Page 87 - A Handbook Genre Studies in Mass Media

CHAPTER 4

Compare the two shows and quickly Survivor looks like an ancient
workhorse, generations removed from The Swan. Survivor was a major
innovating force behind the first phase of the reality genre’s evolution, but
The Swan shows we’ve gone far beyond that in just four short years.
Survivor brought forth Phase I of reality TV: The Battle of Wits. Other
networks soon copied this idea, with fare ranging from Big Brother to The
Mole. These were simple times for the reality genre, where there was a
straightforward mix of game show and serial drama. Characters were
average people, there was a pot of gold for the ultimate winner and plenty
of Machiavellian moves were required to snatch the prize.
But viewers are smart, and in two years they quickly learned the
structure and drama of the Battle of Wits shows (and the Find Your Mate
shows, spawned by The Bachelor). Enter Phase II: The Joke. We all be-
came familiar with the reality storylines, so producers thought of ways
to subvert themselves by twisting the premise, like lying to a bunch of
eligible women that the hunky guy they’re trying to net is a millionaire.
Other jokes: Average Joe and My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé.
. . . Then came the Seinfeldian moment in reality shows. Phase III:
Nothing. These shows showed no evolution in the characters at hand or
any improvement in a situation. Among them were The Simple Life and
Airline, the Bravo reality show about customer complaints at Southwest
Airlines check-in counters. (Yes, they actually do lose your luggage.) Even
The Restaurant had very little to say once chef Rocco DiSpirito opened
the doors to the place.
Of course, Something is more interesting than Nothing, and Phase
IV brings the most powerful of storylines: Aspiration. It comes from
that great American notion that one can be whoever he or she wants to
be. Now, reality TV promises that can happen, be it the perfect job (The
Apprentice), the perfect body (Extreme Makeover), or the perfect house
(Extreme Makeover: Home Edition). Through the miracles of plastic
surgery, you can look just like your favorite celebrity on MTV’s I Want
a Famous Face.
The Swan takes it a step further, promising not just a perfect body, but a
winning personality, thanks to the therapists and life-coaches. . . . Maybe
we can’t relate to sweating it out in the jungle like on Survivor or being
duped by an allegedly rich suitor like on Joe Millionaire, but this stuff is
different. A million-dollar prize (assuming you won the Survivor contest)
would be a salve to a lot of people’s problems, but we’re all told money
can’t buy happiness. Self-improvement, for some, means taking language
lessons; others think about a facelift. To others, a rewarding job in the
Trump Empire can bring happiness. But on The Swan, the show vows to
improve everything about yourself: The body and, most importantly, the

72