Lights flashed, music blared.
‘Julie is thirty-five, works in a shop and has a second job as a waitress. She doesn’t have the time to meet Mr. Right. Will she find him tonight? Let’s start The Tunnel of Love!’ The audience bayed along.
Lights dimmed, tension music.
Julie took two tentative steps along the curved tunnel.
Loud claxon, red lights. The audience laughed.
‘Unlucky, Julie. You’ve been rejected by all the contestants immediately! Join us next time to see if Julie can do better in a fight to the death. It’s The Battle of The Rejects!’
End music. Lights down.

Written as part of the Friday Fictioneers challenge hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields (more details HERE). The idea is to write a short story of 100 words based on the photo prompt (above).
To read more stories based on this week’s prompt, visit HERE.
110 responses to “THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT!”
So cruel. So true
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Surely not long until life and death are the prizes in a quiz show…
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Didn’t one of the ITV companies develop a format where the prize was UK residence for a refugee? They never made the show, but the thinking is there
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Dear me, at least it was stopped before they went ahead with that!
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Haha, bizarre sounding at first but I’m sure I saw a reality TV show just like this a few months ago! Great story Iain 🙂
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I’m sure it’s not far off the truth. Thanks Jessie 🙂
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I wouldn’t be surprised to see this on TV!
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It’s there already, apart from adding the battle to the death, which I’m sure someone will add at some point.
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Evil to the core. Bad work Lain in a good way.
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Thanks Neel
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That’s the way we’re heading. Not enough that people are humiliated, now they’ll have to suffer the ultimate to entertain the masses. Good one.
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It’s been suggested before, I’m sure it will appear at some point… Thanks Sandra
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I feel so sad for Julie, but at the same time this isn’t far from the reality of how the world is going. Which is even sadder! Good job!
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Thanks Joy, I agree, I’m not sure my story is particularly ‘fictional’, more ‘close to reality’!
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Reminds me a bit of Black Mirror. Hyper-reality TV!
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Thanks, any comparison to Black Mirror is a good thing 🙂
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What channel is it on, I need to watch it, not. But I loved your story.
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Thanks Michael – it’s a guaranteed hit show whatever channel decides to make it!
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The cruelty of reality shows… soon it’s policy of nations…
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With more words that was exactly the connection I was going on to make. Thanks Bjorn.
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Ha.. I could sense that… hunger games are coming.
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Reality show …….. great take.
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Thanks – too close to reality!
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Dear Iain,
Great take on the prompt and some very cruel, humiliating reality shows. As my cousin Kent would say, five out of five green lights.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Thanks Rochelle – do I win a prize? 🙂
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Five green lights. 😉 Perhaps an Emmy.
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🙂
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My goodness! First the humiliation then possible death? You are in a mood today. Great take on the prompt.
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Thanks Alicia. I’m not sure how it ended up like that, I’m actually reasonable happy today, maybe it’s just the winter blues! 🙂
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One never knows where the muse will lead us. She did well by you today.
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Sucks to be Julie, I guess.
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I should say Julie is purely fictional and in no way anyone that I know!
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careful, this may be the next lame reality show. Nice story, I feel bad for Julie.
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I do too, although you wonder why she went on the show in the first place – unless she was forced to take part… Thanks for reading.
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Ouch… What a horrid thing to live through… And, sadly, as a reality show will get huge ratings…
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It’s a winner, unfortunately Julie is not…
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History repeats itself. Today’s survivor is yesterday’s gladiator. Great post scary, but great!
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Thanks, let’s hope she survives!
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Poor Julie! She only did the same thing we all have but in a controlled setting where the results are much more public and subject to entertainment of others. By the way Iain, how is your Amazon experience?
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Thanks Joe, that’s true – the everyday in an exaggerated game show. My Amazon experience has been fine. It relies on you doing it all yourself unless your willing to pay. I won’t lie, I haven’t sold stacks, so can’t quit the day job yet, but as a way to get your writing out there and in print I can’t complain.
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I have and am still weighing options. Thanks for your two cents.
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I hoped reality tv was just a fad…great story, Iain, so true.
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I agree Steve. Unfortunately it seems here to stay. I can remember a time before it dominated tv.
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Ouch!
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It’s a harsh way to be rejected. Thanks for reading.
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This is like a Black Mirror story! Great.
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Thanks for the comparison 🙂
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The worst part about this story is that it doesn’t seem entirely like Fiction. Nice job, Lain! Chills.
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Exactly, it started as fiction and when finished I realised it wasn’t far off the reality! Thanks Dawn
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Nicely built piece, Iain, and I couldn’t escape The Jam ‘Feeding ducks in the park and wishing you were far away’.
Check out The Running Man, a Stephen King story made into a movie with, I think, Big Arnie.
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I think I’ve seen that film, although not read the book. The Hunger Games is also similar, although I was imagining a cheesier British Saturday night style of show The X-rated Factor, if you will… Thanks
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I had a good snicker on this one. It will probably be the lead-in show for The “Dude, Who Stole My Car? ” Show. You should come here to work in TV with us. Nice job, iain.
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Thanks for the job offer. TV here is heading much the same way, I’m thinking this is a global format 🙂
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Poor Julie — wouldn’t she feel like a loser! Still, you get what you pay for, and she entered the contest.
We tossed our tv forty-some years ago and this story has convinced me that we did the right thing. 😉
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Thanks Christine. There are some good things to come from TV, but increasingly less.
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Battle of the Rejects is probably being produced right now for release in the fall. Aargh!!! They won’t need to look far for attention-seeking wannabes…or has-beens. 😧
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There will always be plenty of people seeking their moment of fame. Thanks Jan.
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Nice – made me smile at first, then sympathy for poor Julie. Then, she knew what she was getting into…
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Or did she… Thanks 🙂
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Oh my gosh! Okay that went darker than I expected! Poor thing, rejected so fast, how awful
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It’s a harsh world, especially on television.
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A nicely written view of the cold impersonal world we are becoming. Very creative take on the prompt.
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Thanks, it’s certainly not a particularly nice world we’re becoming, I agree.
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Wow! Great job! Reminds me vaguely of a Doctor Who episode.
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Thanks Sascha, that’s true, could be a good setup to start an episode.
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I’m President Snow and I approve this message.
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Like that, but in a cheesier, cheap Saturday night TV way 🙂
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ouch! the emcee sounds more like somebody i know trumping with his bad mouth.
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Definite similarities, he has done a bit of entertainment TV 🙂
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Wow sounds like some awfully cruel reality TV program. The bacholerette mixed with Roman Empire style entertainment, or the Hunger games. But the Hunger games was pretty much based off Roman mythology and life anyways. Great writing Ian.
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Thanks Mandi, it’s cruel, but at the same time, seems to be the sort of thing people want to watch…!
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Yes sadly you’re right.
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A cross between The Dating Game and The Hunger Games?
Nahhh…you are too young to remember The Dating Game!
Great take on the prompt…loved it!
– Lisa
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That’s exactly the description I’ll use when I pitch it to the TV networks! Thanks Lisa 🙂
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I suppose there are millions of Julies out there who can be tortured and humiliated for our entertainment. We’ve almost made a full circle back to the days of feeding the lions in the Roman Coliseum.
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TV companies sink to lower and lower depths to ‘entertain’! Great reaction to the prompt.
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Thanks Clare, they haven’t sunk this low yet, but it can’t be far off!
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Wow. I felt my heart sink for her at the sound of rejection. In this day and age finding love does feel like a fight to the death. Great job!
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That’s true, and I’m not sure you’ll ever find true love through a TV show, but people seem to want to try it. Thanks for reading and commenting Ashley 🙂
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Unfortunately your clever story echoes what some entertainment has descended to these days. Well done.
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Yes, it started as fiction Liz, but is quite close to reality. Thanks for reading.
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Once upon a time I thought films and books like The Hunger Games and Running Man were nice, but unrealistic SF stories. And all of a sudden they become more realistic every day. Great story, Iain.
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Thanks, it’s a grim reality at the moment.
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YIKES … humiliation and humiliation. It’s an interesting twist for the prompt. Just hate the way people subject themselves to be on these tv programs. GOSH … reminded me of the Bachelor – which I never watch and change channels when they have commercials. YIKES … again.
Isadora 😎
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Yes, unfortunately there are a whole string of programs like this, and seemingly plenty of people willing to put themselves up for humiliation on them. Thanks for reading.
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If anyone from the TV business reads this, he/she is sure to get ideas 😀 Nice take Iain.
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I’m copyrighting the idea now 🙂
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😀
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Great post
Amazing
Visit mine
http://shivashishspeaks.wordpress.com/
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Many thanks
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Oh my. Poor Julie. Aside from that, you read my mind. The first idea I had for this prompt was the discovery of a place opposite of a forgotten hall of fame. A Hall of Rejection. Spooky!
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Love the dark humour in this story. How long till there are real life-or-death votes on TV?
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It’s only a matter of time. Thanks for the comment.
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On a sort-of connected note, have you seen the film Series 7 The Contenders? I think you’d appreciate the very dark comedy
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I have seen that one, I seem to remember it appeared at the start of the whole Big Brother TV show. Definitely could be done for real now, people would watch!
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How horrible! It makes gladiator contests a welcomed spot!
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We’re heading back to that sort of entertainment surely.
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Reality TV already thrives on humiliation and suffering, it won’t be long before death is included
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Only a matter of time. Thanks Michael.
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It sounds like something that would morph into another version of “The Hunger Games”. Please no! Good writing, Iain. —- Suzanne
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Thanks Suzanne
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Schadenfreude at its best (or worst, depending on one’s perspective). Excellent!
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Thanks, much appreciated
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My pleasure.
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Chillingly close to the truth – we are getting ever closer to Hunger Games meets Take Me Out!
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Another great tagline to help me sell my idea to the networks! 🙂
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I’ll know who to blame when I see the promos!
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That’s a wicked little story!
Thanks for the like and the follow.
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Thanks Martin. Look forward to reading more of your stuff.
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Thanks.
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