Incompetent judges?

Reality shows never fail to attract controversies or come up with some shock value tactics. This time around some popular reality shows have managed to create curiosity much before a formal announcement and this has to do with the panel of judges on these shows —who are in no way associated with the format they are being paid to judge.

We have Chetan Bhagat judging Nach Baliye, Sonakshi Sinha judging on Indian Idol and Esha Deol as a team leader on Roadies. As strange as this sounds, one thing they have certainly managed is to create curiosity among viewers.

Upen Patel and girlfriend Karishma Tanna, who are contestant on Nach Baliye’s upcoming season, admit that they don’t know on what basis Bhagat, who is an author, will be judging their acts. Upen says “I’m surprised to see Chetan on the judges’ panel but I look forward to see what he brings to the table and what expertise he will be judging us on.” Karishma agrees and says, “When I got to know I was quite surprised too.”

Meiyang Chang, who rose to fame with Indian Idol, says, “I feel the primary requisite to be a judge on reality shows is to have an in-depth knowledge of what you’re judging; for example Rohit Shetty for stunts, Sunidhi Chauhan for music, Sanjeev Kapoor for food etc. However, having a neutral judge can bring in a fresh perspective and star power/glamour too. Let’s not forget that reality shows are not only a competition but a ratings game as well. Having said that, the panel should ideally be specialist-heavy and could have one neutral judge.”

Host of Nach Baliye, Rithvik Dhanjani, meanwhile feels Bhagat judging the show might actually be an advantage, attracting a different set of audience to watch the show. Rithvik says, “We all know that Chetan Sir is a great writer and will definitely have an edge while judging the competition with his own unique experiences, so it will be very exciting to see how this trio and the whole show shapes up.”

A director associated with a leading reality show, on condition of anonymity, explains that a lot more goes behind making a show a hit, besides just talent. “There is a lot of competition and you need to add glamour to your shows to grab eyeballs. Sonakshi has her fan base and Chetan’s novels are a huge hit with teens.

They may not be experts in what they are judging but the audience too wants a break from the same set of judges that keep doing the rounds of every reality show. Popular names attract viewers and bring in the ratings. At the end of the day, if you have fabulous contestants but nobody is watching the show, it doesn’t serve any purpose.”