Extreme Makeover

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how the global and the local interact within the adaptation of a foreign programme to a new cultural context. The main question guiding this study was how an American format, namely “Extreme Makeover” has been adapted to the Romanian market and culture. Reality television is one of the most prolific television genres of the present. Reality shows are cheap to produce, attract large audiences and they have the capacity to cross borders by means of the format. The format is a set of guidelines for the adaptation or re-production of a certain programme in a place different than its country of origin. Reality television includes a wide number of subgenres such as game shows, talent shows, crime shows or makeover shows. Makeover programmes are some of the most successful reality shows. Their aim is to improve the lives of the participants by changing either their home or their car or their body. The change is usually effected by consuming into certain types of goods and services. “Extreme Makeover” is a makeover show that deals with improving the physical appearance of participants by subjecting them to cosmetic surgery and extensive grooming. The format of “Extreme Makeover” has been sold and produced in many countries over the world, including Romania. The circulation of formats is seen as a manifestation of cultural globalisation. A format can be adapted to a new cultural context, but it still carries values common in the country it originates from. These values are being interpreted and negotiated within the adaptation of a show to a new context. In order to see how “Extreme Makeover” has been adapted to the Romanian market and culture, a mixed method was employed. The study took the form of a cross cultural comparison between the Romanian and American versions of “Extreme Makeover”. The method employed combined between discourse analysis and content analysis which were applied to a sample of six episodes of the Romanian “Extreme Makeover” which were compared to the results of three previous studies regarding the American version of the show. The research methodology was designed to make the results of the present study comparable to the results of the previous research considered. Results of the research have shown that “Extreme Makeover” has been well adapted to the Romanian market and culture. Elements representing the local culture such as places, religious symbols or characteristics of the participants make it clear that the show has been localised. At the same time, the show sticks to the storyline proposed by the original format, thus the main value behind the show is consumption and its life changing benefits. This value remains the same in both studied cases, although the Romanian version presents it in a softer way.