Remember when a former reality show contestant revealed some shocking secrets about the show, Roadies? Today, we stumbled upon an ‘ask me anything’ session, where a backstage manager of a popular show, who goes by the username @EccentricBai, answered it all on a thread.
Sit tight and see some revealing responses!
1. “Is the winner predecided by the sponsors and the channels?” – Sonia_Satoh
“Definitely. Sometimes, the main judge wants the contestant in their contact. And if not, we make sure to have the best camera angles and the fakest applause. The bad comments were also edited once. That’s why you don’t usually see the ones becoming famous along with many other reasons.”
2. “Are those tears real when the judge praises? Are those funny contestants brought to make the show interesting or they are real?” -Ucantseeyourself
“Depends on the judge’s part. Some judges are honestly great mentors. Funny contestants? See, this is the depressing part. They take actually talented contestants and chuck them out, and get these funny delusional contestants to perform to get ridiculed for entertainment.”
3. “How often do you see celebrity tantrums backstage when they come to promote movies?” -Ucantseeyourself
“More often than not, to be honest. I was told by a celebrity that he loves belittling people and putting them down as a way to release frustration before the camera starts rolling and that was a pretty wtf moment. Other times, it’s a celeb being needlessly annoyed about useless things. This actor, known for being a great dancer, wasted about 30-40 minutes and personally made sure that all the camera angles showed his seat in the best possible way and shouted at the cameraman to zoom in probably for his reactions. You do your job and come on stage when they ask you to. One actress also got angry because she got horrified at the thought of “normal bottled water”. She only liked this natural thing and her manager apparently forgot to tell me that but all the blame went to me. She shouted at me as if I offered her poison. A few celebrities are highly professional, cooperative and gems but these idiots spoil the whole lot.”
4. “Do you see judges or the staff abusing contestants or trying to get an advantage by giving hopes of making them winners or providing future opportunities?” -Ucantseeyourself
“Definitely do! I see them being abused a lot, off-camera. And yes, I know of a judge who hasn’t been caught but has been sexually suggestive. The contestants eat up to it and the judges are smart enough to know which contestant would make a good target.”
5. “Do the different judges share a good bond with each other how we see it on-screen?” – azf10
“It all depends on the show you are talking about. I have managed two shows for a channel, so far. One of them had hosts that genuinely seemed friendly with each other off-camera. The other one had them glued to their phone screen all the time. Always a clash of egos when they chatted with each other. They do behave differently backstage. Tonnes of stress smoking, belittling and all for one of the shows. The other one has chill hosts. Except one of them, she is super uptight.”
6. “What happens when TRP is not as good as expected?” -azf10
“WE NEED A SAD STORY ASAP. It’s mostly the first thing that comes into their mind. They sometimes replace judges, make them appear more emotional, increase the drama, improve editing etc.”
7. “Do you think Indian audiences are slowly getting tired of too many reality shows?” -BarneySpeaksBlarney
“Yes, we also have data for TRP, viewer retention rate etc. It is going down rapidly. That’s why you see so much drama nowadays. And honestly, celebrities are still eager to come to the show. They know that each show gives them not only an opportunity to connect with an audience that doesn’t go online too often but also have their narcissistic self pampered. Some celebrities genuinely seem to love the acts too. So, that’s there.”
8. “Is it all scripted how a celebrity guest will behave and talk during the show or do they genuinely enjoy it?” -azf10
“Lmao, definitely fake. Some celebrities like Yami, Jaqueline and Shraddha do genuinely seem excited though. They click pictures and interact well after the cameras are gone or come up. Full respect.”
9. “Are the fights between judges or contestants scripted?” -kartik137c
“Definitely, friendship is too. Contestants are world-class assholes to each other often. A few genuine friends though. It’s hilarious seeing all the friendliness when I watch the show on the TV.”
10. “Can you talk about SRK? What is he like?” -NoPriority6
“I rank him as my second best celebrity encounter. He is a good guy, especially to his fans. Obviously came late, but stayed for 15 minutes after the show ended too, to interact with the audience and click pictures with them. He had my utmost respect from that moment.”