Open letter to ‘OT 2023’: the reality television that almost swallowed up the phenomenon

• Naiara, winner of ‘OT 2023’: this is the final classification of Operación Triunfo

I confess that at 34 years old I thought that Triumph operation It wasn’t for me anymore. It was difficult for me to imagine every Monday, for three months, sitting on the couch to watch another edition of the most important musical talent in this blessed country. Life, however, surprises you and, despite everything, you end up learning not to say so much about “I won’t drink this water.”

Every week I have attended the appointment of OT 2023 religiously. And I have done it as a devotee does in church, with the intensity it deserves and doing my homework thanks to the speed and ingenuity of users who use social networks better than me. Those nerves hit my stomach again when it was the turn of the contestant to sing who, according to my always subjective opinion, deserved all the money in his account. I have bitten more than one hangnail waiting for Chenoa to open the damn envelope and reveal the name of the expelled person. I have screamed like a football fan with the odd nomination and shipped and unshipped – does that exist? – to almost all the people who have been locked inside those four walls.

I haven’t liked reading disrespectful words week in and week out. Neither did the disproportionate campaigns that incited hatred. All that is not Operation Triumph

Let’s say I’ve lived the full experience. I was one hundred percent involved and I had the feeling that what I was seeing, in one way or another, was going to impact and last over time. It has happened to me, I have felt it and I have lived it like this until the end of its consequences. However – and here is the reason why I have decided to write these lines – OT 2023or rather the narrative that the cameras have explored and has later been posted on social networks, has also disappointed me. It made me think that, perhaps, this format has gone astray. That has fed too much on reality. That, sometimes, O.T. was more a Big Brother to the use that O.T.. Reality television is the devil’s fault and a contest like this must always find a balance between talent and what the cameras capture. The success of Triumph operation It needs both, it needs that connection between the viewer and the artist, but when the balance tips too much to the wrong side, things can happen that generate rejection and disappointment, especially among those who, like me, have been following the program since 2001.

I have felt uncomfortable listening to certain comments from some contestants. I haven’t liked seeing such young boys and girls have such an extraordinary command of the medium. The meat of reality is an attraction, but innocence has always been a fundamental part of this program. I have seen that, at times, that was completely lost, causing the spirit of the program to break into very small pieces. Like a scratch on a mirror. It is not noticeable to the naked eye, but it is no longer perfect. It is not about finding culprits, but about returning to the starting point and doing a reflection exercise so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past and, above all, not to feed the well of toxicity that has often been X (formerly Twitter). I haven’t liked reading disrespectful words week in and week out. Absolutely unacceptable comments that were vomited gratuitously. Neither did the disproportionate campaigns that incited hatred. All that is not Triumph operation. You have to live each edition with that feeling of euphoria, but being very aware of the limits that should not be crossed on either side..

The meat of reality is an attraction, but innocence has always been a fundamental part of this program

OT 2023 It is, undoubtedly, a mass phenomenon, but I have suffered what I have seen seeing that reality television and everything that is linked to it almost devours the phenomenon and leaves those future candidates for a career in the music industry in the lurch. Fortunately or unfortunately, Triumph operation It’s real and it has its demons. The good thing is that, somehow, he manages to get back to his place. Yesterday, without going any further, watching the 16 contestants listen to the edition’s anthem, I remembered that the path that began on November 20 has been worth it. I have remembered that, in the end, Triumph operation It is many things and, like everything in life, the ugliest part sometimes makes us forget about all the good that is in front of and behind a format like this. However, The emotion in the eyes of Noemí Galera and Manu Guix seeing those boys and girls in their last days at the Academy makes me think that – goodness – O.T. is back on the good side of history.