By PHOODIE
I have always loved reality TV. Back in the day when it was just Big Brother, my friend Jane and I would spend each and every Sunday night on her couch eating Thai curry and Cookies & Cream ice cream, watching the eviction episode.
We had our favourite housemates who we’d occasionally spend a couple of bucks voting for and we had our “not so favourites” who we simply just wished would get booted.
Australian Idol followed soon after this. And again, we got right into it. We even went to a live episode! Then, all of a sudden anyone who sneezed got the opportunity to feature in a reality TV show of their own. The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, Amazing Race, The Block, Project Runway… the list goes on! Reality TV soon opened up to cooking and that’s when I became SERIOUSLY hooked. My firstborn’s breastfeeding routine was literally determined by what time Masterchef was on.
2010, Season 2. I will never forget it.
I get asked quite a bit by my blog readers (as well as people who actually know me, my friends and family), about when I will be auditioning myself. And to be perfectly honest, the answer is a big fat “never.”
At the risk of sounding cocky, it’s not because I don’t think I could do it. I know I could do it, in fact I would LOVE it. I’ve never been one to shy away from a camera and I certainly have never been one to run in the opposite direction of a well stocked pantry and a perfectly equipped kitchen!
So why wouldn’t I do audition? There’s one reason. And one reason only. Social media.
Let me explain. One Sunday, a couple of years back, I was sitting on my deck reading the paper, coffee in hand and sun on my face. I literally remember the exact moment. I sat bolt upright. I could not believe what I was reading.
Two contestants, a married couple with small children, on a popular Aussie reality TV cooking show had been forced to change their surname and move house due to crazies sending them abusive threats via social media.