Frankly, it really galls me that there is a season 2 of Heroes Of Cosplay and I'll tell you why. I watched a few episodes of season 1 and I really tried to give it a chance, but then the problems with "scripted reality TV" reared its ugly head early such as creating unnecessary drama and making things look worse than they actually are.
I have friends who do cosplay, love it, and do it because it's something they enjoy. They come from all walks of life and in all shapes and sizes. I'm no little size 2 girl myself, so it truly irked me when a few of the WOMEN (I'm looking at you Yaya and Rikki) who even with editing or not stated that people who are plus size shouldn't cosplay or should cosplay choices that fit their body type because no one wants to see fat Superman. And then there was Yaya calling out "sexy" cosplayers. Of course she posted this statement on Facebook about how they edited a lot of things and while I get that, the bottom line is she DID say those things edited or not and they have it on film forever. And honestly, it pissed me off. While she claims to be a "cosplay ambassador" she did say those things and because of that footage, a couple of my friends who had seen that episode said it made them not want to really cosplay anymore because they were now self conscious about if they were going to be judged for not being a skinny person.
If they had more about what people do to make costumes and showed those who do it for fun and those who do it for competition, perhaps I would have liked the show better. But all it seemed to be was condescending, elitist crap directed by people who aren't really nerds or geeks, but live to make fun of them. There was also barely any males except for one and he was the ONLY one I actually liked as a person and I thought it was very cool he made his own armor.
And then of course, there was this whole fiasco:
http://bgzstudios.com/blog/photography/heroes-of-copyright-infringement-the-photographer-litigation-against-syfy/
That was bad enough, but then they had the damn nerve to threaten to ruin the careers of several of the professional cosplayers thus proving what I've believed all along about Hollywood and TV studio execs being gigantic jerks with no souls. The update is they settled out of court, but the damage has already been done. Everyone knows them for the soulless bastards they really are.
It could have been a great show, but instead they made something that was dreadful which seemed to showcase cosplayers in a very negative light instead of showing the great things about it, such as making new friends, sharing common interests, a really awesome community, and some pretty cool conventions where you can see a lot of cool costumes that people worked really hard on because they enjoy a series or relate to a favorite character.
I doubt very much they've made any changes to the show for season 2 and it will be the same crap as last season, so I won't be watching. If others want to watch, that's their thing. I refuse to partake in a show that could have been great, but instead chose to be mean, vindictive, and a platform for bullying others. In all honesty, I'm a bit disappointed that Yaya even agreed to do this, because while I do think she makes some amazing costumes, this show is not making her look good even though she insists that it's Reality TV so it doesn't affect her. It actually does, and those who genuinely enjoy cosplay have seen it for what it is; a mean spirited show that conveys the message that it's okay to body shame, be elitist, and basically be a huge jerk to others.
