quite a bit of rot. The rooting interest now develops far before a season or show even airs, and gone are the days of being introduced en masse to a crop of strangers via slow burn curiosity like The Real World. A not-so-insignificant percentage of fans are now under the impression that seasons have to be curated as close as possible to their own personal wish lists and scripts, and if not, boycotts or protestation from Viewers Like You run rampant online.

One such example happened recently with the ending of Korean reality competition show, Devil’s Plan 2. (Imagine my surprise after Googling and trying to find a discussion thread after a particularly exciting episode.) While, admittedly, the season was generally praised until the final few episodes, those particular broadcasts were unpleasant enough to ruin the entire season for a large majority of fans. A real Game of Thrones-esque fall from grace.

Among widespread criticism, it was labeled by one outlet as “*the worst game show ever”, and a loud minority of fans were even speaking of boycotting future seasons. The reason? A specific player won the game by unscrupulous means.

(*The first season of Devil’s Plan averaged 8.3 on IMDB, FWIW.)

While completely anecdotal, most of my entertainment perspective comes from an impartial, neutral lens (I personally thought that many of the games played were cleverly devised, the betrayals kept me on my toes, and the twists were inventive, albeit somewhat unfair.) For instance, there is an entire lesson in wealth disparity and how hard it is to climb out of an unfavorable situation not created by your own doing (a concept that divides players between “rich” and “poor” dwellings.)

But above all, Devil’s Plan 2’s failure ultimately came down to the popular underdog crew fizzling out just before the final challenge entirely, and subsequently, there was no “payoff” after a weak final game and uninspiring final challenge. Season one’s entire lens was built from an underdog POV story and victory, concluding in a win-win ending for both fans and the production team alike. Season two was the inverse—a dominating alliance ran the gamut, the underdogs fell short, and the winner was unlikable compared to most other competitors on the show.

On the one hand, I get it. Constructive criticism can really help producers and designers work towards a better structure, where certain scenarios can’t even enter the realm of possibility. On the other hand, reality shows can be perfectly balanced, and are still under no obligation to have a fairy-tale ending. For instance, the latest Survivor 48 season had a very old-school feel about it, from the vote-outs and types of alliances made, to the hivemind decisions aerating around camp. For many viewers, it was a breath of fresh air… until it wasn’t anymore. The old school tactics quickly turned stale, and mobs of angry watchers brigaded r/Survivor with thousands of comments criticizing the gameplay. The IMDB for episode 11 is the lowest rated episode in recent Survivor history.

Again, fans are well within their right to not enjoy a season, and criticism can absolutely help improve shows in the future, but you can also play out the same cast with the same structure and have a million different results. The parasocialism in this case barely even came from the prior knowing of certain cast members, but the conclusion and relative perfection of the ending of Devil’s Plan (season one) definitely affected the expectation of the ending of season two. But just like in sports, the Super Bowl isn’t guaranteed to be the best game of the year, nor do the two best teams meeting mean anything more than their prior work being sufficient enough.

Big Numbers, But What’s the Price?

Love Island USA recently set an original series record for Peacock, with 18 billion streaming minutes. Huda has over 4 million (!!) followers just from having a compelling (albeit polarizing) personality on the show. But even with all of the positivity, popular reality series are going to be fighting an uphill battle in the future when it comes to casting. Is it worth it to bring on established names knowing that viewers can stop watching altogether if their fav is eliminated early or treated unfairly.?

Well, yes.

Ultimately, reality shows are riding the wave of what consumers are now asking for in their viewing experiences—and benefiting in the short-term, with the long-term effect still a big, fat “TBD”.

The Great British Bakeoff (Source: Reality Blurred)

Of course, the nature of the reality show itself also has a bearing on its susceptibility to parasocial behavior and the subsequent roller-coaster adventure. The Amazing Race and The Great British Bakeoff have a distinct charm and whimsy to its competitive aspect, evolving itself to the point where they don’t need the necessary constraints and bumpers in place to brace themselves for much impact—even in the face of drama (which both shows have had its fair share.)

Reality television was always made for mindless fun—but the consumerism aspect of modern fandoming is starting to secrete a bitter taste. It’s not pervasive enough quite yet, but we’ll soon have to reckon with ourselves about what sort of reality we’re actually looking for.