The article written by Liz Gooch on how the promotion of Islam to the young via a reality show raises an interesting question. One might wonder, behind the scenes and away from public scrutiny, what is do the participants believe to be more important to them? Is it the prizes, the fame and glory, or do they genuinely believe they are the person the show is looking for? Although I have never watched Imam Muda before, I draw from experiences from watching other reality shows like American Idol and MasterChef, and somehow, they seem to be very similar. Usually the prizes involve some form of monetary incentive, an extremely good job and some form of publication (in this case there are none as passages are recited from the Koran) and the contestants will have to appeal to individuals who are subject-matter experts or people receiving the service. Sometimes people may have secrets that they do not reveal until they win so as to garner favourable ratings from the judges. As with most elimination-styles of such competitions, it might be possible that a candidate performs just slightly better that the competition so as to not get eliminated but is not up to the standard or quality the show expects to produce. Regardless, a winner would still have to be chosen to take home the prize. As the producer states, "where they go now is up to them", and therefore the puzzling question is, does a contestant participate in a competition because the prizes are attractive and the tasks required of them is convenient, or do they really believe that they uphold the integrity and the qualities required of them to win the competition? I wonder.
