survivingrealitytv.files.wordpress.com file · Web viewTHE REALITY OF REALITY TELEVISION: The Psychological and Emotional E. xper. ience of the Reality Television. Contestant. Supervised

THE REALITY OF REALITY TV

THE REALITY OF REALITY TELEVISION: The Psychological and Emotional Experience of the Reality TelevisionContestant

Supervised by

15/05/2014

1


UNIVERSITY OF

THE REALITY OF REALITY TELEVISION: THE PSYCHOLOGICAL AND EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE OF

THE REALITY TELEVISION CONTESTANT

Bachelor’s Degree of Psychology

May 2014

15/05/2014

2


Contents

1. Acknowledgements 4

2. Abstract 5

3. Introduction 6

Methodological Issues 10

4. Method 12

Participants 12

Analytic Procedure 13

5. Findings 14

A Composite Textural Description 14

6. Discussion 28

Applications of Research 34

Limitations and Implications of Research 35

7. References 36

8. Appendices 40

Consent Letter 40

Interview Questions 42

Interview Transcriptions 44

15/05/2014

3


Acknowledgements

Thank you to Honey Langcaster-James for the interview supervision and guidance

provided as well as the extensive knowledge of the area. Thank you to Donna

Rockwell and David Giles for the advice given towards the methodology of this

study, and most importantly I would like to take this opportunity to thank the

participants that graciously gave their time in order to assist in the completion and

enablement of this study.

15/05/2014

4


Abstract

Reality television has recently become a cultural epidemic, yet there is minimal

scientific research available on this modern day phenomenon. This study investigates

the psychological and emotional experience of being a reality TV participant through

interviews with 14 previous contestants. Each had experience of the audition process

and televised programming of either a talent or non-talent reality TV show, all of

which experienced some level(s) of fame. A phenomenological approach to

qualitative analysis was used to extract textural themes from the interviewed accounts

in order to examine the true experiences and essences of being a reality television

participant. The study found 8 composite themes of the reality TV experience those

being; Instant fame, mistrust, participant expectancies, roller coaster emotions, family

value, reality TV stigma, all alone, and desire for aftercare. Giles & Rockwell’s Four

Phase Temporal Design of the celebrity process consisting of love/hate, addiction,

acceptance and adaption could also be applied to the reality TV participants in this

study. Participants describe the experience as nerve racking, surreal, extremely

stressful and life changing. As well as providing fun, excitement, career and life

opportunities, celebrity access, fan adoration, wealth, ego gratification, and for some

personal growth. Areas of psychological concern include feelings of isolation,

loneliness, confusion and abandonment. Findings are presented in the form of

Composite Textural Descriptions.

15/05/2014

5


Introduction

Reality television programmes are currently at the forefront of popular culture, with 5

of the top 10 most watched shows in the UK being reality TV based, pulling in an

annual average viewing figure of 13 million people (TV Licensing, 2011). Reiss and

Wiltz (2004) propose that the rising success and demand for reality television is a

consequence of Sensitivity Theory. What is proposed are 16 basic desires or motives;

those being 16 feelings of joyous emotions, goals and experiences that humans are

instinctively motivated to seek out throughout life. They found that watching reality

TV is in fact linked to arousing these basic desires, primarily status, social contact,

vengeance, order and romance. On account of this exponential demand for

mainstream reality TV and its inherent host of fame-seeking hopefuls, the dream of

fame no longer seems unattainable to the ordinary individual (Maltby et al., 2008).

Reality TV shows such as Big Brother, The X-Factor, The Only Way is Essex and a

hundred a like, have seemingly been successful in reincarnating the average Joe into

wealthy celebrity idols. And with the current economy in ever declining turmoil it’s

easy to understand the desire for such high material success in exchange for very little

effort (Rojek, 2001, p.148). The Learning and Skills Council (2006) in the UK found

that 16 per cent of 16-19 year olds believe that they are going to become famous, and

11 per cent are willing to abandon formal education in order to achieve their goal of

fame. Modern day popular culture has seemingly had an effect on those even younger

also; children under 10 years of age were asked to disclose their Christmas wish list

by National Kids Day (2006); residing in the top spot was the desire to be famous or

achieve celebrity status, followed by wealth and good looks (Johnson & McSmith,

2006).

Fame and celebrity are marked in history as two separate entities, for instance famous

historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Shakespeare and Napoleon are

glorified for their influential accomplishments among the masses of society (Braudy,

1997), whereas the more recently born title ‘celebrity’ is given to ‘a person who is

known for his well-knowness’ (Boorstin, 1961, p.57), generally measured on the

quantity of media exposure circulating contemporary culture (Gamson, 1994). The

phenomena of fame and celebrity is a significantly under researched field, and even

more so the psychology of reality television with it being a much more recent

15/05/2014

6


phenomenon. By being constricted to using mainly qualitative research methods this

area in particular has had difficultly attaining scientific credibility, not to mention the

difficulty in recruiting participants (Giles, 2000).

Some psychologists however have devised theoretical and empirical approaches to

fame examining fame desire, self-esteem, narcissism, and celebrity worship (Evans &

Wilson, 1999; Giles, 2000; Young & Pinsky, 2006; Maltby, Giles, Barber &

McCutcheon, 2005). Research has shown a positive correlation between materialism,

fame desire and the wish to appear on reality TV (Moschis & Churchill, 1978; Ryan

& Deci, 2000; Gountas, Gountas, Reeves & Moran, 2012), as well as the

susceptiveness to social influence and celebrity social power. For these particular

people their desire for fame is extrinsically motivated (Kasser & Ryan, 1996), they

seek to emulate those they admire and the lifestyle they live (Cowen, 2000). Although

seemingly materially goal orientated Maltby (2010) however discovered that these

types of extrinsic fame seekers may actually be sufferers of emotional insecurity and

aim to fulfill these materialist desires in an attempt to increase their feelings of self-

worth, and has also been associated with low physical and psychological well-being

(Kasser & Ryan, 1999). Where acquiring material attitudes can actually contribute to

the reduction of lifestyle quality (Sirgy, 1998), fulfilling intrinsic goals through fame

such as validation, developing better coping mechanisms in dealing with negativity of

the self, affiliation, and self-acceptance (Jayson, 2007), can foster personally

enriching outcomes such as self-fulfillment and genuine well-being (Kasser & Ryan,

1996).

Research into the implicit theories of fame desire has suggested a model consisting of

six factors; ambition, attention seeking, vulnerability, meaning derived through

comparison with others, conceitedness and social access. Four of these factors being

negative among the UK public the two positive factors being ambition and social

access (Maltby et al, 2008). However there is some ambiguity when determining

whether these factors are in fact negative or positive outcomes in the desire for fame

(Furnham, 1988) and lacks validity when applying across different population groups

due to no test-retest reliability. However this research and the six-factor framework

derived from it has enabled a starting point into the insight of fame desire. Maltby &

McCutcheon et al’s (2001) research implemented a three-part characterization scale

15/05/2014

7


emphasizing personality and coping in engaging in celebrity worship. Most

importantly they found that engaging in celebrity worship for intense-personal reasons

(feeling as though they share a special personal bond with their favorite celebrity) is

positively related to neuroticism, poorer physical and mental health (depression,

anxiety, somatic symptoms, social dysfunction) and poor self-concept (negative affect

and low life satisfaction). This research evidently contributes towards the ability to

understanding the mental health implications that celebrity worship involvement can

procure.

There has been a recent increase in research surrounding the psychology of the

famous and the phenomena of fame; Giles and Rockwell (2009) conducted a first of

its kind qualitative research study on the experience of being famous, using structured

interview protocol on 15 well-known American celebrities. Public recognition and

press coverage were used as criteria for selecting participants. Textural themes were

used to develop structural descriptions in the phenomenological analysis of fame and

celebrity. Moustakas (1994) data reduction guidelines were carefully followed to

audit the textural content they collected. Their research showed that loss of privacy,

gratification of ego needs, and symbolic immortality were trending topics in relation

to self. Wealth, temptations, and family impact were re-occurring worries in relation

to others, and character splitting, mistrust, and unwillingness to give up fame were all

areas of psychological concern. A developmental design within the theme of

temporality emerged from this study, which they named the ‘Four-Phase Temporal

Design’, which suggests that love/hate, addiction, acceptance, and adaption are all

phases of being a celebrity.

In addition to the many perceived benefits of becoming a celebrity (Giles, 2000), in

more recent light seen and expressed by media culture controversy has surrounded the

supposed glamour of reality television claiming that contestants are being subdued to

vulnerable emotional states for better manipulation, in hope for ample amounts of

audience grabbing entertainment (Andrejevic, 2004). Reality television contestants

are commonly faced with personal criticisms at the hands of the press and the general

public, the consequences of having consented to participate instantly allows their past

misdemeanours to become available for all to dig up and publicise, without sensitivity

towards the psychological implications that this could have on the individual in

15/05/2014

8


question (BPS, 2001). Jade Goody a 21-year-old dental nurse and former contestant

on Channel 4’s Big Brother became a media phenomenon; she acquired millions of

pounds in endorsement deals and was crowned an icon of reality TV Britain

(Independent, 2009). However during her second reality TV stint and she was re-

named ‘the most hated woman in Britain’, she was publicly called ‘pig’ and ‘fat’ and

was targeted with a number of vicious hate campaigns. One newspaper columnist

wrote “Jade is one of the most hated women on British TV and life will be hard for

her when she leaves the house but don’t feel sorry for her … vote the pig out.”

(Mohan, 2002). Sir Michael Parkinson (2009) spoke out to the BBC about the

treatment Jade had endured during her time as a celebrity, highlighting her economic

and educational background as relatively underprivileged whilst stating; ‘she was

projected to celebrity by Big Brother and, from that point on, became a media chattel

to be manipulated and exploited till the day she died.’ The story of Susan Boyle also

highly emphasised the responsibilities or lack thereof of the sufficient care of the

reality TV participant’s well being by their production company. Susan Boyle

suffered a severe ‘emotional breakdown’ after her winning appearance on Britain’s

got Talent resulting in her receiving treatment at The Priory psychiatric clinic.

Professor Chris Thompson chief medical officer at The Priory group (2009) primarily

blamed the production company involved in failing to provide her with the

appropriate psychological care needed in order to help her cope with her new found

fame, stating ‘the fact that there is consent between the TV company and contestant

does not prevent the TV company having a duty of care once that consent has been

given.’ Talkback Thames the producing company of Britain’s got Talent admitted to

not psychologically assessing participants before recruitment and agreed that their

psychological treatment policies were in need of ‘reviewing’ (Revoir & Simpson,

2009).

But what are the psychological implications of an experience such as Jade Goody’s

and Susan Boyle’s? Does everybody who partakes in reality TV seemingly suffer so?

What is the price one pays when succumbing to the dream of stardom through a

reality TV outlet? And do the affects have permanency? When interviewed about her

celebrity status Jade seemed to be under no illusions of grandeur or victimisation; "I

put myself in the limelight and I like my job”. While an ever-emerging flow of media

reports on the negative affects of reality TV and its affects on psychological wellbeing

15/05/2014

9


increasingly become apparent through media outlets, there is still insufficient

scientific research in this area to support the statements made, essentially due to the

extreme difficulty in the recruitment of applicable participants. The purpose of this

study aims to seek out these truths on a scientifically based level in order to gain true

perspective on the affects of reality TV on the reality TV participants’ psychological

and emotional wellbeing. And while most of these shows claim to use psychological

analysis as a clearance tool for participation and aftercare, it is unclear to know how

much psychological help is actually available and whether it is beneficial to those

individuals.

Methodological Approach

The primary objective of using Moustakas (1994) phenomenological approach to

qualitative analysis is to extract the true essence of the lived experiences through the

eyes of the participant, and to understand the essential meanings of the phenomena in

question. Interviews are organised into textural themes, which are derived from the

narratives as overlapping or reoccurring statements. These themes are then

synthesized into descriptions of each individual’s experience (textual and structural

descriptions), and a composite description of the meanings and the essences of the

experience is captured and constructed.

There are multiple desired aims of conducting this study, the first being to improve

our understanding of the psychological and emotional experiences of reality television

participants, by analysing the interviewed accounts of reality television contestants’

experiences. Apart from a handful of public media interview accounts from a small

number of reality TV participants, which lack scientific validity, and the theoretically

based contribution made to the area of fame and celebrity, the purpose of this

particular study was to explore the true experiences of what it is really like to be a

reality television contestant. With rare and exceptional access too relative reality TV

participants this study is able to examine the audition process, the contestants’

subjective psychological experience, the emotional journey into reality television and

the experience of ‘fame’ alongside any psychological and emotional support provided

to them. The results of this study could provide a clearer account of the psychological

experiences involved in being a reality television contestant and whether the

15/05/2014

10


psychological support during such programming is sufficient for the welfare of the

persons involved.

15/05/2014

11


Method

Participants

Approximately 60 minutes interviews were conducted with 14 selected participants

who had previously been a contestant of a UK reality television programme. The

sample consisted of 5 females and 9 males between the ages of 19 and 35. The

selection criterion was that each participant had experienced both the audition process

and the televised programming of either a non-talent or talent based UK reality

television programme. Neither age nor gender was a factor in the participant selection

process, as well as the duration of their involvement within the programme or their

celebrity status gained from appearing on such programme, as some participants

would be considered to have achieved ‘fame’ through their reality TV involvement

and some would not have. Due to geographical differences a Skype setup was used to

conduct and record the participants’ interviews. The participant’s responses were

video recorded as well as being fully transcribed manually for data analysis.

A semi-structured interview protocol was followed within this research study in an

attempt to obtain a substantial amount of qualitative data to analyse. Open-ended

questions such as: ‘Can you explain the application process?’ ‘What were the positive

experiences of taking part?’ and ‘What do you think the general public don’t know

about reality TV?’ were used in order to gain an extensive detailed account of the

participants reality television participation experience.

Each possible participant had been emailed a letter of consent to sign prior to their

interview, explaining the nature of the study, the process in which the interviews will

be conducted, and the anonymity and confidentiality of all aspects of their

participation. They were also informed about their right to remove themselves from

the study at any given time. After the interviews the data will be held anonymously.

Every effort was made to remove any details that could reveal individual identities

from the eventual report. However because they are public figures it cannot be

guaranteed that speculation will not be made as to the identity of the studies

participants.

15/05/2014

12


Analytic Procedure

Following Giles & Rockwell’s (2009) qualitative analysis methodology,

transcendental thematic analysis will be used to develop structured textural themes

using the qualitative interview data collected from the reality television contestants.

The aim in using qualitative research methods in this study is to gain a better

understanding of the experiences, emotions and the perspectives of the persons being

studied, helping to define the phenomena beneath the area of research (Elliot et al,

1999). According to Moustakas (1994) the first job of the researcher before any

analysis is to suspend any prior beliefs, perceptions and judgements one might have

about the phenomena being researched, this process is called epoche.

Moustakas (1994) data reduction guidelines will be carefully followed during auditing

to ensure objective analysis:

Every significant statement is treated as having equal value (Horizonalization)

Significant statements are highlighted and irrelevant repeated text is removed

(Delimiting Horizons and Themes)

Similar text is clustered into themes (Invariant Qualities and Themes)

Provide integrated textural descriptions of each participants experience

(Individual Textural Description)

Seek and write a composite textural description integrating all of the

participants experiences, enabling essential themes and structures to present

themselves (Composite Textural Description)

Write a composite Textural-Structural Description of the phenomena;

Moustakas refers to this as ‘intuitive integration’.

‘This description becomes the essential, invariant structure of ultimate “essence”

which captures the meaning ascribed to the experience.’ (Moerer-Urdahl &

Creswell, 2004, p.20)

15/05/2014

13


Findings

The Experience of Being a Reality Television Participant: A Composite Textural

Description

Several themes emerged from the data:

Instant Fame. Unlike those who achieve fame gradually through achievements made

in music, film, sport or their role in society at a steadier ascent the reality television

contestant acquires their fame instantaneously, overnight, and often at an

overwhelming level; “this was instant ready made fame on a real hard core level you

know.” Most participants described this as being a very surreal and difficult

experience to adjust too and felt extremely unprepared for:

“Its like a big buzz because you don’t know what to do with it when you come out, because

you go in there not knowing anything about this world and you come out and it’s like people

chasing you left right and centre. I remember like second day or third day I was like ah let me

just get the train, I’m normal I don’t wanna you know, I’m like I wanna get the train like I

used to, and I got on the train, I got off like 3 stops later, took a taxi because like everyone

was like taking pictures of me, its like [people shouting your name] etc. I was like really… it

felt good but I didn’t know how to handle it.”

After initial feelings of disorientation most participants generally reported positive

experiences with the general public following their first reality TV appearance and

innocently enjoyed the explosion of attention they received, “I started to enjoy it.” A

surge of Twitter followers, Facebook requests, people shouting your name in the

street, “people following me in their cars,” the magnitude of attention is “crazy,” and

“unreal,” provoking a mind set of “paranoia” to present itself, along with feelings of

suffocation; “everyone wanted a piece of me,” another participant reported “people

suddenly become very overly friendly and you know quite intense.” However a

humble expression of uncertainty as to why people are so interested in them is

apparent, disregarding themselves as celebrities and feel almost undeserving of the

praise they receive, “you have to make yourself feel worthy of the praise that you’re

getting.” The process of being recognised is described as being unexpected, “strange,”

and mostly flattering.

15/05/2014

14


For others, being recognised created a sense of feeling “quite powerful,” and

“important”, some even comparing themselves to the likes of “Harry Potter” and

“James Bourne” suggesting an embellishment of grandiosity. They embraced the

adoration of their fans and instated a version of themselves to deal with the invasion

into their privacy, “when you're out in public you have to you know... you have to be

someone.” And although the celebrity appreciated the worship they received

anonymity is increasingly desired, “sometimes I just wanna go oh for fuck's sake, I

just wanna do my shopping please leave me alone, but you can't.”

Regret

And for those that previously relished in anonymity soon faced the realisation that

maybe fame wasn’t for them after all, ‘subconsciously I quite like to blend in and not

be noticed, which is completely at odds with being on a reality TV show.” And

another celebrity reported “I wasn’t ready for it, like I didn’t necessarily want to be

famous, I just wanted to be successful.”

Press

When facing the invasive nature of the celebrity world and the press attention that

comes with it some participants expressed a grave sense of unpreparedness, many

participants had no idea how to initially deal with the media “games,” and somewhat

felt obliged to “sell their soul” in hopes of furthering their celebrity career. Once the

initial “novelty” wore thin a guardedness presented itself, a high sense of mistrust and

negativity towards the press built through their experience, “I actually avoid

interviews,” having press knocking on the doors of their loved ones in an attempt “to

dig up some sort of dirt on somebody to tarnish their potential career or something

like that, which happens all the time.” An element of protectiveness was displayed for

friends and family when regarding press, it’s this invasiveness that many found tough

to accept, “the press going to mum and dads house, I hated the thought of that and

what it was doing to my family members.” Negative press coverage was impactful to

those with new found fame, often facing their past misdemeanours and relationships

in printed form or on occasion unmitigated confabulation, “their stories were just

completely made up, like there was one where they said id got beaten up, which was

completely false.” However participants explained that they did start to understand,

accept and adapt to the press’ intentions and strategies, “you just kind of have to take

15/05/2014

15


that in your stride,” and many learned to use this for their own advantage; “the PR

game for me is a tool of profit.”

The monumental “jump” from being “totally unknown” to a household name

overnight is a colossal amount to adapt too in such a short period of time, “It’s such

an unnatural thing” and as a consequence “no one really understands how to deal with

it,” one participant explained. Inevitably this process sometimes caused psychological

disorientation, confusion, and distress, but was simultaneously extremely exciting to

those participants that were able to develop strong coping mechanisms in order to

embrace it.

“I think there's always psychological difficulty with being famous, and so if you're going to be

famous you have to want it in spite of that.”

Mistrust.

Production Crew

Several participants explained that whilst partaking in a reality TV programme the

very people that were put there to help, advise, assist in building careers and

essentially look after the welfare of participants also assisted in the prominent

emergence of mistrust, “I don’t trust anybody that works in television” one participant

explained. Although reporting having generally “nice” and “supportive” relationships

with the production crew participants felt torn over “who's genuinely there for like

your wellbeing or who's there because it's a TV show.” Production members were

soon looked upon as “friends,” they were very much depended on for support in an

environment where a familiar face was inexistent, but at the same time there was a

strong awareness and acceptance of “that distance, like they were just there, they're

being paid to be there.” This created a state of confusion and insecurity, so whilst

wanting to approach production for help during problematic times participants felt

unable to do so as a consequence; “next thing you know you’re getting interviewed

about it and it's going to be made into a big deal like, it's not really worth taking that

risk.”

“Trust is a thing that you sort of question with new people because they start talking to you

saying ‘oh you were on this,’ and they ask you lots of questions and you think are you actually

interested in me or just like because I've been on a TV show.”

15/05/2014

16


Personal Relationships

Creating new relationships post participation is reported as being something that

doesn’t come easy, along with people of the past that “crawl out of the woodwork,”

intentions are often questioned and feelings of being used often arose. “We had not

spoken for years and then as soon as I was on the show he was messaging me,” one

participant speaks about an ex-partner, “like do you think I don’t know why you’re

messaging me?” Many found it difficult to create friendships with new people at all

outside of the reality TV show they participated in, claiming those people to be

“hangers on,” clinging on to the fame and status they possess. Personal security is

upheld by whittling down old and new friendships to form the “circle of trust” which

acted as an emotional safety net, “a lot of those friends I've realised don't have my

best interests at heart.”

“I realised I needed my friends round me because there's a lot of industry people, people in the

industry are very fake and very you know, they tell you what you wanna hear, they tell you

what you know, you think they're your friends you're like oh my god they're amazing what

lovely people to meet, and then when stuff goes down that's bad or stuff that happens that isn't

great they don't wanna know you anymore.”

A friend or a family member selling a story to the press is the ultimate betrayal

according to some participants, and is one of the most difficult aspects to deal with,

undoubtedly it impacts ones trust beliefs irreversibly. “The people that we thought

were our friends were ringing up papers,” others have experienced the disowning of

family members “the only thing that's hurting me is he sold stories, that's the only

thing he could have done, and he's done it,” one participant explains, “knowing that

someone you love has gone to the newspapers to tell the world that story,” It’s an

extremely painful situation to be faced with and is a constant worry to those that are

thrust into the limelight.

Participant Expectancies. Some reality TV participants felt an obligation to fulfil

certain expectations in order to secure a space on reality TV, “if you want to be

successful on it you’ve got to give them what they want, because if you don’t they

will probably find someone else who will.” There’s was a general consensus of

“character casting” in which participants felt pressured and encouraged to play a

particular role assigned to them, “I think you were just there to play a role and that

15/05/2014

17


was it. I don’t think they really had your interests at heart at all.” As a result

participants became restricted in how much of their true selves was revealed, however

many learnt to accept their reality TV fate and gracefully played along with what was

expected of them, “[I remember] feeling a bit uncomfortable like in certain situations,

but just doing it because I knew that that’s what you have to do to get through.” And

unfortunately for some that also meant playing the role of the villain.

“When I first got in there I sat down on the sofas and I started watching people coming in, and

I was looking at everyone and I was thinking right right ok, she’s the sweetheart, she’s the

buxom blonde, that’s the slag, that guys the asylum seeker, that’s the hunk, he’s the

heartthrob, he’s the token gay guy, he’s the other guy gay, where’s the villain, where’s the

villain, me… these guys are trying to make me the villain.”

In spite of feeling manipulated, encouraged to over exaggerate their personalities and

probed for sensitive story lines, whether or not it’s approved of most participants

accepted that it is all a necessary part of reality TV, “it is a TV programme so it does

need to have all those things in place otherwise it’d just be a farce wouldn’t it.” And

some were better accepting of it than others, those that gracefully embraced their

character, which did sometimes mean having to say and behave in ways not

necessarily true to themselves; “I felt like, sometimes you had to kind of put on a

happy face when you weren't really happy and say things you didn't necessarily

mean,” have no regrets in doing so and have gone on to have successful careers, “I

think that’s why we did so well,” another celebrity explained. Those that struggled

with these expectations did so mainly due to unawareness, “in hindsight I didn’t really

know the scale of what I was getting myself into,” they had more regrets and had a

harder time adapting to public scrutiny and expectations; “had I been more of a strong

character… people would have loved me and I probably would have made it to the

top three.” They felt guilt over not enjoying the experience as much as they were

expected too and chose to accept circumstances they normally wouldn’t as a way of

proving their gratefulness for the opportunity; “sometimes I just wanna go home and

just like wish it'd never happened, but I just have to think of how like lucky I am, like

there's thousands and thousands of other people that would be in, want to be in my

position, and it would be like ungrateful to just throw it all away.”

15/05/2014

18


“I wasn’t a favourite so, and I had to just accept that and just go along with the game. And it’s

hard because sometimes I just wanted to go home, I just wanted to be out of it because I’m

such a realist and I will never ever change, and once I realised it was just a game I just kind of

wanted out of it, but I couldn’t get out of it because you’d have the backlash of you know,

you’ve been given this fantastic opportunity and you just chuck it in their faces kind of thing,

and I was scared of what the public and other people would think of me, so I just kind of had

to go along with it.”

Whilst dealing with the dilemma of authenticity many participants described

experiencing personal growth, for the first time seeing and learning the negative and

positive aspects of their personalities, allowing room for adjustments and the ability to

build better coping mechanisms as a result of the trials and errors of their experience,

one participant explained; “I grew up immensely… and the confidence it gave me to

know that I’m good enough how I am and I don’t need to impress everybody and

everybody doesn’t have to like me… that’s given me a positive for the rest of my

life”.

Roller Coaster Emotions. The emotional journey that the reality television

contestant embarked on was commonly compared with being on a “roller coaster”

with many “ups and downs” to travel through. From experiencing “one of the most

amazing feelings in the world” during an audition, feeling the “buzz” and

“excitement” of stepping into the unknown “it was a really big high, really big high,”

to becoming frustrated with diminishing anonymity, experiencing negative press

attention, while still trying to reap the enjoyment out of the experience, all the while

having minimal time for friends and family, it possibly was a lot of emotional

pressure for some to handle, “there’s times where I wanted to walk out.” For those

that struggled to process all of these concurring emotions there could be extreme

psychological consequences sometimes with long lasting affects; “I didn’t know what

was happening to me but it was a panic attack, and its the first time I’ve ever

experienced it, and its took me a while to kind of control that and get over it.” This

kind of emotional “breakdown” was often blamed on “lack of preparation” for dealing

with the pressure that’s amounted onto participants, blame was also projected on to

the TV show and the mechanics behind it; “Its not just manipulating people but, just

everything was aimed at being confrontational, negative, somebody could have had a

15/05/2014

19


meltdown in there, seriously, serious melt down and everything was designed like

there was no thought given to peoples mental state.”

“I personally think there are some people who you know just really shouldn’t do it, I think that

some people cant deal with it and I mean need like continual therapy as they’re becoming

famous you know in order to deal with it… I think people who are very very insecure to begin

with, because you’re always getting people saying things negative about you and if you don’t

have a thick skin… then I think you’re potentially a lamb to the slaughter, I don’t think that

some people should do it.”

Those who were more accepting and understanding of the emotional pressures of

reality TV tended to cope better, they relied heavily on the emotional support of the

other contestants and felt “lucky” to be “experiencing it altogether as a group,”

gratefully acknowledging that they would have struggled without them; “if it was just

me on my own doing it I think I probably would have cracked up.” For some,

research into what was to be expected during their experience better prepared them

for their roller coaster ride and inevitably had a more enjoyable time as a result.

“I knew that it was going to be stressful, I knew it was going to be happy, I knew it was going

to be amazing, I knew at times it was going to wanna make me cry, I knew at times it was

going to make me incredibly happy and, but that was the roller coaster of being on TV and

being a pop star.”

Family Value. The impact that being on reality TV could have on the family was a

constant worry for participant, “I don't wanna upset my family you know… I don't

want them to feel jealous of what I've got or anything you know so I try and include

them all in everything that I do.” The support of family members during this

transitional period was absolutely crucial in “staying on a level” of normality. But for

the unlucky few family support wasn’t always available, making the experience

somewhat tougher to enjoy; “my family weren't very supportive of me going on the

show so that was quite hard, that was quite difficult for me.”

“If you haven't got the family and friends you know support system around you when you get

back, I can imagine it's a big struggle, I can imagine it's very very tough to adjust in being

back and possibly feels very lonely as well.”

15/05/2014

20


Family support was essential during participation, for those that become successful

and even more so for those that struggled with the tough journey from reality TV star

status to the once before “working man.” Most participants dedicated overcoming

emotional challenges, loneliness and insecurity to their family and close friends, “I’m

so grateful for my family,” and admit they probably couldn’t have survived the

transition without them.

“If I lost all my friends and family because of this job I would 100% quit it because I don't

think that you can, you can do this job and it can be amazing, but I think one thing I don't

wanna have is to look back in 20 30 years time and be sat in sat in my house having all this

success that I have but having no one to share it with, no family, no friends.”

Reality TV Stigma.

Hidden Realities

Most participants expressed that what went on behind the scenes of the typical reality

TV show was far from what it seemed to the general public, describing it as being

stressful, tiring, demanding and far from the glamour that’s portrayed.

“I think they don't realise how much pressure it is, how stressful it is like, they don't see like

the hours that you get up from, the time you go to bed, they don't see how much you rehearse

and how much filming you doing. You know they don’t see like your relationship with other

contestants, I think that the majority of the public probably just think it's such an easy ride,

like you audition, you get through, you get on the live show, you get lovely hair and make-up,

and then you get a record contract at the end, like and its really not like that at all.”

There was a certain amount of acceptance for the hard work that was expected of the

participant even though there was a lack of preparation and awareness for it;

“rehearsals I dunno it was all pretty stressful and tiring but it was a big opportunity so

I think if you wanna, if you’re lucky enough to get an opportunity like that then

waking up and having to sing on a Tuesday at 9 o'clock in the morning isn’t that bad.”

However there was a sense of feeling unappreciated by the public for the hard work

and pressure that went into participating in a reality TV programme, due to feeling

stigmatised by the public. There was a strong dislike for being labelled a “reality TV

star;” that being someone who wants to be famous just to be famous, some even

describing this as being the worst aspect of their experience. Even though some

15/05/2014

21


admited having the same pre conceptions of reality television participants before

experiencing it for themselves.

“People would say 'you were on [reality TV programme]?' and I’d be like, I would be like 'yeh

but you know I'm not like a reality TV star’… And I had this whole thing pattered down so

that when people asked me about it I could basically tell them like 'yes but I'm different, I did

a good one', and like 'I'm not one of those douchebags'… it was just kind of like 'I don't think

[other reality participants] are losers but I assume you think that they are, and I don't want you

lumping me with them'.”

Post-Involvement

Coming off the show some reality television participants felt wrongly judged by the

general public; “if I meet new people they have a pre conceived idea of what you’re

going to be like,” resulting into feeling pressured into having to become or act as the

character or person they were portrayed as. They also felt as though they had to

“prove themselves” as being serious musicians/actors/entrepreneurs when stepping

out into the world of career opportunities post filming, due to the “paranoia” that

consumed them, other people’s opinions started to rule their sense of self, “now in my

head I feel that people think that I cant sing, and I feel that its a constant thing that I

have to prove that I can sing.” Even those that became instant successes were filled

with paranoia about being “good enough,” one celebrity explained “I'm always

questioning whether people like me or not and it's something that unfortunately in this

industry you get paranoid.” Participants described it as being a constant battle against

the inevitably gained stigma of taking part in reality TV, trying to be true to oneself,

whilst living up to the expectations of the general public, whilst trying to prove

themselves as seriously career driven, success hungry individuals. Many struggled

with clearing themselves of their “label,” some went into hiding in hopes that time

will rid them of it, some worked extra hard, extra hours, even changed names for a

better shot at a job opportunity. “A lot of the big theatre company’s and casting agents

wouldn’t even look at me because id been on a reality TV show so I found I had to

work really hard to prove that I can do the job.” One participant explained:

“Its quite hard like being in the music business and trying to get deals and stuff is hard, you

get meetings because you’re on a programme and you got a good reaction or you looked like

you had good potential but then you leave the meeting because you were on the programme

and they cant do anything with you.”

15/05/2014

22


Back to Reality

Going back to work can be quite the struggle explained some participants, as feelings

of being a “failure” consume them, the transition from being a celeb, “next thing

you’re a z-lister, next thing you’re a working man, but as a working man you’re still a

z-lister… people are always going to recognise you” some participants describe this

as being embarrassing. Many participants expressed continuation of the pursuit of a

celebrity career in hopes of never experiencing failure, but this can lead to becoming

penniless in the process, having this “level of fame” and no money “it doesn’t balance

up, there’s no synergy,” some are wise enough to face this reality sooner rather than

later; “I’d got out before it go to that point for me… otherwise, that’s how you start

getting depressed,” one participant explained “there’s nothing worse than being a

broke celebrity.” For those that were fortunate enough to develop a career from the

back of appearing on reality TV are extremely lucky, others felt that appearing on

reality TV did their career damage, rather than improve their chances of success.

Peace is found by appreciating the positives that being on reality TV has given them

such as, gaining prosperous contacts and experience within their desired industry,

building helpful coping mechanisms, and experiencing an initial “taste” of success; “I

moved to London and I started going in the studio just two days here and there with

loads of different new people… It was good though, good times, I was proud of it, I

wouldn’t have been able to do it if I didn’t meet half of the people that I’ve met

without being on that programme.”

Isolation. Once the participant’s television experience is over, the question of what

happens next is of key to all. Some are evicted, some voted off, some finish filming a

series or some just leave, although very different circumstances all the above tended

to have very similar emotional and psychological effects. In whichever way the

participant ends his/her reality TV experience, the minute they stepped through their

metaphorical exit all support, communication, security and self-importance that once

played a substantial part in emotional survival were instantaneously dissipated, “I

came out and it was like oh my god I’ve got no money, no job, nothing, like nothing,

like no one cares, you’re just dropped like a hot potato.” As many participants gave

up aspects of their lives such as jobs, accommodation and other opportunities for their

15/05/2014

23


reality TV spot, this could be even more of a shock to the system once one left the

“bubble” of the show.

“Well that’s the hardest thing is there is no transition as such, it's you're in you're out, that’s it

and the first time it really fucked me up like in terms of, I just didn't know where I was… just

really down and down for ages coz it was over and there was no, kind of no one to talk about

it too… apart from friends and family, like it would have been nice if one of the producers

rang and been like 'how've you been [participant’s name]?’.”

A huge sense of feeling “dropped,” left alone, and uncared for overcomes many of the

reality TV participants, left to their own devices with no advice as to what comes

next, how to deal with celebrity life, how to cope with being famous, or how to deal

with the disappointment of not achieving what was hoped for, “[I thought] you know

this is finally the time, and it obviously didn’t and I mean that was like a massive

disappointment, a lot of emotion and kind of like frustration and kind of like felt lost

again, confused and questioning everything.” Also most importantly help and advice

on how to care for their own psychological wellbeing was not provided, “you just

come out and you just go straight into the big wide world. The first night you come

out the next morning you’re in the hotel there is like agencies pitching to you, but

after that no, you are pretty much on your own.” Shoved into a whirlwind world of

being photographed, being asked for autographs, expected to make public

appearances, people screaming your name, being bundled from event to event, some

even having to deal with negative press and public attention, but all the while not

having the initial underlining emotional support that was somewhat in place during

filming to help the participant process and understand their new environment; “like all

of a sudden you're, you haven't got these sort of people around you anymore.”

“There was never really a time to actually process what id just gone through, you’re just on

this roller coaster and then all of a sudden it stops. But even when you come out you got

people coming up to you in the street and you just don’t really know how to process it, and

people are like 'oh you’re famous' and I’m like no I’m not famous… I think you could do with

[support] after being a part of something so huge, it’s not normal.”

Exploiting Fame Opportunities

Some participants explained that they are signed up to celebrity management the

second they left, life catapulted into extreme busyness and most expressed that they

15/05/2014

24


enjoyed this initial period of attention and new opportunity, however due to lack of

knowledge/understanding of the industry many initially expected more from their

management in terms of advice, support and guidance, grasping on for some kind of

help in handling their manic surroundings, but swiftly learnt to know otherwise;

“unless you’re doing an event with [management]… you’re on your own.” Time with

management was dependant on how much demand there is for the participant, and

once this demand began to decline the effects could be destructive, management

expresses no reason to continue, press attention diminishes drastically and the reality

TV participant slowly integrated back into anonymity, “what emotionally messed me

up is like the things that the management wanted me to do I didn’t want to do, and

then they just dropped me straight away.” This process affected self-esteem,

confidence, stability and the ability to face reality, hiding away from the fact that their

five minutes of fame may just be about up.

“I didn’t know how to take all of this. Bearing in mind one minute I was nobody, next minute I

was somebody, so it went up like this, went like that [flatline] and then down, it went flat and

then it went down… I would hide at home and just not leave my house for a few days, I’d get

invited to events again, but not go and not attend to the event, just say like no I’m not coming

out.”

Some seemed to cope better with the transition than others. Those that emotionally

handled it better had lower expectations before partaking, had a stronger support

system in their friends and family, are more objectifying, and were a lot more

emotionally resilient; “I’m quite resilient but I’m able to react to a situation and try to

turn the negative into a positive, there’s no point moaning about it, there’s no point

bitching and crying, now I’m here how can I get back to here in my own way.”

Desire for Aftercare. The desire for psychological and emotional aftercare was

reported by many, even for those that felt they handled the experience well still

expressed they would have benefitted from “an obligatory sort of half hour to an

hour” session with a someone to talk too about their experience, as most felt uncared

for, forgotten about and cut off from the production company, “even if you tried to get

in contact with them it was like you're yesterdays news, you're not in the competition

anymore so go away, stop bothering us, you know.”

15/05/2014

25


“I felt like there just wasn’t enough help, I feel like they should have maybe just kept in touch

for the first few months or even throughout the duration of the show, and I'm not saying like a

daily kind of thing but you know every couple of weeks, why couldn't they have picked up the

phone and just you know, give us all a call and just, send a message, an email, anything.”

The want for aftercare was emphasized during emotionally difficult times, especially

during fame withdrawal. A lack of guidance was also prevalent among the

participants, many felt misled with their finances, not given enough guidance in how

to utilize possible opportunities, and left feeling like a money making entity to those

around them; “you should have more time with them to advise you what to do with

this, that would have kind of helped, but no, no guidance, so there should have been

some sort of guidance towards everything.”

In some instances there was a psychological session offered to the participant on

exiting the show, but the excitement and “buzz” of this new environment clouds any

awareness of needing psychological help or support. It is time after that the help is

needed but not available, “someone should be there to help you out.” The “crash” is

an emotionally and psychologically significant time period in which any disturbances

that may be present start to emerge drastically during fame withdrawal, if these issues

were not dealt with to the satisfaction of the participant they can go on to interfere and

influence the reality stars future emotional and psychological wellbeing. Permanent

damage is possible; some speak of “lost confidence,” experiencing “depression,”

alcohol being used as a coping mechanism for the “lack of support” available, stints in

rehab, emotional turmoil and even suicide. It is during this time participants required

psychological support and felt it’s the production companies duty to provide this, but

were left disappointed, let down and left to go home and deal with the struggle alone.

One participant explained:

“I moved back home, and I got, then I got really depressed… I actually got really like tearful,

I couldn’t stop crying for about a week like I kept bursting into tears, it was a bit of self pity,

and it was a bit like I’ve finally realised that it was all kind of, just really need to let go of the

past, stop over playing things in my head, draw a line under it, take what I’ve learnt from the

experience and move on.”

Many participants reported that family and friends played an essential role during this

time, but a feeling of disconnect naturally establishes itself; “I felt detached to my

15/05/2014

26


friends,” due to a lack of mutual understanding of the experience, “you can’t expect

other people to understand what you’ve been through and what you’ve gained and

what you’ve seen.” As a result participants craved the chance to speak to someone

who has shared their experience, as a hope in gaining some perspective and

understanding over what they were emotionally dealing with, whether that be a fellow

participant, a member of the production team or a psychologist. One participants

describes how having such support could have contributed to an easier transition;

“they may be able to give you some coping mechanisms as to how you proceed and

go forward which would be really helpful coz you don’t know what to do.”

“Three months in a situation that’s so surreal you cant even explain to anyone else, no one

else will ever know unless they’ve done it, so that puts a little like disconnection or little

barrier between you and someone, they cant really know where your heads at or what you’ve

been through.”

Reality TV experience as a Four-Phase Temporal Design

There was a period of love/hate towards the reality TV experience and the fame that

can be acquired; a phase of addiction in which participants acknowledge feelings of

withdrawal to the experience of reality TV and fame, and the goal of fame upkeep is

of focus; an acceptance phase that allows participants to accept the fate of their

experience as well as the ambivalent aspects it encompasses; and lastly a phase of

adaption where new coping mechanisms and behaviors are developed in order to deal

with the new life changes that appearing on reality television can create.

15/05/2014

27


Discussion

The objective of this study was to understand the emotional and psychological

experiences of being a reality television contestant, using Giles & Rockwell’s (2009)

qualitative study on the affects of fame as a model. Firstly the findings corroborate

with Giles and Rockwell’s Four Phase Temporal Design theory of fame in that reality

television participants travel through a process of four temporal phases; love/hate,

addition, acceptance and adaption. They describe these phases as a general

progression in which those who are experiencing fame travel through throughout their

life span. This developmental design can be applied to those partaking in the

experience of reality TV as well as the fame either acquired or unsuccessfully

sustained during the process.

Love/Hate. There is a strong sense of enjoyment when discussing partaking in reality

television. Most participants describe it as being a ‘brilliant experience’, having much

gratitude for the people they have met and the ‘surreal’ surroundings they have

encountered, whilst at the same time having many reservations with the process of

participation, and the psychological implications left to deal with once the show is

over; “the best parts for me actually were also the worst parts.” Emulating Giles and

Rockwell’s findings those that acquired fame through reality TV generally relished on

positive public attention but also struggled when adapting to their sudden magnitude

of popularity; “the novelty of it is exciting but then actually how tedious time and

time again to never have your own space for... your own thoughts, like to yourself.”

The reality television experience overall has a strongly reported theme of being both

negative and positive; “It's good and it's bad.”

Addiction. The feeling of addiction is present in both those who have achieved and

sustained fame and those who have experienced diminishing or short-lived fame.

Those that once felt the enjoyment of adoration, attention, self-importance and the

material benefits that accompany fame evidently express a sense of withdrawal once

their public demand and status starts to decline, one participant stating; “I think its

just having that mass exposure and then... just having the rug pulled out from

15/05/2014

28


underneath you that’s the best way I can describe it. Some people can take it, some

people cant,” and another, “everything stops, the attention stopped, autographs

stopped, the pap’s stopped, the whole lot just cuts off, fizzles out within about a week

and then you suddenly like, I just crashed.” Those that have been fortunate to

maintain their attained fame through reality TV express fear toward the possibility of

having to live without fame; “I've never been addicted to anything really, but I'm

addicted to my job, I couldn't live without this job.” The fear of one day having to

return to a regular job is difficult to deal with, “that's going to be the biggest struggle

for me,” one post reality TV celebrity said, “I'm not going to be able to just walk back

into a call centre and start working again.”

Acceptance. During the initial encounters of reality TV and its resulting fame

concerns such as mistrust, manipulation by production, expectations as a contestant,

disappointment, press evasiveness and emotional pressure arise intensely. The

participant learns to accept these challenging aspects of the experience as either being

a necessary part of taking part in reality TV, “I understand that's the process and that’s

what its all about,” or of being famous, “unfortunately like I said before it's what my

job's all about, you just get used to it.”

Adaption. Once accepting that the consequential aspects are “part and partial of

being on reality TV” the participant unsupported and unprepared embarks on life after

reality TV, learning new ways in which to best adapt oneself to their state of

surrounding. Whether that be going back to a regular job or launching a celebrity

career most participants struggle emotionally and psychologically during this period,

“there was times I was like, I would hide at home and just not leave my house for a

few days.” Whilst some participants used drugs and alcohol as an adaption tool, “the

more pissed you get the less you cared about people recognising you,” another

participant said “I mean emotionally I didn’t wanna, I was like if I felt sad I will

drink.” Most participants acknowledged the great importance of friends and family in

their adaption process, “I think in this kind of job you need that so much, you need to

have good people around you” one celebrity reported, “I think that's by far the most

important thing and that made me very easily adjust,” said another.

15/05/2014

29


Expectedly many of the emotional and psychological struggles found in Giles’ study

of fame such as mistrust, isolation and the un-pleasurable loss of anonymity were

present in reality TV participants as well as the appreciation for celebrity access, and

fan adoration. The feeling of “being in a bubble” during their experience is a

consuming one, in which participants become “paranoid,” lonely, and self-

diminishing, whilst also experiencing self-importance, extreme emotional highs and

enjoyment. Stepping outside of that reality TV bubble can lead to a sense of

withdrawal and feeling alone, increasing the probability of psychological and

emotional affects; “that bubble goes along for so long and then its going to burst, and

it will either burst and you’ll be fine, or you’re going to break down.” This part of the

research is important in understanding the potential psychological implications and

the extent of their continuance.

The process of becoming a reality TV ‘star’ appears to be an extremely stressful,

tiring, terrifying, manic and more than anything exciting one. The desire for fame,

celebrity careers, future opportunities or just a life altering experience drive the

participants into their journey with high hopes of success and happiness. Fame is

acquired instantaneously and the unknown becomes the well known, privacy quickly

diminishes, and a sea of fans flock to adore, admire and support. Being “constantly

watched” anonymity soon becomes a thing of the past and unenjoyably so, once

establishing their fame participants start to crave their once owned obscurity, again

confirming the findings of Giles & Rockwell’s (2009) research. This sudden attention

is difficult to adjust too, disorientating and most feel extremely unprepared for it. The

rollercoaster “ups and downs” of suspense, anxiety, excitement and disappointment is

a tough and gruelling ride for many participants who on occasion feel the need to seek

psychological advice and support in dealing with this magnitude of emotion. More

resilient characters still experience these emotions but prepare themselves before

partaking with better coping mechanisms and knowledge of what was to be expected.

“Once you're famous you can't not be famous, like you can't all of a sudden decide ‘oh today

I'm not going be famous anymore,’ like you can't just quit your job, like even if you know,

even if you packed your job in now you're still always going to be [recognised], so it's kind of

like a life long commitment that you don't really prepare yourself for.”

15/05/2014

30


Amidst this new environment relationships with family, friends and acquaintances

begin to change, acquaintances start to become “much more friendlier,” with a 1/3 of

the population affected by Celebrity Worship Syndrome (Maltby, Houran &

McCutcheon, 2003) it’s easy to understand why the participant senses aspects of

fakery and feelings of being “used.” Friendships and partner relationships either

strengthen with the support needed from them or can become strained under the

pressures of absence, and jealousy, with mistrust being a destructive factor. During

this period of “people coming out of the woodwork,” it is difficult for the reality TV

participant to know who he or she can trust, as a result the trust previously formed

with friends and family is sacred, breaking of this trust can be devastating to

emotional stability, this parallels Giles & Rockwell’s study also. Having a strong

family and friends’ support system is “by far the most important thing” for the

psychological and emotional wellbeing of the participant during this time.

During filming the reality TV production company and the press reinforce mistrust,

feeling tricked, misinformed and not caring for their best intentions the participant

starts to retract away from the proposed support that is offered to them by production

in a bid to protect themselves from being misled into emotional battle. Although

developing pleasant friendships with production professionally they are viewed as the

untrusted, they are there to seek out TV entertaining emotions, and to the detriment of

participants’ emotional wellbeing. Some participants are pushed to emotional limits,

which in extremities can lead too lasting psychological affects such as the loss of self-

esteem and confidence, panic attacks and in some cases even violence. One Big

Brother incident saw its psychologist resign due to a violent occurrence that broke out

between contestants, media manipulation by the production company being the

biggest topic of debate (Andrejevic, 2004). To many the participant-production

relationship is confusing; participants wish to seek support from them but are also

weary of their presence, peace and respect are found by accepting that “they are just

doing their job.”

The participant feels manipulated into acting and behaving as a character they have

been “cast” for, in fear of loosing their opportunity; “I think we were being pushed

into being more, maybe a caricature of who we are.” Some happily and willingly

accept this as being a necessary part of reality TV, and begin to depersonalise

15/05/2014

31


themselves whilst in public to better reflect their portrayed character, in a bid to earn

success in doing so, Adler & Adler (1989) call this “self-glorying,” this process can

potentially see the sacrificing of personality dimensions and “future selves”, as Adler

& Adler’s research found that those who follow their portrayed media character are

more likely to become that character. For those participants who struggle in the up

keep of their assigned image, confusion of self, a sense of feeling lost and isolation

are experienced. Those who have gained celebrity status post filming and those that

experienced less emotional struggle felt as though they were honest and “themselves”

during filming, and those that suffered emotional distress and disappointment in their

achievements felt less like themselves and more manipulated into playing a

“character” during filming. Some unfortunately are cast as playing the villain,

inevitably a cause for concern on their entrance into the media spotlight, Nadia

Almada a former Big Brother contestant attempted suicide after extensive negative

attention she received from the general public and press due to being ‘shown as the

villain,” explaining “I’m just gutted. I hate my life so much right now and sometimes

ending it all is the only solution” (Mail Online, 2010). Marshall (1997) explains that

this kind of public ridiculing occurs due to the celebrity representing false success, in

that they have essentially achieved it without any work. One participant expresses the

same beliefs; “I like internally validate myself by own like achievements… business

pursuits, and that’s what I kind of consider real achievements, not being famous.”

However the production’s editing process isn’t or shouldn’t be the focus of concern

because essentially “it’s a TV programme,” one participant explains; “I understand

that's the process and that’s what its all about, if you cant open yourself up to it you

shouldn't even, people shouldn't have even gone on there.” In this example it’s

Nadia’s psychological aftercare that should be of priority and ultimately under the

spotlight, as public shaming and humiliation is a risk factor for suicide (Kaslow,

2009).

Expressing or finding ones ‘true self’ is of high priority within celebrity culture (cited:

Giles, 2000) and the obsession with authenticity has had some devastating and

extreme consequences, as a way of ending their battle with self-insincerity suicide can

seem like the only answer. Like Cobain and Hemingway they ‘would rather be dead

than be insincere.’ This is not the only precursor of suicide within celebrity culture,

the loss of fame can have tragic results also, within this study the withdrawal from

15/05/2014

32


fame or from the reality TV “bubble” is the most detrimental to psychological and

emotional wellbeing. Addiction to fame keeps the participant motivated in the upkeep

of their attained fame, if all else fails and it is lost the participant is left feeling

“dropped” and overwhelmingly alone, depression possibly being a resulting

condition.

The pressures of instant fame, attention, expectancies and mistrust can take their toll

on the unprepared reality TV participant. Although admitting “nothing can prepare

you for being famous,” those that did prepare themselves before hand or had previous

audition experience coped better emotionally. Raising the awareness of the lack of

psychological preparation that reality TV contestants receive, many expressed the

wish for more. And although it can be argued that participants nominate themselves to

take part, this is not always the case. A resident of the recent Channel 4 reality

television series ‘Benefits Street’ claimed he was ‘duped into taking part.’ Richard

McKerrow the creative director of the series admitted that more support should be

offered to participants post reality TV. Professor John Oates Chair of the BPS

commented on this issue (BPS, 2014):

‘Richard McKerrow is right in that more care is needed. However, if the effort is put in to

ethics and care at the very earliest stages of production it can improve the support for

participants from the start, and in some cases steer production companies away from serious

mistakes.’

The findings in this study show the strong desire for aftercare is unanimous among

participants, as well as better designed care during filming i.e. somebody who’s not a

part of the production company they may have trust issues with. Some participants

appreciate the nature of reality TV shows and accept the emotional difficulties that

affiliate with partaking but would still appreciate more advice, guidance and support

before, during, and over a period of time post filming. Some TV programmes offer

the opportunity to meet with a psychologist immediately after exiting the show but

participants express this as being and unhelpful tool as they are in the midst of

experiencing the excitement of the fame they have acquired. Although many do

express the need for support in dealing with the initial attention and expectancies they

experience. Psychological help from a psychologist or someone who has experience

in the field is of need further along the line post filming, and is stressed by

15/05/2014

33


participants to be most desired during the decline of public attention. Participants

predict that this help would have decreased levels of stress, anxiety, feelings of

confusion, isolation and unhappiness. General guidance with finances, utilising job

opportunities, transitioning back into work and home life was also of importance to

the participants, many felt lost in regards with what to do when it all ended, which

contributed to declining happiness.

The experience of being part of a reality TV show is an unimaginable one, almost all

participants regardless of their discrepancies admitted that they would “do it again in

a heartbeat.” Some appreciated the experience much more than the fame, explaining

that “not being famous is the key” in being able to completely enjoy the experience.

For the lucky few it has provided, worldwide fame, wealth and unimaginable

opportunities, “the pro's definitely outweigh the con's.” One said:

“I love the whole experience it was amazing from start to finish, I mean there was always highs

and lows, the stresses, the happiness, the confusion, everything, there was so many, all them

different emotions, but it was probably one of the best life experiences I've ever had and you

know it changed my life.”

Applications of Research

This research has applications for counsellors, psychotherapists and other mental

health professionals as well as the BPS, reality TV production companies, and others

that have responsibility in caring for the wellbeing of reality TV participants, family

members and the participants themselves. These findings can also be used to increase

the knowledge of the usually untelevised experiences of reality TV participants whilst

perhaps increasing the empathetic understanding of their psychological journey,

particularly in cases of negative press and public attention. The psychological

consequences can be irreversible so it is important to address them. Also these

findings present the importance of having strong family support systems during this

type of experience, this is something to consider with future reality TV participants,

perhaps in providing extra support to those who are disadvantaged in this area.

Preparation is key to enabling a smoother transition into fame, or even back into

normality, this finding can help production companies in improving the structuring of

their support systems. This research can also provide helpful information to those

15/05/2014

34


planning on pursuing a reality TV experience, in aiding them with some guidance of

what psychological and emotional implications to expect on their journey.

Limitations and Implications of Research

Participants were firstly asked questions about their application and audition process

in a bid to make them feel more comfortable and at ease when facing questions about

their emotional and psychological needs, in a hope to extract responses as truthful as

obtainable. With a great owning of mistrust towards press and interviewers some

participants may have felt reluctant to be completely honest during their interview.

Some of the participants have a personal relationship with the researcher, which could

be proposed as a being a limitation, however this study wouldn’t have been possible if

this wasn’t so, as the recruitment of such participants is extremely difficult. The

interviews were conducted over Skype due to geographical difficulties, which caused

some limitations in a few instances of recording and connection difficulties, which

could be improved in future studies of this kind, although again this was the only

feasible access available in retrieving the interviews. With psychological research into

the experiences of reality TV participants being extremely limited this research could

enable further scientific research into this area, as this study was limited by the lack of

attention to the participants backgrounds, childhoods and personality dimensions etc.

Further research in this area is required in order to look at therapeutic interventions,

designing individualised coping mechanisms and preparation strategies as part of a

better care system for reality TV participants.

Nether the less the experience of taking part in a reality television programme is one

that nobody can prepare himself or herself for. It is a rollercoaster journey of intense

and exciting ups and downs, feeling excitement about what prospects the future might

hold whilst living in a fearful world of becoming unknown. Along with feelings of

isolation, loneliness and confusion participants describe the experience as a nerve

racking, surreal, extremely stressful and life-changing process. Despite its hardships

being a reality television participant is also described as being an extremely fun and

exciting experience, providing career and life opportunities, celebrity access, fan

adoration, wealth, ego gratification, and for some personal growth.

15/05/2014

35


References

Adler, P. A., & Adler, P. (1989). The glorified self: The aggrandizement and the

constriction of self. Social Psychology Quarterly, 52(4), 299–310.

BPS. (2014). Media ethics and reality TV participants. Retrieved April 20 th 2014 from

http://www.bps.org.uk/news/media-ethics-and-reality-tv-participants

Braudy, L. (1997). The frenzy of renown: Fame and its history (2nd edition). New

York: Vintage.

Chaplin, L. (2014). Media ethics and reality TV participants. Retrieved April 27th

2014 from http://www.bps.org.uk/news/media-ethics-and-reality-tv-

participants

Collins, G. (1985, September 23). Celebrity families: Problems of success. The New

York Times, p. C14.

Feldinger, F. (2009). A Reality Show Therapist Grilled. Retrieved February 13th 2014

from http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/reality-show-therapist-grilled-3438

Fisher, L. (2009). Breakdowns, Suicides: The Dark Side of Reality TV. Retrieved

February 27th 2014 from

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/story?id=7739393

Giles, D., & Rockwell, D (2009). Being-in-the-world of celebrity: The

Phenomenology of Fame. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology 40 (2009)

178–210.

Giles, D. C. (2000). Illusions of immortality: A psychology of fame and celebrity. New

York: St. Martin’s.

Goldsmith, B. (1983, December 4). The meaning of celebrity. The New York Times

Magazine, pp. 76–120.

15/05/2014

36

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Television/story?id=7739393

http://www.thewrap.com/tv/article/reality-show-therapist-grilled-3438





Gountas, J., Gountas, S., Reeves, R. A., & Moran, L. (2012). Desire for Fame: Scale

Development and Association with Personal Goals and Aspirations.

Psychology and Marketing, Vol. 29(9): 680–689

Johnson, A. M., & McSmith, A. (2006). Children Say Being Famous is Best Thing in

the World. Retrieved March 23rd 2014 from

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/children-say-being-

famous-is-best-thing-in-world-429000.html

Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1993). A dark side of the American dream: Correlates of

financial success as a central life aspiration. Journal of Personality and Social

Psychology, 65, 410–422.

Kaslow, F. W. (April, 1992). Political families in therapy: The impact of media

coverage and therapeutic issues. Contemporary Family Therapy, 14(2), 103–

113.

Kasser, T., & Ryan, R. M. (1996). Further examining the American dream:

Differential correlates of intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Personality and Social

Psychology Bulletin, 22, 281– 288.

Learning and Skills Council (2006). Kids seeking Reality TV fame instead of exam

passes. Press release dated January 15th 2014 from

http://www.lsc.gov.uk/norfolk/Corporate/News/realityfame.htm

Mail Online. (2010). Ultimate Big Brother: Nadia Almada in 'suicide attempt' days

after being booed at eviction. Retrieved May 16th 2014 from

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/bigbrother/article-1310771/Ultimate-

Big-Brother-Nadia-Almada-suicide-attempt-days-booed-eviction.html

Maltby, J. (2010). An interest in fame: Confirming the measurement and empirical

conceptualization of fame interest. The British Journal of Psychology, 101,

411–342.

15/05/2014

37

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/bigbrother/article-1310771/Ultimate-Big-Brother-Nadia-Almada-suicide-attempt-days-booed-eviction.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/bigbrother/article-1310771/Ultimate-Big-Brother-Nadia-Almada-suicide-attempt-days-booed-eviction.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/children-say-being-famous-is-best-thing-in-world-429000.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/children-say-being-famous-is-best-thing-in-world-429000.html


Maltby, J., Giles, D.C., Day, L., Quick, M., Linley, A., & Langcaster-James, H.

(2008). Implicit theories of a desire for fame: Gains and deficits. British

Journal of Psychology, 99, 279–292.

Maltby, J., Houran, J., & McCutcheon, L. E. (2003). A clinical interpretation of

attitudes and behaviors associated with celebrity worship. Journal of Nervous

and Mental Disease, 191, 25–29.

Marshall, P. D. (1997). Celebrity and power: Fame in contemporary culture.

Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota.

McCutcheon, L. E., Lange, R., & Houran, J. (2002). Conceptualization and

measurement of celebrity worship. British Journal of Psychology, 93, 67–87.

Moustakas, C. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Reiss, S. and J. Wiltz (2004). “Why people watch reality TV”, Media Psychology,

Vol. 6.

Revoir, P. & Simpson, R. (2009). Britain's Got Talent - the backlash: Priory clinic

boss attacks producers as Susan Boyle suffers 'breakdown'. Retrieved March

3rd 2014 from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1189954/Britains-

Got-Talent-backlash-Priory-clinic-boss-attacks-producers-Susan-Boyle-

suffers-breakdown.html

Rojek, C. (2001). Celebrity. London: Reaktion Books

Smith, J. A., & Osborn, M. (2004). Interpretative phenomenological analysis. In J. A.

Smith (Ed.). Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods

(pp. 51–80). London: Sage.

Sturgis, F. (2009). Jade Goody: Reality TV star and media phenomenon. Retrieved

March 4th 2014 from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jade-

goody-reality-tv-star-and-media-phenomenon-1651748.html

15/05/2014

38

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jade-goody-reality-tv-star-and-media-phenomenon-1651748.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jade-goody-reality-tv-star-and-media-phenomenon-1651748.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1189954/Britains-Got-Talent-backlash-Priory-clinic-boss-attacks-producers-Susan-Boyle-suffers-breakdown.html




TV Licensing. (2014). Telescope 2014: A look at the nation’s changing viewing habits

from TV licensing. Retrieved February, 10 th 2014 from http://content.zone-

secure.net/tvlicensing/telescope2014/

Wyatt, E. (2009). TV Contestants: Tired, Tipsy and Pushed to Brink. Retrieved

March, 13th 2014 from

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/business/media/02reality.html?sq=ed

%20wyatt%20%27hell%27s%20kitchen

%27&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=2&adxnnlx=1395768270-KBajXX8/

BijLkkzf8I2VPA

Young, S.M. & Pinsky, D. (2006). Narcissism and celebrity. Journal of Research in

Personality, 40, 463-471.

15/05/2014

39

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/business/media/02reality.html?sq=ed%20wyatt%20'hell's%20kitchen'&st=cse&adxnnl=1&scp=2&adxnnlx=1395768270-KBajXX8/BijLkkzf8I2VPA



http://content.zone-secure.net/tvlicensing/telescope2014/

http://content.zone-secure.net/tvlicensing/telescope2014/

Documents

survivingrealitytv.files.wordpress.com file · Web viewTHE REALITY OF REALITY TELEVISION: The Psychological and Emotional E. xper. ience of the Reality Television. Contestant. Supervised