Terence Lewis, a celebrated choreographer and reality show judge, recently opened up about the behind-the-scenes reality of television. In an exclusive chat, he revealed surprising details about how reality shows function.
During the conversation, he was shown a picture of himself dancing with Deepika Padukone on Dance India Dance Li’l Masters. The actress had visited the show to promote Chennai Express. Looking at the image, Terence recalled the moment and shared that many people assume judges and choreographers initiate such performances, but in reality, they are directed to create these moments.
He explained that while dance, talent, and judgment remain genuine, interactions with guests and contestants are often staged. He admitted, “These are not our wishes…we are told to create a moment.” He further elaborated that scripted interactions enhance the show’s appeal and help in promotional clips. However, he maintained that the technical aspects of the show, like performances and critiques, remain authentic.
Reflecting on the spontaneous dance with Deepika, Terence disclosed that she had no prior knowledge of the performance. The team wanted a grand moment for the audience, and he was asked to make it happen. As someone who prefers rehearsals, he found the experience challenging but managed to execute it successfully. He humorously remarked that television is unforgiving, leaving no room for elaborate preparation or additional budget.
Terence also spoke about how reality shows sometimes stage simple actions, like helping actresses onto the stage. He asserted, “I would never do that…In 8 years of judging, I have never gone and got a contestant and said, ‘Please ma’am.’” He clarified that such gestures are purely for the cameras, not a genuine part of his personality.
When discussing India’s Best Dancer, he recalled being asked by the creative team to generate an engaging moment to boost ratings. Initially skeptical of the idea, he was later shown viewership statistics that proved these scripted interactions attracted the highest audience engagement. He expressed his disappointment, noting that such light-hearted, playful moments garnered more attention than the actual performances. He stated, “It’s very sad to say this, but the maximum amount of spike in the viewership was when we were doing all this masti.”
Concluding his thoughts, he placed part of the responsibility on the audience, suggesting that their preference for entertaining interactions over pure dance performances fuels the need for scripted content. “So now, audiences are to be blamed because they like it. So it is scripted,” he concluded.
Terence’s candid revelations shed light on the reality of reality shows, highlighting how entertainment often takes precedence over authenticity.