Who Wants Reality When We Have Real-life Soap Opera?

Reality television shows have dominated our small screens for over a decade now. What began with the so-called ‘social experiment’ Big Brother has morphed into an array of reality talent shows including Pop Idol, X Factor, The Voice and Britain’s Got Talent.

When they are on, these shows are all you read about and all everyone seems to talk about. From Simon Cowell’s feuds to Jessie J’s sexuality, every little detail is played out in full view for the media and the public.

In fact it seems that the contestants are no longer the main focus of the show. Instead, the judges have become the centre point and oh how the gossip has spread.

If Cheryl Cole’s not turning down a multi-million pound deal for X Factor, Will.i.am is being told off for tweeting during the live show of The Voice. If Simon Cowell isn’t complaining about the jokes being made by the other judges on Britain’s Got Talent, Kelly Rowland hasn’t been signed up for another series of the X Factor.

Almost every judging panel on every reality television show in Britain has become a hotbed of controversy with each rumour or headline juicier than the last. Some of the accusations and allegations are like something out of a recent script of Coronation Street or Eastenders.

Why is this? Perhaps reality television has gotten so predictable, with the sympathy stories as well as an anti-climactic career for the final winner, that the people behind the shows have to create a hoopla filled with bitter fights and romantic flings just to get viewers to tune in.

We have no idea what element, if any, of it is actually true or if it is even remotely close to the truth. For example, Britain’s Got Talent was surrounded by rumours that Simon Cowell didn’t like David Walliams because he made jokes about his sexuality. But as far as the eye could see, they got in swimmingly on the live shows.

It makes you wonder how much of and to what extent the publicity for these reality shows is manipulated. They are no longer reality shows aimed at finding talent but more about creating controversy to get the public to tune in to see if they catch two celebrity judges tearing strips off each other. It’s all about the ratings. 

And if the judges are behaving like soap opera characters, what’s to say that other strings aren’t being pulled backstage with regards to contestants. What is clear is that the reality television train has gone way off the track and perhaps has run its course. After all, how can you call yourself a talent show when the average episode has more twists and turns than the average soap opera and the contestants, the so-called stars, barely get a look in? Not fair, judges, not fair at all.