Julie Henne If we’re going to continue to be a culture that holds reality show stars to the standard of our role models, then it’s time we learn the truth. A lot of people are looking to these people to set the standard by which we live, so it’s probably a good idea to share some things that most people don’t realize is true of these so-called reality shows.
We used to live in a time when we looked up to family members, personal mentors, or colleagues with the same fervor with which we talk about reality show cast members. It can be argued that we’ve entered a very sad time in our lives as people know more about the Kardashian family than they do about the math required to figure out percentages, but that’s a whole other issue. For the time being, let’s just shine some light on the true nature of what the networks are calling reality.
This Is the True Story of Seven Strangers Picked to Live in a Loft and Have Their Lives Taped…
Anyone remember the first season of The Real World on MTV? That was the maiden voyage for reality shows and its organic nature was fun and thrilling. They didn’t know what was going to happen, right? To a certain extent, in the first season or so, that was true. Then MTV realized what it had…
Sure the cameras are following real people through their daily lives, and in some situations, they’re following them as they take part in some insane challenge in pursuit of money. Dutifully, we sit in front of the TV to watch people eat bugs, camp naked, or just to simply watch a simple family and how they act. However, what you don’t know is that you’re seeing maybe 5% of the footage that was shot.
Have you ever heard a contestant on a reality show competition complain that the editing made them look bad? This is because the editors of these shows make an effort to create characters. Does it seem like Khloe Kardashian has all of the good one-liners in a show? Well yeah, because they edit out all of the stupid stuff she says to make her look better. They do the same thing with the unfriendly people on the show. They make them the villain. They have the power to create a montage of bad behavior, but they can’t create content.
Reality show executives also use another tactic to keep shows interesting is to create situations. Just like they create characters, the execs get together and decide to send a pack of women who detest each other to a tropical island for a vacation. Then they sit back and watch the fur fly, literally in some cases. It’s been rumored that some members of the staff on reality shows will put a bug in the ear of the major players and see what happens.
Survivor is one of the most popular shows on television, even after over twenty seasons, and the people on these shows are still surprised to see themselves portrayed a certain way. Contestants on reality game shows have become cut-throat human beings, while the stars of traditional reality shows bring stupidity to new levels. Remember Jessica Simpson and the fish or chicken debate? Do you think those sound bites happened naturally, or do you think the editors simply waited to her to say something dumb so they could use that portion of the footage?
If we’re going to keep making these people part of our culture and holding them in higher esteem than regular people, then we should probably know the truth behind the reality. The truth is, there isn’t much reality in reality shows, so maybe we should stop worshipping at their. Real Housewives…where?
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