Aussie TV viewers are convinced they’ve uncovered the real reason reality TV shows “just aren’t as good” anymore, and it looks like Instagram may be to blame.
In recent years iconic shows like The Bachelor, Big Brother and more have faced sudden drops in ratings and fan approval despite sticking to tried and true TV formats.
While some viewers and critics have blamed “reality TV fatigue” for the drop off in interest, a growing number of people say that’s not the only problem.
There’s a reason Matty J won us over when he first starred on The Bachelorette – he was a normal guy.
(Image: Ten)According to reality TV superfans, their favourite shows are going downhill because “people only go on to get Instagram famous now”.
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In the glory days of reality TV shows like Big Brother and The Bachelor were populated by contestants who were just average Joes and Janes in their usual lives.
While there may have been a few celebrity cameos here and there, it was rare to have more than one recognisable face on a reality show.
TV icons like Reggie Bird and Matty J Johnson were complete unknowns when they first stepped onto the set of their respective reality shows and were totally relatable as a result.
As well as being down-to-earth, contestants like them rarely had “ulterior motives” for going on TV – most actually wanted to win or find love.
These days shows like Married At First Sight and Love Island are chock full of semi-famous cast members, with contestants often coming into the shows with huge social media following already.
“They literally only cast social media wannabes now or fame-hungry people who will do whatever on TV to get a Showpo deal after,” one Facebook user said.
Many reality TV stars have been accused of going on the show just to build an online following and “secure Instagram sponsorships and brand deals” after the show airs.
WATCH: MAFS’ Olivia and Domenica get into a heated argument
In fact, some fans have even claimed contestants go on shows – especially those like the Bachelor franchise – to try to copy the success of past icons.
“Abbie Chatfield was the first TV ‘villain’ to turn into a legit celeb and now I swear every girl tries to do it. Just look at Olivia [Frazer] from MAFS,” one tweeted.
“Jessika Power too,” another responded. “I feel like Carolina [Santos] is just trying to be Jess 2.0 with the whole cheating scandal and stuff.”
There’s a growing theory that reality TV shows have, in some opinions, gone down in quality because the people signing up for them are no longer authentic.
Fans have accused new reality TV contestants of trying to copy past stars’ success.
(Image: Instagram)In the good old days, stars like Tully Smyth and Anthony Drew would do whatever on camera, but reality TV contestants are more savvy now.
Not only do they realise how a brief TV stint could win them years of fame, they’ve also learned to be more guarded when the cameras are around.
So does that mean all the “reality” has been sucked out of our favourite reality TV shows?
While The Bachelor franchise, Survivor, SAS Australia, MAFS, Beauty And The Geek and more claim to be as real as reality TV can get, some fans just don’t buy it anymore.
WATCH: Tully and Drew kiss in the Big Brother house in 2013
“It may not be scripted but there’s nothing real about this c—p,” one Twitter user said of the 2022 season of Big Brother.
Another replied: “Nothing is these days. Just look at MAFS and Love Island and even SAS. It’s all faked for the cameras. No reality here.”
But diehard fans of some of Australia’s biggest reality TV hits swear they’ll stand by the shows no matter what.
