{"id":580,"date":"2025-05-23T17:33:47","date_gmt":"2025-05-23T16:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/?p=580"},"modified":"2025-06-05T12:30:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-05T11:30:16","slug":"reality-tv-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/2025\/05\/23\/reality-tv-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Who watches the watchers? Audiences role in the protection of reality TV participant&#8217;s mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" data-src=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/website-featured-image-2-3-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1152 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/576;width:1342px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/website-featured-image-2-3-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/website-featured-image-2-3-980x551.png 980w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/website-featured-image-2-3-480x270.png 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Reality TV producers and broadcasters face growing scrutiny over their treatment of contestants, with regulations tightening behind the scenes. But once the camera stops rolling, who holds the audience accountable for demanding drama while ridiculing those who provide it?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reality television, with its raw emotions, larger-than-life personalities and captivating drama, mirrors the spectacle of ancient Roman gladiatorial games. Just as crowds once flocked to the Colosseum to witness the thrill of combat and human drama unfold, modern audiences tune into reality TV to experience the highs and lows of unscripted conflict. Both phenomena feed on society\u2019s affliction with schadenfreude. This modern spectacle raises ethical questions about what we, as spectators, demand and consume, and the cost paid by those who step into the arena of entertainment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The darker side of reality TV is evident through the accounts of former contestants and the tragedies linked to the industry. Sophie Gradon, a former <em>Love Island <\/em>contestant who tragically took her own life in 2018, spoke out about the pressures of instant fame:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1d35fcab4c6fd26bffb32d8ec4bd389f\"><blockquote><p>\u201cWe became public property overnight. Everyone had an opinion, be it good or bad. On leaving the show, I descended into quite a dark place.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"998\" data-src=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-1024x998.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1021 lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/998;width:389px;height:auto\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-1024x998.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-300x293.jpg 300w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-768x749.jpg 768w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-610x595.jpg 610w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-1080x1053.jpg 1080w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-980x956.jpg 980w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2-480x468.jpg 480w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/58635619-3607-427c-b4d7-d19949c66573-2.avif 1280w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Sophie Gradon, former Love Island contestant <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p>Sophie\u2019s experience is far from isolated. Her story serves as a poignant reminder of the challenges faced by reality TV participants, who are thrown into the spotlight overnight and have to navigate a world full of criticism and bullying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tiffany Leighton, who appeared on <em>Love Island 2024<\/em>, said: \u201cWhen you sign up for something like Love Island, you know it\u2019s not going to be plain sailing. There\u2019s going to be trolls and negative comments &#8211; you have to be thick-skinned and make sure you\u2019ve got a good support system around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy mum was scared for me to go on. It was always going to be a bit harder for my parents because they don\u2019t want to read horrible things about their child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI was crying in there every day and that was never shown. It\u2019s not staged but the producers are constantly like \u2018Why don\u2019t you go and do this\u2019. It\u2019s nothing like real life &#8211; their purpose is to entertain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re constantly thinking about how the production team are portraying you and how you\u2019re coming across to the public; everyone could be hating you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone will understand what it\u2019s like until you go on it. All these people hide behind screens without realising that it\u2019s real people they\u2019re talking about. People can be so nasty but I don\u2019t let it get to me. I feel sorry for them because they have nothing better to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2019, a parliamentary inquiry into the treatment of reality TV participants shed light on the darker side of the genre. It followed the suicide of a contributor to the Jeremy Kyle show, Steve Dymond, who sadly took his own life seven days after appearing on the show. In response, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ofcom.org.uk\/\">OFCOM<\/a>, <\/em>the regulator for communications services,<em> <\/em>published guidelines titled <em>\u2018Protecting Participants in TV and Radio Programmes\u2019<\/em>. Whilst broadcasters must answer to <em>OFCOM, <\/em>the audience &#8211; arguably the most influential player &#8211; remains unchecked.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most severe damage often occurs after the cameras stop rolling. Contestants leave the show only to confront a sea of faceless critics who dissect their every move. So who watches the watchers? There\u2019s no regulatory body to hold the public accountable.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr Jacob Johanssen, Associate Professor in Communications and Media at St Mary\u2019s University, and expert in psychoanalysis and audience studies, provided <a href=\"https:\/\/committees.parliament.uk\/writtenevidence\/103261\/pdf\/\">written evidence<\/a> for the parliamentary inquiry. He said: \u201cThe sophisticated play between the real and scripted which takes place in all reality shows is very seductive for viewers and draws them to this genre. Viewers know what they see is not real, but often regard it as the full picture nonetheless.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA programme like <em>The Traitors<\/em>, with its emphasis on deception, lies and manipulation essentially shows a game, but also portrays very human behaviour. Some participants have spoken about the abuse they have received online by viewers and I would argue it is partly to do with that gap between the real and fake.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While drastic improvements in safeguarding have been made, Dr Johanssen, amongst others, argues they don\u2019t go far enough. Balancing the gripping drama of reality TV with the ethical responsibility to protect participants has become one of the industry\u2019s most pressing challenges, though some professionals are working tirelessly with production teams and contestants to address these gaps.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.charteredpsychologist.org\/\">Victoria Plant<\/a>, a Chartered Psychologist and member of the British Psychological Society\u2019s Media Ethics Advisory Group, has over a decade of experience advising on duty-of-care protocols for major media productions. From <em>The Traitors <\/em>to <em>SAS: Who Dares Wins<\/em> and <em>Squid Games: The Challenge<\/em>, she has been at the forefront of implementing psychological assessments, crew training and post-production aftercare for some of the most high-profile shows in the industry. Through her work, Plant not only supports participants but also ensures welfare remains a priority amid the pressures of producing reality entertainment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cUltimately, I\u2019m a clinician and not there to make \u2018good TV\u2019. My role means I often have extremely difficult conversations and give advice people may not always want to hear, but I am employed to keep people safe. Over the years I have turned down many offers of often lucrative work if I haven\u2019t felt the format or overall production was a safe one.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" data-src=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/6f4ad3d2-15b9-4742-91f0-7862a65e411d.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1027 lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/6f4ad3d2-15b9-4742-91f0-7862a65e411d.jpg 600w, https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/6f4ad3d2-15b9-4742-91f0-7862a65e411d-480x480.jpg 480w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 600px, 100vw\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 600px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 600\/600;\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Victoria Plant, TV Psychologist <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSome production companies and commissioning channels place more emphasis on welfare than others, so I only work with those that take the mental health of crew and contributors seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIn a crisis, I may have to provide on-site or remote grounding and stabilisation work. Contributors will have a psychology review within 72 hours and 28 days of return home. I will then view episodes before they are \u2018picture locked\u2019, before transmission, to advise the production company and commissioning channel on any potential risks. Contributors will then be offered a psychology review before broadcast and a few weeks after broadcast has finished, as a minimum.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chioma Dijeh-Lester, the Senior Communications Officer at the BBC, said: \u201cEvery production gets bespoke advice from the outset and throughout the planning, commissioning, filming, transmission and aftercare stages.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Similarly, a spokesperson for ITV said: \u201cProgramme contributors will be offered a full package of measures to ensure they remain supported prior to, during and after the filming period on the show.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Love Island has been forced to embrace stricter ethical guidelines, watching figures have taken a nosedive. According to the BBC, back in 2019, it averaged six million viewers per episode at its peak. Fast forward to 2024, and it\u2019s barely pulling in one to two million. Meanwhile, <em>OFCOM\u2019s<\/em> latest <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ofcom.org.uk\/siteassets\/resources\/documents\/research-and-data\/multi-sector\/media-nations\/2024\/media-nations-2024-uk.pdf?v=371192\">Media Nations Report<\/a><\/em> revealed broadcast TV\u2019s weekly reach dropped from 79% in 2022 to 75% in 2023 &#8211; a clear sign of shifting audience habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But not all reality TV is suffering. When the first episode of <em>The Traitors 2025<\/em> aired, it attracted more than nine million viewers, according to the research organisation <em>Barb. <\/em>So why, at a time when public interest in reality TV is supposedly on the decline, does this show continue to thrive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer lies in the contestants. Unlike the glossy cast of <em>Love Island<\/em> or the chaotic personalities on <em>Ex on the Beach<\/em>, the players on <em>The Traitors<\/em> are relatable. They\u2019re normal people with regular jobs, faces and lives. The drama isn\u2019t built on love triangles or bikini bodies, but on universal human behaviors &#8211; as viewers, we see ourselves in them. We can experience the highs and lows of their journey vicariously, feeling the tension, betrayal, and camaraderie, all without having to endure the stress of actually living it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As producers push boundaries in pursuit of more dramatic television, is the industry simply responding to the demand we, as viewers, create? Producers design shows based on what gets the most views, engagement and social media buzz. Essentially, we co-create reality TV by driving demand for increasingly intense content &#8211; shaping the programmes we watch.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We condemn production teams for exploiting contestants, but isn\u2019t our appetite for drama the driving force behind it all? If we stop watching, does the machine grind to a halt &#8211; or do we just move on to something else to satiate our hunger for drama and spectacle?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, as broadcasters now face growing accountability and the industry edges closer to balancing ethics with entertainment, it begs the question: who is holding us accountable as viewers? The way we engage with reality TV and our consumption choices have a huge impact on the lives of its participants. If we demand drama without considering the human cost, we risk perpetuating the very issues we critique. Perhaps the future of reality TV lies not in just improved safeguarding, but in a shift toward more conscious and empathetic viewership.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<span class=\"et_bloom_bottom_trigger\"><\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reality TV producers and broadcasters face growing scrutiny over their treatment of contestants, with regulations tightening behind the scenes. But once the camera stops rolling, who holds the audience accountable for demanding drama while ridiculing those who provide it? Reality television, with its raw emotions, larger-than-life personalities and captivating drama, mirrors the spectacle of ancient [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":1152,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chaos-culture"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who watches the watchers? Audiences role in the protection of reality TV participant&#039;s mental health - Riot and Reason<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Reality TV: regulations tighten. But who holds audiences accountable for demanding drama and ridiculing those who provide it?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/2025\/05\/23\/reality-tv-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Who watches the watchers? Audiences role in the protection of reality TV participant&#039;s mental health - Riot and Reason\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Reality TV: regulations tighten. But who holds audiences accountable for demanding drama and ridiculing those who provide it?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/2025\/05\/23\/reality-tv-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Riot and Reason\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-05-23T16:33:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-05T11:30:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/42\/2025\/05\/website-featured-image-2-3.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cammy Todd Van Jaarsveld\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cammy Todd Van Jaarsveld\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/2025\/05\/23\/reality-tv-mental-health\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/2025\/05\/23\/reality-tv-mental-health\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cammy Todd Van Jaarsveld\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/jusmedia.co.uk\/riotandreason\/#\/schema\/person\/e2ddded55f1658ec4af2f1b2e9e7cdc3\"},\"headline\":\"Who watches the watchers? 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