Week 11

How real is reality tv?

Reality television shows have skyrocketed in numbers since they were first introduced. The “unscripted” nature of these shows made them cheaper and easier to produce, leading many networks to heavily invest in the format. Scripted television attempts to replicate interaction between people, and in some cases, it can feel methodical, as each episode needs to have a plot, but RTV is able to circumvent this bu following “real”, people doing what they do on a daily basis, shows like; Police ten 7, Keeping up with the Kardashians, and even cooking shows. RTV gives the viewer a glimpse into the lives of celebrities, or people who risk their lives doing their jobs, and focuses on the personalities of these characters to base each episode on.

Reality-TV has a very diverse selection in its shows, it can go from competition/ game shows to following professionals do their daily jobs, like pawnshop owners and truckers, to “traditional”, RTV where they follow rich people living in extreme wealth. Because this genre has such a wide variety there is a show made for everyone’s specific interest. But the main point linking these shows together would be a focus on these wild and zany personalities that seem too good to be true. To even have a reality crew following you around requires a huge ego in believing you are interesting enough to have a show based on your life.  So this format of personality-driven shows means they have to deliver, when it comes to content, as the show needs interesting things to show its audience, so in many cases, they exaggerate reactions and events to make it seem important to the viewer. 

A person going on about their day to day lives honestly won’t have major and important events occur multiple times a week let alone multiple times a day. So it is obvious that producers of RTV must fabricate events in order to give the show some sort of coherent plot, like in celebrity-based RTV shows, the addition of throwing a party could add interest in a show, as further antics could be built upon this event, for example, things could fall apart at the last moment causing the host to have a meltdown and begin crying, or a rival could throw a separate party hosted at the same time, causing drama and rifts in the cast permitting for more episodes to be built on this conflict.

Many people know that RTV is, for the most part, fabricated to a degree, but still, watch the shows, as many characters have created their own dedicated fanbase, like the Kardashians. And due to their fanbase, they grow more and more famous with spin offs for different people. Reality television breaks down the privacy of certain people and broadcasts both the high and low points of people’s lives, it gives the viewer an idea of what it’s like to be rich and famous. Viewers could care less if RTV was real, they only care about their favourite personality, whom they have been “hanging out” with and following around.