I bet every time you turn on your television, there is a reality show on at least one channel. They have all different kinds of reality shows nowadays. There is Survivor, Real World, Celebrity Fit Club, just to name a few. Every time they come up with a new one, I think to myself, "OK they can't do anything more crazy then that," and then they come out with My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad and other such shows. All of them are so crazy and you can tell when the networks are getting desperate when they come up with some of them. Although I have to admit that there are some shows that I can't wait to watch because they bring so much "drama". I watch a lot of these shows just because they are so crazy. I Love New York , Rock of Love and The Challenge have to be the most popular on my list right now. This is just another example of how sometimes technology can get in the way of things. These tv shows can suck you in and until the season is over your hooked. Do these shows have any real purpose? Obviously they don't other than as a form of entertainment. You hardly hear people say I can't wait for Extreme Makeover which is a show that actually helps some people. No, everyone is always saying when is the next episode of Flavor of Love on.
You have to think to yourself sometimes though, if all that stuff is really real. A lot of shows do come when the network is getting desperate. How do you know all that isn't just set up. Or if maybe just a couple of the players in the "game" are just acting for the camera. As a person watching from your living room (or dorm room) its hard to tell. Sometimes I want to go on one of those shows and see how it's really like. Do people really act like that or again are they just acting it up for the camera. I remember one of the women from The Apprentice later on admitted that she just acted a certain way because thats what her agent wanted her to do.
My questions to you are: Do you think that reality tv is really real? Do you find them entertaining or an example of how our society is deteriorating? If you could go on a reality show, which one would you be on? Why would you choose that one? Would you act differently in front of the camera(on purpose or accidentally) or not?
21 comments:
Personally, I don't think that "reality" television is in fact reality. On the contrary, it is usually far from reality or at least a twisted and contorted view of reality. For the most part, I think people know that "reality" on television isn't really how our lives our. Those who don't probably don't understand life properly. I believe very few shows that actually claim to be real are in fact real. I remember when contestants of Survivor admitted that some of their scenes were recreated after the fact so the camera could get a better angle. That's the magic of t.v.. You can make it look like something happened when in real reality it didn't happen that way at all. Take reality shows that document lives like The Osbournes, Real World, The Hills, and Newport Harbor. The cameras are there filming what's going on, but we don't get to see everything and at different angles. That's the magic of editing. They show us what they want us to see, what they think will produce the best product, and what they think will cause the most drama etc. So, when you really think about it, there is no such thing as "reality" television. It's just fun to watch everyone else.
In a way, reality television is only for entertainment, however, for those people who don't realize that it isn't "reality" it can cause problems. Some people don't realize that other people's lives are not the way they seem on television or that the fight that just happened was staged or over exaggerated. People's views on life can become distorted because of reality t.v., which can prove to be detrimental to our society as a whole.
Now, if I could be on a reality show, I would definitely be on Real World from MTV. I've been watching this show for as long as I can remember, and, even though I know most of it is not quite what it seems, it still proves to be entertaining every time. I don't think that I could be on a show like America's Next Top Model(for obvious reasons) or Survivor(though it might help me lose some weight...not eating would do that to you though). I like Real World because apparently they are thrown in a house with complete strangers that they have to learn to live with and get along with. Not to mention they get to go to a random location in the world and live in an awesome house(and some gain a lot of attention from the show). I just think it would be fun to see what it is like to be a reality star and get 5 minutes of fame.
I would like to say that I wouldn't act differently on camera, however I don't know if that is necessarily true or not. I like to say that I will or will not do something, but usually it all can change in an instance. It's really hard to tell what can happen. I suppose I would find out if I ever get on a reality show...and then you would have to let me know!
Reality television is no where close to being the real thing. Sure, these events happened on camera...they must be real. However, the editing guy gets paid a whole lot of money to cut, paste, and rearrange these events and add as much conflict and drama as they can. Most of the time the entire show is edited so you will only see the "good parts." The parts which include fighting, sex, drama, or intoxication. Yet we continue to tune in every week, because this is what the public wants to see and this is why the ratings keep going up.
If I could choose to be on a reality tv show it would be the real world. They get to stay in a sweet house for free, and they get paid to act ridiculous. Living easy.
I believe strongly that much of reality TV is scripted. The more control over the show the production company has, the more wild and outrageous they can make the show. Has anybody seen the new show, Moment of Truth? This show takes "normal" people and straps them to a lie-detector test and asks them revieling and embarrassing questions in front of family and friends. The more outrageous and damaging questions the person answers, the more money they get. They honeslty asked this man in front of his wife and kids if he had ever cheated on his wife. If he chose to answer the question he would win like $25,000 or something. That is absolutely rediculous. Ruin your marraige or win $25K? It's obscene but it is what get's people to watch, which is all the producers want.
I think that reality television is without a doubt NOT REAL. Of course it is scripted; however, people are infatuated with seeing people who aren't celebrities (people just liek you and me) on tv doing wild and crazy things. Something i first picked up on was watching Laguna Beach once... reality show.. right... I noticed on this show that one character had made a phone call to another character, and yet the camera was there to show first hand the other character's reactions.. and proceeded to go back and forth. How did the camera man know they were going to make that phone call to be present at the characters' houses at that exact moment??
Anyways, the whole goal of the media is to make money. Media is a business, and that is the only thing reality about it. People put on an act for the camera, and people only go on those shows to get recognition and fame (even just for a little bit). Reality television- there is nothing real about it.
There is no way reality TV is actually reality. The footage that is actually shot is edited, clipped together, and put forth in the way the producers want it to look. Then it is seen by us. Many of the things on reality TV that we see have been manipulated and didn't actually happen the way we saw it. I would never go on a reality show. I wouldn't want to be expressed wrongly, or in a skewed way because of the way editors manipulated the footage. I guess this is a negative effect of the fastly advancing technology:the ability to take raw footage and make it what you want it to be. It's unfortunate, but it is the world we live in.
I really dont watch any of these shows so i really dont know if they would be real or not. But from the ones iv seen they seem to be a little bit of a set up. But i also think that some people like you that want to go these shows to see what they are like are in "reality". If i where to go one one of these shows i think that i would go on a cool one like fear factor or some type of challenge game show. I dont like drama and dont think i owuld be able to make it on the others ones.
Of course these aren't real. There are interviews with cast members from Survivor that say that they had to shoot something again or do something again because the camera missed it. If I had to choose a show, it would probably be Survivor, just to see what it would be like. Nothing more.
One issue with the writers' strike is that reality show writers aren't in the same union as other writers...so reality shows were the only ones able to keep pumping out shows with writing during the strike...I think the writers pretty much sift through the raw footage and isolate and focus on developing narratives out of it...so they might create a picture of what happened that is not the whole....that might seem disconnected in terms of a person's experience with a given show...reality tv is as far from reality, in my opinion, as a show like Gilligan's Island.
The writers strike does have a role to play in it. The producers need to able to right something. Other than that, most of those oringal reality shows werent scripted. Then after a few seasons, they realize that there is a ton of money and bring in producers and writers to keep us, the watchers, interested still in the show. The actual cast or contestants know more what is going on now than ever.
I think it all depends on the show. Some shows are realistic and some shows are crazily out there. I also think reality doesn't always resemble us, but more that we resemble it. Especially with kids, they see something happen on t.v. and that will affect the way they act. I think shows on MTV are planned out and not realistic, but people see the things that happen and younger kids act them out. Some reality shows are realistic like family genres. Most shows you can relate to or will have had familiar experience with.
I think things are written so people watch them. I watch nip tuck every week, but I doubt there is a doctor in the world that lives a life as crazy as those two plastic surgeons.
Reality tv is definitely not real. They have said before it's scripted, so I think what it just really presents is a kind of television that is more life life than say...All In The Family or...Alf. Haha. It's all about ratings, not real interactions. Tila Tequila obviously picked the guy NOT because of a "connection", but rather the idea that more people would LIKE her to be with a guy in the end since most watching are heterosexual.
Reality TV is a joke. Mostly because its not REAL. New York from "I Love New York" is a paid actress. Even the Mom from that show is a paid actress. So many of these shows claim to film real life, but the real reality is that for the most part, these shows are scripted.
I personally hate reality t.v , it is obviously not real and it's not even interesting. I know when I watch something on t.v I want to escape a little or learn something, maybe with a funny show or the Discovery Channel. Reality t.v just lets others live their lives through the characters on the show. The way people talk about the characters on the show is plain weird. Such as "I hate them" ? The Hills for example is the most boring show I have ever watched, the reason girls watch it is because it is kind of a 'dream life' that most girls would like to live.
I for one, do not think that these reality shows have any actual relation to reality. They are made up of people who want to win a bunch of money or "find love" and who put on an acting front when the camera's around.
That doesn't mean that these shows aren't fun to watch. I've seen a couple of them, but I just think that they're fake; designed rather then actually played by the people.
I wouldn't want to be on a reality show at all, personally. I don't have the ambition to put myself through some of the things those people do and I wouldn't want to be watched by a camera all the time.
Well of course they are not real but people do watch them, and love them. I personally do not like them because of the petty drama on all of them. People definitely act different in in front of the camera and you have to remember they don't show everything that goes on only the fights and petty drama. You never see them when they are having fun or anything like that. They are dumb.
These shows are absolutely pointless and they serve absolutely no purpose except to let people get a glimpse into what the so called "real world" is actually like. These shows are so far from reality it's not even funny I mean I don't know anyone in their right mind that thinks that these shows are anywhere near what reality actually is. The funny thing about these "reality shows" is that the next time you watch one look at the end credits of the show. Why would a show that is only documenting real life need writers...? Hmmmm that's a mystery.
I do not think reality is actually "real." I think it is all for show. I think it is set up in a way that will make viewers want to watch and get hooked. I actually do watch some reality t.v shows. I usually watch the real world, rock of love, ANTM and a few others. If reality t.v. in fact real then I believe the producers show only what they want us to see and in what order they want us to see it in.
If I could be on any reality t.v. show I would definitely be on th Real World on MTV. I think that would be the most fun. They also get an awesome house and get to go to amazing places that I would love to see.
I actually find myself absolutely addicted to some of these shows as well. Even though I know that they serve to useful purpose or improve my life in any way, I cannot seem to miss an episode of The Bad Girls Club or The Bachelor. It's difficult to tell how real all these reality shows really are. I think that they all have some truth in it, but people do tend to act differently on their own when they know they are getting attention from the whole nation possibly watching them. However, maybe it doesnt really matter if these shows are real or not. We have our own lives if we truly want reality. These shows serve us as a form of entertainment, as something to take us away from reality. If I had a chance to go on one of these shows, I would probably want to go on either The Real World, simply to see whether I would be able to go through such environment and drama, or the new show I find myself awaiting every Wednesday night, The Moment of Truth, and I would simply wish to find out exactly how honest I could be when I am forced to answer a number of questions in front of the audience, all of my friends, and my family.
I have to say that I am a closet reality t.v show lover. Im not going to back it up though and say this is it good television. It's all just a bunch of crap that I get sucked into. My favorite would probably be anything on Bravo, like Make Me a SuperModel, Real Housewives of Orange County, Prodject Runway. I don't think at all its real. Its probaby just 5% of what really goes on in their lives and edited to make it to want will look good. If I could be on one reality T.V it would for sure be Amazing Race, which I wanted to sign up for, but you have to be 21. Maybe in a couple of years.
Experimenter's bias is what I like to call whatever I see on Reality TV I feel like it's completely irrational behavior and it always seems like the "after show reunion" is all about the "I'm I really didn't mean it when I said I'd shove live rattle snakes down your throat given the chance when i find you dying on the side of the road" or something nonsense like that. Point is the reality of it all is becoming formulaic.
Boo
Shrugs
I dont think that reality t.v is at all real. It has been shown through that people are acting on the shows and reshoot things to make them look better. I will admit however that I do watch I Love New York, why? I have no idea, it is kind of like watching a train wreck, it is so bad you have to watch it. Other than that reality shows such as The Hills do not interest me because they are really boring. Shows about famous families and rich people seem pointless. Lets watch a show about people who do the same stuff we do, but with more money.
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