BEIJING: A popular Chinese variety show has found itself at the centre of controversy after eagle-eyed viewers spotted photoshopped seatbelts on celebrities, prompting traffic authorities to weigh in on road safety.The first episode of This is My Adventure 2, which aired on May 29, featured the seven members of popular Chinese boy band Teens in Times (TNT) and four hosts riding in a minibus.While everyone appeared to be buckled up, viewers swiftly noticed that some of the seat belts had clearly been digitally added in post-production. In one particularly obvious edit, TNT member Ding Chengxin’s seat belt moves with his body as he turns to speak to someone seated behind him.The clip quickly went viral on Chinese social media. On microblogging platform Weibo, the hashtag “a car’s seat belts were photoshopped in” had amassed more than 97 million views as of Thursday (Jun 4).
“Such (photoshopping) skills. Even if you don’t have sharp eyes, it is noticeable,” one Weibo user quipped.Another user remarked: “I think you should just not photoshop (seat belts in post-production), it’s really awkward when you’re called out by viewers.”
In this screenshot taken from a clip of the episode, TNT member Ding Chengxin’s seat belt moves with his body as he turns to speak to someone seated behind him. (Image: Weibo/Zhao Pu)
