Page 149 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 5

to feature prominently in pop culture over the last several years—she
returned to fame as a judge on the UPN reality show America’s Next
Top Model. Janice is reclaiming her fame, whereas Omarosa is trying to
build hers—the conflict between them may center on this. As Jose said
in an interview, both of them wanted to be the star—Omarosa was the
winner. A graphic under her picture, accompanied by triumphant music,
proclaimed her the WINNER.
In this way, production elements also played into the ideology pre-
sented through The Surreal Life. Omarosa’s cackling laugh and constant
scream of “crack whore” to Janice became consistent sound bites. In
many scenes, her interviews are accompanied by spooky music, as if to
reinforce that she is the villain of the show. In many ways, the production
values raise her up as the protagonist of the show.
The editing of the final episode also reveals the message the produc-
ers wanted to send—the series was intent on creating drama. The initial
conflict during dinner between Omarosa and Janice is shown before a
commercial break in the hour-long finale. After the blow-up, Janice tries
to flee through the kitchen window, while Pepa holds her in the house.
The show breaks for a commercial, and when it returns, it shows the very
same scenes once again, this time interspersed with cast interviews. That
conflict, which VH1 touts on its website as something one has to “see to
believe,” was the moneymaker for the series.
“And when Janice asks for an apology at the last dinner in front of the
rest of the cast, Omarosa flat out refuses,” the website’s synopsis reads,
“saying she stands behind what she said about Janice’s wild antics and
her questionable skills as a mother, stating, ‘You need help, Janice. I
can’t lie.’ And the battle of the century begins. Who will win? Is the
rest of the cast combat ready? And will the house still be standing in the
light of day?”
VH1 stayed true to the hype, declaring Omarosa the winner in the end.
She looked smug as she left in her limo, winking at the camera as her
signature spooky music played. What did she really win, though? More
fame, as she tried to destroy another character by attacking her parenting
and accusing her of drug use. She was caught in consistent lies by Sally
Jesse Raphael and by the video revealed to the audience. What did she,
or her fans, gain by her obsessive pursuit of fame?
“In search of modern fame, we often enter a world of obvious fiction,
in which all blemishes are smoothed and all wounds healed,” Braudy

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