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This concept of reality shows always bothers me. Firstly how can someone act normal infront of a camera. Do they have retakes in reality shows?

And then think about this. When actors in reality shows approach strangers, dont the strangers question them why they have a camera behind them?? For example: in the MTV show Rich girls....the two fat girls goto every shop and buy something. If this was real, and if i was the salesmen, wouldnt i ask them, whats goin on here?...why do they have cameramen everywhere?

And How come the results of a situation ALWAYS lead to something interesting so that the show could go on and on??

By Jnorsky18 (Jnorsky18) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 08:11 pm: Edit

its called bulls***

By Bbstlchi (Bbstlchi) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 08:58 pm: Edit

HAHA...some agrees with me...but why do most american public dont realize that?

By Encomium (Encomium) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 10:45 pm: Edit

obviously they're not real
i still like survivor though, it's the only show i watch

By Insanity (Insanity) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 11:32 pm: Edit

I rarely watch reality TV shows. However, if I do watch, it's merely to laugh at their stupidity. It's pretty much just a waste of time, though.

By Becks777 (Becks777) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 11:36 pm: Edit

I love shows like american idol, fear factor.........But drama reality shows-they r just BS...But i just wanna kniow, thier fakeness is so obvious, why do they top the charts then??

By Insanity (Insanity) on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 11:38 pm: Edit

I would say it's because of the drama - it's very "interesting."

By Disappear_Here (Disappear_Here) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 12:08 am: Edit

when it comes down to it, reality television is just noise. it is merely a poor attempt to display a "reality" at it's best. No one knows what is true or "real"--hell even the news isn't real! they tell you things over and over and it doesn't mean anything.

what you see is what you get: if you aren't ACTUALLY seeing it, how do you know it is true or real? to listen to someone else tell you what is going on is not real. to watch someone else eating bugs or shopping for the perfect prada bag is not real. for it to be authentic, you must be engaged in the activity yourself instead of watching through a lense--the television.


okay sorry there, i'm rambling. I was just describing one way to think about the idea of realism.

i believe for now society has an urge (aka guilty pleasure) to see something that claims to be real because they dont have the opportunity to get out there and do it. nowadays we are all couch potatoes. (myself included!!) I mean look at me: i'm sitting around at the computer. hahaha good times though, good times!

By Chasgoose (Chasgoose) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 01:10 am: Edit

Who the hell cares whether it's real or not? I watch "reality" tv because it is entertaining. I mean are Nicole Richie and Paris Hilton really that dumb? I guess that they could be but regardless that show is hysterical to watch because whatever they are doing is really really funny even if it is, god forbid, staged. I hate the people who criticize reality tv because it is not real. To criticize a tv show because it is made-up is stupid. All TV is fictionalized to some extent. Reality shows just take non-actors (or non-successful-actors) and place them in a staged situation and edit it to get the result that is most entertaining. Quality should be judged on entertainment value and aside from a few fictional shows such as "Arrested Development," "The Simpsons," "Gilmore Girls," and "Scrubs," network TV's attempts at good purely fictional shows sucks. Most of their creative efforts are flowing into reality TV. Sure there are some bad shows (Fear Factor, The Bachelor, Joe Millionaire, Boy Meets Boy, the list goes on) but for every 5 bad shows there is one gem such as Survivor, The Simple Life, Celebrity Mole (it was so bad it was good), and The Amazing Race. When the networks stop making quality reality TV such as these shows I will stop watching but until then, I am going to enjoy the show.

By Disappear_Here (Disappear_Here) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 02:01 am: Edit

Chasgoose stated: I hate the people who criticize reality tv because it is not real. To criticize a tv show because it is made-up is stupid. All TV is fictionalized to some extent.


Why call it reality tv, if it is not real? Nothing wrong with the concept, it's simply not labeled properly. I'm not criticizing, I am just sharing a Postmodern theory. Haven't you ever heard of DuChamp?

By Yugekorb (Yugekorb) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 06:59 am: Edit

simple: they're not

By Nyu2010 (Nyu2010) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 08:37 am: Edit

Punk'd on MTV, however, is another story. It's so blatantly obvious that these are not real "punks" going on and it's all fake and planned. How come the minute they see Ashton Kutcher, they go "Whoooaaa, you got me baaad!" No one is ever confused about why Ashton Kutcher is there. And it's pretty obvious that the cameras have to be really close to the people getting punk'd. It's also pretty obvious that some of those restaurants are clearly sets. And, one more thing, what would happen if the person who gets punk'd calls 911 or something? They don't, because they know that they are getting punk'd and punking is fake. Ha.

By Bbstlchi (Bbstlchi) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 12:09 pm: Edit

"Why call it reality tv, if it is not real? Nothing wrong with the concept, it's simply not labeled properly"-----EXACTLY!!

And those fake emotions on the show.....oh god!

By Drago (Drago) on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 11:34 pm: Edit

I've watched reality shows, and they're like the rest of TV: a waste of time.

But that's just my opinion.
drago

By Enlightenment (Enlightenment) on Thursday, December 25, 2003 - 03:04 am: Edit

People know that it's not real, but it's interesting because a lot of reality tv incorporate human relations and group dynamics. I think viewers like watching how different people interact with each other and how they socialize. We're all media consumers whether we're aware of it or not and reality shows happen to be a consumer product which people buy in, whether it's real or not. It's intertaining and they find amusement and pleasure in watching. Sooo.. watch away! (although, in my opinion, it is a waste of time, but hey, that's me)

By Singergirl (Singergirl) on Thursday, December 25, 2003 - 01:16 pm: Edit

i can honestly say ive only seen one true "reality"
and that was "American High", the defuct show about a group of kids that were randomly picked then followed around at school for an entire year. It was on Fox in 2000 but was canceled and is now relplayed on certain pbs stations.