Back To: Britain’s Got Talent

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Britain’s Got Talent

At the beginning of this chapter, we asked why audiences were so stunned—and intrigued—by Susan Boyle’s performance on Britain’s Got Talent. Let’s reconsider Boyle’s performance—and people’s reactions to it—in light of what we’ve learned about perception.

  • When people looked at Susan Boyle, they quickly formed an assessment of her based on their own schemas. What they heard and saw from Boyle surprised and delighted them because she was not what they expected—her voice and her poise did not conform to the perceptions they had about her based on her age, appearance, and demeanor.
  • Audiences’ schemas were informed by more than just stereotypes. Shows like Britain’s Got Talent and American Idol often feature auditions by performers who lack real musical gifts. Indeed, many who clicked on links to Boyle’s clip on YouTube were probably expecting something more laughable. (Think of American Idol ’s William Hung, whose performance of “She Bangs” ironically made him a star a few years back.) The assumptions they had about Boyle were based on their experiences with these types of shows.
  • There have been a great many wonderful performances from a variety of singers on YouTube in the years before and since Boyle’s performance. But none have generated the same intensity of buzz that Susan Boyle’s first clip generated. That’s because people were moved by the reactions of the audience members as well as the judges. As one writer noted, “Part of the joy of watching her performance was seeing the obnoxious, smarmy grimaces disappear from the faces of Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan, two of the show’s judges, and seeing the audience shift, in an instant, from tittering condescension to open-mouthed admiration” (Lyall, 2009).
  • Interaction appearance theory also plays a role here: as we get to know people better through positive interactions, we find them more socially attractive, which then leads to greater physical attraction. The more the audience heard Susan Boyle’s amazing voice, the less dowdy she appeared to them. In fact, when Boyle underwent a makeover a few weeks later, some of her newfound fans were disappointed that she hadn’t kept her original look.
  • While the audience clearly saw Susan Boyle as a frumpy old lady who was about to make a fool of herself, she saw herself as someone with the potential to be a professional singer. When it came to self-efficacy, Boyle’s assessment of her abilities was more accurate than anyone expected.