56 •Metro Magazine 195 | © ATOM
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3NO ,NCDK, in which presenter Tyra Banks obsesses over the
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has cultivated a slew of dedicated fans who reproduce the
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/LYLQJVWRQpV ĺOP/@QHR (R !TQMHMF).
/LNHZLVH2TQUHUNQhas developed a considerable schema
associated with gameplay strategy, and the show has become
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such a schema was the ‘car curse’, which developed over the
earliest seasons and was subsequently openly acknowledged
in the show. The curse implied that the contestant who would
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overall title. In2TQUHUNQ &T@SDL@K@, Probst even informed
contestant Cindy Hall of the curse before asking whether she
would accept the reward instead of offering the other remain
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swiftly voted out that episode. Another complex gameplay
component is that of the ‘hidden immunity idol’ (HII), which,
once found, makes the contestant invulnerable to being voted
out if it is played at a tribal council. The HII has enabled a
plethora of strategic options that are implicitly acknowledged
between text and audience, such as splitting the vote within
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ing contestant. Yet another term that is used liberally between
commentators, fans and contestants is ‘goat’, the origins of
which in2TQUHUNQlore aren’t entirely known. Commentators
have noted that the term is often assigned to female contest
ants over the age of forty,^8 and denotes a player who would
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ternational format trade’, argues Baltruschat,HR BKNRDKX KHMJDC SN SGD DLDQFDMBD NE MDV FDMQDR VGHBG E@KK TM-
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describes as the more ‘serious’ representation of sociohistorical
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ous subject matter.1T/@TKR #Q@F 1@BDregularly engages with
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American2TQUHUNQhave had contestants openly talk about do
mestic abuse, eating disorders, coming out and mental health.
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reality television aims for the ‘articulation of the authentic self’ in
order to depict ‘moments of truth’,^12 while Baltruschat argues,
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for winning the game produce intimate accounts of unfolding
events.’Aside from the voiceover provided by Probst, the con
testants themselves act as the narrators of the show, reminding
viewers of key narrative information while also allowing the audi
ence to become familiar with the contestants most important to
the season’s narrative arcs. In the American2TQUHUNQ, voiceovers
have become increasingly complex, as they regularly recount
the detailed strategic implications of losing challenges.Above, bottom:Australian Survivorhost
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