What is ‘Influencer Lagoon’? ABC’s Latest Reality Competition Show
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If you were excited to watch the new ABC reality competition show Influencer Lagoon, we’re sorry to break the news that it’s totally fake. The promos turned out to be a made-up creation for the comedy series Home Economics, but what does it say about the state of TV that it totally seemed plausible?
‘Influencer Lagoon’ Turns Out to Be a Fake Show
Promos for a new show called Influencer Lagoon ran on Monday and Tuesday night during ABC’s two-part Bachelor finale. The show seemed like Survivor with social media influencers. Former Bachelorette Rachel Lindsay even posted an interview with purported host Alan Chow about the series.
Chow teased the “selfie showdown” between the final two contestants, in which they “go off into the wild for three or four days with very little food or water, and they have to see who can get the best selfie.”
However, Wednesday night’s episode of Home Economics revealed that the promos were fake, and Influencer Lagoon is not a real show. One of the comedy’s characters is cast on the fictional competition series, leading to a breakup. The show’s executive producer and star Topher Grace spoke to Entertainment Weekly about the prank.
“When we showed the finished episode to the network, they liked the Influencer Lagoon promo so much that they were like, ‘Let’s just run the ad during the two finale episodes of The Bachelor,’ which we were so thrilled about,” he explained.
You know I love my reality TV AND I’ve got the exclusive scoop on a rumored new show called “Influencer Lagoon.” 👀 Get all the details here ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/x6k03ShqzE
— Rachel Lindsay (@TheRachLindsay) March 14, 2022
SEE ALSO: WHO IS THE WINNER OF JAMES CHARLES’ SHOW ‘INSTANT INFLUENCER’?
The Show Didn’t Seem That Far-Fetched
Influencer Lagoon doesn’t sound that far-off from some of the actual reality shows we’ve seen over the years. After all, YouTuber James Charles already had a show for online influencers, albeit without the survival elements. Grace said this is why the show was able to pull one over on us.
“I mean, look, there’s a show called FBoy Island. This isn’t that far from reality, pun intended,” he said. The fake show isn’t even that far off from existing series like I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!
Even shows like The Masked Singer and Alter Ego sounded kind of ridiculous when we first heard about them. Who knew we’d end up getting emotional over singing performances from celebrities in animal costumes and motion-capture avatars?
As long as there are real shows like this, viewers are likely to fall for fake ones, even if they vow to never watch them. But let’s be honest, aren’t you just a tiny bit disappointed that Influencer Lagoon isn’t real?
