When reality hits after the reality show

Lock us up with 13 strangers and chances are we would act out of the ordinary This becomes especially true when every second is a highpressure moment with no distraction besides the company of those around you Which is why contestants on reality shows Colorsrsquo Bigg Boss or JioCinemarsquos Temptation Island often seem like they are walking on thin ice Stars who previously participated in Bigg Boss are still adjusting to their regular lives and trying to get some semblance of normalcyVicky Jain and Ankita LokhandeWhile every year relationships are formed inside the house few manage to sustain them outside This year Bigg Boss 17 saw televisionrsquos favourite bahu Ankita Lokhande and her husband Vicky Jain enter the house During the onehour telecast wersquove witnessed more fights than affection between the couple So is this reality or scripted Dr Kersi Chavda Psychiatry Consultant at PD Hinduja Hospital and Medical Research Centre said ldquoThe ability to withstand pressure varies among individuals Some people exhibit resilience in challenging situations while others may have genetic predispositions that hinder quick recovery In our daytoday lives the normal stress level may be around three on a scale of one to 10When placed in an intense confined environment and denied the opportunity to step away from the situation the stress levels are bound to skyrocket to a distressing nine out of 10 Itrsquos not surprising then that individuals with vulnerabilities might react more adversely than othersrdquo In a press conference that was held inside the house Lokhande accepted that she is both insecure and possessive and sometimes her reaction turns a nonissue into an issue ldquoWersquove had our disagreements but neither is our fight scripted nor our patchuprdquo she saidPutting relationships to the testRelationships are fragile irrespective of the years invested in them So why tempt fate and test it on a public platform Are the fame and money worth the hardship Temptation Island which wrapped up in December 2023 had reallife couples testing their love and their partners by cohabiting with strangers To add to the drama the makers edited the clips and presented them to their respective partners While watching almost every contestant broke downArjun Aneja and Navisha RajA prime example is contestant Cheshta Bhagat who walked out of the show after ending her 11year relationship with Arjun Aneja Reflecting on her experience she said ldquoI was going through a lot when I took up the show I am a private person and I knew that with the show a lot of my personal relationships would be exposed on camera After a while I got into a comfort zone During the tasks I formed a connection with Nikhil Mehta tempter We bonded over our similar experiences While I donrsquot regret the breakup with Arjun I feared what my family at home would say about me and how I had been portrayed My mother was okay and said lsquoWhat is done is donersquordquoAfter her stint Bhagat has understood that couples are better off not participating in such shows She added ldquoIf someone already has a beautiful relationship they shouldnrsquot be part of such a show Reality shows have an effect on mental health After staying in a confined space for six weeks I am still feeling disoriented I donrsquot feel like meeting people or talking to anyone I consulted a few friends who had done Bigg Boss and they all said that you feel a little disconnected after returning to your regular life So many of them are in therapy But I also got to be myself and find my peacerdquoKnow yourself for better or worseWhile some feel the disconnect after the show for Jain this realisation came a week before the finalemdashduring the press conference journalists accused him of gaslighting Lokhande and not being a supportive husband He tried defending himself initially as he stated ldquoWhile we are a couple the idea was to play the game as individual contestants I tried not to get involved in her tussles because she is a strong contestant and knows how to stand up for herself However I now realise that my tone and language may have been too harsh which might have hurt herrdquoCheshta Bhagat and Nikhil MehtaWhen asked if he would consider seeking marriage counselling after the show Jain got on his knees and apologised to Lokhande for ignoring her Jain added ldquoI think my therapy has been done with this session here When you stay in the house for so long you donrsquot realise your mistakes and no one tells you either This is the first time in 100 days that so many people journalists have questioned me Now when I look back maybe I didnrsquot realise that my words were affecting her It shouldnrsquot have happened I have proudly stood by Ankita and she has been my support I am thankful that I am here only because of her but maybe I got too lost on this gamersquos journey and lost the feeling of the relationshiprdquoChavda said that many change their perception of themselves after the show ldquoIt often leads to the unveiling of undiscovered aspects of oneself This process may reveal unexpected strength However you could also discover that you are not as strong as you assumed you were Coping with these revelations in a personrsquos late 30s and early 40s can be unsettling While the money may seem appealing the toll it takes on onersquos relationships selfesteem and the perception of the family can be significant prompting others to question who yoursquove become But the show is extremely popular which is why so many are still lining up to be a part of it Whether it is the best course of action remains uncertainrdquoMannara Chopra and Munawar FaruquiThe big effectChavda underlined that such shows take an immense toll on mental health especially after the contestants have stepped out ldquoItrsquos not easy to feel normal again especially if you are predisposed to trauma or PTSDrdquo he highlighted When we asked Mannara Chopra who has been subjected to humiliation within the house and trolling on social media whether she would seek therapy after her Bigg Boss stint she said ldquoI will plug in my music and walk in the backlane near my house spend time with my family and go to the gurdwara That will be my therapyrdquo Contestant Munawar Faruqui shared that apologising to the ones he has hurt would be his way of therapy Similarly Lokhande said ldquoI want to meet both our parents and apologise to them because our behaviour has hurt them which was something we never expected If they feel better and regard us normally our therapy will conclude thererdquoDo reality shows affect viewersrsquo mental healthYes absolutely It gives them a kind of vicarious pleasure to see this happening Occasionally they can get triggered and become anxious They can end up becoming obsessive about a person There have been cases where people have fallen in love or hate with somebody because of the way they have been behaving in the showDr Kersi ChavdaViewers have to realise that the person is in an artificial environment Everybody should take whatever is happening with a pinch of salt There are a lot of things people say and do to get high ratings and win onlookers have to realise that it is not based on actual reality Wersquove had people getting married on the show and then divorcing within six months We all get excited when something bad happens to a person who is rich It gives vicarious pleasure and sometimes caters to the worst part of a personrsquos personality