I am not watching Star Academy 8 and nor do I want to. I watch the occasional prime on a Friday night but that’s pretty much it. The show is now in its eighth season and has been dragged for far too long. Many of the winners have gone into irrelevance, let alone some of the contestants. The show has become a vehicle for those running it to make too much money out of people “voting” and TV ads that bring in millions.
However, it looks like this latest season of the show has one thing that didn’t happen as much in previous seasons: gossip.
It looks like everyone’s talking about everyone else behind their back. How do I know this? Well, last Friday, I was home with my mom when a woman visited us and started telling us about the Syrian contestant Sarah: great voice apparently and horribly impolite. How so? she literally talks about everyone. Apparently, she hates Lebanese contestants (no idea why), she talks about them behind their backs, whenever she sees an opportunity to spur something up, she goes for it. She loves to make people hate each other while she stays on the side. And no one is safe from her.
And apparently there’s another contestant, the Palestinian Layan, who started rumors about one of the Egyptian guys, Karim Kamel, to be gay. Karim has withdrawn from the show on Friday with rumors that his family is suing the show. Now I don’t care if he’s gay or not, he’s simply horrible and the only reason he survived on the show was his country bringing him back every single time he was nominated for eviction. But don’t you think it’s horrible to start rumors about someone being gay when millions are watching?
Moreover, the show has been seeing such flagrant voting manipulation that it’s absurd. Since when does a Lebanese candidate beat a Saudi in voting? And not just by a small margin but by a considerable few percentage points! The look on the Lebanese girl’s face when she saw the results was priceless even though she ended up losing a few minutes afterwards. How did she end up losing? the students who vote publicly for the student they would like to keep are seated in such a way that those who have not made up their minds would vote to bring forth a tie, ultimately damaging a candidate over the other. The Lebanese contestants were placed first, the girl was given a lead and then crashed out of the show.
So yeah, maybe Star Academy should simply call it quits after this season. I mean seriously, when a singing TV show reverts to gossip and rumors to increase ratings, you know something’s wrong, especially when they have great talents that they need to focus on, including the Syrian girl Sarah. Until then, the Egyptian guy Karim will have those rumors, true or not, chase him till God knows when and viewers who have nothing else to do will still be entertained by a show getting useless by the minute.
A Separate State of Mind | A Blog by Elie Fares 
Great post as usual Elie 🙂
I have never watched this show (or Lebanese channels in general) and frankly, after reading this, I’m thankful.
Not that the French Star Academy was better. After the 7th or 8th season, the ratings got so low they had to stop it.
They know have a new reality show already in its 3rd or 4th season, called Secret Story, and it’s the incarnation of lameness. Hopefully the Lebanese will come up with something better after Star Academy.
LikeLike
Well, I watched the first few seasons seeing as it was the thing to do when you were in school and they were better. There wasn’t much people talking around other people behind their backs. Sure, you had different groups, which is normal seeing as people don’t agree with everyone else. But from what I was told, this year is beating the gossiping records. How harsh can they be to start the gay rumors about that Egyptian guy?
And yeah, Star Academy France was stopped after season 8 but I doubt they’re gonna stop this. It’s still making too much money for them.
LikeLike
Reality TV needs the rumours to survive.
LikeLike
True. But there are varying degrees of acceptable rumors.
LikeLike
So people are exploding about this Karim guy and now taking it out on the Lebanese on the show and the Lebanese in general because its a Lebanese show. The change this show needs is drop all the Arabs and make it a Lebanese show purely.
LikeLike
Not too sure about taking it out on Lebanese (I don’t watch it) so can you elaborate?
But yeah, the show is run by a Lebanese TV Station and it’s set in Lebanon. The fact that Lebanese candidates are the least “hopeful” for anything on it is horrible. They need to fix that somehow. I think an all Lebanese cast can go both ways.
LikeLike
I am actually one of Kikos ex BOYFRIENDS. I am willing to provide pictures, and proof if needed, so if someone would e mail me at natanaelohman@gmail.com with somewhere I can exploit this greedy & selfish egyptian, please do so. He is gay, in the USA until November 7th. I know EVERYTHING about this Star Academy 8 scandal, and how Nina was a decoy to get the gay issue to simmer. Alexa was NOT his fiance, i would say she is a best friend. Like I said, I have PROOF, and everything needed to prove to the egyptian world, he is a FAKE and doesn’t deserve any fans. He is masking his sexuality to become famous. GREED GREED GREED ..
Thanks and I look forward to the emails !
LikeLike
i Love nina but i hate kariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim also yes…? i Loveyou
both and layan gibert christine epfram nessma midoo karim omayma karima yasssuma hussam
sarah mohammedrafe mohammedqaq mohammedAbdullah mohammed daqdaq & saluuuma and
mohammedRahummmi & all arest together i Misssssss u two both of u guys really Nina take care
about kariiiiim U ARE ABIG COOOOOOOOOOOOOW AND PINKWINGS & YOU BAD COWBOY
AND PEACOCK & DUCK WACK WACK U ABABY DUCK WAKI WAKI iS not funny Man yes u whatever u want from Me also yeap alright is fine at all because u are smart such abeeing baby
like you yes u keep moving keeeeeepmoving like dinasuars big Monsters in Airplane sitbealt ..yeah! i JUST ONLY CAN INVITE TO MY BIRTHDAY PARTY OUT WITH NiNA , LAYAN
YASMINE SARAH CHRISTINE HUSSAMY GILBERT OMAYMA, KARIMA , M.DAQDAQ M. RAFE
MOHAMMMEDELQAQ , MOHAMMEDRAHUMAMA , Stop loooking at me never like this and ur eyes down yes.. like that Thankyou kariiiiiiiiiiiim baaaaaaaaaaaaadboyyyy … ur are thanksful
gooooodbye NiNA DON’T FORGET UR INVTITATION CARD BIRTHDAY PARTY and Layan and abdulSalam too thankyou all i Missssssss you both really my name Dalia from Lebanon &Palestine and Egypt too
LikeLike
iLOVEYOU AAAAAAAAAAAAALL
LikeLike
PlZ layaaaaaaaaaaaaan Stop crying like ababy cry also it makeall my face tearing also too yes
really like you wallah! Because of Nina plz plz plz don’t cry LAYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAn and everybody loves u both yes… Okay Plz u know lyan i Love her even also boys and girls love you
Yeah! ofcourse u will be enjoy ur day weeek after i’m starACADEMY 8 in lebanon..:)Okek layan
Plz u don’t need to cry for nina because she loves sooooo much Yeah! alright kalas enough crying
both because uknow niNa she not leaving starAcademy and kariiiim his out Okay ..(iLOVEYOU
layaaaaaaaaaaaan and Nina both
LikeLike