What Other Reality Shows Can Learn From ‘The GOAT’s Winner

The Big Picture

• The GOAT
  highlights reality stars’ adaptability and skills across various genres.
• Paola Mayfield’s win demonstrates that reality stars from drama-focused shows can excel in competitive settings.
• The series emphasizes that any reality star can be ‘The GOAT’ regardless of their initial show’s focus.

Reality television is a lot of things, but rarely is it predictable. The best franchises are the ones that keep viewers on their toes. Whether it be intense competition shows or dramatic series spotlighting the mega-rich, the ones with staying power are those who shock their audiences in the best ways possible. That’s what made The GOAT such an interesting concept for so many long-time reality fans. Directed by Michael Shea for Amazon Prime Video, this satirical series tries to find the ‘Greatest Reality Show Contestant of All Time’ by bringing together a group of legends from various hit franchises, putting them through challenges that emulate different kinds of programs, and crowning whoever manages to be the last person standing. The series’ hilarious freshman season just wrapped, and many fans are shocked by its ‘surprise’ winner – though they shouldn’t be.

Because for all it has to say about the genre, there is one thing that The Goat has made clear since episode one: never underestimate a reality star. As this series and countless others have shown, every person in this medium has a special set of skills that translate across wildly different settings and allow the best to thrive within each. This new show and the many others like it stress that no matter what kind of show you come from, a true reality star knows how to beat out others and win that grand prize – all while making some amazing TV, of course.

Only the Absolute Best Can Be ‘The GOAT’

The GOAT is the best kind of reality series – one that understands just how ridiculous reality TV can be. It isn’t the first show that brings together different reality stars and has them compete for a prize; from The Traitors to The Challenge, fans have long thrilled overseeing some of their favorite contestants from different franchises come together and duke it out. The GOAT is no different, with big stars like Alyssa Edwards from RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Bachelorette’sTayshia Adams joining the competition hoping to win its $200,000 grand prize. Each week featured some new kind of strange challenge based on different reality genres (a gross example is the players popping fake pimples to honor medical shows) before someone is voted out of the house, their dream of the big win crushed and their golden goat melted down to symbolize their failed effort of becoming the ‘greatest reality contestant.’ All of this is commentated by the sardonic host Daniel Tosh, but for all of his playful mockery, this series has created a complex, cutthroat game that saw some of the fiercest players from competition shows come together and fight for the prize – which is why so many were shocked when Paola Mayfield won.

For all her charm, many watchers didn’t immediately consider Mayfield as a big threat for the win. Originally from 90 Day Fiancé, a “lifestyle” series focusing on the often-messy visa process that brings long-distance couples together, most of her reality TV tenure has been spent in petty drama with former partners and the occasional shouting match with castmates at reunions. Because of this, she was largely discounted for the early portion of the game as most players focused on competitive powerhouses like Big Brother’s Da’Vonne Rogers, leaving people from more theatrical shows like Paola for later. Yet anyone watching can track just what an expert game Mayfield played: from solidifying one of the season’s power alliances, to ensuring that she was on good terms with every person before they were eliminated, to drawing on her expert social skills to survive elimination six times, she wowed everyone who dared underestimate her because of her previous appearances. Paola’s ultimate win was a cathartic end to an exceptional season of gameplay, and it made something clear to everyone competing (and watching): it doesn’t matter what kind of show they may start on, a true reality star can conquer anything.

From ‘Housewives’ to ‘Bachelors,’ Anybody Can Win Reality TV

Paola Mayfield’s success on The Goat showed how even casts from primarily dramatic programs like 90 Day Fiancé can go head-to-head with the competitive best, and she isn’t the first to emphasize that a franchise doesn’t define a person’s skills. Paola was in the final four right alongside Real Housewives of New York City alumni Jill Zarin, and even outside of this series, others like The Traitors have seen stars from dramas like The Shahs of Sunset and The Real World completely dominate people whose competitive backgrounds theoretically should have granted them an easy win. Competitors need to understand that each series is a member of some subgenre, and that the show has a narrative style that it presents contestants according to. This may make it seem like a person is just a perpetual pot-stirrer or theatrical partier – and hey, sometimes that’s a huge part of who they are – but that doesn’t mean they don’t understand exactly how these kinds of series work. For those who take the time learning about their environment, being on a reality show teaches them the nuanced ways people interact with one another when on camera – and how easily they can be manipulated.

Paola’s win shows that any reality star is owed credit for being able to establish themselves through their series, an immensely hard task that is only achieved with an understanding of how this entire genre functions. Sure, players from competitive series may have an edge when it comes to strategy, but in a setting where not everyone comes from that realm of TV, your lethal intelligence has just as much chance of making you a target as it does helping you win the game. There is ample evidence of reality stars from drama-focused shows entering these new settings and using their studied knowledge of how other people work to their benefit. Pair this with a natural charisma that is often necessary to persist in this industry, and you have someone like Paola: a likable, socially savvy competitor who is ready to do whatever it takes to win. In crossover shows like this players from competitive series are championed over others, but with The GOAT’s winner, it’s time that these other reality stars receive the respect they deserve.

Paola Mayfield Shows That Any Reality Star Can Be ‘The GOAT’

In so many ways, Paola Mayfield’s inaugural win in The GOAT should serve as an inspiration for every other reality star out there. Not that any person should feel ashamed for being on a series that emphasizes drama over everything else, as those carry as much credit for establishing this genre as the more serious competition shows. But it’s how Mayfield showed that you can come from any program and win in such an intense setting that, no matter where they may start, true reality stars are capable of anything. She – and the many others like her who are taking over similar shows – are on equal playing fields with former contestants known for being renowned strategists, using their unique knowledge of social interaction (courtesy of their initial appearance) to find great success in these communal competitions. Paola Mayfield showcased that she truly was the greatest of all time of reality TV, and for any other program who thinks they know what they’re getting by casting someone like her, she showed that they just might be in for someone they never could have expected.

The GOAT is Available to Watch on Amazon Prime Video in the U.S.

WATCH ON AMAZON PRIME VIDEO