There’s nothing like a man in pain to feed our timelines for the next three weeks. Now we’re not saying that we’re all sadists, but isn’t it kind of ridiculous how we seem to obsess over a tearful man looking emotionally distraught? It’s a phenomenon that keeps on coming back after the newest reality show drops clips of an episode so vulnerable that it makes us laugh out of discomfort.
Why exactly do we seem to feel so guilty but never enough to look away and hit repost until the next video?
The Consequences of Crying
The most recent culprit of our obsession is Montoya, a man from Spanish reality show “La Isla de las Tentaciones”, who has seen the consequences of crying on internationally broadcasted television. The premise of the show is to enter with your current partner, yet his world fell apart when he saw his girlfriend cheating on him on live broadcast.
As one would expect, he was extremely shocked, but the virality came from the drama that followed. Against the rules, he ran on the beach to his girlfriend who was located in a separate villa on the island with the host screaming “Montoya, por favor!” With his ripped shirt cascading in the wind, his wails echoing in the night sky, and the cuts to his girlfriend cheating on him simultaneously has made for a new meme on every social media platform. Whether it be the girls laughing at him for his dramatics or the boys who seem to relate in some emotionally tortured way, everyone keeps their eyes glued to the screen.
Romance in Reality
We’ve seen a similar pattern with Joey, the past “Bachelor” who many have championed as the best lead of the entire franchise. Everyone liked him after seeing his character on “Bachelorette” Charity’s season, but they seem to develop something akin to love after seeing Charity rejecting his proposal.
Similarly, we saw the same effect with Rob from “Love Island USA” season 6. After his partner Andrea got dumped from the island by the other girls, he screamed and rolled his eyes an uncountable number of times, resulting in him blowing up. Ever since, we haven’t been able to escape him leaning into the whole drama.
Sadistic or Sympathetic?
We can attribute part of our obsession to the fact that this is all “reality” TV, no matter how scripted it may be. To think that what we are watching on our screens, no matter how much the drama, is still very much real life is exciting in an incomprehensible way. No responsibilities, no bills, no work, just love and heartbreak. Watching a world that is so simple as a part of our busy lives only adds to the appeal.
Maybe it’s because we love to see a man emotionally vulnerable and so unbelievably in love with their girlfriend. Perhaps in some way, we feel some vindication that a man can finally understand what girls have been put through for so long. Or is it just because we like to see people unhappy for fun? VALLEY thinks it’s most likely not the latter, but we can say we love to indulge in some reality every now and then.
What are your thoughts on the internet’s obsession with tortured men? Let @VALLEYmag know on X!
