Aristotle and his "Poetics" and modern Reality TV....not so real by Andrew Durkiewicz

This week I had to read an article that really examined the connection between todays reality TV, and how it is connected to the theatre during Aristotle’s time. The author, Elizabeth White, didn’t really explore all types of reality TV, but focused on “The Survivor.” What I found interesting is that even though television is so new, the ideas and characteristics that these shows follow have been around for centuries.  Aristotle had noticed and noted the building blocks of theater, and what this shows is that these characteristics are human characteristics, not cultural. It is built into us to root for the underdog. Aristotle noted this in his essay called, “the poetics.” This is why all of his poems and stories revolve around one character. That character may not be the best person in the whole plot, but the story is always centered around their life. 

This article brings up how the main aspects in Aristotle’s “poetics” can be adapted in The Survivor. They note that the survivor doesn’t really have a protagonist at all. Most of us tend to pick and root for one person, and they may not be the nicest of all. But what the author does not that is rather interesting, is that reality producers tend to center the show on the villains of the show. White makes a great point when she says that, It’s no coincidence that most people can’t name a single character from the more mediocre reality performers, ‘The Mole’ and ‘Big Brother.’” Survivor has been a long running show because it has perfected the art of controlling who the audience aligns with. It is simple, the most evil and the most deceiving person is the most likely to bring drama (which reality TV feeds off of).

Elizabeth White also brings up the importance of plot to how an audience reacts. Aristotle understood the importance of this. In, Oedipus Rex, Oedipus’ tragic flaw would not be so dramatic without him being a king. White notes that in survivor, the narrator and the director purposefully make it seem like the contestants only speak of one individual. This is almost reverse phycology, as they know that by creating the illusion that the villain is being ganged up on by his pears, the audience will align on his side. What people don’t understand when watching these shows is that these shows are portrayed reality, but not truly reality.

Elizabeth White explains the background of every reality television show. They all have a plot, characters, and a gimmick. One thing that really opened my eyes is the whole gimmick thing. The whole aspect that people tend to laches onto in these shows is drama. The producers are not telling the contestants to do certain things. But what they do is plant little seeds, that give the contestants the opportunity to cheat their peers. With survivor, you have the objects that plant immunity as well as redemption island. These are seen as a game advantage, which also what is centered on what the producers want… drama.

Reading this article really opened my eyes how scripted everyday things are. These types of shows are the opposite of what they imply. Even though, these are real contestants….they are not random. Thousands of people apply for these shows, and they are all picked to maximize the quality of their product.