Are Reality Shows Fair to all Contestants?

We are into a phase where Reality Shows have gained popularity amongst the viewers, it has struck a chord with the audience as well as on the TRP charts. While the motto of these 'Unique' shows is to search for new singing talents, the audience is left wondering at times whether the path taken to achieve this goal is Fair to all....


Citing the example of two new contestants in SRGMP, Anik Dhar and Abhijeet Kosambi who have been chosen as the 'Lucky Two' to get a direct entry into the Bramhastra Round of SRGMP, since they are state level champions.. Anik is the proud winner of Bangla SRGMP while Abhijeet happens to be the winner of Marathi SRGMP.. Lady Luck has definitely smiled on them, but does this not deprive the other contestants of their share of luck?



Another Reality Show to follow the same format was Indian Idol 3 where , just before the 10 Finalists were announced, we see utterly a new face, Jolly Das singing before the judges, much to the shock of the judges themselves. We are then notified that this contestant has made a direct entry into the 'Grand Galas of II3' because of her ill health during her participation in II2. Now, is it not a fact that the level of competition varies from one season to another season? When the other 10 chosen finalists had to toil hard to reach to this level after going thro' sleepless nights and anxious days, is it fair enough that she be brought and made to stand as one amongst them?

One similar aspect to be noted in these two 'Inclusions' is the bold step taken by the channels, Zee and Sony. What if the mentors of SRGMP, Himesh and Ismail Darbar are against the sudden entry of Anik and Abhijeet, the Show needs to go on!! Jolly Das smiled her way into Indian Idol 3 even when the experienced Javed Akhtar made a comment that in days to come, she will regret that she was not a part of II2, because the competition she will face from other contestants in II3 is really tougher when compared to the last season...

These were the thoughts that the judges and mentors associated with the Reality Shows have, but as viewers, are we satisfied with these decisions? Do you think Justice Prevails here? Can we just spare a thought for the other contestants and think about them for a minute?

Author: Srividya Rajesh