Thursday, January 25, 2007
The (gor)REAL(a) World: Prague


"It was only just a few months ago that Czechs were first introduced - some would say subjected to - reality TV. In late summer two new programmes hit the commercial stations, Big Brother and the then lesser-known VyVoleni (The Selected), drawing a great deal of media attention. Millions have now tuned in - and a great number of young viewers watch regularly - but others were turned-off from the start, either unimpressed or offended by the exploits of the shows' overnight celebrities. Until now. A new reality show begun this month by Czech Radio has grabbed many of these viewers' attention, a show that can be said to be "truly different", even at first glance. The reason? The stars of the programme are gorillas.
Moja and Kijivu, photo: Khalil Baalbaki, www.rozhlas.cz/odhaleni
The show, called Odhaleni - Unmasking, was put together by Czech Radio in connection with public broadcaster Czech TV. On November 7th a total of sixteen cameras began monitoring the exploits of four gorillas at Prague Zoo, and will continue taping and broadcasting on the internet for the next two months. Just like in other reality shows, viewers can tune in to see daily clips, or live action, and, just like in Big Brother or The Selected, one can send in phone text messages in support of their favourite star."