Back To Reality

With the writer’s strike in the US coming to an end, there’s a huge sigh of relief regarding the return of scripted series. However, no matter how many dramas return, alternative programming will continue to be a force to be reckoned with, both on the screen and in the real world…

The top 20 contestants on So You Think You Can Dance Down Under want us to know that they’re nothing like those Idol-reality-sellouts. They must have cooked this up while they lined up to audition, got critiqued and whittled down by the judges and now survive each week according to phone votes from the viewing public. One finalist said, “I don’t think it’s all going to get to us, because this is just an honour for us. And dancers work together…I don’t think singers are the same.” Of course, that will be proven when the winner shares the $200 000 prize with their new best friends.

French reality stars are also generating press for new reasons. Three former Temptation Island France contestants mounted a lawsuit, arguing they should be paid as employees for their duties performed in front of the camera. In the landmark ruling, the French courts agreed that without the offer of prize money, extended hours of body shots and pashing strangers did constitute employment worth $40,000 each. Since the verdict, a European radio station reports that 45 further former contestants have now sought legal advice.

The country that brought us the term wardrobe malfunction is launching a new show that will get the FCC bubbling. Battle of the Bods is the US version of the UK’s subtly titled Hot Tub Ranking. This reality competition takes five women and asks them to rank themselves in order of attractiveness to match the rankings of a panel of blokes watching from behind a one-way mirror. With ever-increasing stakes and ever-decreasing wardrobes, the women rate their assets; best smile, best legs, best butt etc. The more times they accurately predict their ranking, the more money they win. In a final act of liberation, the women decide which of the five is the prettiest overall and then fight over the remaining four spots, ultimately deciding who will get the dreaded number five spot.

Take a look to see how truly life-changing being a reality tv contestant can really be – no one could script this.