Reality Television

[cd213 0]

I've been talking with my friends recently about reality tv. first off I hate it. I find nothing entertaing in it. Give me My Name is Earl or New York Rangers Hockey any day of the week.

 

Anyway, I was telling my friends that not only do I think that reality tv is fake (anything that is edited isn't real), but that most of it isn't "reality tv." I really hate how shows like Survivor are listed as reality tv. It's a game show. Anytime there is a prize at the end to be won, it's a game show. As fake as it is, Real World is reality tv, cooking shows are reality tv, home fix-up shows are reality tv. Survivor is a game show, Fear Factor is a game show. I'm just tired of hearing people mislabel things like that.

 

Sorry, but I just had to rant a little. I know not everyone is going to care, but it's somthing I had to get off my chest.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Reality TV is more like..Hogan Knows best..which is fake as fake can be anyway so..

[Slayer 0]

Hey, 2001

[Youth N Asia 0]

I hate shows like Viva La Bam and Hogan's show, where the acting is so obviously fake and bad.

[starvenger 0]

Hey, 2001

My thoughts exactly. I'm glad you got it off of your chest though. Still, as the guy who is partially in charge of the reality TV section at Inside Pulse, I figure that I need to address your comments...

 

I've been talking with my friends recently about reality tv. first off I hate it. I find nothing entertaing in it. Give me My Name is Earl or New York Rangers Hockey any day of the week.

Rangers suck, btw. Give me 40 years of people whining about the Leafs not winning the Cup anyday

 

Anyway, I was telling my friends that not only do I think that reality tv is fake (anything that is edited isn't real), but that most of it isn't "reality tv." I really hate how shows like Survivor are listed as reality tv. It's a game show. Anytime there is a prize at the end to be won, it's a game show. As fake as it is, Real World is reality tv, cooking shows are reality tv, home fix-up shows are reality tv. Survivor is a game show, Fear Factor is a game show. I'm just tired of hearing people mislabel things like that.

First off, Real World is edited, so if we go by your criteria, it isn't real. Holmes on Homes (a great home reno/disaster show btw) is edited so that a 7-day job is shown in 24 minutes, so by your criteria, it isn't real. And most cooking shows are actually scripted. Sorry to burst our bubble on that one.

 

Is "Reality TV" real? To an extent. You get regular people giving their real reactions (usually in "confessionals", or in front of a snarky British guy) to a situation, even if the situation is contrived. For me, the phrase "Reality TV" now more represents a genre of show rather than an accurate description of one, similar to "soap opera" - soap is no longer a primary sponsor of those shows, nor is there a whole lot of singing on them. Thankfully.

 

So what is "Reality TV", then? Well, like I said, regular people giving their real reactions to a situation, no matter how contrived. It could be a game show/competition, a home reno show, or a show where you're locked away for 6 weeks with other people and alcohol, the basic outline is the same.

 

Then there's dreck like Hogan Knows Best. They follow the basic concepts of Reality TV, but where standard Reality TV has normal people who the producers will edit as they please, "Celebreality TV" is there to put the "celebrities" over and feed their egos.

 

In the end, I agree with you about the mislabeling, but somewhere along the way the name "Reality TV" stuck. But don't make the mistake of thinking that it's going away. Remember, without Reality TV, you probably wouldn't be getting stuff like Borat or The Office, both of which borrow from the format.

[razazteca 0]

I hate shows like Viva La Bam and Hogan's show, where the acting is so obviously fake and bad.

Nothing is worse than Nick Carter yelling at his family for no reason.

So what is "Reality TV", then?

Reality tv is classified as day time soap drama~ without trained actors or has been celebrities on the comeback trail or 30 minute commercial for music or PPVs.

Remember, without Reality TV, you probably wouldn't be getting stuff like Borat or The Office, both of which borrow from the format.

I want to believe that Borat or the Office type shows follow the idealogical theory of the mockumentary as established by Christopher Guest films.

[starvenger 0]

Remember, without Reality TV, you probably wouldn't be getting stuff like Borat or The Office, both of which borrow from the format.

I want to believe that Borat or the Office type shows follow the idealogical theory of the mockumentary as established by Christopher Guest films.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure exactly what you'd classify Borat as. It's a little bit of a lot of things, really.

 

The Office, however, is clearly a reality show, no matter how much the writers tell us that the crew is filiming a documentary. They only do that so as not to incur the wrath of people who hate reality tv, but there's more reality tv elements than documentary elements to it.

[razazteca 0]

Borat is the love child of Andy Kaufman/Yakov Smiroff that happens to be a huge fan of Spinal Tap and Daily Show. Sasha Baron Cohen is out there to shock, mock, document the stupidity and ignorance of the "western society" in its "natural reality tv" environment.....that or he is just a arab with a funny voice ripping off the greats from the past.

[Gary Floyd 0]

I remember being angry about reality tv...when I was dumb and in high school.

[SuperJerk 0]

Since most "reality shows" involve some form of contest, couldn't most the genre be considered a sub-genre of the game show? And the other half be considered a documentary sub-genre?

[starvenger 0]

Since most "reality shows" involve some form of contest, couldn't most the genre be considered a sub-genre of the game show? And the other half be considered a documentary sub-genre?

The former, perhaps. The latter, maybe not. I think for many of the "documentary"-style reality shows there's too much scripting or forced situations to consider them a true doc. But it's a blurred line. Take "Super Size Me" for example. It's technically a documentary, and certainly there are a lot of documentary elements to it. But subjecting yourself to that sort of diet is pretty reality tv-ish. And it doesn't help that the spin-off, 30 Days, is considered a reality show.

[razazteca 0]

Reality television is a island onto itself with the following sub genres:

 

1. Game show - Survivor and everything CBS produces; Fear Factor

 

2. What happens when you put 7 strangers in a house with an unlimited supply of beer and hard liquor....ohhh the drama~ MTV Real World and Road Rules

 

5. I want to extend my 15 minutes of fame - VH1 Surreal Life

 

6. Self help - Biggest Loser, What not to wear, extreme make over

 

7. Propaganda - COPS

 

8. Mockumentary - Borat

 

9. Stupid blond - Anna Nicole, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, the whole Carter family

 

10. Dating - Cheaters, Blind Date

[Cheech Tremendous 0]

Wait, you're telling me reality tv is in fact, not real? Get the fuck outta here.

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Reality television is a island onto itself with the following sub genres:

 

1. Game show - Survivor and everything CBS produces; Fear Factor

 

2. What happens when you put 7 strangers in a house with an unlimited supply of beer and hard liquor....ohhh the drama~ MTV Real World and Road Rules

 

5. I want to extend my 15 minutes of fame - VH1 Surreal Life

 

6. Self help - Biggest Loser, What not to wear, extreme make over

 

7. Propaganda - COPS

 

8. Mockumentary - Borat

 

9. Stupid blond - Anna Nicole, Jessica Simpson, Britney Spears, the whole Carter family

 

10. Dating - Cheaters, Blind Date

 

What about hidden camera shows?

[starvenger 0]

Probably an offshoot of 8.