What followed the finale of Britain’s Got Talent, was Susan’s breakdown, which, unfortunately for her, galvanized the press into a frenzy. She was admitted to the famous Priory Clinic with what her spokesperson described as exhaustion, which may well be all she was actually suffering, despite speculation that she was having a mental breakdown. Let’s not forget that, within weeks, she had turned from a person known only to her friends, family, and colleagues, into someone whose name was reaching the four corners of the globe. The advent of internet technology and world-wide television meant that remaining anonymous, or even ‘local’ to her corner of Britain, was simply not possible; and therein lies the danger of reality TV. The world would do well to heed the warnings.

Susan Boyle is only one victim of the proliferation of TV reality shows. There have been others whose lives have changed, and not for the better, by programs such as Big Brother. We all remember Jade Goody, who died of cancer only this year. Her life was enriched financially, once she had appeared in Big Brother, but most people will remember her for being foul-mouthed to the point of bullying, on a subsequent series of the program. The producers had introduced her to the inhabitants of the house with the sole purpose of pushing up the ratings – and it worked. The end result shamed her, and the nation, with accusations of racism and bullying. Her star began to fade but the outpouring of public goodwill, once it was clear that she wouldn’t survive the cancer, was amazing.

The program makers are at pains to state that they have a backstage team of psychiatrists, doctors and counselors, should they be needed. This, far from fitting in with claims that their programs do not harm, is an acknowledgment that they are aware that such experts may be needed.

The impact of someone’s participation in a TV reality show, despite the producers attempts to make each series more spectacular and ‘ground-breaking’ than the one before, has more to do with that contestant’s personality, than anything else. Some can handle it with confidence and ease; for others, it will turn out to be the very worst chapter of their lives.ge details of her sex life any more than Julia Roberts should have to divulge details of hers.

© 2009, eCelebrity Gossip. All rights reserved.

The fan gets to believe that he, too, might one day see his Everyman adored by fans. His dreams of becoming the Next Big Thing are far-fetched if he never leaves his house, but someone just like him can live out the dream in loco reality. On the one hand, the viewer remains safely entrenched in his own world while watching a stand-in play out the drama that he both wants and dreads. On the other, said viewer gets to indulge in some pleasant day-dreams and possibly gain a smidge of self-confidence of the “If he can do it, why can’t I?’ variety. Sadly, most often he gets lazier and more convinced that he, too, deserves recognition without the bother of earning it the hard way.

This is a safe testing of personal reality without any investment. When Susan Boyle failed to overcome, viewers, though saddened, were also relieved. Boyle was a phenom. Had she survived unscathed, her very success would have left many fans sensing their own failures more strongly. More anxiety is not what they bargained for. With her failure (though that word does not really suit her amazing success followed by her sad breakdown under stress) came justification. It brought a return to real reality, leaving many fans comfortable in their ambivalence. Maybe they would never be on stage, but look what happened to Susan! She reached beyond her sphere of reality, and, like Icarus, found her wings melting in the sun. We all enjoy justifying our own behavior. An affirmation of our inability to stretch our personal envelopes can result in a feeling of peace and tranquility.

© 2009, eCelebrity Gossip. All rights reserved.