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Elan Gale: How tension in relationships makes for great reality television

Storm Santos

Part 4 of the TED Radio Hour episode Friction.

Elan Gale knows a lot about romantic tension—he helps create it for today's most popular reality shows. He explores why we love watching drama on TV and shares advice for avoiding it in our own lives.

**Please note that this segment contains language and mature content that may be objectionable to some listeners.**

About Elan Gale

Elan Gale is an author, and television writer, who is best known for his time as an Executive Producer of The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and other popular shows, including his most recent, FBoy Island. He also operates multiple social media accounts with over 6 million followers. He is the author of the book You're Not That Great (but Neither is Anyone Else).

Gale lives in Los Angeles.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Katie Monteleone and edited by Katie Simon and Rachel Faulkner. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadioHour@npr.org.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Katie Monteleone
Manoush Zomorodi
Manoush Zomorodi is the host of TED Radio Hour.
Rachel Faulkner White
Rachel Faulkner is a producer and editor for TED Radio Hour.