"reality" Tv - A Bit Of Light Relief ...

Noah

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It's been a challenging few days for hair replacement in the world of "reality" TV.

First of all 35-year-old Italian Domenico de Cicco, contestant in German reality TV show "Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus!" ("I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!") and various other reality shows, was accused by his fellow contestants of wearing a hairpiece. Allegedly his hairline was slipping down his forehead as the contestants spent days in the jungle. The controversy filled the pages of the German tabloids and social media for several days until Domenico was evicted from the contest (nothing to do with his hair). He later gave an interview in which he denied wearing a piece, but conceded that he had had a hair transplant.

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And now 34-year-old Australian meditation coach and former stripper Dino Hira, a contestant in the self-explanatory "Marriage at First Sight" show and veteran of various other dating contests, has been outed as a hairpiece-wearer by the new wife/contestant that he married during the show. She described his toupee as "a bit of a glue-on". Again, the tabloids and social media have erupted in speculation and excitement. Dino himself has not yet commented publicly.

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This is not the first time hair systems have featured in the world of reality TV. In 2016 successful Spanish male model Miguel Vilas pulled his hairpiece off on national television while participating in the Spanish version of Big Brother, causing an explosion of interest (and publicity for the programme) in the Spanish media.

Given the wholly scripted and choreographed nature of "reality" TV, these latest examples make me suspect that perhaps the producers are deliberately writing a "does he - doesn't he?" sub-plot involving handsome guys with somewhat detectable hair systems into their shows, as a bit of light relief from the usual diet of back-biting and sex.

What do you think guys? Outrageous personal intrusion for these guys, or harmless pre-scripted entertainment for the gossiping masses?
 

BaldBearded

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I vote doe pre-scripted, I know people who "write" for reality shows in the US and here, in Israel.
 

deg_dilemma

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But pre-scripted would imply that the producers or writers know that these guys wear hair pieces. Unless of course the guys themselves are complicit and are doing it for a bit of fame - like Miguel Vilas I guess.

Personally though I wish they wouldn't "advertise" this kind of stuff on TV. The less that the general public know of systems, the better!
 

BaldBearded

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But pre-scripted would imply that the producers or writers know that these guys wear hair pieces. Unless of course the guys themselves are complicit and are doing it for a bit of fame - like Miguel Vilas I guess.

I think Noah was inferring, in general, they are scripted, and it is indeed true. Maybe not EVERT LITTLE thing, like the hair system removal.

Personally though I wish they wouldn't "advertise" this kind of stuff on TV. The less that the general public know of systems said:
I totally disagree with you on that one. The MORE publicity about modern hair systems there is out there, as an alternative to shaving your heads, or drugs or plugs... the less of a stigma they will be.

"Men with bad toupees" are the butt of jokes on TV and movies, and I would like THAT to STOP!!! The only way this can stop is for men who are wearing to "come out" about it.

It is probably different for you guys who transition from thinning to a system and have been able to keep it a secret. But many, like myself, could not.

I don't care if people know that I am wearing a hair system.
 
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deg_dilemma

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The difference is certainly whether you are open about it to everyone or not. It is no doubt a lot easier on one's own psyche if there is no reason to hide the fact that you're wearing a hairpiece. In fact I can imagine that it makes for some interesting discussions with people.

The anxiety comes from trying to keep it a secret, with the constant stress of "why is she/he looking at my hair" or "does my hair look real today" or "how will I get through x, y and z today without my hair being noticed" etc. So when it comes to this, then it's better for these kinds of wearers that the general public don't even know that hair systems exist. Because when un-informed people think of wigs, they think of the old type of wig (Elton John etc) rather than the sophisticated pieces now available.

I transitioned from fibres/concealers but I admit that the change to a hairpiece was still very obvious on me. I have left it probably 3 or 4 years too late. So people do look and wonder what I've done to my hair. But I reckon probably 10% think it's a "wig", 50% think it's a hair transplant or concealers and the other 40% don't give a sh*t. It's the 10% that bug me, if I was being honest. There's nothing I can do about that but just carry on, because I am not prepared (yet) to go bald.

Heck, I do wish I could be open about my hair. I would love to talk to people about it - because really it is an exciting subject for me and there is so much that I could help people with if they wanted to try out a system. I only ever talk to 2 people about it - my best friend (who had a hair transplant) and my cousin (who got a system before me).
 

Noah

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My guess is that when the recruiters are casting the participants, they are looking for anything that could potentially be a storyline or could generate controversy. It could be a big nose or an affected voice or a bitchy manner. Or it seems it could be a hair system which is on the margins of detectability. Lots of the guys who apply for these contests seem to be bodybuilder types, and those guys are also a demographic where you find hairpiece wearers - steroid-induced hairloss in some cases plus a good dose of vanity. The guys probably don't realise that their hair is one of the reasons they were chosen. In some of these setting (e.g. the jungle) it can't be easy to keep a system looking good with very little privacy. It's all very exploitative, but that is par for the course with these shows.
 

peteyp

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Good point, they are chosen for various reasons, so the possibility of outing a guy as a wearer! Reality Gold!

Dino Hira, toupee stories are all over, and some include pictures with some recession.
 

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