Narrative Patterns of Reality Shows on Ukrainian Television (A Case Study of the Project Married at First Sight)

Abstract

The article emphasizes the similarity of the structure of texts in cinema, literature, and media, which is explained by the archetypal basis that implies the template of their construction. The aim of the paper is to identify universal narrative elements that contribute to the drama of reality TV shows and audience engagement. To achieve this goal, the method of structural and semiotic analysis was used, which allows us to consider reality shows as a text with an archetypal basis, as well as the method of content analysis for a detailed study of the stages of development of events in the show. The central theoretical basis of the study is J. Campbell’s concept of the “monomyth”, according to which the hero’s journey follows a universal pattern. It is emphasized that the scientist identified and studied these recurring schemes in the plots based on the analysis of the myths of the peoples of the world. The popularity of J. Campbell’s book “The Hero with a Thousand Faces” among screenwriters and writers is considered. Particular attention is paid to the scheme of the hero’s journey adapted by C. Vogler, which he adopted from J. Campbell, being a fan of his work. The author notes that the scheme of the hero’s adventure proposed by J. Campbell and adapted by C. Vogler can serve as a universal scheme for writing scripts not only for fiction, film and computer games, but it can also be applied to many reality shows, as demonstrated by the author on the example of the Blind Marriage project (produced by 1+1 Media). The choice of the reality show “Blind Marriage” is explained by the fact that in 2013 in Cannes the project was included in the TOP-5 best formats of the year. In addition, it is the most popular show on one of the leading Ukrainian channels. The project “Blind Marriage” (season 5, episode 1) was analyzed step by step using twelve stages of the hero’s journey (everyday world, call to travel, rejection of the call, meeting with a mentor, overcoming the first threshold, trials and allies and enemies, approaching the hidden cave, the main test, reward (getting a sword), return journey, rebirth, rebirth with an elixir). The study confirmed that the structure of the “monomyth” can be traced in reality TV shows, although some stages may be changed or omitted. The author concludes that the use of classical narrative schemes contributes to the creation of recognizable drama, which increases viewer interest and ensures the success of the reality format.