Shiny-floor

Roscoe (2013) describes the trope in talent formats as the big shiny floor moment: You have a factory of formats and each one has to be bigger and better.

Reality television excels at connecting audiences with other people. Shiny-floor shows can connect audiences through the literal representation of live crowds at the venue, participants auditioning and performing on stage, public voting, and live Internet chat.

In stark contrast to these 'shiny floor shows' was the very straightforward comedy panel show format, Have I Got News for You, which saw five personalities sitting on a panel in a simple set.

There is more work to be done on the istory of the spectacular as genre (in fact there is relatively little discussion of this programming in this book), particularly in understanding it as a precursor for the contemporary 'shiny floor' show, popular Saturday night TV light entertainment that ranges from the big talent shows (X Factor, ITV1, 2004–; Britain's Got Talent, ITV1, 2007–; The Voice, BBC1, 2012-), celebrity-focused light entertainment shows (Ant and Dec's Saturday Night takeaway, ITV1, 2003-; The Graham Norton Show, BBC1, 2007-), dating programmes (take Me Out, ITV1, 2007-), and the para-sports programmes that Caldwell terms 'trash spectaculars' (1995: 3) (e.g. Gladiators, ITV1, 1992-2000; Ninja Warrior UK, BBC1, 2015-).

By the 1980s, there was still huge appeal for what became known as 'shiny-floor' talent shows, especially during weekend primetime. In the US, Star Search ran for 12 years in its original run, from 1983 to 1995, and as searches went, it did genuinely uncover some A-list talent, including Destiny's Child, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Alanis Morrisette and LeAnn Rimes.

A major shiny-floor show in the US market costs more than $2 million per produced episode, sometimes significantly more.