Just something I noticed after watching a few episodes of “Chopped” on Food Network. It seems like everybody has perfectly white teeth, which doesn’t correlate with what I see in the “real world.”
That probably has to do with video post production. It wouldn’t be too hard to whiten teeth with video software… Not to mention I wouldn’t be surprised if teeth quality was part of the contestant choosing process.
I’ve never seen “Chopped” and have no idea what it is about, but a lot of game show contestants are actors trying to break into the business and are doing anything they can to get themselves on camera. They probably aren’t a good representation of typical Americans. If you want a rather hilarious example look up Vanna White on The Price Is Right and you can see what she was doing to get on camera.
Even the contestants that aren’t actors are probably from the areas where the game shows are produced, which is generally the health and appearance conscious parts of southern California. That culture is also not representative of typical Americans.
Then, add to that the fact that contestants are chosen not at random, but are specifically chosen for their on-screen appearance and personality. Producers will likely reject applicants with “ugly” characteristics.
It’s really noticeable on reality contests like American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance. Many start the season with normal respectable coffee-drinkin’ smiles, and quickly brighten up over a few weeks. I’d expect this is a standard behind-the-scenes supply, along with make-up, wardrobe, etc.
Having appeared on a game show, I can tell you they gave us some heavy facial makeup, before AND during the taping… but they didn’t do anything to our teeth.
“Chopped” is a show where professional chefs compete against each other to produce memorably good dishes using memorably weird ingredients. The reason I cited this show in particular is that they are clearly not actors trying to get a foot in the door-- but, sure, producers may weed out particularly unattractive contestants.
Anyone who’s watched more than a few episodes of “Chopped” would probably agree that there are plenty of … uh … interesting looking contestants. But their teeth always look pretty good!