Reality TV makes stars out of ordinary people

The show was an instant hit , and runs in several countries. The housemates often become stars as a result of the show, and appear in national newspapers and on other shows.

Another very popular show is I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out Of Here! In this show, 10 celebrities are taken to the Australian jungle. They have to complete tasks each week, such as eating insects. The show is very expensive to make. The show cost 10 million pounds to make, but over 12 million people in Britain watched the finale .

Reality TV is also big business in the United States. American Idol, which is similar to the Chinese Super Girl, is one example. In this show, thousands of would-be singers audition in front of a panel of three judges.

Part of the attraction is that many of the singers are not very good – in fact, some are awful ! The judges do not have to be polite, and are in fact usually very rude to some of the contestants.

As the show progresses, viewers vote for their favourite singers and the number of singers goes down until only one is left. As a prize, they receive a recording contract with a major record company.

Reality TV is coming to China, too. The hit US show, The Apprentice, featured the tycoon and multi-millionaire Donald Trump. In the new Chinese version, Wise Man Takes All, 16 would-be businessmen will present their ideas to the judges, and the best one will win 1 million Yuan to make their dream come true. Whatever happens, it seems Reality TV is here to stay.

GLOSSARY 詞匯表

reality 現實；真實 strangers 陌生人
viewers 觀眾 evict 驅逐；逐出
housemates 同居一屋的人 hit 成功；轟動一時
celebrities 名人 jungle 叢林
finale 最后一場；結局 would-be 將要成為…的
audition 試唱；試演 awful 非常糟糕的；極壞的
tycoon 名人 multi-millionaire 億萬富翁