RTÉ’s Fáilte Towers is nothing more than an ego-boosting exercise for most of its ‘B-list’ celebrities, claims Patricia McKenna in a scalding attack on her erstwhile rivals on the reality-TV show.
McKenna believes the majority of those participating in the show have little or no interest in its main goal of raising money for charity. “It is an ego race to win the show. Some of the contestants wouldn’t even be able to tell you what the charity they represent actually does,” McKenna told Hot Press.
“It’s about winning at all costs. And even the ones that went into the show with the good intention of raising money for charity have been blinded by the glimpse of fame. A bit of honesty needs to be put in there. Human nature, being what it is, has taken over – and it’s all about the need to boost the ego. The experience of being on TV is clouding all their judgments.”
McKenna was the fourth contestant to be booted out – but she actually told judges that she wanted to leave. “I am glad I’m no longer on it, because I feared I could be blinded by the whole experience. I felt I would fall victim to ego myself, if I had stayed on any longer. I watched it last night and I felt embarrassed by the show.”
“There is no point in pleading or crying with the judges to stay on,” she adds, in a reference to Page 3 girl, Clare Tully. “We all know somebody has to be voted off, so what’s the point? You have to draw a line and ask yourself, ‘How far are you willing to demean yourself?’ Some of the contestants have an attitude to win at all costs – even if you lose all self-respect and dignity. But, saying that, I enjoyed the experience.”
Apart from raising money for charity, McKenna says that she appeared on the show to make a political statement. “It says a lot about how our country is managed. People had to give up days and weeks of their personal life to do this for charities because the Government has failed to ensure these areas are properly funded,” she says.
While McKenna doesn’t believe Big Brother winner Brian Dowling will triumph in Fáilte Towers, she believes “Brian is unique. Reality TV is his real world, and the real world for him is something unreal. The show needs him. He knows how to play to the camera. He’ll be there to the end.”