"What's It Supposed to Be?" ... "Cooked." The Communication of Information-Seeking Tactics on Hell's Kitchen

Abstract

Previous research has argued reality television provides life strategies for viewers and offers them ways to understand, navigate, and respond to certain situations and contexts within their own realities. Because reality television can serve as a socializing agent for viewers in a similar work context, the objective of this study was to launch the discussion of reality television and information-seeking behaviors in organizational entry through a content analysis of the Fox Network reality show Hell’s Kitchen. In this paper, I examined 16 episodes from Season Nine of Hell’s Kitchen. I conducted a Chi Square test for independence to determine if statistically significant relationships could be found between newcomer information-seeking tactic selection and the source of information, newcomers and the hierarchical levels of their preferred information source, and the types of information communicated by newcomers and the source of information. The Chi Square results suggested relationships exist among all variables investigated. In conclusion, the results of this study produced both significant and interesting findings for scholars seeking to expand the academic intersection of reality television and organizational socialization. As evidenced in previous research findings and the results of this paper, parallels exist between actual organizational events and what is displayed on reality television. Therefore, reality television may serve as an outlet for self-socialization, particularly as a form of organizational anticipatory socialization for individuals planning to enter a similar work environment.