The morning after

MiD DAY received a record number of congratulatory messages for its eye-opening reality TV expose; participants' parents are livid

The morning after

MiD DAY received a record number of congratulatory messages for its eye-opening reality TV expose; participants' parents are livid

When the cat's out of the bag, there's bound to be purring and clawing. MiD DAY received a record number of Web hits and laudatory comment for its shocking revelation of what goes on behind the scenes of popular reality show Splitsvilla 2. But those allegedly involved in the scandal hit back with vengeance.

Blame game: Nalini Negi and Varun Jhamb, both contestants in the MTV Splitsvilla show, have thrown up some startling revelations

It all started last morning, when mother of Joanna Magee, whom one of the co-contestants had called a "notorious sl** in Chandigarh with a police complaint in a murder case", threatened MiD DAY Delhi's editor with a defamation case over phone. By then, however, people had splashed their verdict all across the Web edition.

"MTV has degenerated into a channel showcasing unintelligent scum of the first order. It's not just Splitsvilla, but even Roadies and the new Teen Diva series. Girls dancing in short dresses or contestants picking up camel poop, just to prove themselves, is more of an attack on their self esteem," read one of the comments. "Simply superb... these stories are an eye-opener for young people who queue up for reality shows," said another. Most urged that reality shows should be banned, and some even called for the closure of the channel itself.

The news-making participants and their parents, however, spared no wrath. It wasn't just Joanna's mother who grew aggressive; winner Sakshi Pradhan's father called in concern, too. But once MiD DAY informed that the latter was aware of the story and had been consulted for clarification, he toned down and requested for a meeting with the editor late last evening. In the end, however, he didn't show up. So, no showdowns.

Joanna responded bitterly. "My career is at stake because of all this. My lawyer will do the rest of the talking.

Un dono (Varun aur Nalini) ko bhi dekh lenge. Do I look like a bloody murderer? As far as Sakshi Pradhan's life goes, I'm not interested. I'm not the kinds who will force my perspective on others."

And while we received no word from MTV, other channels stood up to support 'clean' telecasts. "All reality shows aired by us, be it Pop Stars, Get Gorgeous or Launch Pad, are reflective of nothing but the reality. They aren't doctored," said Prem Kamath, general manager of rival Channel V.

The day after, in a nutshell, is superbly summed up by one of the comments received. "They apologise when they're asked to, and then show us all the middle finger! Guess these are the signs of the times we live in today attitude is the new moral value..."

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