Cultural Analysis of TV Reality Show Survivor

Hofstede (1980) categorized a number of cultures on each of these dimensions, pointing out their similarities and differences and noting, for example, that many Western European countries and the United States share a number of key characteristics. For example, the United States and the Scandinavian countries tend to be relatively individualistic, tolerate high levels of uncertainty, and share similar attitudes toward the unimportance of maintaining power distance between individuals. Conversely, the Scandinavian countries possess a longer term time orientation which emphasizes a concern for thrift and limited expectations for quick returns on investments and to be more oriented toward feminine traits such as personal relationships, a concern for others, and a high quality of life (Hofstede, 1980).

These cultural constructs are particularly interesting when applied

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wever, as Waters (2001) reported, Survivor did not prove to be an attractive programming package for British viewers who apparently had little interest in which of the contestants selected for the program would walk away with the million pound prize. English television producers spent approximately 9 million pounds on filming their version of Survivor. Also presented on an island, this program had 16 contestants who participated in a number of games, including standing on a log (Waters, 2001). The program lost more than 1.5 million viewers in a matter of weeks. Far more popular, says Waters (2001), was The Weakest Link, which employed a far more traditional (if quintessentially British and sardonic) game show format. Further, Waters (2001) claims that viewers in Britain were far more attracted to the second series of another reality program called Big Brother. This program focused on relationships within a group of housemates living in relatively luxurious circumstances for several months. Somewhat more like a soap opera, Big Brother presented real people in situations where they built relationships with one another. This, says Waters (2001), was not the case with Survivor in Britain, which simply offered a limited numbe
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Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

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