Five memorable reality TV moments

With us now in the month of September, it’s reality TV season. We were recently introduced to the Strictly Come Dancing line-up for its 21^st series.

As the colder and longer nights draw in, in the next few weeks, families will cosy up to the sofa and get their guilty pleasure dose of reality TV with new series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here, The Apprentice all coming in late 2023 and early 2024, plus the return of Big Brother this October, after a five-year wait.

And with the SAG-AFTRA strike continuing, platforms could well see Reality TV and the many great TV memories it’s spawned as an effective way to fill the void of fresh, original content to stream thanks to the ongoing strike.

We take a look into the memory vaults of Reality TV and pick out five memorable moments of UK reality television.

1. David’s Dead!

Considered one of the most dramatic series of Celebrity Big Brother – Series 17 had its fair share of moments, but it was when news of real-life incidents taking place outside the house making their way to housemates that we saw misunderstanding with huge repercussions take place.

When famous pop star David Bowie passed away in January 2016, ex-wife of the glam rock star and big brother housemate, Angie Bowie was informed of this news.

Reacting with expected sadness, fellow housemate Tiffany Pollard went to console Angie and understand what had happened to which Angie replied to her that; “David is dead”.

Upon hearing this, Tiffany reacted with shock, mistakenly thinking that Angie was referring to other housemate David Gest, who had gone to bed feeling unwell earlier that day.

Chaos ensued with more housemates thinking that David Gest had actually died, where Angie finally cleared up the misunderstanding and revealed to the house the passing of her former husband.

Streaming platforms to view Big Brother and Celebrity Big Brother: Big Brother fans will be able to see the new series this October on ITVX, both on-demand and live

2. Gillian McKeith faints live on I’m a celeb!

Scottish television and personality Gillian McKeith was one of the celebrities to participate in the tenth series of I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!

In her time in the jungle, Gillian’s fellow campmates didn’t quite warm to her as she repeatedly refused to take part in or complete challenges and this impacted the food available to the camp.

Waiting to hear who would take on the next challenge, it was revealed Gillian would be the next celebrity and as she approached Ant and Dec, Gillian looked weak on her feet and within a few seconds fainted to the floor where she was given medical attention.

Given her track record in camp, viewers felt Gillian’s faint was staged for her to get out of doing the task, to which she later challenged stating she hadn’t had much to eat and was starting to feel unwell.

Streaming platforms to view I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!: ITVX

3. Rose and Giovanni’s silent dance

In previous years leading up to Strictly Come Dancing’s nineteenth series, the dance contest had embraced more diversity in its selection of contestants with same-sex dance pairings and celebrities with certain disabilities strutting their stuff on the dance floor.

In 2021, actress Rose Ayling-Ellis became the first deaf contestant to compete in Strictly where she was paired with professional dancer Giovanni Pernice.

Rose went on to win the series in a memorable final that put her and Giovanni against all-male couple John Whaite and Johannes Radebe.

But it was their couple’s choice dance to the Clean Bandit song ‘Symphony’ that was regarded as one of the must-see moments of TV when Rose and Giovanni danced in complete silence for a small segment of their number to provide some insight into what dancing was like for someone who was deaf. This moment showed the power of TV and the number became one of the most watched numbers of the series.

Streaming platforms to view Strictly Come Dancing on: BBC iPlayer

4. Katie Hopkins walks away from the boardroom

Before she became a media personality, many people might forget that Katie Hopkins was a semi-finalist on the third series of The Apprentice, joining the show from a successful business consultancy background.

Up against fellow semi-finalists Simon Ambrose, Kristina Grimes, Tre Azam, and Lohit Kalburgi in the interview stages – it was down to Katie, Simon and Kristina after Tre and Lohit were fired in the boardroom by Lord Sugar.

Feedback given to Lord Sugar about Katie from the interviewers that raised a concern with the businessman was her commitment to the eventual prize if she was triumphant – a job with Lord Sugar.

Interviewers questioned whether she was there for the right reason and if it was just a game for her and solely about winning. Further doubt was placed in Lord Sugar’s mind about her worries over childcare provisions and her potential commute.

Katie then decided to walk away and let Simon and Kristina enter the final, and removed herself from the competition without Lord Sugar uttering those famous words to her: “You’re fired!”

Streaming platforms to view The Apprentice on: BBC iPlayer

5. Dani Dyer and Jack Fincham win Love Island 2018

Although enjoying three seasons prior, it wasn’t till the fourth season of Love Island in 2018, that the series really tapped into the cultural zeitgeist of the summer.

Summer 2018 was one to remember with Gareth Southgate’s England team finally showing their true worth, reaching a World Cup semi-final, and coupled with a British summer that can be remembered for enjoying regular warm temperatures and sunshine – Love Island was the icing on the cake for that summer!

One Love Island contestant hit the headlines for her famous family connection with Dani Dyer, the daughter of actor and Eastenders favourite Danny Dyer.

Her pairing with Jack Fincham took them both to the final where they were eventual winners, and Dani’s father Danny was a regular viewer and commentator on what was going on in the show.

Streaming platforms to view Love Island on: ITVX

With it now the season of reality TV, PA TV Metadata is excited to enrich the content discovery experience for consumers with live and on-demand content for the most popular reality shows on linear and VOD platforms as part of the Where to Watch service.

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