Watch an episode of a contemporary reality game show. In what ways do the editors construct contestants into particular character roles? Is this helpful for the audience or does it manipulate audience responses too far?
This episode from 2010's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here constructs character roles of celebrities such as Gillian McKeith as being melodramatic and petrified of being faced with the bush tucker trials. In most of the challenges, Gillian is constructed to be more scared, which contrasts with her celebrity profile of being quite calm and confident in her show 'You are what you eat'. The show offers gratifications to audiences, as they get a chance to view celebrities in a new light and discover their real personalities. The editors try to construct the roles of celebrities as being leaders, villians or duplicitous characters in order to allow audiences to identify and sympathise with a particular celebrity such as Stacey Soloman or Dom Joly.
Through the use of long shots and close up shots, the audience are allowed to be voyeurs and listen to the celebrities discusses the trials and tribulations of the jungle and each other. The show also offers audiences a chance to identify with celebrities such as Gillian McKeith. Yet , the audiences may have less sympathy for celebrities who appear to have a game plan or just try to gain sympathy by audiences, just to remain in the jungle and potentially win.
It can be argued that the editors do manipulate audience responses to character roles, as celebrities on I'm a Celebrity are constructed to be liked and disliked, as audiences may not have sympathy for Gillian McKeith for example, as she reportedly claimed that she was pregnant in order to leave the jungle, therefore audiences may resent her as she is making a mockery of the show and is being unfair to the other contestants. The interviews by each celebrity surrounding the fire incident shows the audience what each celebrity feels about each other, as gradually certain celebrities might resent each other and cause feuds. Yet it can be argued that by constructing characters as being bad or duplicitous may be going too far, as the celebrities might not be trying to cause trouble in the camp.
On the whole it can be argued that the construction of character roles could manipulate audience responses to far, as certain celebrities might be team players, yet could be constructed as being the so called 'resented, and sly characters', as seen with Jenny.
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