By Mary Doma
(News Of The South) – There is a problem when winners emerge before the competition ending, worse long before the competition ends. Like we know who will be in the top 3, worse the one who might probably win. Think musicals shows for instance StarBrite Or any such show where the winner will seemingly cruise to the end because they are a clear fan and or judge favorite or the competition seems to be just not as stiff, or they seem to be on a league all by their own. Think also Idols.
My thoughts always says competition is good and healthy, that a win would mean the much more, to me anyway, if the competition was intense. Ah but we know, think Big brother, that contestants have a tendency in themselves to take the seemingly fragile competitor to the end so they stand a better chance to win.
So I do wonder, for the shows where audience votes are concerned, if they were to proceed in big brother -style, whether or not the contestants involved would also eliminate the weaker contestants to stand a better chance at winning the grand prize.
This is made worse by judges who openly say and declare their favorites from earlier on in the competition. I don’t propose a solution to this because in their humanity, should they not lean towards their favorites? this Reminds me of the pupils who were favored by the teachers, Like you knew very well that no matter how much you naively tried to impress that teacher, your best efforts wouldn’t be good enough because the work of the favorite would be considered first, regardless of how mediocre you might think it would be, and any other work that follows would be measured against that. The teachers who couldn’t even bring themselves to say ‘well done’, if your work certainly trumpeted that of the favored.
I used to dislike that much, but grew to wonder whether it was entirely possible for humans to not even subconsciously lean onto their favorite, and express it.
Back to competitions, certainly there will be and are bound to be standouts. But still nothing discourages me more than judges calling those standouts winners far from when the show is over for instance on clash of the choirs when all judges stand up for a certain choir. I would certainly feel ‘bothered’ as a contestant, I would feel rage, like I am part of the entourage, not a contestant myself, and that could be discouraging.
Arguably though that energy could be channeled as encouragement to prove oneself. But I feel sometimes contestants overcompensate then in trying to prove that they are as good or better, which sometimes makes matters worse, and I cringe on my couch, on their behalf.
Never mind that these judges have power. I do know as a viewer that my opinion has sometimes been swayed by head judge, because in my mind I think they know this better. I can endlessly recount the times when I felt in Botswana’s music show My Star when a contestant had done best in that episode, only to see that contestant in the bottom 2.
But I find it interesting to see the average contestant’s journeys in such competitions. Contestants who make it far but you can see through their performance that they have given up and are ready to go. Amazing what a few words a judge says can change the energy of a talented individual. How some of them never pursue it beyond that competition platform because of those words, or because they feel they weren’t loved enough by the audience to keep them in. I personally think it can’t and mustn’t be reduced to this. There are other factors at play I would think, but that’s another day’s story.
On the other hand I love the fire and passion the average contestant’s sometimes display. Think The Amazing Race. The groups who are written off because they do not look or sound promising or because they do badly in the initial stages. Then out of nowhere they emerge and pose a big threat. Think Clash of the choirs as well.
Groups who suddenly bring it on and outperform their last performance. But I do believe sometimes when the underdog rises, it just may be too late to garner enough of an audience and voting power, think Idols again, or worse too late to garner enough trust to build an alliance as in Survivor and ensure a spot in the end, or a spot that’s closer to the end.
Speaking of voting power, always hurts when contestants are told they are not the look or feel of the show even if they have the talent. Or when they are told they are being voted off because they are a threat. Rejection just sucks, period. Worse when you have it on paper, but it’s not enough to get you to the end. To me it’s like being told as a female contestant on the Bachelor, ‘you are everything a man could look for in a wife, and I love you but I’m not in love with you, unfortunately I have to let you go.’ Ouch.
I am however not oblivious to the fact that such shows are not merely there for entertainment purposes, but to make money. So they must be packaged as such, to be sold to the audience, in whatever acceptable form. The higher the ratings, the more the relevant advertisers compete for that slot, and the more the revenue for the parties concerned. So of course I tend to think building a star before they win is a mannerism of gluing audiences to the screen, or highlighting certain aspects about who they are or why they entered the competition.
As a viewer I want to know how far my or the judge’s favorite will go. I want to know if the strong player will survive, I want to know if the diva will reach the finals, I itch to know because at some level I have invested my time, some even invest their emotions into it. So at the end of it all, it becomes not so much about the talent, but about my investment in the contestants presented.
That is why it is so sad to me, that some contestants who make the top 40 we never get to see on our screens. They just won’t sell enough, and it’s a sad truth. Ratings are integral, arguably more than the talent. That is why with Idols, wooden mic one would argue is popular and informs almost half the show at the audition stages. Look at background stories as well- in the bachelor, the sadder your story, and if you appear kind and basically alright, the more you are probably rooted for. It’s a business. The political economy of our media.
But hey, people choose to sign up for such shows, not pressured in to joining.
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