Star Academy vs. Big Brother: Al-Rais

In the red corner we have Big Brother (Al-Rais). Never having reached its first round of evictions. In the blue corner we have Star Academy that has completed its eighth season. The winner is clearly the latter, having been a success across the Arab region. After reading the chapter by Kraidy I began to wonder why both reality programs, that are similar in more ways than they are different got different responses.

Having briefly watches some of the original Big Brother series from Europe and America I began to wonder why on Earth it actually got picked up in the Arab world. The concept itself was very Western, so much so that it went against the traditional values and norms of the largely Muslim audience. It isn’t the idea of having an Arabic version of a show that is problematic. It’s the actual premise and nature of the show.



Largely the audiences of the original shows tuned in to see what sexual relations were going on and to see the latest explicit argument. The contestants on the western show drink, casually have sex, and bear all (literally) to the world. Those are the three aspects of it that attract the viewers. Strip all that away and you’ll have a group of strangers living in a house. Why would anyone want to watch no drama?
Star Academy on the other hand, still had its fair share of criticism and resistance. However, it was still very similar to the actual format of the original French show Star Academy. It’s singing competition that has contestants living in a house and performing to a live audience for votes. It isn’t all based on personality, and there is a purpose for being in the same house. True, people do tend to tune in to see what the contestants are doing in the house, and to see what love triangles are forming. It's still a show that is able to use a bit of the Big Brother concept minus the excessive nudity.



Now, both shows came out at around the same time: late 2003, and early 2004. One based in Lebanon, and the other in Bahrain. Both shows received a lot of criticism and weren’t expected to succeed, and it was true for one of them. The kiss in Bahrain is probably what ended it for Big Brother. I’m sure there have been kisses on Star Academy, but I find it unlikely that they’d have the same protests as in Bahrain. It is only because they are two different cultures.



I personally see that Star Academy was produced in the right place at the right time with the right concept. Big Brother might have worked if it took place in present day Lebanon. It’s interesting to see how one show gains success and another doesn’t. There has to be more to the format of Big Brother than a group of people living in a house in order for it to be successful. Reality TV works when there’s drama, and in the case of Big Brother there was definitely drama, just not from the actual content of the show.