How real is reality TV?
In todays day and age, it is fair to assume that there is an unspoken agreement that reality TV is not completely real. With an increasing blurred definition and position on the line between fiction and reality, the ‘realness’ can vary depending on the context or purpose of the show, for example shows that focus on emergency services etc, however it is important to establish that Reality TV is not always made with the purpose to mirror real life.
Reality TV series, like any other show or film, have producers. These producers have the power over the path they want these shows to follow and which participants they believe will clash or gel the best. Some shows that are not openly scripted are those such as Storage Wars, The Apprentice, Catfish, Hell’s Kitchen and Jerry Springer (Baker, 2017). The realities we are shown are constructed in some way – reality TV is not about real life as we know it, but instead intends to construct an entirely new reality (Smith, 2020). Many of these shows will claim authenticity and spontaneity, but are also concerned with extracting as much entertainment potential as possible (Kilborn, 1994), so in considering that reality TV is made by carefully putting together specific interactions and scenes, and showcasing certain personalities, we can understand that these realities are crafted with the intention to move the audience. Allen & Mendick discuss these ideas, and concluded that young, working-class viewers often reject the dominant discourses that pathologise contestants who are also working-class and in turn value their lack of pretentiousness (2013).
Smith stated that as humans we are natural voyeurs who do not want to see the real and abosolute truth, which is remnant of the not wanting to hear the hard truth sometimes. The ability to manipulate how participants are perceived goes hand in hand with an awareness of this. By finding entertainment in observing everyday, seemingly regular people as they fall in and out of love, or we find ourselves favouring certain people to win the competition, illuminates an acceptance of these constructed realities and thus, the human interest in the space between fiction and real (Smith, 2020).
References
Allen, K. & Mendick, H. (2013). Keeping it Real? Social Class, Young People and ‘Authenticity’ in Reality TV. In Sociology, 47(3):460-476. SAGE Publications, 2013.
Baker, A. (2017). 15 ‘Real’ Shows Producers Don’t Want You To Know Are Scripted. Retrieved from https://screenrant.com/reality-tv-shows-scripted-fake/
Kilborn, R. (1994). How real can you get?: Recent developments in ‘reality’ televsion. In European Journal of Communicaton, 9:421. DOI: 10.1177/0267323194009004003
Smith, P. (2020). Reality TV (part one) Recorded lecture.
Smith, P. (2020). Reality TV (part two) Recorded lecture.
Pop Genres 2020 