Rigging controversies mar reality shows

Reality television shows are a growing rage that have captured India's imagination with many ordinary hopefuls for one elusive crown.

But in between are stories of heartbreaks, frustrations and hopes that make great television.

There are allegations of judges being unfair, controversial dismissal of a finalist after being crowned and now allegations that viewers polls are being rigged.

Recently Mumbai cops stumbled upon two contestants possibly trying to rig the viewers' poll in Star One's reality dance show Nach Baliye.

The contestants, TV actors Shweta Kawatra and Manav Gohil, are locked in a high stakes battle with three other celebrity couples with the competition poised at a crucial stage.

Police have found that Manav and Shweta bought and distributed 200 SIM cards to friends and acquaintances.

Boosting votes

Cards bought not in their name but in the names of two others possibly in the hope of boosting audience votes in their favour.

The matter came to light while the cops were investigating another complaint.

''A housewife filed a complaint saying she was receiving lewd SMSes. During investigations, we found that her husband was sending the messages. We found that the SIM cards were bought in bulk by one man, who had distributed it to people he knew. This woman's husband was one of them," said Sanjay Shintre, DCP, Thane.

At this juncture, the police found that the SIM card used by the husband was in fact one of 200 sim cards bought by the star couple and distributed.

NDTV: Were the TV actors the ones who bought the SIM cards to get people to vote for them?

Shintre: That seems likely. They have done it.

Star One in defence


Shweta and Manav have refused to comment but Star One came to their defence.

"We have definitely encouraged all participants to canvas for votes and many of them have gone the extra mile to do so. The participants are committed to abiding by all the rules of the show and our systems are robust enough to ensure that all set rules and regulations are followed," said Samir Nair, CEO, Star Entertainment, India.

But this isn't the first time Nach Baliye has been in the news. In its last season, a Mumbai newspaper had reported rumours of other contestants using similar means to garner votes.

Sony's Indian Idol too was hit by accusations of result fixing when one of the contestants was voted out by audience SMSes.

Instances like these have repeatedly raised the issue of just how real are India's reality shows?

Despite that reality shows frequently slip into staged reality a norm now accepted even among viewers.

After many a hits and misses, viewers it seems are not talking reality shows that seriously.
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