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Hey, hey, hey! I’m Sarah Hanlon. Author, multimedia artist, and former reality TV…dare I say…star?It’s almost 10 years since I appeared and won. big brother canada. And recently, as I enter a new phase in my life, I’ve been thinking back a lot to my time on the show.Winning a reality show obviously comes with its perks and joys, but there’s also a dark side to the experience that people don’t expect or believe in.Here, we look back almost 10 years later and share some of the best and worst parts of winning the reality show.1.
Best: Fame. Dear reader, I do not lie on the world wide web. As someone who has always loved the thrill of center stage, I can unashamedly admit that I love the fame that comes with winning a reality show. First of all, I feel superior to the people who bullied me in high school. But on a more serious note, “Fame” has given me the opportunity to work in the Canadian media industry. After the show ended, editors and producers began approaching them about collaborations. I was able to parlay that experience into a 10-year career in writing and hosting. It wasn’t easy, and it probably wasn’t the norm, but reality TV got their “foot in the door.”More importantly, the power of reality TV fame lies in its ability to express stories and ideas that are often underrepresented on television. I was raised on television. I believe in the power of pop culture and media representation. I see reality TV as a way to harness that power.2.
Worst: Fame. Reality stardom cannot be allowed to fall so easily. Listen, I realized that the fame you experience as a reality TV contestant is different from real fame. fame-fame. But it still has its strange and sometimes frightening aspects. Right after my season, there was an event attended by a horde of overly pushy, clingy, abusive people. I couldn’t believe it. After 70 days of isolation and going out into the world, I was so dazed that I didn’t have enough capacity to get through it. I’ve received some very hateful messages about my sexuality and beliefs, but I know this is pretty standard among my co-workers. One time, when I went to a bar, I received an IG DM that said, “I’ll see you,” but then a photo of myself was attached, saying, “I’m looking at you.” Yes, it’s not all about smugness and complacency here.3.
Best: Fortune! Is $100,000 tax-free?! Yes, please. win big brother canada My life has completely changed financially. I had zero savings and was making minimum wage at a marijuana lounge of questionable legality before moving to Toronto. big brother canada house. Never in a million years would I have dreamed that I would be able to buy a home in Canada in a housing market like this. And that’s exactly what I did with my winnings.4.
Worst case scenario: More money means more problems. It was enough pressure to be thrust into the world of banking and home ownership, but one of the worst things about winning was older brother Everyone had an opinion on how I should spend my money. “We must take advantage of this moment,” “Act now, we can’t wait,” “We have to do X, Y, and Z.” that’s right$100,000 is a lot of money, but people were acting like I was set for it for the rest of my life. Even complete strangers on the street would do the same to me. There are a lot of people who make over $100,000 every year, and I really don’t think people treat themselves like this, but now that I think about it, what do we do with money versus the rich? Maybe I should start ranting about what I should do.5.
Best for: Security. I lived the best six years of my life in that home in Hamilton, Ontario with my partner and two dogs. Since then, I sold my house, bought a van, traveled full time across North America for two years with my elderly dog Annie, and found myself back in Toronto. My time on reality TV has directly provided me with countless comforts and adventures in my life. I will forever be incredibly lucky and grateful for money because without my victory, all of this would never have happened. They say money can’t buy happiness, but money has given me and my small family a little sense of security, and that has certainly made me happy.6.
Worst: Typecast. While I’m obviously grateful for the opportunities that reality has given me, it would be a mistake to not also mention how it has stifled other career paths I could have chosen. , I sometimes wonder if I should have made the choice. Ten years later, I’m tired of piecing together freelance projects from one to the next, constantly promoting myself, and almost always defending what is considered my “big opportunity.” I don’t know for sure, but I often feel like I’ve been turned down for more “traditional” jobs because of my reality TV notoriety and easily Googled personal information.7.
Best: My best friend! Do you meet your best friend on a reality show? Highly recommended! We had to be there for each other during stressful times like this. That gave us a solid foundation. Reality TV allows you to meet people you would never have met otherwise. Although Britney and I are very different, we built a friendship based on support first and common interests second. I feel like this is why this franchise is known for producing so many successful couples. And the best part? Everything is recorded for posterity. Our first hug was recorded and all the cute moments of us supporting each other during a very lonely and stressful time. And after 10 years, I had many wonderful moments and memories there. The moment I walked through those doors and met Britney Blair, I truly won!8.
Worst: Losing friends in real life. A few people told me, “You’ve changed since you appeared on TV,” and let me tell you, it really hurt. Have I changed? Were we friends at all? who knows! Being on a reality show can seriously disrupt your sense of self because many people treat you differently afterwards, including your closest friends and family. It sucks! In my experience, people started expecting more from me. They saw my post-show life as perfect and exciting, which made it easy for people to check in on me and stop nurturing the relationships they once had. Unwarranted resentment from casual friendships was tolerable and even fun to be honest, but I’ve had people who felt very close to me clearly be unhappy with my 15 minutes of fame. That rocked my world a little bit.9.
Best: Community! I’m still close with some of the guys from my season and our relationship is really special because we’ve been through so much together. I’ve met people from other reality shows, and there was a strange sense of familiarity there. I have also met other people through this. older brother Even if they were a fan of the show, appearing on a reality show has helped them meet many great people over the years in many indirect ways, whether it was by working on the show or participating in related projects. It was able to connect me. And it truly is the gift that keeps on giving.10.
Worst: Frenemies. win older brother It gave me rose colored glasses about the whole experience and I remember leaving home thinking I had a whole new family. In fact, many of the people who appear on my season have values that are diametrically opposed to mine due to the nature of this type of reality show, which aims to showcase diverse characters. I knew what kind of role I was going to play, and to be honest, I was proud to play it. As someone who was fiercely progressive and proud to be queer, I knew there were people who would cast me as my “opponent,” but my optimism for victory and my feelings of guilt And it clouded my better judgment of their characters. I gave them too much doubt, thinking they were accepting me when they were just playing a game. After a few years, it became really clear what they represented, and I really blamed myself for taking so long to see it.11.
Best: People approach me on the street. People who like TV are my buddies, and when they recognize me, we have a lot of fun and nice little interactions. So if you see me on the street and want to say hello and take a selfie, please do!12.
Worst: People approach me on the street. Sometimes it looks bad! Sometimes I’m on my way to a Pap smear! Sometimes I’m late! This is a warning to #11. Just in case you don’t want to take pictures.13.
Best: Being able to see behind the scenes. of big brother canada The production team is known around the world as one of, if not the best in the series. And I felt so safe with them – people criticize reality TV as being exploitative, but I wish there were more people like them in the industry. big brother canada Production team, it would be a better world. A special shout out to our most prolific emcee, Alisa Cox! Being around Alisa was like taking a master class in crowd work.14.
Worst: People you hate and people you know. Reality TV fans have more input than Andy Cohen. housewife. Many people think I didn’t deserve to win and feel the need to let me know online or in person. It’s as fun as I expected! I want people to understand that Banks didn’t care that there were too many twists in her favor.15.
Best: Wild Memories. Dress up as an ant and crawl through a life-sized ant maze! Walk inside a huge train set! Swim in the pool in the movie studio’s fake backyard! I walked out in front of a cheering crowd and was told I had won the show I had been watching since I was 12 years old. The best.16.
Worst: Violent comments from strangers. “Did you have sex on camera?” “Did you interact with the people on the show?” “How did you all masturbate there?” “You were on that awful show, weren’t you?” Are you upset that they don’t know who you are?” People demand access to reality TV contestants in aggressive ways to prove that they are too good for reality TV. Some people say very rude things because of this. The best ones are the men who keep coming to me and telling me that they don’t watch “that show” but that their wife loves me. I’m sure they’ll play buddy, I’m sure they will.17.
Best: Becoming a stoner icon. When I went on the show, I decided that I couldn’t waste my energy filtering myself in order to play the game. So I’ve been open about all aspects of my life, including my love for cannabis. In the end it was a great decision. I was able to normalize pot on a large scale and express a culture that I value. One time a guy named Tiny came up to me while I was at work and said he was watching my season from prison and everyone was rooting for me. That meant a lot.18.
Worst: I regret it. Even though we won the season, there are still some things I wish we had done differently. Having video evidence of this is also not ideal. Being filmed 24/7 for 70 days certainly resulted in some cringeworthy moments that will remain on the internet forever (like my freestyle rap session, for example). Why Sarah, why?19.
Best: GIFs. Need I say more?Do you have any questions about what it’s like to be on a reality show? Leave them in the comments section below.Follow BuzzFeed Canada. TikTok and Instagram Check out more Canadian content.
Source: BuzzFeed – LGBTQ – www.buzzfeed.com
