It all began with Survivor and the tag line of the show fits every reality based competition perfectly — as they are all about the survival of the fittest. A genre that is growing by leaps and bounds, these shows all share a common bond called entertainment.
Whether it was the outspoken Gurbaani from MTV Roadies or the demure Shilpa Shetty on Big Brother, the true recipe to make it to the top five of a reality show can be a hard one. Is courage important? Or do you need to plot and scheme to win? Says actress Kashmeera Shah, a participant on Sony's Bigg Boss, "The moment you get on to a reality show, it's important to have a strategy. You can prefer to ride low or just plunge into it headlong — the choice is yours. But at the end of the day you need to be smart."
Since these reality shows have controlled environments, it's the tougher ones who survive finally. Says Deepak Dhar, creative head of Endemol, "All kinds of people need to be on a reality show purely because it's the different mindsets that creates conflict as well as entertain." He goes on to add that traits such as perseverance and patience are two of the most important virtues. "People don't like controversial characters and prefer the straight jacketed. In India people favour the father figure. That was obvious when Rahul Roy won."
Yet, to last in a reality programme. it's courage that is most important. "Showing what you are and what you feel are important aspects of a reality show. After I was voted out of the show, I knew who liked me and who disliked me, but in the end I was the one who faced my fears. I dealt with people like Rakhi and Ravi and today we are better friends. So being strong really helps in such shows," says Kashmeera.
Shows like The Apprecentice, Hell's Kitchens and Project Runaway are topical and so Rajeev Bakshi, assistant marketing head Discovery Travel and Living, believes that it's casting of different personalities that is important. "Since the shows are topical, it's a niche audience who watches them but having a whole range of personalities ensures an element of drama, which makes people follow the show."
The programming heads of these shows also believe that character analysis and extensive casting meets are equally important to give the show the right kind of ingredients. "It's important to know how a certain person will react in a particular situation because minute details are important," adds Deepak. However Aditya Swamy, vice president, marketing MTV networks holds a different view. He says, "Although casting for a reality show such as Roadies is intense, what's more important is to find people who are different."
Aditya believes that finding conflicting personalities is the key to the show. "An extrovert, who has his or her own point of view and is not afraid of expressing them is perfect reality show material. We are not looking for someone who is aggressive or in your face, but someone who can stand up for what they believe in. Rakhi Sawant, participant in Bigg Boss also believes that strength is very important. "You need to have a strong mind and heart to be on a reality show and in order to win as well. You really have to know how to handle yourself and not over react to things. But I guess, it's the strong and silent types who always win the show — someone who refuses to get into a fight and prefers to keep quiet."
However Rajeev adds that the winners are finally chosen by the viewers and the jury. "Since the winners are chosen independently, programmers have little to do with it. So whether you are a controversial character or a gentle person, it's the audience that matter the most." "In these situations, diplomacy rules and to be honest you have to be tough to survive something like this. I was typecast as a vamp but I took it in my stride. This is because finally you have to remember that after all it's just a game," sums up Kashmeera.
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