Excruciatingly long pauses before contestant selection or elimination on reality shows

Now, I love me some reality TV. Not all reality TV (nothing Kardashian-related or Real Housewives of [Insert City] on my DVR), but at least half the shows I watch are unscripted (in theory anyway). Aside from guilty pleasures Kendra and Campus PD, I like a lot of the competition shows – So You Think You Can Dance, The Voice, and Project Runway in particular.

Which is why…

 
You can imagine…

That I…

 
Really hate…

…

…
 
Excruciatingly long pauses…

before contestant selection or elimination on reality shows.

For example, here’s how it typically goes on SYTYCD (other reality competitions are similar) – host Cat Deeley recaps the performances of three couples at a time. After sending away the obvious winner of the group, she is left with two couples. She tells them that one couple is going home. The couples are each shown, looking sad and scared and on the verge of tears. Cat flirts with opening the envelope, looks at the what is written on the card inside, says something to the effect of “and the couple going home is…” Cut to another shot of each couple, escalating dramatic music, and cut to commercial.

When we return from commercial, she reminds us (like we forgot) that one of the two couples is going home, we see the couples have their heads buried in each other’s shoulders at this point like that’s going to prevent them from hearing the outcome, turn up the volume on the dramatic music… and then she finally reads what’s on the card. SERIOUSLY?!?!!? Painful, overly dramatic, and completely unnecessary. It’s like, yes advertisers, I’m going to keep watching the show regardless of where you insert your commercials. Why are you trying to make me so miserable? It’s just going to make me hate your product or not even notice you at all since I’m fast forwarding through all this manufactured drama on my DVR. Just show me who wins/gets eliminated and get on with it!