“Hotel Paradise” from behind the scenes. The ideal contestant must have “dramatic potential”

For the first time Polish “Hotel Paradise” was broadcast in 2020. The program has already had seven seasons, a spin off and a special edition of “Hotel Paradise All Stars”. So far, recordings have taken place in Bali, Zanzibar, Panama and Colombia. She was the host in each episode Claudia El Dursiand the events taking place in the luxurious villa where the participants lived were commented on by the viewers’ favorite Mr. Lector. However, many more people work on the program. Including the local team, there are approximately 100-120 of themand preparations for the creation of bikini reality begin much earlier than when viewers first see the participants of “Hotel Paradise” on TV.

Behind the scenes of “Hotel Paradise”. As many as 120 people, 17 tons of equipment and nearly 80 cameras

The beginning of the adventure with the show was extremely difficult for the production team, during the recordings, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out and everyone was stuck in Bali. As Grzegorz Piekarski, the executive producer of “Hotel Paradise” commissioned by TVN7, admits, although there is always a plan B, then an emergency plan was needed and very quick implementation of all new procedures related to restrictions and security that enabled the implementation of the program.

But let’s start from the beginning. The production of one season of “Hotel Paradise” lasts about a year. First it takes place casting of participants, it is also necessary to choose a place. — The key to a successful program is appropriate casting and an original location, and that’s it months of searching, checking new places and hundreds of hours of conversations with people willing to take part in the program. Both processes usually take place in parallel, so the team preparing the program is usually very large – says Jakub Włodarczyk, producer of “Hotel Paradise” on behalf of TVN7.

The location of the program is proposed by the executive producer, but the final decision rests with the station. — Usually we have several locations to choose from and several aspects are taken into account when making the decision: the attractiveness and exoticism of the place, but also financial and climatic issues (weather conditions during implementation are very important). It must be a fairy-tale setting, preferably with access to the sea or ocean. We must also remember that a given location must also have space to prepare a workplace for the production team (director, set-up room, etc.) – tells us Jarosław Potasz, responsible for the production of “Hotel Paradise” in the TVN WBD group.

– he adds.

The crew brings equipment to the set, the list of which includes over 10,000. position. In fact, there is it 17 tons, takes two trucks, i.e. two sea containers. — 70 PTZ cameras (pan-tilt-zoom – remote-controlled camera), 7 ENG cameras (shoulder camera), 30 km of cables. We have 100-120 people on set. It’s not only the film crew, but also doctors, hotel staff, etc. – says Potasz.

How are the participants of “Hotel Paradise” selected?

All this happens outside the awareness of the viewers, who see the effect of many months of work of the team and follow what is happening among the participants. People are selected for reality bikinis who will bring emotions to those who watch them. As TVN7 program director Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz reveals, more and more people apply from season to season.

— Participants have different reasons and motivations for why they come to the program. Each season is programmed with a different emphasis, sometimes more towards subtle love story relationships, sometimes strong personalities. However, the common denominator is always the authenticity of the participants, he emphasizes.

Jakub Włodarczyk adds that casting is crucial because without good participants a good program is impossible. But what does a good participant mean? — A good “Hotel Paradsie” contestant must meet certain physical requirements because it’s a bikini show, you have to look good in a swimsuit., be reasonably fit, but this is not an ideal way to succeed in the program. In the current – seventh – edition, the girls like Roch the most, as he is far from the figure of a bodybuilder: he has the appearance of an Adonis rather than a Hercules. So there are no hard and fast rules here, he emphasizes.

But appearance is just the beginning. The creators of “Hotel Paradise” have no doubt that the hero must also have dramatic potential, have some difficult experiences behind him, failed relationships, the experience of disappointment in love, i.e. something that will move the viewer and arouse sympathy for the hero or that will allow him to identify with it to some extent.

A perfect example of such a participant was Grzegorz in the sixth edition and in the All Stars version. Jakub Włodarczyk recalls that he was so thirsty for love that, despite the warnings of his colleagues, he got involved in love stories in both editions and both ended in disappointment for him.

— Thanks to Grześ’s “weakness”, we and our viewers experienced the most moving moments in the history of the program. Everyone could learn something from these two stories of Grześ, who, slightly hurt, will continue to look for love, and we, seeing his mistakes, can learn something, especially young viewers, because “Hotel Paradise” is one of the few television productions watched by young viewers who generally move from TV to streaming platforms. – says.

Popularity of “Hotel Paradise”. What is the power of reality bikinis?

In “Hotel Paradise” there is no question of participants implementing a previously invented scenario. — For us, the most important thing is authenticity, to record a piece of real life, but taking place in an exotic setting. Every year we carry out the program in the most remote and beautiful corners of the world, but the participants’ behaviors and emotions are absolutely their own and we do not interfere with them. This authenticity is appreciated by our viewers, we see in research that this realism is extremely important for viewers, and if we also offer them paradise landscapes, it is perfect entertainment being a break from everyday reality – reveals Jakub Włodarczyk from TVN7.

He adds that although directors are present on the set, their only interference in what is happening in “Hotel Paradise” is to pose difficult sentences to the characters that may lead to emotional challenges.

— Nobody “arranged” it, the directors just brought the girl onto the set. The fact that a very young architect joined the already well-coordinated group of students and personal trainers caused an avalanche of unpredictable reactions and consequences. And it is these authentic reactions that determine the power of reality, he points out.

— People need escapism, escape from everyday problems. They need a bit of romance, spice, even drama. They are looking for emotions that they can compare with their own experiences. Reality shows, mainly bikinis, are based on the simplest relationships and feelings such as friendship, love, happiness, disappointment, betrayal. We also experience similar stories and dilemmas in everyday life, only they are much less intensified and condensed than in reality, which is why we have been implementing this format on the air for so many seasons – explains Katarzyna Mazurkiewicz.

– This results from the research we have. People, apart from wanting to see a story, also want to see real people in intimate relationships and situations. They have the opportunity to meticulously monitor their fate on a daily basis, he sums up.

“Hotel Paradise 7” can watch from Monday to Friday at 8 p.m on TVN7 and in Player.