It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that people will do just about anything for money even if they don’t need it that much. But going on TV and risking the chance of making a fool out of yourself, or having someone else do it, sounds perfectly acceptable to some people. True, in some cases there are shows that aren’t too bad and a lot of game shows do make sense when it comes to being a contestant. But at the same time there are plenty of shows that make people work for their money and as a result end up making them look absolutely ridiculous in the process. One could say that giving up a big of your dignity isn’t too much if the prize is worth it, but at the same time giving up your dignity and self respect in order to win what amounts to a regular payday with added misery is something that a lot of people likely feel kind of stupid about in the end. But for some folks it’s the experience, the idea of getting on TV and ‘putting themselves out there’ for a possible gain that that’s not assured but is definitely worth it, IF they win.
Dignity actually appears to have a price tag that’s different for every person.
5. Love Island
Any show that has to do with falling in love and that pays its contestants is one that is kind of awkward really since in effect the contestants are being paid for their time but they’re also being paid to find a mutual attraction to each other that could result in a lot of embarrassment. It’s true that they find some of the best looking people for this contest and won’t likely stoop to finding people that are average or have average lives, but the fantasy this tends to sell is one that a lot of people find appealing but others just tend to find kind of like a chance to say ‘look at me, I’m hot and I’m getting paid’. There are a few professions for that to be realistic.
4. The Challenge
Considering a lot of the contestants on this show were already making fools of themselves in other reality shows it’s just another day on the job since the various challenges that they have to face are more ways to get attention and make sure that people can see them doing things that make them look good or ridiculous. The whole idea behind it, what it appears to be anyway, is to keep people that might not have any other skills in life in front of the camera and keep them paid so they can dole out their dignity in an attempt for another payday. Obviously that’s exaggerating, they like have a few skills to fall back on, one would hope at least.
3. Survivor
Huh boy. Ever since the naked crab walk a long time ago the show has continued to attract viewers but the whole thing is pretty much known to be rigged and staged as many reality shows are. The fact that people continue to pay attention to this show is proof that people will do anything for money, and audiences will watch just about anything that’s given to them. Oh yeah, I said it. The whole idea of this show isn’t unity after all, which is something that might help if a person actually was stuck in the wilderness. Safety in numbers anyone? But the whole process of having to swear allegiance and then stab each other in the back is kind of a hard idea to get behind.
2. Naked Attraction
Any show that actually requires you to get naked is bound to be questionable at best and absolutely horrible at the very least. Plus, not only are the contestants naked, but the person judging them as they’re revealed in all their glory, or horror depending on the person, will eventually be excited or recoil, which has got to make a person feel a certain way unless they have no shame. But hey, if a person is on this show in the first place it’s likely that they don’t have any shame anyway. If the rules of a show read, at any time, “remove your clothing”, it might be time to exit stage left and find a job.
1. Fear Factor
Who in the world thinks they look professional or even rational when they’re afraid? Thankfully the show isn’t really about looking good, but then again some of the challenges are just a hard ‘no’ for a lot of people since eating live spiders, sticking your hand in a cage with a live creature that may or may not bite you, and many other challenges just feel kind of kooky. But hey, people want that money, they just don’t want to work for it that badly.
Why work for a living when you could shame, embarrass, or otherwise scare yourself into getting paid?
