''Elita'' ( sr-Cyrl, Елита, ), formerly known as ''Zadruga'' ( sr-Cyrl, Задруга, ), is a

Serbia Serbia (, ; Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia (Serbian language, Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe, Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Bas ...

reality TV series Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

broadcasting on Pink TV, as a successor of the ''

Farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

'' reality TV series. The first season started on 6 September 2017.

Production

Some 1,500 people work in production of this show. For scenography, consultants and technicians from

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

were hired. Contestants are covered with 140

camera A camera is an Optics, optical instrument that can capture an image. Most cameras can capture 2D images, with some more advanced models being able to capture 3D images. At a basic level, most cameras consist of sealed boxes (the camera body), ...

s which viewers can access. The ''Zadruga'' complex has a climate control unit, able to create different

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmosphere, the ...

conditions, i.e.

snow Snow comprises individual ice crystals that grow while suspended in the atmosphere—usually within clouds—and then fall, accumulating on the ground where they undergo further changes. It consists of frozen crystalline water throughout ...

in May,

rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...

in August etc.

Synopsis

In the show, contestants called "zadrugari" (eng. ''cooperators'') live together in a specially constructed community that is isolated from the outside world. The show's former title refers to the term ''

zadruga A zadruga (, ) refers to a type of rural community historically common among South Slavs. The term has been used by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to designate their attempt at collective farming after World War II. History Originally, gener ...

'', a type of rural community in which the institution of zadruga held people's property, herds and money in common, with usually the oldest (patriarch) member ruling and making decisions for the family. Contestants are voted out (usually on a weekly basis) until only one remains and wins the cash prize. During their stay in the house, they are continuously monitored by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones.

Concept

Each week a new leader ( sr, vođa, italic=yes) is selected, who has responsibilities to the whole community and special benefits. He or she also has to give out budgets, which are meant for everyday use. Then the leader is supposed to choose two helpers () and a favourite person (). In the end of week two contestants will face the eviction. One of them is the helper with most votes received from other contestants and the other a contestant with least public votes throughout that week. On Sunday night two of them will again face public vote, but they will also play a game, which if won can double the percentage the contestant's votes and possibly save him/her from the eviction. The complex includes the 'White House', where the contestants live, hotel, in which the leader a favourite person live, the 'Garden of Eden', where the 'Wise Tree' is placed, a supermarket, pub, casino, beauty parlour and a farm. Across the lake are the fast food restaurant, pawn shop, jail etc.

Series overview

Controversy

''Zadruga'' has received criticism for the display of scenes of physical and verbal

violence Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...

, which has questioned the national frequency of

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

and the role of the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM). In May 2022, Media foundation Slavko Ćuruvija reported REM for their absence of appropriate reaction on the scenes of

gender based violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner v ...

on ''Zadruga'', which according to the foundation was a breach of the Law on Electronic Media and the Rulebook on the Protection of Human Rights. Subsequently in June, the Independent Association of Journalists of Serbia (NUNS) condemned Pink for promoting violence and illegal behavior. Between March and June 2020, '' Nova.rs'' reported that there had been an alleged outbreak of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

between the contestants, which according to their sources, the producers tried to hide from the public. The third season of ''Zadruga'' continued filming in spite of the government instruction against public gatherings. Another controversy has been in regards to contestant Miljana Kulić, who entered the first season of ''Zadruga'' pregnant and gave birth a month after the season had ended. Kulić has continued competing on every of the following seasons of ''Zadruga'' whilst also raising her son on the set, bringing up the question of the welfare and protection of her child.

References