When it comes to reality TV, I like watching competitions whether it be a fashion competition, a cooking competition, a singing competition, and the like. I don’t like reality TV where normal people live their lives and bicker.
Glued to the screen, I begin analyzing the psychological state of contestants, follow them throughout their journey in the competition, and make connections as to what kind of mental state makes a person vulnerable to elimination or propels someone to the top.
1. Chill or else you’re out
I observed that contestants who have cried because of stress, lack of self-belief, or were overwhelmed by the nice comments of judges almost never win. People who win are those who handle situations calmly. Even when they are praised, they don’t cry and say, Oh my God, thank you, thank you! They just smile and sincerely express their gratitude.
2. Evil people do great until boom–karma
People who are extremely disliked by their peers do well at the start, which makes the other contestants angrier, but soon karma catches up.
3. Don’t play the judges’ victim card
In Project Runway, there was a guy who created a garment just to please the judges. He got eliminated. In his exit interview, he was full of self-hatred and self-pity. He blamed the judges, but he should have blamed himself. Criticism is valuable information for artists, but it should be used to help the artist grow, not throw away his entire artistic vision.
4. Inspirational Exits
I find the exit interviews of Project Runway especially inspiring. Almost no one leaves disgruntled (except for the guy described in number 3). I’m almost amazed at how hopeful their messages are: you have to believe in yourself, this has been a great experience, I have grown so much, etc. It teaches me that even at the point of failure, you can still view your experience in a positive light and anticipate for greater things to come.
5. Broken? Just keep going
Laura, a contestant in Project Runway, who after consistently getting good feedback but never winning a challenge, received harsh criticism. Throughout the new task, she felt broken and unsure, but she just kept going. She won that challenge.
For more inspirational stories, check out these links:
100 Things that I’m Thankful For
- 11 Happiness Commandments
- My Greatest Achievement is Breaking out From My Shyness
- All the Quotes I Love
- Lessons from Ms. Luque
- Snippets of Dreams: DIY Inspiring Quotes
- Choosing the Non-itchy Dress
- To Shift or Not to Shift
- That Isn’t Success
- Ja Quote: When Hard Work Becomes Easy
- Secrets of Adulthood
- My Mom’s Weird Manny Pacquiao Advice
Check out The REaD Hunter, an online bookstore that sells second-hand books through Facebook. We ship books all over Metro Manila and selected provinces in the Philippines. Orders made during the week are shipped every Saturday. We accept payment through MLhuillier and Gcash.
Check out my other blog categories.
Age of the Diary by Jasmine T. Cruz. If you like this post, please subscribe to this blog. Follow Ja on Twitter: ageofthediary. Email Ja at: ageofthediary@gmail.com.
