We’ve all seen reality tv shows. Some follow extreme weight loss journeys, humiliating contestants and pushing them to their limits to lose hundreds of pounds… only for them to gain it all back after the show ends. Other shows cover families in poverty, providing minimal payment while using their lifestyle as a show for entertainment. Most recently, a former contestant on popular Love is Blind reality show, is suing Netflix for violating labor laws.
While it seems rather tough to force love in a romance reality show, contestant Jeremy Hartwell revealed that Netflix withheld food, water, and payment and only provided the cast with an abundance of alcohol. Deprived of basic necessities, contestants grew irritable and were forced to make irrational decisions and be more irritable. For the show, this would mean more drama and faster relationship development.
Hartwell also claimed that contestants worked 20 hours a day and 7 days a week for about $1,000 per week. This would mean hourly pay of $7.14, less than half of the Los Angeles County minimum wage of $15. Being overworked also influenced contestants’ decision-making ability, creating more entertainment. The lack of pay motivates participants to find a connection on the show to stay on for longer and be paid more.
Lastly, Love is Blind staff locked contestants in their rooms for 24 hours straight after confiscating their wallets, IDs, passports, and cell phones.
Reality TV shows use this combination of sleep deprivation, alcohol, isolation, lack of food and water, and minimal pay to exploit their workers. Producers from Netflix make all of the profits from success of the show while contestants who are the ones being filmed are paid below minimum wage. Netflix has yet to respond to any of these claims.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1N0tCnxyykZ5J3VNCmfWi2O0bRKhZxC3e
While it seems rather tough to force love in a romance reality show, contestant Jeremy Hartwell revealed that Netflix withheld food, water, and payment and only provided the cast with an abundance of alcohol. Deprived of basic necessities, contestants grew irritable and were forced to make irrational decisions and be more irritable. For the show, this would mean more drama and faster relationship development.
Hartwell also claimed that contestants worked 20 hours a day and 7 days a week for about $1,000 per week. This would mean hourly pay of $7.14, less than half of the Los Angeles County minimum wage of $15. Being overworked also influenced contestants’ decision-making ability, creating more entertainment. The lack of pay motivates participants to find a connection on the show to stay on for longer and be paid more.
Lastly, Love is Blind staff locked contestants in their rooms for 24 hours straight after confiscating their wallets, IDs, passports, and cell phones.
Reality TV shows use this combination of sleep deprivation, alcohol, isolation, lack of food and water, and minimal pay to exploit their workers. Producers from Netflix make all of the profits from success of the show while contestants who are the ones being filmed are paid below minimum wage. Netflix has yet to respond to any of these claims.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1N0tCnxyykZ5J3VNCmfWi2O0bRKhZxC3e
