To think that contestants should be banned from telling us their sob stories on game shows?

[mumofoneAloneandwell]

Now i am secretly rooting for the other person to beat you 😬

Bring back contestants who want the money for a boob job!

I like the 1% Club because they obviously mix in some characters but they aren’t, I need to win for cataract surgery rather a massive guinea pig hutch or classic car and plenty just a great holiday not for their wonderful sister recovering from cancer and a heart attack, just a holiday

We make a game of it. Before a contestant comes on we guess the sob story. Ours are often outlandish (her favourite great aunt was eaten by a shark). I agree that it’s annoying!

I saw Robbie Williams at the IOW festival, he did not shut the fuck up about his mental health, how hard he had it blah blah blah. I'm at a festival, fuck off with that shit you multi millionaire!

It is also to do with the editing.

I was on a TV cooking show. Everyone on there was lovely, it was fantastic and exciting, I'd not have missed it for a moment.

Between cooking episodes, there were long periods of clips to camera, interviews, questions, discussions.

When any of my episodes showed ALL that was shown was me taking about my Mum and her influence on my food and cooking (and they'd taken out all the negative stuff). There was nothing about my travels and the influence of that, or the volunteeering I did teaching previously homeless people to cook, or my challenges cooking at home for different people with milk allergies, nut allergies, gluten intolerance, or who were vegetarian (preferably vegan) - all of which I think are more interesting.

I guess the producers have some idea of what they think their viewers want...???

However my dmum was convinced that all I ever talked about was her. That made her very happy RIP dmum

The last series of race across the world was spoiled by the sob stories

This is the first thing that came to my mind too! And all of them harping on about how they are “doing it for my kids”… yes, you all are, we get it!

Yes OP.

I also feel this about the Olympics. A few years ago my country started showing these segments on Olympic athletes which were very dramatic and sob storyish in some cases and just intrusive.. I hate them and find them unwatchable.

I don't need to know these strangers personal things.

Also, women actors were all bullied at school for being ugly.

I think The Inner Circle is one of the shittest game shows ever devised. Plus I don't think it will last as people realise they're more likely than not to be shafted so it will lead to more sharing which doesn't make such good telly.

It's horrible, Cheryl: "My Nan died and I want to pay for a memorial, so I will totally share the £2,700 with you". The other finalist believes them and chooses to share, only to be shafted by Cheryl, who's going to spend it on a boob job anyway. At least a recent contestant was honest she'd use it for a boob job.

Yeah this was always annoying on the X factor
I remember years ago they had a contestant who had lost his wife and was brining up his his small child alone, which I appreciate must be very difficult but every time he was in the bottom two ,he would Talk about his deceased wife for the sympathy vote.
And whilst I felt very sorry for him ultimately it was a singing competition and there were better contestants than him.

I don’t even like it when they say ‘I’m Shakira from Surbiton, and I’m an accounts manager’. I just want them to get on with failing to answer basic questions like ‘What’s the capital of France?’ and being humiliated by the Beast or something.

One of my DC's friends auditioned for one of the big tv talent shows and says he knew he had no chance before he even sang. Apparently the first thing he was asked was "What's your story?" and when he said that no, he didn't have any family tragedy or hardships and hadn't even been bullied at school for being into performing arts he could tell they weren't interested in him.
I guess the producers know their audience and think this kind of thing is important but I agree it's all a bit predictable and tedious now.

Oh god, the plinky plonky music starts and you know it's sob story on repeat. I started to ff through it on squid game. It seems that Race across the world has to have this too. What's wrong with a bit of good old fashioned competition

Yes, I find myself getting quite irrationally angry at the music manipulation of emotions. It never used to be so pervasive and loud. Like the show is SHOUTING at you to FEEL THIS WAY even if your brain is saying "but wait, didn't we just see that guy call the room cunts and slag off his wife, why is sad music suddenly playing because now he's saying he has trauma and is crying?" (MAFS I am looking at you here).

Sob stories make good TV. So it is encouraged.

Dh is a great singer but years ago I said he’d be a solid runner up in x-factor or at least top 5. He was faux hurt I didn’t place him as a winner but I pointed out he’d lost the top spot by having zero sob story and a happy life.

Surely it depends on the circumstances... if my father (early eighties) passed away tomorrow, it would be a genuine shock as he's fighting fit and active, plus his parents lived well into their nineties.

I’m sorry I haven’t RTFT so someone might have already said this but The Wheel is the worst for it, when they all have the pretend they are going to start a charity or some shite with the money so all the celebrities get a chance to cry when they win.
Show us your receipts for your charity venture then we will talk oh selfless one.

The latest non celebrity series of race across the world was terrible for this. Every single one of the teams had some sort of sob story that they were 'working through' for the entire series. I was getting fed up with it. Was waring to listen to and they kept bringing thse things up.

2 brothers whose mother didnt really want kids and was cold and distant

2 sisters who grew apart after one moved to italy and one was really affected by losing their family home

The young couple where the boyfriend had diabetes

The mother and son where the mother had been stay at home and was finding herself again. I think the son had cerebral palsy.

I mean okay if the odd person has a story to tell. But did they choose contestants based on this??

I hate it! YANBU. They even do it on Dragon’s Den!! Just do your pitch without blubbing, for goodness sake.

Sometimes it is the saf music and the angle they hold their head and the long drawn story with a weird look on their faces and the way it ia filmed with the camera

I am sure the story may be genuine but they way it is put together is terrible

It was not always like this, I remember people had stiff upper lips and much more stoic attitudes

it all changed roundabout the time Lady Di passed away, it generated a huge cultural shift, not sure why/how

before then feeling sorry for yourself was seen as a bit pathetic and wet

The Repair Shop is the worst for this. If the item meant that much to you, why was it left in the shed to go mouldy? The ones that annoy me are where the sob story is basically that Grandad was in the armed forces in WW2. Yeah, him and every other man of that generation mate 🙄

I suppose "we've never had the heart to throw this out because it was once lovely but we haven't been able to afford to get it fixed/find someone who could do it" doesn't sound as good 😅

Well daddy blondes is 86 but fit and active

so yes if I was told he died last night I would be shocked

I’m hoping he has another 5/10/15yr tho realistically prob won’t make 15 and 101

Well, of course there’d also be the element of the shock of losing a parent.
I meant more in a general situation - like people reacting to the news of a celebrity of that age, for example, than someone being blindsighted by the loss of a parent.
Good for your Dad! I’ve noticed, depressingly for my fitness, just how fit some 70 year olds are in comparison to me. I must get off my arse more.