Stereotypes Of Reality TV

In order to make a reality TV show successful, the program makers have to cast people with strong personalities that may conflict with each other (Cronin, 2016) and portray them in such a way that viewers engage with them. To create and maintain a level of engagement and excitement throughout the show, viewers have to be able to identify the characters’ roles in the show quickly. Therefore, those strong characters have to be placed into stock characters, also known as stereotypes (Gleason, 2013). According to Jain (2014) The Drama Queen, The Hunk, The I Am Not A Cute Girl, The Weirdo, The Manipulative Guy and The Know It All Douchebag are six types of reality TV contestants. Besides being able to place the character in a specific role, it is possible that the audience wants to form a relationship with the character. When viewers experience the feeling of knowing the performers in mass media, particularly on television, and form a social relationship with them by imaginatively interacting with them, this is known as parasocial interaction (Horton & Wohl, 1956).

The casting process and knowledge of TV production companies is applicable to new contestants of a reality TV shows. Recurring contestants have already been placed in specific roles and a positive or negative parasocial relationship has already been developed by viewers. Enjoyment of a television shows derives from the viewer’s feelings towards the characters. Therefore, if viewers have a negative association with a recurring contestant, this can discourage audiences to view the