The condition the viewer experiences while watching a reality show when they are forced to sit through a recap of the events to date before they are allowed to see further developments. It is often done to "pad out" an episode that would otherwise come up short of content.
I don't mind two minutes of recaptivity at the beginning of each episode of "Survivor," but during the finale of "The Bachelor," I was in recaptivity for 45 minutes before the Bachelor passed out his final rose.
by Gryffud March 3, 2009