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Topic: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain (Read 200 times)

BlankWillWin
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On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 6:18am »

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On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
By KATE AURTHUR

At the beginning of an episode of this season's "Amazing Race," Rob Mariano, one of the contestants, spoke to the camera: "You know that thing, the American dream? Amber and I are living it." As the episode progressed, viewers saw Mr. Mariano, along with Amber Brkich, his fiancée and racing partner, steal a cab from another team, get a police car to escort them through Santiago, Chile, and successfully talk other teams into also quitting a challenge he couldn't complete, thereby ensuring that he and Ms. Brkich would stay in the game.

It appears the definition of the American dream has changed. Ms. Brkich, 26, was the winner of "Survivor: All-Stars" less than a year ago. Since then, Mr. Mariano, 29, another "Survivor" alumnus who was once a construction worker from Boston, and Ms. Brkich, a former secretary from Beaver, Pa., have shed their old lives to form a new one together: they are reality television's premiere villains.

CBS announced last week that it will broadcast their wedding, which took place on April 16 in the Bahamas, as a two-hour special called "Rob and Amber Get Married" on May 24. In between "Survivor: All-Stars" and the wedding show, they took part in the seventh season of CBS's "Amazing Race," which is broadcast Tuesday nights at 9. With three episodes left, Mr. Mariano and Ms. Brkich have schemed and backstabbed their way to being one of the four couples remaining in the race.

"What they've brought more than anything is a real sense of competitiveness and controversy - they're planning the game in a new way," Kelly Kahl, CBS's senior executive vice president for scheduling, said in a recent telephone interview from Los Angeles. "Some in the audience like it and some don't."

From the Nielsen rankings, it appears that those who like it are in the majority - the ratings for this season of "The Amazing Race" are poised to be its highest ever. Defying the pattern of most aging television shows, particularly reality series, the average number of viewers has climbed steadily over the past three editions of "The Amazing Race," from 10.3 million to 11.5 million to 12.4 million for this current season, according to Nielsen Media Research.

The show, a two-time Emmy winner in the reality program category, was once one of the more kindly of television's reality offerings, but the growth in viewership coincides with a ramping up of its portrayals of villainy.

"I think that the prevalence of more confrontational characters has certainly drawn attention to the series, and that helps bring viewers in," said Andy Dehnart, the editor of realityblurred.com, a Web site about reality television.

In its fifth season, broadcast last summer, a Texan named Colin Guinn continuously sniped at his girlfriend, Christie Woods. During its sixth season, which ended in February, Jonathan Baker and his wife, Victoria Fuller, berated and belittled each other, and Mr. Baker shoved her on camera.

With the stunt-casting of Mr. Mariano and Ms. Brkich, the shift in the show's tone from a benign racing competition to a more confrontational, character-driven reality drama has evolved even further.

Both Mr. Guinn and Mr. Baker blamed the producers of "The Amazing Race," which was created by Bertram van Munster and Elise Doganieri, for editing them into evil, one-dimensional characters. But they also both admitted that they provided more than enough unflattering material for the producers to use. Speaking on the telephone from Corpus Christi, Tex., Mr. Guinn said: "I can let my temper get the best of me sometimes. I wasn't thinking as much about the cameras as I should have."

According to Mr. Baker, he played the villain on purpose because those are the characters from reality television that he has loved watching. But, he said, he lost control of his own portrayal. "I was out there trying to be larger than life," he said from Los Angeles. "Sometimes that comes back and bites you. I didn't know what it was going to look like."

As reality veterans, Mr. Mariano and Ms. Brkich are different kinds of antiheroes than Mr. Guinn and Mr. Baker: more lovable scamps than potential rage-a-holics. (Since they are still on "The Amazing Race," they are not allowed to talk to reporters.) Ms. Brkich's unscripted debut was on the second season of "Survivor" in January 2001; Mr. Mariano was on the fourth edition of the series in 2002. Both were chosen to play "Survivor: All-Stars," broadcast last year. During the show, the gleefully manipulative Mr. Mariano (also called "Boston Rob" and "The Robfather" by fellow contestants) and the quietly calculating Ms. Brkich began seeing each other. They were the final two players in the game, and before it was announced on the show's finale in May 2004 that Ms. Brkich had won, Mr. Mariano asked her to marry him on live television, and she accepted his proposal.

CBS immediately began talking to the couple about broadcasting their wedding. The network will not disclose how much it paid Mr. Mariano and Ms. Brkich, but in 2003, ABC paid Trista Rehn and Ryan Sutter from "The Bachelorette" $1 million to broadcast their nuptials.

The wedding aside, the couple actively lobbied to be on "The Amazing Race." Phil Keoghan, the show's host, recalled recently that he first met them at a CBS press function where they approached him with their request. But, he admitted, "I actually didn't even know who Rob and Amber were."

The producers did, and they were cast. According to Mr. Keoghan, who sent the teams on their way from the starting point in Long Beach, Calif., the other teams recognized them immediately and were visibly furious. "There was never as much tension at the starting line as there was when they came on the scene," he said.

On the show, the couple have consistently plotted against the other teams, trying to prevent them from getting the fastest bus or plane, as Mr. Mariano literally winks at the camera.

When Mr. Keoghan described what Mr. Mariano and Ms. Brkich have done for "The Amazing Race," he sounded as if he were talking about a scripted villain, someone like J. R. Ewing. "I think they've been incredibly tenacious, smart, engaging, charismatic," he said. "That doesn't mean that people have to necessarily agree with all the choices they've made, but there's no denying that they've made for some entertaining moments. They are good TV."

Copyright 2005 The New York Times Company

« Last Edit: Apr 26^th, 2005, 6:18am by BlankWillWin »

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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #1 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 6:32am »

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It's all the editing. Sad

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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #2 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:07pm »

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There has to be some kind of "villain" in reality shows. I mean imagine if all the teams were like Kris and Jon from last season. It would be nice, but you have to admit it would be boring to watch because there wouldn't be any drama.

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Syd a.k.a Hayden
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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #3 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:14pm »

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Ya it is the editing but oh well i still love Rob!!! Most reality shows have villans too , soo...

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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #4 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:21pm »

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it was too long for me to read im to lazy my eyes hurt i got headache but can somebody please surmize i differ to read it lol

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Syd a.k.a Hayden
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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #5 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:25pm »

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lol lazyyyyyyyyy

it was just talking about rob and what he did on the show and waht hes like and it also mentioned how jonathon shoved victorioa, like a villian thingy and how romber were on survivor, etcccc...lol read the rest loloz

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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #6 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:27pm »

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tahnk you that helped alot but anyways im not that interested thank you anywayz jk lolololo

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Syd a.k.a Hayden
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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #7 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:29pm »

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GRRRRRRRRRR Angry

HOW DARE YOU MEANY Grin

I ACTUALY READ IT FOR YOU Sad

{gtg bye

}

« Last Edit: Apr 26^th, 2005, 4:30pm by Syd a.k.a Hayden »

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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #8 on: Apr 26^th, 2005, 5:11pm »

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bye why am i mean i am usually groutchy when i have a headache lol i got over lol

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SurvivorJuan
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Re: On TV, Reality Loves a Villain
« Reply #9 on: May 2^nd, 2005, 11:48pm »

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we have to admit that villains make a good TV!! one of the reasons why i love TAR 5( Colin and Christie), TAR 7(ROMBER) and Pear Islands( Johnny Fairplay). You hate/like them in a very entertaining way..

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