Zhao Lusi's new variety show "A Little Courage" was officially launched recently, and this show was known as "the most breakthrough variety show in 2025 years" from the beginning.

It is positioned as a "public welfare slow comprehensive" with the eye-catching "0 salary, no makeup, and no preset script", and also chooses to go to the countryside of Ganzi Tibetan area for filming, which is called a journey in the name of healing.

Before the broadcast of the show, the propaganda offensive was overwhelming, trying to build Zhao Lusi into the image of "anti-involution pioneer in the entertainment industry".

According to the program team, Zhao Lusi was deeply involved in the creative planning, personally selected the challenging and meaningful filming location in the Ganzi Tibetan area, and used her own experience of recovering from depression as an important background of the program, bravely revealing her deep trauma to the public.

The promotional content emphasizes that she resolutely gave up the million-dollar salary she should have received, appeared without makeup throughout the whole process, boldly tried a new model of "not presetting the script", and positioned the show as a "healing public welfare variety show", it seems that everything is developing in the direction of creating a unique and sincere variety show.

However, the ideal is very plump, but the reality is a little skinny.

As soon as the program was broadcast, the audience's reaction showed a clear polarization trend.

In the show, Zhao Lusi frequently mentioned her depression experience, and repeatedly confided in front of the camera how she relied on drugs to alleviate physical and psychological pain, and also told about her difficult past when she was seriously overdrawn because she stayed up late to film, and even had so little energy that she couldn't even remember her lines.

In one scene, she sat directly on the cold concrete floor of a Tibetan home and talked to a Tibetan couple, trying to share what she called "the path to healing."

But what is unexpected is that her seemingly "heartfelt" dialogue not only did not move the audience as expected, but instead aroused strong disgust from the audience, which plunged the show into the whirlpool of public opinion.

Controversy 1: The original intention of public welfare or "miserable" marketing?

Zhao Lusi described in detail her somatization symptoms caused by depression on the show, admitting that she had only slept 2 hours a day, and was on the verge of collapse both physically and mentally.

But in the eyes of many netizens, these confessions have become "using other people's plight to highlight their own misfortunes".

Some netizens pointed out sharply: "In a poor Tibetan family, talking about your 'hardship', knowing that your daily income may be beyond the reach of others in a lifetime, such a comparison sounds too ironic."

There are also netizens who have deep doubts about the "public welfare" claimed by the show.

In the program, Zhao Lusi interviewed a Tibetan couple whose living conditions were extremely difficult, and their home was poorly furnished and the ground was only ordinary concrete.

In such an environment, Zhao Lusi talks about her "pain" by herself, but completely ignores the reality that the other party may not be able to understand the relatively complex concept of "depression" at all.

So, some netizens ridiculed: "The farmer is still worried about not being able to eat bread, but she is complaining that she is uncomfortable eating too many macarons, and the original intention of the so-called 'cure' of this show may have changed its taste."

This series of controversies has greatly reduced the image of the show in the hearts of the audience, and the purity of public welfare has been seriously questioned.

Controversy 2: The literary and artistic character has collapsed, and it has been divorced from the masses to complain.

In the program, Zhao Lusi tried to interact with the villagers and children in Tibetan areas as an "artistic youth", showing her literary and friendly side.

However, her actual performance was unsatisfactory, and she was evaluated by the audience as "not much ink in her stomach".

For example, she once asked children in mountainous areas, "Do you know what an art photo is?" ”

Later, he proudly took out the art photos he took when he was a child to show them to the children.

Her unconsciously revealed "sense of superiority" made many netizens complain: "This is really separated from the ordinary people for too long, and I don't understand the life and feelings of the public at all."

Not only that, but when she saw a video of a mountain kid climbing a cliff to go to school, she just used a simple "cool" to describe it, and after a few seconds of short thought, she failed to give any deeper, more empathetic expression.

Many viewers bluntly said that her "empty cultural output" was both embarrassing and perfunctory.

This show was supposed to reflect deep connotation and emotional resonance, but Zhao Lusi's various performances only allowed the audience to see her "self-centeredness", which further exacerbated the audience's negative evaluation of her.

Perspective in the circle: Where is the road to variety shows?

People in the entertainment industry also have a very sharp evaluation of Zhao Lusi's variety show.

A senior variety show planner who did not want to be named said: "Zhao Lusi does have the courage to touch a relatively unpopular public welfare topic, but judging from the finished film, her expression and program planning are a little unbalanced. The core of public welfare variety shows should be to focus on those in need, rather than becoming an outlet for celebrities' personal emotions."

These views of insiders further analyzed the problems of the show from a professional point of view, and also sounded the alarm for Zhao Lusi's subsequent variety show development.

Zhao Lusi's "A Little Courage" is constantly controversial, and it can be traced back to the roots, which may have a lot to do with the lack of clarity in the positioning of the show itself.

Judging from the current public opinion situation, Zhao Lusi's attempt to launch the "public welfare variety show" this time has not been fully recognized and accepted by the audience.

Although her original intention and efforts are worthy of recognition, the many problems exposed in the show also sounded the alarm for her, reminding her that she needs a clearer and more definite plan and a more sincere and down-to-earth attitude when participating in public welfare activities or variety show production in the future.

Although there is currently controversy, Zhao Lusi is not without a chance to turn the situation around.

She can regain the trust and support of the audience with her follow-up works and practical actions, continue to gain a firm foothold in the entertainment industry, and realize the reshaping of her image and the further development of her career.

Zhao Lusi's "A Little Courage" provides a case of great reflection value for the development of public welfare variety shows in the entire entertainment industry.

It makes us deeply realize that public welfare variety shows are by no means simply a patchwork of the two elements of "public welfare" and "variety show", nor are they a tool for celebrities' personal image display or emotional catharsis.

How to find a precise balance between entertainment and public welfare, and how to effectively avoid the emergence of the undesirable phenomenon of "consumption dilemma", are the core issues that every public welfare variety show must think deeply about and properly solve in the planning and production process.

For Zhao Lusi, this controversy is not only a heavy lesson, but also a new opportunity.

In the future, we hope that she can regain the trust and love of the audience with more sincere and closer works to the public.

As for how the future development path of public welfare variety shows should move forward, the entire entertainment industry and the majority of practitioners need to continue to explore and practice, and jointly create more high-quality and valuable public welfare variety shows for the audience.