Page 148 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CULTURAL CONTEXT

nothing except that her ex-husband is her best friend. The cast members
are baited by the producers, and each question is intentionally posed to
create tension and drama.
This is no truer than with Janice, who is told to ask Omarosa for a
public apology for her accusations. Omarosa refuses to renounce her ac-
cusations, telling Janice that she is scared for her children, that she is a
horrible mother because she is using drugs. This speech sends Janice into
a tailspin, leading to a screaming match between herself and Omarosa
before Janice leaps from the kitchen window to hitchhike away from the
house. Though her cast mates eventually try to calm her down, a car is
called for her and she leaves, hours before the actual final day.
Through all of this, the cameras rolled. They followed Janice down
the hill as Pepa tried to persuade her to return. The producers arranged
for Janice’s question to be the last read, so the other cast members could
reveal their secrets before the inevitable confrontation. These seven
people lived for two weeks in a completely engineered world. The un-
reality Braudy spoke of is illustrated poignantly in this final episode.
These people are not in control. Where their own greed for fame does not
drive their actions, the greed of another group does—the producers, who
exploit the pain of celebrities for the entertainment of a mass audience.
A question does, arise, however, that parallels the sideshow act. How
much responsibility do the celebrities have for their own exploitation?
Just as the sideshow owners were most often the most popular acts, the
celebrities are participating in the flaunting of their own insecurities and
indiscretions. Some of them might perceive this as a way of achieving
another aspect of fame, or, especially in Omarosa’s case, infamy. In fact,
the preferred reading for this series seems to be the evils of Omarosa.
She is the character who commands the most attention, and finds a way
to star in situations she may have been on the periphery of. She creates
drama when none is present, like during a photo shoot when she refused
to have Janice standing over her with a fake knife, claiming she feared for
her life. Part of Omarosa’s fame can be put into historical context—she
completed her appearance on The Apprentice two seasons earlier, and
made several cameo appearances after that. The Surreal Life may be a
hit because Omarosa’s reputation is still being built, still very much in
the forefront of pop culture.
The best known cast members are those who were popular in past
decades; the younger cast members, like Carey Hart and Caprice, are
not as well known. Janice, like Omarosa, is the only other cast member

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