Fixing
Saturday Night
Strictly Come Dancing
The Apprentice
The Chase
TV
Are our Most Popular Shows Fixed?
Some of the country’s most popular television series have come under fire for being overly scripted or ‘fixed’. Former contestants have been testifying about the activities behind the scenes, as well as keen eyed viewers questioning their favourite shows.
The Apprentice, Lord Alan Sugar’s annual search to find a keen business mind to grant a six-figure job, has come under fire on multiple occasions from former contestant Selina Waterman-Smith for being predetermined and scripted. She claims that the individual who is chosen to leave the show each week is already determined outside of their performance in the boardroom.
The Apprentice, Lord Alan Sugar’s annual search to find a keen business mind to grant a six-figure job, has come under fire on multiple occasions from former contestant Selina Waterman-Smith for being predetermined and scripted. She claims that the individual who is chosen to leave the show each week is already determined outside of their performance in the boardroom.
In a tweet from December 2015, the first time these allegations were brought up, Samantha wrote, “The finalists are picked from the start, the whole show is fixed and set up” in a tweet that has since been deleted.
Representatives for the show naturally denied any element of ‘fixing’ the show, however that didn’t stop Selina from making further comments about the conditions for contestants again recently.
The term ‘puppet-mastery’ was used to describe how finalists were picked early on and were made to portrayed in a positive light through how the show is edited. Selina also claimed that contestants of the show are deprived of sleep and given food of a poor quality to make them appear more irrational and desperate when it comes time to film.
The Apprentice is not the only popular show to have its ethics questioned, with the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing also being accused of only giving the illusion of twists and turns through the series, whilst actually deciding the outcome before the show begins.
Viewers and former contestants alike pointed out how ‘favoured’ professional dancers were paired with the celebrity contestants who already had previous dancing experience, seemingly tipping the scales of competition.
Representatives for the show naturally denied any element of ‘fixing’ the show, however that didn’t stop Selina from making further comments about the conditions for contestants again recently.
The term ‘puppet-mastery’ was used to describe how finalists were picked early on and were made to portrayed in a positive light through how the show is edited. Selina also claimed that contestants of the show are deprived of sleep and given food of a poor quality to make them appear more irrational and desperate when it comes time to film.
The Apprentice is not the only popular show to have its ethics questioned, with the BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing also being accused of only giving the illusion of twists and turns through the series, whilst actually deciding the outcome before the show begins.
Viewers and former contestants alike pointed out how ‘favoured’ professional dancers were paired with the celebrity contestants who already had previous dancing experience, seemingly tipping the scales of competition.
A report by The Daily Mail in late 2015, confirmed that unnamed dancers from the show said that producers try to indirectly affect who ends up in the final. These ‘favourites’ are decided by producers beforehand not based on dancing ability, but how engaging they would be for an audience. The more unappealing couples are not looked on favorably by judges and the hosts of the shows.
Insiders have also claimed that if the public vote does not align with who the producers want to progress for marketing reasons, they may just abandon the results from the public all together.
The Strictly Tour also plays a part, with producers favouring those contestants who have confirmed that they can appear on the tour (leading to making more revenue) getting special treatment.
ITV quiz show The Chase was also hit with fix claims in early 2016 after viewers noticed the timer in the final round may have been artificially delayed in order to give the chaser more time.
Insiders have also claimed that if the public vote does not align with who the producers want to progress for marketing reasons, they may just abandon the results from the public all together.
The Strictly Tour also plays a part, with producers favouring those contestants who have confirmed that they can appear on the tour (leading to making more revenue) getting special treatment.
ITV quiz show The Chase was also hit with fix claims in early 2016 after viewers noticed the timer in the final round may have been artificially delayed in order to give the chaser more time.
Viewers noticed how the ticking clock almost paused with ten seconds remaining, holding that number for far longer than it should have, before moving to nine seconds. This came as he was losing the final round, looking unable to make up the eight questions needing to stop the contestants winning the £27,000 that was at stake.
It's unclear if this was deliberate, or more so just a technical error on the part of the production staff. TV quizzes are heavily regulated and any attempts to ‘fix’ the outcome of an episode would be very risky for a broadcaster as there is money on the line for members of the public.
It's unclear if this was deliberate, or more so just a technical error on the part of the production staff. TV quizzes are heavily regulated and any attempts to ‘fix’ the outcome of an episode would be very risky for a broadcaster as there is money on the line for members of the public.
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