Reality TV and the PM3R
I probably need to have a moment like this:
“Hi. My name is Bwana. I am a reality show junkie”
[RESPONSE] “Hi Bwana!”
Why? Because for many years I have followed several reality shows, to the point where I check into Realitynewsonline.com and sirlinksalot.net to get updates and more information on episodes I miss.
However, after many years of watching these shows I finally recognized a common thread, a rule I will call the Purposeful Maximization of Reality Ratings Rule (PM3R). The idea is that when possible, the show or show hosts will make otherwise bewildering decisions to maintain high ratings.
This is surely not a shocker, but could be seen as an anomaly in reality shows...after all, these are supposed to reward the best, right? Absolutely, just like in real life ability, and nothing else, determines winners!
Some background information...generally speaking there are two types of reality shows: Lifestyle or Competitive.
The Lifestyle shows are typically either makeover shows (body or home or closet, etc.) or sociological shows, where participants agree to live for a time as in a by-gone era (Victorian era, American frontier, etc.), or simply in lifestyle different to what they normally live in (everything from Real World to Amish in the City).
The Competitive shows feature a prize, and the form differs from money to a person to a position. The means vary, including pure competitive (Amazing Race, Fear Factor), voting among participants (Survivor, Big Brother), Voting by the public (American Idol) or voting by a panel of judges or an individual (Project Runway, The Bachelor). The alst one can offer lots of opportunity for selection angst, and it is in the last category that the PM3R kicks in.
It is fair to say in the judging shows that the first task is to find the person best suited for the task/opportunity that goes to the winner. The second task is to maximize the ratings. The seeming rule of thumb for doing this is to present either drama or physically attractive contestants.
The PM3R became clear to me this summer as a result of two instances, One show is completed, the other will finish in less than two weeks.
The show Hells Kitchen 2 is run by Chef Gordon Ramsey, who was to select from a field of ten the new chef for a casino kitchen in Las Vegas. There reached a point where he repeatedly did not remove a participant named Virginia (http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen/bios/virginia_s2.htm), despite her many mistakes. Virgina reached the finals, where she lost to Heather (http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen/bios/heather_s2.htm).
I could not understand why Virginia was allowed to stay. After a long trek on the elliptical-where all my best thinking occurs-I realized what had happened...which was just another page out the book where Simon Colwell tries to influence audience voting by the way he critiques the singers on American Idol.
Early in the show Virginia was on an all women’s team that won a challenge, with the reward they got to spend the afternoon on a boat. All engaged in sunbathing. Virginia wore a bikini, and showed she had the Right Stuff.
It occurred to me that Chef Ramsey determined early in the competition that Heather was the best of the bunch. That being the case, and since there was no second prize beyond time on television, it did not occur what order the contestants left. So he kept Virginia around because it created drama and because he thought more folks would tune in to see her than other chefs who were more talented but less ...visually appealing.
The idea was reinforced last week on Rockstar: SuperNova, the sequel to Rockstar:INXS form the summer of 2005. The prize is a gig as lead singer for a set of musicians from well known bands who are starting their own group. Starting with fifteen singers-referred to on the show as “rockers”-each week all the rockers sing a song. The world votes, and the bottom three “sing for their lives”. The Boys (Tommy Lee/drummer/Motley Crue, Gilby Clark/Ax/Guns-N-Roses, Jason Neustedt/ bass/ Metallica) then select one or more of the three to leave.
For many weeks, they kept a beautiful Latino singer named Zayra around who had bizarre musical style and selection and-again-the Right Stuff. Zayra went home many weeks after most viewers thought she would. Last week, with only six rockers left, Ryan Starr of NYC was sent home. This removal was despite the fact that the group openly praised his evolution on the show and that he was certainly one of the most creative participants, as well as a good song writer. The Boys kept Storm Large, a lovely rocker from Portland, Oregon who came in strong, has stayed strong, but as such has not shown the same “evolution”. Moreover, her performances last week of Bring Me to Life (Evanescence-first round) and Helter Skelter (Rolling Stones-elimination round) were some of her weakest of the summer.
Why did she stay? Why not run with the unknown quantity who had room to improve?
Because The Boys already know who they want-and the primary goal achieved. Again, there is no second prize beyond additional air time, so it does not matter the order of elimination. So, if you are not going to select either one, who do you send home first? Do you send home the talented brooding guy who is given to increasingly bizarre theatrics or the talented hot strawberry blonde who does not hesitate to grind the judges when given the opportunity?
If you want to keep the guys tuned in and keep the ratings up, it is a pretty clear choice.
The Lesson-the next time you watch a reality television show where a position is the prize, the winner is selected by a judge or judges, and you cannot figure out why the judges are making the choices they are, don’t worry yourself.
They are just trying to get the highest ratings they can, and the PM3R is in play.
“Hi. My name is Bwana. I am a reality show junkie”
[RESPONSE] “Hi Bwana!”
Why? Because for many years I have followed several reality shows, to the point where I check into Realitynewsonline.com and sirlinksalot.net to get updates and more information on episodes I miss.
However, after many years of watching these shows I finally recognized a common thread, a rule I will call the Purposeful Maximization of Reality Ratings Rule (PM3R). The idea is that when possible, the show or show hosts will make otherwise bewildering decisions to maintain high ratings.
This is surely not a shocker, but could be seen as an anomaly in reality shows...after all, these are supposed to reward the best, right? Absolutely, just like in real life ability, and nothing else, determines winners!
Some background information...generally speaking there are two types of reality shows: Lifestyle or Competitive.
The Lifestyle shows are typically either makeover shows (body or home or closet, etc.) or sociological shows, where participants agree to live for a time as in a by-gone era (Victorian era, American frontier, etc.), or simply in lifestyle different to what they normally live in (everything from Real World to Amish in the City).
The Competitive shows feature a prize, and the form differs from money to a person to a position. The means vary, including pure competitive (Amazing Race, Fear Factor), voting among participants (Survivor, Big Brother), Voting by the public (American Idol) or voting by a panel of judges or an individual (Project Runway, The Bachelor). The alst one can offer lots of opportunity for selection angst, and it is in the last category that the PM3R kicks in.
It is fair to say in the judging shows that the first task is to find the person best suited for the task/opportunity that goes to the winner. The second task is to maximize the ratings. The seeming rule of thumb for doing this is to present either drama or physically attractive contestants.
The PM3R became clear to me this summer as a result of two instances, One show is completed, the other will finish in less than two weeks.
The show Hells Kitchen 2 is run by Chef Gordon Ramsey, who was to select from a field of ten the new chef for a casino kitchen in Las Vegas. There reached a point where he repeatedly did not remove a participant named Virginia (http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen/bios/virginia_s2.htm), despite her many mistakes. Virgina reached the finals, where she lost to Heather (http://www.fox.com/hellskitchen/bios/heather_s2.htm).
I could not understand why Virginia was allowed to stay. After a long trek on the elliptical-where all my best thinking occurs-I realized what had happened...which was just another page out the book where Simon Colwell tries to influence audience voting by the way he critiques the singers on American Idol.
Early in the show Virginia was on an all women’s team that won a challenge, with the reward they got to spend the afternoon on a boat. All engaged in sunbathing. Virginia wore a bikini, and showed she had the Right Stuff.
It occurred to me that Chef Ramsey determined early in the competition that Heather was the best of the bunch. That being the case, and since there was no second prize beyond time on television, it did not occur what order the contestants left. So he kept Virginia around because it created drama and because he thought more folks would tune in to see her than other chefs who were more talented but less ...visually appealing.
The idea was reinforced last week on Rockstar: SuperNova, the sequel to Rockstar:INXS form the summer of 2005. The prize is a gig as lead singer for a set of musicians from well known bands who are starting their own group. Starting with fifteen singers-referred to on the show as “rockers”-each week all the rockers sing a song. The world votes, and the bottom three “sing for their lives”. The Boys (Tommy Lee/drummer/Motley Crue, Gilby Clark/Ax/Guns-N-Roses, Jason Neustedt/ bass/ Metallica) then select one or more of the three to leave.
For many weeks, they kept a beautiful Latino singer named Zayra around who had bizarre musical style and selection and-again-the Right Stuff. Zayra went home many weeks after most viewers thought she would. Last week, with only six rockers left, Ryan Starr of NYC was sent home. This removal was despite the fact that the group openly praised his evolution on the show and that he was certainly one of the most creative participants, as well as a good song writer. The Boys kept Storm Large, a lovely rocker from Portland, Oregon who came in strong, has stayed strong, but as such has not shown the same “evolution”. Moreover, her performances last week of Bring Me to Life (Evanescence-first round) and Helter Skelter (Rolling Stones-elimination round) were some of her weakest of the summer.
Why did she stay? Why not run with the unknown quantity who had room to improve?
Because The Boys already know who they want-and the primary goal achieved. Again, there is no second prize beyond additional air time, so it does not matter the order of elimination. So, if you are not going to select either one, who do you send home first? Do you send home the talented brooding guy who is given to increasingly bizarre theatrics or the talented hot strawberry blonde who does not hesitate to grind the judges when given the opportunity?
If you want to keep the guys tuned in and keep the ratings up, it is a pretty clear choice.
The Lesson-the next time you watch a reality television show where a position is the prize, the winner is selected by a judge or judges, and you cannot figure out why the judges are making the choices they are, don’t worry yourself.
They are just trying to get the highest ratings they can, and the PM3R is in play.
posted by Bwana | 9:52 AM
1 Comments:
Anka, I think you meant this to go in the George/Vince post...
Post a Comment
<< Home