"Tasteful" and "reality TV" may sound like a contradiction but
after authorities nixed really vulgar shows, producers are
scrambling to come up with new golden eggs.
Teenage girls screaming, moaning and fainting have been familiar
sights in reality shows like "Super Girls" and "My Hero" but
authorities have said enough to vulgar idol worship.
Reality shows have been banned from prime-time TV and other
restrictions have been applied to the programs. Decisions have not
been made on screening "My Hero" (Dragon TV) and "Super Girls"
(Hunan Satellite TV) this year. New restrictions ban live shows,
voting by cell phone and suggestive, vulgar performances and
talk.
Desperate producers have been scrambling to preserve sure-fire
money makers, while not bringing down the wrath of the censors.
They are trying different formats.
Two new reality shows promise to be fun, informative and even
tasteful - "2008 Pantene China's Next Top Model" and "No Free
Lunch."
"Top Model" focuses on 10 aspiring models of different
backgrounds, shapes and sizes who live together in a loft and vie
for an enviable modeling contract.
The 10-episode show and contest will debut on Sichuan Satellite
TV on Sunday night.
It adopts the format of CW Television Network's popular
"America's Next Top Model." The 10 have been chosen from among
6,000 applicants.
David Tumaroff, CEO of Mojo Media Works and producer of the US
show, has collaborated with Chinese TV producers on reality shows
such as Dragon TV's "My Show" and "Winner."
"Among all the reality shows in the United States, 'America's
Next Top Model' is the only one that doesn't try to promote
fighting," Tumaroff says. "It's just about the natural process of
one ordinary girl becoming a model."
Three veteran camerawomen will live with the contestants and
show the transformation of ordinary young women into potentially
powerful supermodels.
?
On camera, the models will be taught how to walk on a fashion
runway, how to respond to interview questions, and how to show off
an automobile. They will also have their professional photos taken;
their "look," make-up and personalies will be assessed.
At the end of each episode, judges will eliminate one candidate
they consider to be the weakest. Judges include fashion designer
Vivienne Tam, supermodel Li Ai and photographer Cheung Man-wah.
Tumaroff says the three finalists will compete in Macao for a
modeling contract with a top international modeling agency,
probably the Nextmodels Agency. The date has not been set, but it
probably will be in March.
The winner will also become the new spokeswoman and model for
Pantene hair care products.
"The show will provide an insight into the tough and demanding
road to becoming a supermodel," says model Li. "A beautiful
appearance is not everything. She needs to cultivate her own
talents and charisma."
In Tumaroff's opinion, the story is everything in this show.
"The contestants have very unique backgrounds," he says. "Actually
they are reality show cast, not just models."
Tumaroff says that though reality TV shows in China face a lot
of regulations, they still have a place in its television industry
and they should be carefully and tastefully produced.
"In China this genre of shows has been removed from prime-time
TV, but it may create a new market," he says. In the United States,
TV experts predict reality TV will retain its popularity for at
least 10 years.
"No Free Lunch," which began last Sunday night on CBN, is a fun
and "brainy" business show competition for entrepreneurs and
white-collar workers.
The prize is lunch with a top CEO.
It is modeled on the US show featuring Donald Trump, "The
Apprentice," though it doesn't offer a real apprenticeship. It will
run weekly for the entire year.
A machine on stage will measure contestants' pulse and heart
rate - to make the questioning more exciting.
In each episode, two promising young candidates go through
several rounds of TV interviews and show their business savvy and
creativity. They vie for a lunch date with the boss of a major
enterprise, such as Kathy Xu, founder and president of Capital
Today Group, and Thomas Doctoroff, CEO of JWT Greater China.
Both contestants face sharp questions and challenges from the
boss himself or herself, and from a jury comprised of a
psychologist, human resources expert and social celebrity.
The show features business case simulations. Contestants play
the roles of salesmen, negotiators and managers in improvised
mini-dramas.
Finally the boss will invite one to lunch to learn more about
business. Technically, it's just lunch, but clever winners will try
to parlay that meal and tasty contacts into business
opportunities.
Yang Hui, the show's producer and president of Vivid Media, says
it's another attempt to create an indigenous Chinese
business/entertainment show after presenting "Boss Town," which
gathers well-known Chinese entrepreneurs for discussion, and "Work
Stuff."
"However, this show is not that heavy and serious as we try to
make it both useful and entertaining," Yang says.
"The character of each candidate will be revealed in the
limelight. To add fun, there's the heart and pulse monitor that
everyone can see."
(Shanghai Daily January 11, 2008)
