Every once in a while, I get curious about something and decide to dig in and do some research. This time around it pertains to the Teen Choice Awards but not because I am really into the award show or think it is important. When I was a teen, sure I wanted to see my favorite stars and musicians win, but now that I am an adult I just got curious when I started reading comments made about the award show starting last year. It seems that with everything, there are some non-believers who dont think the voting system for the award show and other award shows is really as fair and straightforward as they try to make it out to be. Well sorry to be a downer, but they are right. Like most award shows that promote the viewers being able to vote and how it is all about the fans and their choices, that is not the whole truth. Here is the fine print that a show that uses these methods are required by law to put even if it is in tiny letters and and only shown for a second….. 

“Winners for the teen choice awards were determined through voting on the teen choice awards website. The results of the voting were tabulated electronically and confirmed by a committee of Fox representatives. Teenasaurus Rox Inc. had the right to determine the winners from among the top four vote getters of the nominees in each of 88 categories. Ultimate choice was determined solely by the producers.”

That’s right, like most award shows, a small group of people ultimately decide the winner, not the fans. It still is all about who can pull in viewers and the winners are determined more by the producers than the votes. So the top four vote getters are chosen by the fans, but the real winner might not be who the fans voted for, but instead could be the person that the producers feel is right. Right as in they are at the award show, the mention of their name brings in more people, or even that the “winner” was just a favored choice by the producers. Sometimes it can be a balancing act like by making sure the celeb gets the award, they ensure that the star and other stars are mentioned. More stars mentioned equals more fans interested. If one star dominates too much and the producers feel other fans might not like it, they step in. This happens quite often and while I am not surprised that the idea of the shows being rigged is actually the truth, I think it is nice to let others in on the secret as well. It is all about money, marketing, and yes sometimes the fans’ choice is the winner…sometimes it isnt though.

So the next time you wonder how in the world a person beat someone else out or why the person you figured would win didnt get the votes, remember that fine print. This is also why most celebs aren’t heartbroken when they aren’t chosen. We aren’t talking about a grammy, emmy, or anything of the sort, so when you watch TCA, MTV Award Shows, or any of those that talk about voting being all about the fans, I guess now you are in the know. It is a popularity contest with the big wigs deciding the fate more than the fans.

What do you think? Does that turn you off to award shows like this or are you indifferent? Leave comments and discuss!

Related posts:

1. Twilight Gets 12 Nominations For Teen Choice Awards 09!
2. Seat Filler Reports on the Teen Choice Awards
3. Who will be at the Teen Choice Awards?
4. ‘Twilight’ And Its Obsessive Fans Help Cast Sweep The Teen Choice Awards
5. Kristen Stewart on winning at shows like TCA and MTV Movie Awards

The reason I posted this is because like most people I love when the stars especially the Twilight cast attend the awards. I want to see my faves win and hear what they have to say, but the whisperings get louder each year. Look at any comment board and there will be at least one poster saying it was rigged, so and so was the better choice, how did that happen? Hell Kanye West went up on stage to voice his opinion when Taylor Swift beat out Beyonce.

People just have to realize that while producers might say it is all about the fans, it isnt. Now dont get me wrong, sometimes the true winner does win, but it is really up to the producers. This is the exact same thing that happens with movie promoting and studios like Summit. Are there more Team Edward fans than Jacob? Yep. Does RPattz appeal to a broader fan base? Yep. But in the end no matter what the fans might say, Summit will promote who they want to promote. That’s Hollywood for you and the fine print is the only thing telling the truth. This doesnt turn me off to award shows, it just makes me not freak out when my choice doesnt win. What people forget is that even with these shows and polls online, it does not mean that the entire population agrees. When a poll comes out, not everyone voted, most of the time it is a small group voting over and over again, so we all have to keep in mind that while it is amazing when our picks win, just take it all with a grain of salt.

That is an amazing commentary that you have there about award shows and how topical with TCAs on tonight. It is a shame that the producers can widely advertise these awards as voted on by the fans, but hide in such small print that the vote is subject to producer approval. Nice article, Rachelle.

Thanks dazzled, most people have no clue exactly what goes on behind the scenes and who pulls the strings. If they did, they would be appalled. The thing that is great about the internet though is that you can find out some pretty interesting stuff that used to be hard to search for. Teens are all over twitter right now freaking out about certain winners and some they felt were given the shaft like some disney stars, singers, the cast of Glee, etc. Of course teens are very dramatic about these things and we should all be reminded that a show called Teen Choice Awards should never be taken seriously. I do think it is refreshing to see tweens and teens upset about this being unfair. The media will report that teens….not the producers…voted for these people and make the assumption that it means all teens favor these winners so they do have a right to be upset. Just like when the media categorizes all TwiHards as crazed teens and us adults go hold up thats not true or fair, this is what the teens are doing. They are pretty much saying just because that person won doesnt mean we all feel like they were the winner….interesting stuff.

Thanks for the FYi Rachelle…very insightful and informative as always. But, I had a sneaking suspicion that this was the case….for years even! Hello, ever hear of a show called American Idol?! Heck, evern SYTYCD is rigged! Any teen who beleives that their vote really counts is, well, to put it bluntly, a little dense. The producers of these kinds of awards shows are going to “invite” the celebs to show their faces…the ones who at the moment…are a hot commodity. So yeah….the Twilight cast is hot….so they are @ these things…and , one or more them are going to win. same went for the HSM bunch back in the day.

So yeah, I’m not really suprised by the fact that the producers are picking the winners. It’s all about the ratings, and all those advertisers who tell the networks who they want to see on these shows!!!

So true Stacie and I will admit that when I first found out, I wasnt surprised about some but with MTV it did make me think twice before worrying about voting on my fave stars each day. I think that a lot of the time the winners are who the fans like BUT if a celeb doesnt show up or someone else winning could make it more “appealing” to the producers then they switch it. I know that if KStew would have been at TCA they would have spent more time on the chemistry and best kiss awards but since she wasnt they focused on Tay Tay getting the hottie award. He won hottie, smile, fashion, and best actor for NM. Rob won best chemistry, kiss, best actor RM, and best actor Eclipse so Rob didnt do badly lol. It is just nice to remember who is really pulling the strings behind the scenes and it isnt the fans.

Plus as someone else pointed out this is a teen show so it shouldnt really be taken seriously. It is worse than a high school popularity contest…now thats bad!

I knew this thing was rigged! not suprised at all! I mean how can Taylor win male hottie over Rob?

Exactly! a popularity contest..the only people they can really fool are the teens in regards to the teen choice awards..thats why I heard when Taylor kept winning Rob was cool with it…

And also to add to what you said R, if Kristen was there she would have def. won for the Runaways..i really wanted her to win for the runaways..but because she wasnt there they didnt give to her..thats what i think might not be true.

So basically, all the ppl voting are wasting their time..but truly whether it is rigged or not twilight will always dominate because of the fanbase..

I meaning with all this now, it really makes me not want to really watch it lol..i knew this was true but it just changes up everything i guess..sort of like a waste of time ya know…

As i said the also legit reason to watch the show tonight will because of Rob (in blue )..because after this he is going into hiding till BD starts shooting.

“It is just nice to remember who is really pulling the strings behind the scenes and it isnt the fans”….Exactly!!!!

I mean the “its all about the fans”..that quote should be changed to “Its all about our hits (money!)” thats what it should be because it truly is..its all marketing strategies their using to “sell” their shows..to boost up ratings.

Well this is what I found interesting. The teens are some of the first ones who called party foul. Not for Twilight winners but for the musicians that were winning awards. A lot were upset that the people they thought should have won didnt and also that categories that included the Glee cast didnt turn out the way they hoped. It is all business and anyone telling you any different is pretty full of it. By making sure that both Rob and Taylor got pretty much equal amounts of awards, they also ensured that they pleased the teens who love Taylor’s abs. Team Jacob and Team Edward teens both got to see their faves.

If Kristen would have been there, who knows what would have happened as far as her winning. I dont think she would beat out Sandra Bullock because then that would count Bullock…America’s sweetheart…out of an appearance. KStew still won in other categories so yet again it is a balancing act. Does that mean that Bullock didnt deserve to win? Of course not, she is amazing but when have you ever really known these shows to go with the people who always deserve to win?

Let’s be real, at the MTV Awards NM went against Avatar and won….seriously? NM wasnt even a fave among Twilighters and cleaned up. That is because they get the ratings. Avatar is an amazing movie but doesnt have the star power that NM does. Same with Twilight vs Slumdog Millionaire the previous year. One was nominated at serious award shows and one wasnt and yet dominated. The fans play a role in that and the producers know who their audience is so it is a no brainer but in cases when you have a category full of popular stars…it gets tricky. You put Rob, Tay Tay, and Efron against each other and some fans arent going to get what they want so it becomes a balancing act. Tay Tay wins 4: smile, fashion, hottie, and NM actor. Rob wins 4: eclipse actor, RM actor, best kiss, best chemistry with KStew. Coincidence? Not likely. Like I said tho, it wasnt even about the Twilight categories, it was more about other categories where the winners were being questioned. Teens are really starting to catch on more and more so things can get interesting. I knew Tay Tay HAD to win and yes I do mean HAD to win.

It all comes down to money and Summit has spent WAY too much to make Taylor’s abs popular. Rob is just a freak of nature. The man can stand there and people will scream. Not so much with Taylor until Summit spent months and months promoting him. Did you really think they would let Taylor not be seen at the award show? Come on now we all know Summit better than that.

Let’s be real, at the MTV Awards NM went against Avatar and won….seriously? NM wasnt even a fave among Twilighters and cleaned up. That is because they get the ratings. Avatar is an amazing movie but doesnt have the star power that NM does. Same with Twilight vs Slumdog Millionaire the previous year………OH YEAH!!!!! I so agree w/ all of this Rachelle. You say things so well. It’s good to see, to know, that even though we all love Twilight and it’s actors, we can be real about it. Really, NM beat out AVATAR at the MTV MA’s….Mtv wasn’t fooling anyone then, and they aren’t fooling us now at the TCA’s!!! These networks know that their auidences are going to be mostly teens, and that these teens WANT, NEED to see their fave celebs, in their fave movies, WIN! If word got out that Twilight had been shot down, or NM shot down, or Rob and Tay Tay shot down tonight at the TCA’S…..would ANYone be watching them?! Would they watch next year? NO!!!! So, really, while yes it is sleazy and low down on the part of the producers and the networks….it’s also smart marketing.

And you are right about Rob Rachelle, all the boy has to do is show up and stand there and be gorgeous! (In blue…yes Trish I saw those few pics…OMR…he looked great!) He doesn’t have to say a word and the crowd goes bersek! Poor Tay Tay, he has to work harder at it. And besides, what is Summit going to do now anyway after the spent all that $$$ promoting the kids and his abs?! It would be like egg on the face of Summit if he had shown up at the TCA’s last night, and gone home empty handed. I knew Tay Tay HAD to win and yes I do mean HAD to win. Rachelle, great line! That’s exactly what it was about….and that’s sad. For Taylor, and for Rob really if you think about it.

That’s why I am sooooooo glad that Rob has been making movies that are going to break him out of the “teen” movie mold. And, in my humble opinion…..he’s going to be nominated and possibly even win at least a Golden Globe, if not an Oscar for WFE…..I hoep I haven’t cursed him now by saying that. But the boy has some REAL acting chops, not like taylor who had to turn to relying on his looks to get by. And I know, I said in the other post Rachelle that I thought he did a decent job in NM…I still stand by that, I mean compared to KStew’s performance….Taylor was great. Sorry Trish. Anywho…….back to Rob, that’s why I wish that ppl had looked past the 9/11 angle in RM and seen Rob’s acting for what it was! Stupendous, fantastic, and awesome!

Okay…wow, I wrote alot. Sorry for the rant guys. had to get that all out.

Remember Me is one of those movies that ten years from now is going to be seen as genius and remarkable. It was just too soon for some people and no one expected that twist since it was promoted as a romance and not this heartbreaking situation. It is a film that was made before its time and years later people will be able to appreciate it for what it is, a look at how devastating and tragic the whole situation was. It sucked the happiness out of the world at that moment and the film represents that.

As for Taylor, the boy is not a good actor. KStew brings too much of herself to the role of Bella BUT so does Taylor. I love Kristen and she can act, I have seen her other films and trust me she can but with Bella she dives too deep into herself for it and forgets. I saw a lot of KStew in Bella in NM and Eclipse. With Taylor, he just cant pull off the serious, angry Jacob. Sorry but I dont think he ever will be able to. There isnt much about Taylor that compares to Jacob and no I am not just talking about his height. Besides his abs, there is nothing that screams Jacob except for the old Jacob. Taylor isnt the Jacob that transformed in Eclipse. That is a huge reason why they dont differentiate between “My Jacob” and Jacob in the movies. There is no difference because Taylor doesnt show that difference except for physically he has a six pack and no wig. That isnt enough. I dont think KStew does that much better. Rob is the only one out of the three that can show depth constantly, not sometimes but constantly, and ironically enough they dont write the script to show that very often.

I feel bad for Tay Tay. I really do. I know I criticize him but not because I hate the boy. I hate what Summit has made him. Kellan was just interviewed and they asked him does it bother him that he has such an amazing physique and yet Taylor is the one who gets the hype. He said no because he wants to be known as more than the shirtless guy. He doesnt want to get typecasted and wants people to know that he actually has a brain. It wasnt meant to be a shot at Taylor but in reality, it is. Poor Taylor is the six pack kid. Without his abs and 30lbs of muscle, he isnt much to promote. That is sad because I know if they actually let him and challenged him to be more he could be. Maybe I am stretching here by assuming he can truly act….I have not seen that yet, but I think if someone sat Taylor down and said look kid you got to prove who you are or in a few years you will be nothing but a memory. I think he would rise to the occassion.

I want to see all of the cast go on to be more than just the Twilight cast. They will ALWAYS be remembered for their roles but they can easily be more in the future. Taylor out of everyone is the one that has the odds against him. He appeals mainly to teens and as he grows up and tries to do grown up roles, he will lose that audience. He is already 18. Perfect example is Zac Efron. He is trying to break out and did Charlie St. Cloud but it is not doing well in the box office and already fizzling out which is sad. Does it mean Efron isnt a good actor? Nope, it means his main audience is teens and that movie doesnt appeal to teens. Summit couldnt care less about Taylor’s future after the saga. They dont care about the cast. They care about the money and he needs to wake up and realize that even if they are supporting him now, as soon as he starts losing that bandwagon appeal….which seems to be happening for some already…they will drop him. His movie Abduction is going to say A LOT. Hopefully it will appeal to the teen audience because I cant see a lot of guys showing their support for him and unfortunately even if it does appeal to the teen audience, that doesnt prove anything. He needs to do a serious movie where he has to wear an actual shirt for the whole movie so ppl can look at his acting and not his abs. I am seriously tired of Tay Tay’s abs now but I do hope he can one day be more. The six pack cant last forever.

PS: I just love calling him Tay Tay because well he is adorable. I do think Tay Tay is quite cute in a little brother, cheek squeezing way, but he is not the right Jacob or an actor I think anyone truly takes seriously. You dont hear people saying hey Taylor has great acting chops. Nope he has great abs. Wish Tay Tay all the best though lol Oh and wouldnt he have been a GREAT Seth! That was his perfect role where he could use his adorableness to get fans. Boo Boo is quite adorable though.

Wow I am so glad I didnt actually watch the TCA because they pretty much cut out most of the awards and didnt even announce the Twilight castmates who got awards except for Tay Tay and Rob. Taylor went up to accept most of his, Rob got to accept one, and then they pretty much fast forwarded through the rest….literally. The rest of Rob, all of Kristen’s, and the rest of the cast were just overlooked and played across the bottom of the TV screen while some of the cast went up to accept a surf board. I guess that is one way to water down the awards and show mostly Tay Tay. At least I got to see Rob! Must admit not seeing the others get to actually be announced for their awards was a bummer. Kellan deserved to be announced and so did Rachelle, Kristen, and Ashley. Then too, the women always get the shaft at these things. At least at the MTV Movie Awards they do give the winners their props!

Rachelle, dear, you saved yourself by not watching that award show…sadly, i decided to watch it and regretted it..

I mean I could actually feel my brain cells dying as every second went by watching the show..i now know why Rob was so bored now..

Booo to the editing! there was barely any Rob..and everything was rushed..and Rob was not put on camera much..the few times he was, it looked like someone had just woken him up because he was on camera LOL..poor thing!..I was so upset how they just jammed eveything in one and did not allow them to go up for their awards…I agree with you Kellan and Rachelle (esp. her) so deserved that! It was annoying because only taylor was going up to get his awards..which sums up what we talked about in this post….what a waste of time lol..They didnt even show the full walk of Rob going on stage..meanwhile i was ready to watch that in slow mo…lol.

P.S. did you or anyone notice that NR didnt look exactly thrilled while they were up there…eveyone else seemed happy..wonder why..oh well!

p.p.s oh and it wasnt the same without Kristen..that Rob genuine smile just wasnt there..

I did notice that Nikki wasnt all bubbly inside about being there, but can you really blame her? She isnt really into the whole teen scene or award shows like that. But she was seen laughing it up a lot with Jackson. The only reason I even knew they were there was because some tweets from ppl that attended said so. The cameras focused on Tay Tay, Rob, and Ashley, despite the fact that several of the cast were there. That has to get annoying and its like….why am I even here for this then? I dont think Nikki feels that way but I am sure it can get pretty redundant to just be in the background just for the sake of making an appearance. That just isnt her style. I think if KStew would have been there, Nikki and Rob would have both been happy. Despite catty rumors, Nikki and Kristen are close friends…there is plenty of footage of the two to back that so it must have sucked not having her there.

I agree about our poor Rob and I am sure if he wasnt going up for any awards he would have been passed out from the boredom. They tried their damnedest to make it the Tay Tay Show starring Tay Tay directed by Summit produced by Tay Tay’s dad. It was quite obvious and the whole while it is like….Rob got just as many awards and other members of the cast actually were winners as well but they only focued on the six pack kid, typical. Wont say I am surprised though even though I will admit that him winning hottie was a shock. To show how false that is, there were polls up about TCA and who was hot, what were the best moments, etc and surprise surprise Tay Tay was not even mentioned. It was about Rob and Sandra Bullock. “Producers” might ultimately vote who wins but they cant control everything. Rob is still by far the cash cow when it comes to the masses and while Tay Tay was once again shoved down our throats Rob pulled in his awards and Twilight dominated.

It isnt as special though because we all know who is really behind all of this stuff. Poor Team Edward has gotten the shaft for so long. It will be interesting to see how they promote Tay Tay for BD. Now even I will be impressed if they manage to make it about him when in reality, the triangle is over, his abs are well past overhyped, and the story really gets to focus on Edward and Bella finally being together. I am sure MR will make me hate BD by putting in so much Jacob that it is ridiculous….and dont get me started on the imprinting

Hey have you guys noticed that not all our comments are showing up on here?! What’s up with that girls. Very strange, very strange….

I agree Rachelle w/ what you said yesterday @ being tired of Tay Tay’s abs! Yes, I too, warm blooded woman is saying that. Each time I see him shirtless, I think to myself “Please Tay Tay, I beg of you…PUT ON A SHIRT!”

Three hours? For real, seriously? I would’ve begged to have my eyes poked out! No way could I have sat there through all of that and come out okay. No wonder, from what we saw of Rob, he actually looked as if he may have been asleep! LOL Nikki was most definitely pissed off AND bored!

Yeah, I fear that you are right about Summit alienating the real Twihards…..that’s a real shame b/c the movies had such potential, if only they had lived up to our beloved books. The directors, egged on by Summit execs only saw the dollar sign and didn’t give a damn about the fans or what we really wanted to see. Sad.

I will look into the comment thing asap and also check the other posts.

Okay Rachelle….glad you noticed.