Shattered
Encyclopedia
Shattered was a reality television
programme shown on Channel 4
in the United Kingdom
. It aired in 2004.
Ten contestants were challenged with going without sleep
for seven days while their actions were constantly monitored. Over the seven days the ten housemates had to endure daily performance testing and a variety of challenges. They were competing for a potential prize fund of £100,000 though, at any point, if a contestant closed their eyes for over ten seconds, then £1,000 was deducted from the prize fund.
In order to ensure the contestants' safety they were allowed to sleep an hour per day.
, which examined their mental agility. The two people that showed the strongest drop in performance had to face off in a live challenge that evening, the loser being evicted from the house.
and hypnopompia (both essentially dreaming while awake, normally just prior to or after sleep).
After 75 hours Lucy walked out, having talked to the psychiatrist
and deciding that she could no longer continue. Chris, Dean and Jimmy were the only contestants to have an illegal sleep and they only did it once each.
Reality television
Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
programme shown on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It aired in 2004.
Ten contestants were challenged with going without sleep
Sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation is the condition of not having enough sleep; it can be either chronic or acute. A chronic sleep-restricted state can cause fatigue, daytime sleepiness, clumsiness and weight loss or weight gain. It adversely affects the brain and cognitive function. Few studies have compared the...
for seven days while their actions were constantly monitored. Over the seven days the ten housemates had to endure daily performance testing and a variety of challenges. They were competing for a potential prize fund of £100,000 though, at any point, if a contestant closed their eyes for over ten seconds, then £1,000 was deducted from the prize fund.
In order to ensure the contestants' safety they were allowed to sleep an hour per day.
Performance tests
These included a memory test, a clock test, which measured their perception of time, a reaction test and a stroop testStroop effect
Purple Blue Purple----Blue Purple RedGreen Purple Green----the Stroop effect refers to the fact that naming the color of the first set of words is easier and quicker than the second....
, which examined their mental agility. The two people that showed the strongest drop in performance had to face off in a live challenge that evening, the loser being evicted from the house.
You Snooze You Lose
Every day a contestant was chosen by their peers to endure an hour-long "You Snooze You Lose" challenge. These included:- A relaxing massage
- Cuddling a giant teddy bear
- A bedtime story, repeated again and again
- Watching paint dry in a warm, comfy chair
- Counting sheep on a television
- A lecture on trigonometry
Adverse reaction
Though research has gone into the effects of sleep deprivation nobody knew exactly what to expect. Hallucinations and odd behaviour were evident quite quickly in some contestants. Numerous contestants suffered from both hypnagogiaHypnagogia
Hypnagogia is the transitional state between wakefulness and sleep , originally coined in adjectival form as "hypnagogic" by Alfred Maury....
and hypnopompia (both essentially dreaming while awake, normally just prior to or after sleep).
- Chris believed himself to be the Prime Minister of AustraliaPrime Minister of AustraliaThe Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
and also thought he was on the set for the popular Australian soap NeighboursNeighboursNeighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
. - Jimmy got angry when the others refused to put on their Japanese armour and play with an imaginary ball
- Dean and Jonathan were convinced their clothes had been stolen
- Clare S thought she was in a tube station
- Dean nearly fell over as he started to succumb to sleep while still standing
After 75 hours Lucy walked out, having talked to the psychiatrist
Psychiatrist
A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...
and deciding that she could no longer continue. Chris, Dean and Jimmy were the only contestants to have an illegal sleep and they only did it once each.
The Sleep Off countdown
At 3.45pm on the final day the contestants were sent to bed - the last to fall asleep won. The show reported that Jonathan and Chris fell asleep within a quarter of a second of each other at 4.12pm while Clare continued to stay awake until 6.10pm, easily winning the competition and £97,000. She endured 178 hours of sleep deprivation and attributed her success to tensing her feet until they hurt and preventing herself from urinating.External links
- Shattered at Channel4.com