Alright. First, let me give a genuine congratulations to Samtrakk, the winner of Tiësto‘s DJ competition. Regardless of my opinions to follow, I believe this is something that she really does care about and that she had an incredible time doing.
However, after watching the final episode of Your Shot multiple times over, I’m left with far too much resentment to let the show completely slide.
The five minute clip is meant to show the winners’ grand prize performance, opening for Tiësto at Las Vegas’s Hakkasan nightclub. It was the basis for the entire series, and was supposed to be the final test of the DJ’s ability to play an effective and exciting set. What the viewer gets, however, is over 30 clips of Samtrakk with her hands completely off the decks, dancing and waving, and an absence of any realtime audio from the venue. Seriously, count the number of shots. 
The crowd and stage setup at Hakkasan are clearly blown up to expand the scale of the episode’s final installment. Confetti, women holding up signs with her name on them, and an actual announcer screaming out an introduction for Samtrakk are all shown in the video. Of course, as with all reality TV, these things are to be expected. They wouldn’t film the finale unless they knew the club was going to be filled to capacity and had the rest of the stops pulled out.
But if all of these things remained, AND they showed actual footage/audio from the performance, it may have been a completely different experience. The viewer was given no indication of Samtrakk’s ability behind the decks, her song choice, the crowd’s reaction, or any real sense of the vibe in the room. For all we know, it could’ve been a flop.
Now, of course, I’m sure the event went well and that Samtrakk deserved the spot she won. But as the average viewer, how am I to understand the intricacies of DJing if the only proof I have of her talent is a literal two-second clip of Tiësto saying, “Very impressive?” The episode was almost entirely devoted to the spectacle of the show, and the look-how-many-strobe-lights-there-are-this-must’ve-been-a-hell-of-an-experience tactics used by programs like American Idol. If the goal was to create an overnight sensation, then Your Shot has certainly succeeded.
I’m left wondering how many festivals we’ll actually see hosting the names that come out of this series, and what will happen to their “careers” when they realize everyone else on the lineup is also – and more importantly – a producer.
Watch the episode below.
https://youtu.be/QX9YCwrk3QA?list=PLAxy1YpvZDdXxf4ooMN5z1ZRUHjAIdeLS
