TV REALITY: TOO HOT TO HANDLE

 Marce Vives
Media & Society

 TV Reality: Too Hot To Handle

An example of media ritual, is the Netflix TV Show Too Hot to Handle, an American British Tv show which aired in  April of 2020 and consisted of one season. It consisted of a reality television dating game show, in which 14 young and attractive contestants were together on an island and were to remain celibate, to gain a 1000000$ prize. Every encounter would subtract money from them, and the winner with more points would take the remaining money.  The contestants, Chloe Veitch, David Birtwistle, Francesca Farago, Harry Jowsey, Kelz Dyke, Lydia Clyma, Nicole O'Brien, Rhonda Paul, Bryce Hirschberg, and Sharron Townsend, (as 4 of them got eliminated) participated in activities, plans, events, and dates with each other, to get to know themselves and each other better. They were set with a few challenges that Lana, a voice assistant, and their only companion on the island, told them to follow. The dating show was a big hit, especially considering the boredom people were going through being in quarantine. The number of rules these contestants had, as well as the different procedures this reality show took in comparison to other dating reality tv shows, made it incredibly successful. Their tackle on issues such as insecurities, superficiality, and other issues, made young people quite fond of it, as well as the overall attractiveness of the cast. CNET reported, " it was the most popular series Netflix reported in the period: It had 51 million households tune-ins"( CNET, July 2020).  It became so critically acclaimed that it has been renewed for a second season, which will air in June of 2021.
Reality TV has become more and more consumed by the public, we live in a world where people consume media up to very high levels, and revolve around it. Couldry explained that reality tv and people's obsession with it might be due to their willingness and aspiration to connect with others (couldry, 104) especially considering that at the time of Too Hot To Handle´s release, there was a global pandemic going on. Nonetheless, this particular show became so well-known that many of the cast members have become viral on social media, and their relationships with each other have. All the cast members have a big following on social media and are now considered celebrities, with them being invited to events and other social gatherings. There is no doubt that this is an example of media ritual, as many people still follow it to this day, and hold the cast up to very high standards, while patiently waiting for a new season, and feeling connected to the members of the cast 

References:

Couldry, N.A. (2003). Media Rituals: A Critical Approach.

Wikipedia contributors. (2021, May 1). Too Hot to Handle (TV series). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too_Hot_to_Handle_(TV_series)

Solsman, J. E. (2020, July 16). Netflix: Yup, Extraction is our most-watched movie ever. CNET. https://www.cnet.com/news/netflix-extraction-wrong-missy-too-hot-to-handle-top-10-films/