The Ethics Of Competing In Reality TV

When does strategy turn into villainy?

On November 2023, Netflix released their reality TV adaptation of Squid Game called Squid Game: The Challenge. The premise was largely similar to the original South Korean drama as 456 players competed for a chance to win 4.56 million dollars.

When the show ended and a winner was declared, many of its viewers were critical of players who opted for “selfish” strategic gameplay and this reaction was very odd to me. Nearly every other competitive reality show has its fair share of strategic players who employed similar tactics and they didn’t receive as much hate.

So the question has to be asked: Where is the line drawn? So in this article, let’s explore the ethics of competitive reality shows and see at what point strategy turns into pure villainy.

The Appeal Of Competitive Reality

Competitive reality shows have always been the go-to source if you want to watch people play competitively in ways that cannot be seen in fictional shows. Shows like Survivor, Ink Master, The Amazing Race, and Big Brother have captured the attention of audiences because of how they pit people against each other for a large cash prize.