By Kerryn Le Cordeur

‘Reality TV’ is a phrase that generates a host of responses in people, from: “it’s the intellectual equivalent of empty calories” and “live your own life, don’t just watch someone else’s,” to bringing out various degrees of obsessive behaviour, as some viewers become caught up in the lives of the ‘real’ people they see on TV and develop emotional attachments to them. Whether you’re a cynic or a self-confessed ‘reality TV junkie’, however, there’s usually some level of intrigue in the genre that has taken off significantly in the past 10 years. But how do our local versions in this genre measure up to their international counterparts?

My first taste of reality TV was back in 2001, when on arrival back in South Africa after an overseas trip, I was met with the Big Brother hype that had started a week or two previously. As an outsider to this phenomenon to begin with, I found it peculiar that anyone would want to watch regular people performing mundane activities in a confined space for more than three months. However, with time, I have to admit that I became quite captivated by the idea, and I think a big part of that was because I knew the housemates were living just a few kilometres away; eating at the same time I was; discussing the same things I thought about; and adding an authentic South African feeling to the experience. I can’t quite imagine feeling as enamoured if I were to watch a similar group of Americans; Brits; or Australians because there would be no common ground for me to relate to. Even Big Brother Africa didn’t seem to garner quite the same following as the original South African version did, possibly for the same reason.

While South African TV producers have created several local reality TV shows, most of them are international concepts that have been adapted for our screens. Think Big Brother; Idols; Pop Stars; Survivor SA; South Africa’s Got Talent; So You Think You Can Dance; Strictly Come Dancing; Fear Factor; The Biggest Loser; and The Apprentice. And while Big Brother South Africa was a hit at the time, most of these shows are soon forgotten, while their international counterparts live on – and we continue to watch these international versions in South Africa.

I wonder what it is that gives the international versions of these shows greater longevity? Perhaps it’s that we try too hard, in South Africa, to copy them down to the last detail, with the presenters uttering the same phrases verbatim, but in a heavy South African accent, causing viewers to cringe a little at the unoriginality of it all; or maybe it’s that our production skills don’t quite match up to those presented on shows such as American Idol and Dancing with the Stars – here you are bound to witness some technical glitch, such as SABC3 airing of the incorrect episode of Survivor, or M-Net being at the centre of a voting drama which resulted in not one, but two Idols being crowned last season. It could also be that it hits a little too close to home – it’s much more fun to mock the contestants on American Idol or the American version of Survivor than to look at the ones on our own shows, and consider that some of them may be a little too similar to us for our liking.

That being said, however, it seems that while some local reality TV shows disappear as quickly as they appear on our screens, others manage to survive despite, or maybe because of, the controversy and debate surrounding them (What will happen with the voting results in this year’s Idols?). Two of the most recent examples are also two that have experienced the most success overseas: Idols and Survivor. Over 2 000 aspiring singers turned up at the Johannesburg Idols auditions over the past weekend, which is an increase on last year’s entries, and Cape Town and Durban also experienced record turnouts at this year’s auditions. Last year saw the competition accumulate 7 803 384 votes throughout the season, no mean feat for a show airing on a pay-TV channel. Similarly, Survivor South Africa: Santa Carolina attracted much attention in the media, perhaps helped by the fact that local celebrities took part in this edition, and gained so much popularity that the decision was made to air an extra episode this week, reflecting on life on the island.

It’s all very well for the show itself to be popular and for the contestants to gain a following while they take part, though, but what happens once the show is over? One could argue that in the case of Survivor or Big Brother, the goal isn’t necessarily to create celebrities or discover new talent (although the contestants do develop their own following, and that must be a large part of the motivation for entering – some of them have even built on this to build careers in the media industry). However, shows such as Idols; South Africa’s Got Talent; and So You Think You Can Dance are very much created with the purpose to provide a platform for untapped talent, and yet Newsclip’s Jaco Pienaar comments that these shows do not have the scope in South Africa that they do in the UK and US. He adds that UK and US winners become a “worldwide phenomenon”, whereas local winners tend to fade from the limelight quite quickly. This can be seen with the international success of, for example, Kelly Clarkson (who recently visited South Africa on tour); Daughtry; and even Susan Boyle, compared to that of our reality TV stars, some of whom may have fared fairly well in local niche markets, but none of whom have managed to successfully break into the international market. Again, though, this may be another reason we keep tuning in – maybe this will be the year we find a winner who will make it overseas. After all, we’d like nothing more than to find our own Susan Boyle and see South Africa in the international spotlight for reasons that do not include our questionable politics.

At the end of the day, reality TV should be about just that – reality. And what better way to experience that reality than by watching our fellow citizens, with whom we can relate, taking part. Despite all the criticism, it seems that this is a genre that is here to stay, both on the local and international front, even reaching a point where it is surpassing more traditional genres in terms of viewership and popularity. South Africa’s jumping on the bandwagon, then, is probably not a bad idea in order to keep up with international trends and giving viewers what they want. In fact, producing our own versions of international shows might even be a clever way of getting viewers to watch local content. It can only be hoped that with this continuing popularity, the local industry will be pushed to continue improving on the content; production; and platforms for aspiring stars, so that we can truly live up to international standards, like we know they can.

What are your thoughts on South African reality TV and the genre in general? Share your comments on our blog.