OK. The one I remember most involved blokes being held upside down against a hot wall whilst hot fine sand was being tipped over them, and then magnifying glasses were concentrating the sun's rays onto their nipples.
Carcinogenicalicious! At least it wasn't on their meat and two veg.
I think
Endurance and their ilk are fine (that thing above aside) as they are willing contestants going to be tortured, doubly so with any "celebrity" thing, you're that desperate to milk/regain/expand your "fame"? Fuck you. Likewise
Dirty Sanchez, Jackass all men have those self destructive impulses and in the absence of megafauna and not so mega fauna to hunt, some are going to indulge in such stuff, look at blokes on stag does, or preferably, don't.
I'm in two minds over much of the pandemic that is "reality TV" I've been waiting for it die for the best part of twenty years and at the moment it looks like it might outlive us all. I used to enjoy laughing at the shit auditions and the delusions of some competitors, certainly I got no entertainment from watching the "normal" auditions; where inane people who were competent to good are singing inane songs in an inane manner. I can't watch the crapshoots any more, mainly because ultimately people are being exploited, it's the modern equivalent to paying a ha'penny to laugh at and torment the inmates in Bedlam. Same goes, though to a lesser extent for the bear baiting that is Jeremy Kyle.
Yes, people do indeed sign up for these things and they've been around long enough for people to know what to "expect", it's just there's no level playing field and plenty of people simply don't have the judgement to make the decision, no, we can't have a "nanny state" situation where decisions are made for people, other than in the most extreme situations - adults with the mental age of children or severe mental health issues. There are accounts where some auditioners were pestered into being on and plenty of people are: mentally unwell, at least moderately stupid, lonely/socially isolated and frankly, vulnerable to this sort of thing. I'd imagine at least those one of descriptors apply to most or all of those shitty, pointless auditions.
The shows deliberately cultivate those too, a friend went to the first round of auditions for
Australian Idol, when the programme was new. She's in the "much better than the average person but not at the top" type category vocally and average looking, the auditions took place outside with backstage staff assessing people, they only let the top and bottom few percent through. The bottom few clearly there to be mocked.
I'm generally schadenfreude-irrific but have to draw the line somewhere. I see that someone who was on
Love Island (possibly the worst reality TV show of all time) killed themselves recently, I'm surprised there haven't been more suicides frankly and I'm surprised there haven't been more "life after reality TV" type exposes.
because we need schadenfreude.
