Talent Show Tantrums: The Battle of the Fans
Growing up I was always made to believe that, as far as fans are concerned, there is no one more brutal than an English soccer fan. Little did I know that a far greater evil was about to rear its very ugly head – the Talent Show Fan!
I have been a talent show fan for as long as I can remember, never missing an episode of Idols, The X Factor, The Voice or any of the other find-a-star shows on offer.
I have watched the movie 'Mean Girls' at least 17 times. Perhaps on some level that is the reason why my talent show experience has now become a modern-day sequel to this bitch-bonding movie. Regina, Gretchen and Karen have got nothing on the fire breathing Adams and Eves I have come across on the various social media platforms. I have to make mention of the fact that I am not talking about sassy and popular prom queen candidates here. No siree ! What we have here is a gaggle of mostly middle-aged, menopausal bats (and men) who thrive on idle gossip and mass-meddling in the personal affairs of others.
Let me make one thing very clear. I have met some amazing people over the past few years. People who are supportive without being malicious, people who realise that one has to separate the talent of a person from the person itself. Unfortunately these kind hearted individuals are in the minority.
In South Africa we are plagued by a monster called ‘entitlement’. The ghosts of apartheid are haunting every walk of life and we have been forced to accept that Black Economic Empowerment and Affirmative Action has its place in talent shows as much as it does in sport.
In America religion seems to be the weapon of choice. If I had a dollar for every time I have heard “It is God’s will for so and so to win’ I would have trumped Bill Gates on the Forbes List of Richest People by now. I could never quite fathom the religious approach to something as commercial as a talent show. Does it mean that God is backing a specific contestant? Does God cast the ultimate vote? Where does this leave the other contestants? Are they automatically condemned to a life of bad luck and misery?
I won’t lie, I have been pretty brutal myself in my approach towards talent show contestants in the past. I have however since realized the error of my ways and have adopted a more laid-back, tongue-in-the-cheek approach towards all things talent show related. This year I in particular I had a vested interest in American Idol, vehemently promoting and supporting a fab guy whose talents I became acquainted with before the onset of the competition. What an absolute pleasure it was being part of #teamfradiani and supporting our guy all the way to the finale (which he won in a very grand fashion). The Fradiani clan welcomed all supporters with open arms and embraced us as if we were old friends, not voting machines. Not once did they belittle a fellow contestant in a bid to make Nick seem more competent. I have to salute this special group of people – you have convinced me that there are still good people watching TV.
It is impossible to change human nature but perhaps the powers that be of Talent Show TV can hook up with a major pharmaceutical company and supply free Valium samples to over-zealous viewers? I can’t imagine physical assault and mass-defamation being good for ratings but then again it could very well be what is needed to reignite the fires of passionate Reality TV viewership.
My advice to all the borderline crazy fans of the world is this: Calm down, learn to pick a winner and if all else fails, switch off your TV. Your and my sanity is at stake here – make the right choice!
