A showmance (sometimes show-mance), also known as show romance, is a
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
that develops between two individuals in
theater
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
, or on
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s and
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
and between
reality show
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 ...
contestants or participants for the running period of the show. When the two actively engage in a "made up" situation, it can be called a fauxmance. It is also considered a
neologism
A neologism Greek νέο- ''néo''(="new") and λόγος /''lógos'' meaning "speech, utterance"] is a relatively recent or isolated term, word, or phrase that may be in the process of entering common use, but that has not been fully accepted int ...
and its usage is gaining popularity in the media.
The term came to the attention of the mainstream on the non-scripted American television show '' Big Brother (TV series), Big Brother'' when it was first used by
Will Kirby
William Terence Kirby (born January 2, 1973), popularly known as Dr. Will, is an American aesthetic dermatologist, an associate clinical professor of dermatology, and a reality television personality. He is known for winning the CBS reality show ...
in 2001. It has been used in theater on stage for years. Then it moved to films, theater and scripted television. It is primarily entered into as a ploy to gain more public and media attention and, in case of television, more camera time during the run of a theater piece, or a television series. It may be also just a
publicity stunt
In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utilize ...
. Showmances during reality shows are often motivated by the participants' wanting popularity with the viewers for post show success (as well as success during the show, if Audience Voting is a part of the format). In some competitive reality tv shows (Big Brother or Survivor), contestants often engaged in a showmance for strategic purposes. A showmance couple, by protecting each other and by voting together, maintaining power over the game’s political power structure. Sometimes, when an amorous relationship actually does continue after the end of a show, many people would still allege that it is "just a show" the two are putting on.
Showmance is a
portmanteau
A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of words
In popular culture
* The second episode of ''
Glee
Glee means delight, a form of happiness.
Glee may also refer to:
* Glee (music), a type of English choral music
* ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy
* ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...
'' is entitled "
Showmance
A showmance (sometimes show-mance), also known as show romance, is a romance that develops between two individuals in theater, or on films and television series and between reality show contestants or participants for the running period of the s ...
Womance
A womance is a close but non-sexual, non-romantic relationship between two or more women. It is an exceptionally tight affectional, homosocial female bonding relationship exceeding that of usual friendship, and is distinguished by a particularly ...