I watched a lot of reality TV this year, more than ever perhaps, and there’s something that really struck me about the casting in each of the shows I watched. Almost every single series had one or multiple disabled contestants, providing way more representation than any scripted TV show I’ve ever watched.
Reality TV has always been on my watchlist, but I had an increased uptake this year because of 1) the writers’ strike and 2) The Traitors. Around this time last year, the BBC aired their version of the international hit The Traitors. All of the contestants were there to play, not to get famous. They were so serious about the games and taking part that their personalities got to shine in a way that I feel like I hadn’t seen since the first few seasons of Channel 4’s Big Brother. I was so hooked that I watched the American, Australian and New Zealand versions of the series.
In the first season of The Traitors UK, two of the contestants had visible disabilities. There was Nicky Wilding, who has one hand, and Meryl Williams, who has achondroplasia. While Nicky was the first contestant to be eliminated (she was deemed suspicious when she didn’t raise her drink in a toast, so was banished, even though her glass was to her right side, the same side of her amputation), Meryl made it to the final and won. Sorry for that big fat spoiler, but if you haven’t watched it now, you probably won’t watch it at all. Your loss, tbh.
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