Comments on: How Real is Reality TV? The Dishy Revelations Behind “Real” Shows

By: Brianna

Brianna — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 16:53:00 +0000

Re Hastings:
I too have noticed that on ALL competitive reality shows. It made me wonder for two years why they would take in account the opinions of producers when it’s a competition and it came to me-ratings. those people know from jump that they get compensated for being there and not to feel bad if you’re not “the chosen one”. (lol that’s funny to say aloud) Anyway, what bothers me the most is the fact that on these so-called “Love Shows” (vh1 famous for that whole concept…Flavor of Love saga, I Love New York 2parts, Rock of Love saga and the new ones Daisy of Love and Real Chance of Love-the brothers from I Love New York for anyone other than me paying attention:)) why do people do two and the segments to find love…it’s all about the promotions of their barely blossoming careers. it’s sickening but oh so deliciously entertaining to watch when your bored after a hard day at work. I just hope that it doesn’t come back to bite them in the behind when they do want to settle down and enjoy life’s offerings.

By: Shann

Shann — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:54:00 +0000

The only reality show that I’m heavily addicted to is “Survivor” and I have been a regular devotee since the first episode in 2000. It is disheartening to learn that a lot of the contestants are not ‘real’ people but rather actors/models aka ‘mactors’ who end up being really bad players in the game. Survivor: Palau and Survivor: Fiji were prime examples of this as nearly every contestant in those seasons was recruited based solely on looks. In Palau, most of these recruits ended up on one tribe, and most of them quit or asked to be voted off when it got ‘too hard’, which greatly affected the outcome of the game. Fiji was BORING as hell because of the mactors that were recruited…none of whom were interested in actually playing the game, but pretending like it was ClubMed.

The seasons where real fans and/or people ‘there for the money’ have been selected (like the current season in Gabon) end up being the most interesting and engaging to watch because these people aren’t going to quit. In a game based on numbers and social dynamics, even one contestant quitting ruins the strategy of every other player currently in the game, and thus adversely affecting the outcome. It also makes for disappointing television.

By: Mags

Mags — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:17:00 +0000

I actually met siblings who were featured on Wife Swap. They came from a very artsy, liberal family. Mom and Dad were in a punk band, the whole family had “wild” hair styles, and they had a ton of people over all the time.

The show took it way too far, though. In one “scene” where they were hanging out with a bunch of teens their age, the production crew staged liquor around the room as though it was theirs. They also filmed lone scenes of empty bottles all over the house and yard….that THEY staged there.

The damage that this show did when it came out was unbelievable. People assumed the parents were allowing their kids to do whatever they wanted, and the kids looked like freaks and weirdos. They were lucky not to be visited by Social Services, and in fact did receive a call, not to mention the mothers who refused to let their kids around this family for a long time.

They knew the crew would embellish things, but had no idea they would go so far as to try and destroy a family’s reputation for ratings. Guess they thought too much of the tv world.

By: TBUS

TBUS — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 19:30:00 +0000

The WORST “reality” show nowadays is probably MTV’s The Real World. When it started, it was a novel concept and the people and their situations were (or at least appeared to be) real. Now it’s all about tramps and players getting drunk on alcohol I’ve heard is provided by the network, skinny dipping in the hot tub, and sleeping in each other’s beds as though there were a turnstyle at the door. To make things worse, a lot of these housemates have been able to extend their five minutes of infamy through MTV’s spin offs. It’s an exhibit of pathetic lives … but I have to admit that I watch it sometimes, if only to remind myself that my life is not so bad after all.

By: Joanna

Joanna — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:12:00 +0000

The only reality show I’ve ever been into is “Total Drama Island” on Cartoon Network. I’m surprisingly hooked on it.

For the record, I’m 25. :-P

By: Hastings

Hastings — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:48:00 +0000

I’m addicted to Project Runway. This season (the second I’ve seen from start to finish) I started to catch on that the winners aren’t always selected by talent. If you watch closely, there’s a blurb at the end of each episode that notes the judges take into account the producer’s opinion. There always seems to be at least one controversial selection in the final three – no matter how many people hate them!

By: Cyn

Cyn — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Snoop Dogg’s reality show, ‘Fatherhood’ is terrible!!!!! The worst I’ve ever seen: everyone in that show seems to be reading or guessing their lines, glancing at the director to see if their missed their cue, they don’t even seem to make an effort to act…I saw it only a couple of times, and I could not believed it.

By: D-Hue

D-Hue — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:22:00 +0000

My favorite reality shows are NFL, CFL, and the NHL. These are the only reality shows that have any integrity. I must say though, because I have friends that watch them, I have seen a lot of reality tv. Ramsey’s shows are great, but the one thing I hate about all reality shows is the friggin’ intense music they have to have constantly playing throughout the show. It is so horrible. It’s like the audience needs audio cues on how to feel about the show.

By: JohnnyRetro

JohnnyRetro — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 22:42:00 +0000

It was Newton Minow, Chairman of the FCC, not Marshall McLuhan, who declared television to be “a vast wasteland’ and that was in 1961.

By: G

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 15:52:20 +0000

Thanks for the article. I catch Dancing with the Stars sometimes and I always wondered how they chose the songs! They are some of the worse songs ever! Seriously, the dance and the song are sometimnes not in the same drama (ie: rock with a Samba). I would rather see the dancers pick the song instead of some producer who has no clue on what kind of music goes with a type of dance.