Wednesday, July 14, 2010

The Reality of Rejection

I've gotten sucked into watching Reality TV again this summer. I'm hooked on Last Comic Standing and America's Got Talent. One thing that I find very heart warming about both programs is the personal interviews they do with contestants before they appear on stage. Many of them are very emotional, which is natutal before performing in front of a live audience. One thing that they all seem to say over and over again is, "I just want to hear a 'YES', I've been doing this for so long, and been rejected so many times, it would mean everything to me for someone to say yes, you can move on.

By the way, these are only the preliminary rounds. No one's won anything yet. They're just trying to move on to the smaller group of performers. Then they still have to compete week after week and face rejection after rejection, just to get to the end. And in the end, there will only be one winner. Of course, this type of program normally leads to some sort of recognition, even for performers who don't wind up in First Place, but still...

I know it often feels like you're alone in your rejections, and then other writers tell you, you're not alone, the same thing has happened to me xxxx times. But it's bigger than that. Everyone who tries, faces rejection. Even people who don't seek to entertain. Just ask my friend who's been looking for a job for six months.

2 comments:

  1. lol--I recently had this same epiphany about how me and reality TV contestants probably have a lot in common, except my tears aren't broadcast on tv (yet).

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  2. My roommate enjoys watching these reality TV competitions, and it seems every time I walk by somebody is crying. I find it odd how everyone cries in these shows--even huge tough dudes. Have none of these people faced rejection before? And even then... I didn't cry for my first story rejection (or for the dozens of others that have followed).
    I've tried getting a job the past few months as well, also to no avail. >_>

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