People audition to join shows reality shows because “they have images in their heads, from past contestants, of getting rich quickly by joining the show,” said Sociology and Anthropology professor Susan Fernandez-Magno of Ateneo de Manila University.

In an interview with abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak, Magno said Filipinos today are in dire need of money that they are “willing to expose their vulnerabilities on national television,” citing previous participants who have done the same and won.

Joining reality shows like Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) and Pinoy Dream Academy (PDA), Fernandez-Magno said, is an “innovative, short-cut way to achieve success.”

She said, “The hard times dictate that anyone in the family, even teenagers, could get the family out of plight.”

This may be the reason why Chezka Calderon, 14, lined up as early as 5 a.m. just to audition for the show. “I need money so my mother could go home from South Korea ,” Calderon said.

Rea Lucañas, 16, wants to join so she can help her parents provide good education for her four younger siblings.

For middle class, it's the adventure

But success is measured differently depending on social class.

“Getting out of poverty is not instrumental for middle-income participants,” Magno said.

She said that adventure and fun are reason why teens and adults without responsibilities join.

“They want to bask in the glory of being adored by people watching the show,” she added.

Joseph Hernandez, 18, a University of Santo Tomas accounting student said he wants to join PBB because he wants to fulfill his dream of becoming a star.

“The cash prize is very attractive, but the adventure is really what they are looking for, the experience,” Fernandez-Magno said.
If unemployed participants get into the show, they eventually land jobs.

“It is the opportunity that comes with exposure, not just the money. The money, they can earn when they are actors or when they are hired because of their exposure,” she added.

Some keep auditioning even when they get rejected a lot of times.

“It’s like the lottery or any other game of chance. The inspiration is precedent. The image sticks to their mind as an inspiration. They see so many people achieve it, they believe they can, too,” Fernandez-Magno said.

Shortcut to wealth

Vivian Tin, head of ABS-CBN’s research and business analysis, agreed that Filipinos perceive fame as a “shortcut to economic advancement.”

“People have gotten this idea that if they become famous they earn more money,” Tin said.

Tin pointed out that to start with, apart from public exposure, people are drawn to these shows because they offer millions of pesos worth of prizes.

Tin said it was no longer surprising that thousands of people lined up to audition, noting that they would do everything to alleviate their plight.

Aside from the economic advancement, the ABS-CBN executive added that  PBB is also a means to express “personal issues.”

“For [some] meron silang personal issues that they’re struggling with. They probably want to express themselves,” she said.