Dancing With The Stars: Is New Zealand sick to death of reality TV stars?
DWTS - Zac Franich voted off
OPINION: Gilda. Naz. Zac.
Just like Adele, Beyonce, Oprah, they only need the one name.
Unlike Adele, Beyonce and Oprah though, it's not tangible talent they are famous for, but simply for putting themselves in front of TV cameras long enough for us to take notice.
The Bachelor's Zac didn't find lasting love on the TV dating show, nor a lasting dance card on Dancing With The Stars.
Welcome to the world of reality television, New Zealand.
READ MORE:
* Dancing With the Stars NZ: Zac Franich hits out saying it wasn't his week to go
* Dancing With the Stars NZ: Naz reveals why she nearly didn't appear at all
* Dancing With the Stars NZ: Five memorable, shocking moments from the past
Gilda, Naz and Zac - and many more like them - have scored magazine covers, Instagram influencer status, and news stories on this very website simply for being mildly interesting when someone called action. They grumbled about the invasion of privacy, about overwhelming public interest, before posting another selfie.
Zac was the latest to be voted off Dancing With The Stars - and the third former reality TV star.
Then, this reality TV trio did it all over again. Only this time they were wearing sparkles and tassels and waltzing and jiving (and dancing for charity, too) when the spotlight hit.
But it seems the bubble has burst.
Gilda Kirkpatrick, Naz Khanjani and Zac Franich were the first three contestants to get the boot from Dancing With The Stars NZ.
Gilda Kirkpatrick was the first "shock" elimination on Dancing With The Stars, despite scoring highly with the judges.
They were by no means the worst three dancers. They were, however, the only three former reality TV show contestants taking part.
Is there a curse at play? Well, no. It's much simpler - Kiwis just don't seem to like them all that much. Sorry guys, I know you all put your heart and soul into the competition, but the tribe has spoken.
A lot of people have asked questions about DWTS's voting process. And to be honest, those questions will probably continue as long as the weekly cull is made (in part) via a popularity contest.
Naz found fame on The Bachelor with Jordan Mauger.
For now though, let's agree the results being delivered every Monday are equally determined by who we like the most, as well as the judges' (often confusing) critiques. What do those results say about our appetite for reality TV and the "stars" it helps create?
Between DWTS and Survivor, which compete for the same ratings every week, and the upcoming tidal wave of shows - Heartbreak Island, Married at First Sight NZ, Great Kiwi Bake Off, Project Runway NZ, The Block NZ to name just a few - it's easy to be overwhelmed by the amount of un-scripted (ahem) television we are, or are about to be, exposed to.
As someone who literally gets paid to watch these shows - and the people on them - I'll tell ya, the dance card is looking mighty full for the next few months. It's fine, I really don't need to see friends, family or the outside world.
Naz went on to receive a standing ovation for her tango, before being voted off the following week.
But enough about me!
The truth is, more and more, our celebrity culture is being built on the talent from these shows. It's cheaper to produce a live dancing competition, where the viewers decide the storyline, than a drama series from a writing and production team.
Up until now, it's the old-fashioned ratings that have indicated how much Kiwis want to see of these people, the types referred to as "talent", in their homes each night - and the ratings don't lie. We love watching this stuff - but it's as a collective; a hive of Housewives, a gaggle of Bachelorettes, a lonely Bachelor.
Now, the DWTS public vote has become almost a reality show sub-plot. Hosts Dai Henwood and Sharyn Casey couldn't shoe-horn another "vote for your favourite" plea into the live show if they tried. Don't let another top dancer leave! The headlines! The outrage!
But perhaps, rather than "upset" eliminations, these "shock" departures simply reflect the way we feel about reality TV show stars.
Maybe they aren't going to win a popularity contest, because they are just not all that popular with viewers.
Maybe, after saturating our screens, the love affair with these personalities is over when the show is. Like The Bachelor, it's hot, heavy and over in a flash.
Because there's absolutely no denying David Seymour stomping his way around the dancefloor is more entertaining than Naz being graceful. It's more interesting to see Rog from The Rock, rather than just hearing his voice. There's a novelty that comes from the unexpected on a show like this.
Or maybe we want our Stars to be exactly that, stars, rather than manufactured talent.
- Stuff
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