I miss good Dominican-made reality tv. I just do. Dominican reality tv needs to make a comeback, and it must come back ASAP! That being said, we had a short-lived renaissance from 2018 and 2022, where we had Dominicana’s Got Talent, MasterChef, and The Voice at around the same time, and across two of our major networks was cute.
But the Dominican Republic needs to go back to producing local reality shows, and not the raggedy (yes, we have to use that word) attempts we get to see from online platforms. And Alofoke, Carlos Durán, El Mañanero con Boli, Luinny Corporán, and each of their casts can’t be the ones dictating our gossip shows. It’s messy and in the end becomes stale and boring, which is happening by 2024.
It is very embarrassing that foreign companies are obsessed with producing formats such as Exatlon, Temptation Island, or Survivor in our beautiful landscapes, but the locals can’t get an ounce of what is made here. This country has plenty of thirsty people eager to expose themselves and participate in these shenanigans just to get their 15 minutes of fame and clout.
We also have a plethora of drama, gossip, and entertainment radio shows, TV shows, and YouTube channels eager to have some of their content provided by any locally produced reality show. Like, we have shows from Esto No Es Radio, to La Formula, to Adonis TV Show, to a whole bunch of YouTube channels and radio shows that cover entertainment and drama channels online. Yes, we might be a “small market” for the TV greats, and I get it, but damn, we can’t be so shy away from what the world already does.
Iconic Dominican Reality TV Moments
From Cristina and Anthony’s big fight on MasterChef, season 1, back in 2018. PD: This is a Cristina stan speaking, okay?
To Babyrotty’s remarkable story on Dominicana’s Got Talent season 1. Babyrotty ended up taking home the big prize of $3 million Dominican pesos from the first-ever DGT series.
To a wide variety of amazing performances in The Voice Dominicana across its two-season run. Here’s one of the best auditions from season 1 in 2021. Elizabeth Suarez (featured in the video below), who had a glimpse of faith in the 2000s as a kid, made her big comeback on The Voice season 1, and has remained booked and busy ever since!
I think the time is right for the local reality shows to return. It’s about damn time! In my next article, I will speak on 5 formats that I believe are a good fit for our market and what we might be into.