Do you think reality TV competitions are rigged?

Live Poll

Do you think reality TV competitions are rigged?

View Results
  • 93768
    Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?
    67%
  • 93769
    They might do things to get viewers to vote a certain way, but I doubt they outright fix a show.
    27%
  • 93770
    Nah. People just like to cry about their favorites going home.
    3%
  • 93771
    I'm not sure.
    3%

VoteTotal Votes: 14838

Television’s latest, greatest mystery isn’t about how “Lost” will end, or whether anyone on “American Idol” will finally show some personality. Instead, it’s this: Just how in the world is Kate Gosselin still on “Dancing With the Stars”?

Results with 148 short comments
Total of 14,838 votes - click on the "Display Comments" bar below to sort comments

67.1%
Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?
9,954 votes
26.8%
They might do things to get viewers to vote a certain way, but I doubt they outright fix a show.
3,983 votes
3.5%
Nah. People just like to cry about their favorites going home.
515 votes
2.6%
I'm not sure.
386 votes
Display Comments:
Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

DUH .....

  • 3 votes
 - 3:29 am EDT on Sat Apr 17, 2010
Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

Having a complete and accurate tally is impossible and is limited by phone network capacity. Frequent the "real" winner loses.

  • 1 vote
 - Tiemen
 - 5:26 pm EDT on Sat Apr 17, 2010
I'm not sure.

but i'd lean towards "yes" for AI simply because in the end they will support, endorse, and promote the winner, and vice-versa.

     - 6:15 pm EDT on Sat Apr 17, 2010
    Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

    Hell yeah! Why else would Kate still be dancing? Actually, she doesn't dance, she walks to music.

    • 7 votes
     - 12:46 am EDT on Sun Apr 18, 2010
    They might do things to get viewers to vote a certain way, but I doubt they outright fix a show.

    It is rigged via fan base, not quality. Thus it becomes a popularity test, and not a quality competition.

    • 5 votes
     - 2:10 pm EDT on Sun Apr 18, 2010
    Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

    Of course they're rigged. If you send the mean person home first, there's no drama to keep people watching.

    • 8 votes
     - 10:17 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
    They might do things to get viewers to vote a certain way, but I doubt they outright fix a show.

    They don't show the vote tallies because they don't want people to know how close or distant they won or lost.

    • 2 votes
     - 10:20 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
    Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

    The producers guaranteed my friend he would make the final four in the upcoming bachelorette if he did not leave the show. It is all a scam

    • 4 votes
     - mbooms
     - 10:27 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
    Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

    It's television, they want the most interesting/dramatic/compelling/hated people left standing to keep viewer attention.

    • 4 votes
     - 10:27 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
    They might do things to get viewers to vote a certain way, but I doubt they outright fix a show.

    Voters who somehow think it's cute or funny to base their vote on something besides who had the best performance?

    • 1 vote
     - 10:29 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
    Nah. People just like to cry about their favorites going home.

    Kate Gosselin is amazing I love her so much

       - 10:39 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      "reality" is boring....this crap is supposed to be entertaining, so just deal!! acourse its rigged!!

      • 1 vote
       - txdog
       - 10:51 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      without media-whore Kate, the only sound producers would hear on DWTS is crickets chirping. Its fixed based on ratings.

      • 5 votes
       - 10:54 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      Please vote Kate off. Mothers in her fan base are idiots if they listen to her advice. I would rather take advice from a snake.

      • 2 votes
       - Lulei
       - 10:58 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      I'm not sure.

      I just wish this sort of cheap programing would go away.

      • 2 votes
       - 10:59 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      Kate G is living proof that it's rigged. (Jeez, isn't that woman's 15-minutes-of-fame over yet?)

      • 6 votes
       - 11:04 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      It is THE singleworst television concept in history - the reason why intelligent viewers don't watch network TV, anymore ...

      • 4 votes
       - jiffin1
       - 11:08 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      Yep, every forum I'm on wants Kate gone, she doesn't have many fans. So who really IS voting for her?

      • 4 votes
       - 11:13 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      It's the ratings. I've thought DWTS was rigged since Kelly Monaco won in Season 1!

      • 1 vote
       - 11:15 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      Duh, it's just like the old game show scandals of the 50's. It's all about ratings, keeping people guessing, and keeping them satisfied.

      • 2 votes
       - 11:26 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      The shows are about drama to entertain people. Of course the producers want the most for their money.

      • 2 votes
       - 11:33 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      As with everything.....just follow the money.

      • 3 votes
       - 11:36 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      Without a doubt! Why else hide the vote tallies?

      Of course! How else do terrific dancers like Gilles Marini, Mya, Mel B., Laila Ali and Cristian de la Something, don't win!

      • 1 vote
       - 11:40 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      They might do things to get viewers to vote a certain way, but I doubt they outright fix a show.

      I believe that there's a lot of viewer-influencing done by amount of screen time, comments of hosts & judges, but mis-reporting votes? Nah

      • 3 votes
       - 11:47 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010
      I'm not sure.

      Is the earth round?

         - 11:48 am EDT on Mon Apr 19, 2010

        Discuss this post

        Jump to discussion page: 1 2

        The show that is obviously rigged-Dancing With The Stars.

        How pathetic is that one.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#1 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:28 AM EDT
        Reply

        A contestant's line can be tied up electronically thus stopping potential votes from coming in. Similarly, since there is no limit, someone can create an auto-dial voting scheme that can increase anothers votes. It would not be difficult.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#2 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:57 AM EDT

        For Kate......there is no hope for justice there.

        • 1 vote
        Reply#3 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:59 AM EDT

        I personally don't watch ANY reality shows. In fact, now that they(Reality shows) have taken over TV that could otherwise be used to educate viewers, I won't waste my time turning on the "tube". DWTS??? The biggest, most obviously rigged show of all!

        Jackie Gleason, Ed Sullivan, Red Skeleton, Carol Burnette, Laugh In, ,Dean Martin.Yes, I'm sixty-five years old, but those names

        • 3 votes
        Reply#4 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:25 AM EDT

        Boy I loved those old shows too. To add a few more - Jack Benny & Hee Haw

          #4.1 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:57 PM EDT

          Smothers Brothers rock--folk rock!

            #4.2 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 8:38 PM EDT
            Reply

            It sure seems like it sometimes.  Of course when you have America voting for things like contestants' performances credibility goes out the window.  Look at how badly we muffed the elections...

            • 3 votes
            Reply#5 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 11:49 AM EDT

            Reality what? has anyone checked the dictionary for the meaning of the term reality.

            I have never tuned in to any thing of that nature on purpose.

            IDIOT TV would be a much better term.

            • 3 votes
            Reply#6 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 12:06 PM EDT

            We don't watch any of that crap. Give us Breaking Bad and Mad Men. That's real entertainment.

              Reply#7 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 12:25 PM EDT

              It is not that I don't like these reality shows, but why must we make the contestants into household names. There everywhere you turn. I don't care what these so called "stars" are up to on a day to day basis. Thers lives are really not all that interesting. Who cares that Kate is fighting with Jon or that Jon is suing for custody of their children. Frankly, Kate and Jon should be embarrassed by how their lives have turned out and start working out their problems in private for the good of their children.

                Reply#8 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 12:32 PM EDT

                It's all about $$$. The bigger number of viewers, the more they can charge for advertising time. We're talking multi-millions of $$$. So they will rig the votes to get you to hate someone and tune in to watch them fail or to love someone and tune in to watch them win. They don't care which as long as you watch and they can make money.

                • 4 votes
                Reply#9 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:04 PM EDT

                Miranda:That is my thinking exactly. The only reason I watched the show for the last two weeks was to watch Kate get kicked off ! I caught on to the networks ploy real quickly - keep Kate on because they'll come back to see her kicked off and in the meantime they had least 15 minutes of advertising between eliminations. No more for me. I love the dancing but this manipulation of TV viewers disgusts me.

                  #9.1 - Wed Apr 21, 2010 1:55 AM EDT
                  Reply

                  Enough - these so called celebrity stars are everywhere. I don't care about the day to day lives of these so called "stars". It is just a show for people who can't get real jobs. Of course the show is fixed - do you really think that it is not!

                    Reply#10 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:05 PM EDT

                    used to watch Amazing Race. at least it had interesting locations worldwide. these shows are cheap to produce, no stars to pay, and very little scripting (no writers). what a waste!

                      Reply#11 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 1:40 PM EDT

                      I have never watched reality TV until I got roped in to watching a couple American Idol Episodes. If you think it isn't all about the ratings, watch the early shows when they show all the screw balls that enter these contests.

                      The performers on DWTS really have nothing to lose because how much is it going to help their careers? In the case of American Idol, it comes down to who is going to sell the most or who is the most marketable.

                      This year DWTS got the Kate crowd to come over and then you got the teenage boy crowd hoping Anderson's chest would come untethered. Then there was the casting of Buzz Aldrin, is there a lack of seniors watching this show?

                      They research the demographic, find the people that aren't tuning in, contact people that will fill that gap and cast the show. If the seniors didn't show up in droves, Buzz is gone, if the teenage boys didn't show up Anderson is gone. If you kept people tuning in to Kate 8 you know they will stick with you here, Kate stays even though she couldn't dance a Polka.

                      • 2 votes
                      Reply#12 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 2:12 PM EDT

                      I blame MTV for this reality crap. I think someone should come out with a song titled "Reality killed the video star"

                      • 1 vote
                      Reply#13 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:10 PM EDT

                      Of course they're rigged. Otherwise Adam lambert would have won American Idol.

                      • 1 vote
                      Reply#14 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:29 PM EDT

                      What could AI possibly have gained by "allowing" Kris Allen to win. Once they got those two in the finals, they had what they wanted. There is no way that voting was rigged because they actually had more to gain possibly by Lambert winning. Allen won because of his looks & personality compared to the Lambert look which was a big turnoff for many people. That's why the vote went the way it did. Both were very talented and deserved to be in the final two.

                        #14.1 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:52 PM EDT

                        People who hate gays voted no (singing had nothing to do with it)..so thats why Lambert lost..if he kept his mouth shut on this and waited until show over he would of won!

                        • 1 vote
                        #14.2 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:04 PM EDT

                        The reason Kris Allen won was because everyone who had been voting for Danny Gokey then changed their votes to Kris. No rigging. It's Math. Kris and Danny both appealled to the same type of people so it makes sense to me that after Danny was eliminated, those who had been voting for him would have then changed to someone similar - Kris. They would not have changed to a totally different type of performer.

                        I don't know why this is so hard to figure out. It makes perfect sense to me.

                          #14.3 - Tue Apr 20, 2010 2:48 PM EDT
                          Reply

                          It's the same thing every year on both Idol and DWTS's. Some viewers simply don't understand the power of fan bases and niche voting. So when someone they don't like (e.g. Kate Gosselin, Heather Mills) gets passed through or someone they love gets put into the bottom 2 or 3 and is even eliminated, then they scream that the voting is fixed. They just don't understand that there are millions of people voting and not all of them are in agreement with themselves.

                          Well, I don't believe that it is fixed. The person who gets the lowest total will ALWAYS be the one to go home. They have to. There is far, far too much money at stake for them to not be totally honest about the actual lowest vote getter. Too many people would know and someone would blow the whistle. Kind of like the 1950 game shows. Eventually, someone would spill their guts.

                          Now, WITH THAT SAID. . . do I think they mess around with peoples minds. Yes I do.

                          That is in the sense that. . .beyond the actual lowest vote getter. . .they are under no obligation whatsoever to actually put the actual 3 lowest vote getters in the bottom 3. They are only obligated to send the lowest vote getter home. Beyond that, they can put anyone . . .That's right. . .ANYONE in the "Bottom 3" for whatever reasons they have. The only thing that really matters is that the actual low voter goes home.

                          To their credit, DWTS admits that the final 3 may not be the lowest vote getters. Idol never does that. IDOL is always very , very careful to say. . .that a person is "in the bottom 2 or 3" they do not say "these are the 3 lowest vote getters"!!

                            Reply#15 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 4:54 PM EDT

                            If your going to hide the total votes..why have public votes (seems a waste and really not counted)?

                            Just leave it up to the judges on the show..of course show will not last a season, that way!

                            • 2 votes
                            Reply#16 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:01 PM EDT

                            There's no reality tv - just some shows are more manipulated than scripted. Its entertainment tv, never meant to be real. Kinda like Fox News.

                            • 4 votes
                            Reply#17 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:06 PM EDT

                            kate Gosselin is like watching Rockem Sockem Robots.....

                            • 3 votes
                            Reply#18 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:06 PM EDT

                            I wanna see Kate vs Palin..great show!

                            • 1 vote
                            Reply#19 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:07 PM EDT

                            Me, too! But I think that Palin in her fishing ovralls could still beat Kate any day of the week!

                              #19.1 - Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:08 AM EDT
                              Reply

                              To keep Kate on the show is nothing more than a publicity stunt. The producers should be ashamed of themselves - to cast off some, who believe it not, were better than Kate, is a sham. With her attitude and lack of dance skill - she should have been #1 off the show. She's an eternal victim and martry in her dialogue on the show. Shame on her.

                              • 2 votes
                              Reply#20 - Mon Apr 19, 2010 5:10 PM EDT
                              Reply
                              Jump to discussion page: 1 2
                              You're in Easy Mode. If you prefer, you can use XHTML Mode instead.
                              As a new user, you may notice a few temporary content restrictions. Click here for more info.