In Elton John’s words
“Video killed music. Reality has killed talent.”
When I first read this I thought “Right on!!!” but then on second thought that’s quite right because many reality personalities are talented to the point of sheer genius if you ask me. You may not agree with me but if you disagree it’s probably because you think of talent as a skillset that is positive, distinguished and wholesome but you have to remember the hot dog eating champs and the Kim Kardashians of this world.
There is a scientific formula to becoming a reality star and without it the average person could not have a successful reality show by simply being themselves. I challenge any old school fans of MTV’s show The Real World to think of the names of the Real World Miami cast…take your time, I’ll wait.
The reason why you can’t remember these people is because they may have done some wild things that were interesting for the moment but they missed their opportunity to really make their 15 minutes count.
Branding:
Memorable reality tv stars can turn a 2 minute American Idol interview into so much more. If I say William Hung many automatically think of his intoxicatingly terrible performance of Ricky Martin’s “She Bangs. I heard a comedian speculate that he was probably an evil genius that knows he can’t sing but still managed to get a recording contact and make several paid appearances following his very brief appearance on American Idol.
One cast that will go down in the reality TV branding hall of fame is the cast of the Jersey Shore. Each personality has cute nicknames like “JWOW” and “the Situation” that can’t help but entertain when coupled with their train wreck lifestyles.
The Jersey Shore also has quite a few catch phrases that people everywhere are repeating like “The cabs are here!” ,“D.T.F” and “G.T.L”. It was even reported that cast mate nicknamed “Snooki” was paid a pretty penny by the company that makes silly fuzzy house slippers that she wears on the show.
Honorable mention goes to Natalie Nunn of the Bad Girls Club who coined the phrase “I run LA” and is known for her loud mouth and prominent chin.
(Photo:Natalie Nunn)
Character:
All of the wild people of the reality TV world can’t possible carry on in real life the way they do when the cameras are rolling or they would be hospitalized regularly. Based on that reality, they must be really turning it up into over drive for the cameras. Sometimes it even seems that they are actively trying to make sure that their show is interesting. No one wants to be the one that no one remembers at the reunion.
Some reality stars have chosen to appear loopier and air headed, mean, delusional or straight up skanky just to stand out and boy does it work! It gets people talking and tweeting and like the age old saying goes no press is bad press. If being infamous gets people to come out to a club and by drinks, (even if they just want to throw them in your face.) it’s worth the negative attention to collect a fee for an appearance to some.
Think of the reality personality “New York” from the flavor of love or reality couple Spencer and Heidi Pratt A.K.A” Speidi” who have been featured on several shows obviously staging arguments and saying the most ridiculous things ever heard.
(Photo: "Speidi" Pratt)
They have had to calculate and develop their characters over season after season. It is no different than playing a role in a film, in fact, I would argue that it takes more guts to assume a character and portray it as your actual personality as most people are not going to attack the villain from the movies on the streets but I am sure that Natalie Nunn has to watch her back!
Is that not talent? To create a controversial persona that people can’t help but talk about is a skill! Many of us working Joes are not willing to sacrifice our self-respect for a little fame or money but no one should ever say that reality stars don’t earn their money. Many of them are simply modern day jesters and being a good fool takes talent…so there Sir Elton!
One strength of your piece is how your last paragraph tied into your first paragraph and really completed the blog post. One weakness was there were a few grammatical errors (In paragraph 5, it should be "She Bangs.") Overall, it was a really great and interesting piece.
ReplyDeleteWow! Very interesting take on things! I didn't think it was possible for me to actually believe that reality tv stars have an inch of talent. But you prove many good points! I love the fact that you have so many examples. That in my opinion is what really drives your post. If a reader was to disagree with one fact, you shell out another one for them to ponder over.
ReplyDeleteOne line I wasn't so crazy about was "You may not agree with me but if you disagree it’s probably because you think of talent as a skillset that is positive, distinguished and wholesome." I say this because thats just an assumption although you did use the word "probably" its hard to say what different people think about talent.
I really enjoyed this post!!
I remember Dan, Mike and Cynthia.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, on to your critique. :-)
This is a great post because you have a specific thesis in your counter-argument. You're not just saying, "Reality TV is pointless." Your thesis takes us by surprise with its originality - reality TV stars have no talent? Oh, yes they do! And let me tell you why! Well done.
As happens with many writers, I think you finally hit on your thesis in your last paragraph:
"I would argue that it takes more guts to assume a character and portray it as your actual personality...Is that not talent?"
You have some extra verbage and clutter that you can eliminate (you could even replace "guts" with "talent" to make it even more concise), but there lies the meat of your argument. That is how you will hook people and keep them reading with specific examples that back your thesis. If you ever rewrite this piece, put that section in introduction.
You prove that talent does not necessarily have to be "positive, distinguished and wholesome." It just has to sell. It may not be distinguished, but it sure is distinct.
I love the line, "remember the hot dog eating champs and the Kim Kardashians of this world."
You say in your second paragraph that there is a "scientific formula" to becoming a reality star. I think you need to spell it out. Is it branding + character = stardom? Be specific, and then rest of your examples will make more sense.
As I keep saying (to everyone), look for areas where you can eliminate passive voice. Comb through each post and take out as many forms of the verb "to be" as you can (am are is was were be being been). Replace them with a specific action. Example: "It was even reported that cast mate nicknamed “Snooki” was paid a pretty penny by the company that makes silly fuzzy house slippers that she wears on the show.
Who reported it? What company? Consider, "Tabloids reported that Snookie got a hefty endorsement deal from (slipper company) to wear their slippers on the show."
Also, eliminate throat-clearing phrases such as, "The reason why you can’t remember these people is because they..." Instead, start with, "You can't remember these people because..." See how a few small changes make a big difference in verbal clutter?
I enjoyed this post. You have a great sense of humor and great potential in your voice. Keep up the good work!
-Prof. Nichols