realism television set can search like playfulness , but isolation and gamey pressure place can make the experience unforgettable for the wrong understanding .
Recently, somecontestants from Netflix’sLove Is Blindhave started speaking outon how participating in the series impacted their mental health, and not for the better.
But it’s far from the onlyreality showto have talent come out of it disenchanted with the experience. Many reality stars have come to speak out about the negative effects of havingsucha public life, going from an average person to being a nationally-recognized figure, and how it can all affect your mental health.
1.Former Miss Great Britain Zara Holland, who was onLove Islandin 2016, spoke out in 2018 about her experience, tellingBBC Newsbeatthat after leaving the show, she “noticed a massive change in my personality.”
“I kind of had no go-to at all, and I wasn’t really that happy,” she said. “I never thought I’d be able to get out of this dark place I went to. It was really hard. It was a very weird experience, and I never thought I’d be able to get better.”
2.When Tully Smyth appeared onTV Blackboxin 2022 to talk about getting the villain edit in her 2013 season ofBig Brother.
While she celebrated improvements to the show’s process, she noted that her first time on the show was “horrendous,” adding, “I had no support. … I had to reach out to the producers and tell them I was going to find my own psychologist, and they were going to be paying the bill. ‘You caused me all this drama. You can pay for it… you did this.'”
3.The Bachelor’sClayton Echardtold theArizona Republiche “desperately” needed therapy a year after his stint on the show.
“I (had) a therapist from the show. And I got one pretty quickly from the time that I asked for it. I think (producers) realized, like, how badly I needed it,” he said. “There are resources (offered by the show), and I won’t say there’s a lack. The only thing I’ll say is that I just think that it’s sad that it’s almost like you need it.”
4.Chelsea Vaughn had a similar experience asThe Bachelorettein late 2020, with her season airing in 2021.
“I had never felt like I’d experienced symptoms of depression before the show,” Vaughn toldArizona Republic. “I was not diagnosed ever — still to this day — but obviously, I’m aware now I have anxiety, and I probably had a little bit beforehand. But it was like, if I had a little before the show, maybe it was 5% — and after the show, it was 95%. Like, it was a very large, drastic change.”
5.Singer David Archuleta has talked about how his time onAmerican Idolimpacted his relationship with his dad and his mental health, tellingYahoo! Entertainmentthat competing “has its own kind of PTSD that comes with it.”
Noting he started working with a therapist that specializes in reality TV contestants, Archuleta continued, “You’re basically a character on a TV show, and parts of it are worked so that it fits the TV show — but they’re using your personal life. So, you become this character, but it’s with your own name, parts of who you actually are, but other parts that are portrayed in a way that you’re not actually. Then everyone feels like they know you, and they know what you are, and they know how to treat you, and have certain expectations. … This was years ago, right? But there’s still certain things about us that we still had certain little tics that we’re paranoid about certain things. … Eight, nine, 10, 11 years later, we’re still kind of stuck in some of those patterns of thinking.”
6.America’s Next Top ModelCycle 12 contestant Aminat Ayinde slammed her time on the show as “traumatizing” after she alleged she was forced to use a hair relaxer she knew she was allergic to because it was “what Tyra wants.”
Ayinde toldInsider, “This is when I understood: Tyra doesn’t give a f–k. The whole thing really left the most disgusting taste in my mouth. And honestly, I lost all respect.”
7.Australian Survivorcontestant Matt Tarrant opened upon Redditabout his mental health experience in 2016.
8.Season 8RuPaul’s Drag Racecontestant Thorgy Thor talked about how increased visibility after competing on the show can add to the mental pressures that come with a career in drag.
“I personally have dealt with major depression and anxiety my entire life. But I’m very vocal about it,” they toldHuffPost. “I’ve come to a point in my life where when things become a little too much, it’s time to take a step back.”
9.America’s Got Talentwinner Grace VanderWaal said she’s “definitely faced the mental repercussions” of life in the spotlight after her win.
10.Anastasia Miller, who competed onReal World: Portlandand laterThe Challengeopened up about the mental health impact during a2021 episode of Mike Lewis’s podcast.
" I was a ghastly individual throughout a plenty of my 20 . I did n’t sympathise my emotions , I did n’t eff how to go through things . I was extremely grim , " she recalled .
She continued, “I think the television aspect, with mental health and the show, I don’t think that the show is what caused my problems. I think the show exacerbated everything I was dealing with, and the show traumatized me. Honestly, I don’t think that some people are equipped to do and handle being on shows like this.”
TheNational Alliance on Mental Illnesshelpline is 1 - 888 - 950 - 6264 ( NAMI ) and provides information and referral services;GoodTherapy.orgis an association of mental health professionals from more than 25 countries who support elbow grease to reduce harm in therapy .
