By: Ashley Ricks
As high school students, we love watching television, especially reality shows. Every week, we viewers feel as though we must catch up on the most recent drama in these other random people’s lives. Some would say they feel like they have an actual relationship with the stars of the shows. How much would you guess is actually real in the “reality” shows? The answer: none of it.
One of the first ever reality shows was Allen Funt’s 1948 Candid Camera. We’ve all at least heard the catchy theme song to this hilarious show. The show was much like modern-day Ashton Kuther’s Punk’d, only with ordinary people. Candid Camera would play sneaky pranks on every-day people and capture their caught-off-guard reaction. You could tell just by looking at their faces, this was a very real reality show.
In the 2000’s reality television exploded. It has now become hugely popular in the television industry. From girls trying to meet their “dream guy” to girls wanting to be “America’s next top model,” you name it and at least one network has a show for it. An entire channel was even committed to this genre of show, Fox Reality Television. However, most networks seem to have gone overboard with many of these story lines.
Producers squeeze every ounce of drama out of every situation possible. If a girl has a crush, she’s suddenly in love. If a tiny misunderstanding occurs, the situation is blown to an all out fight. Producers can even edit in words. A simple change of the subject and verb, and this series just got much juicier. Episodes are usually planned on story boards, the same way scripted series are written out. Shots are manipulated to get the dramatic scenes the viewers want to see, making these so-called reality shows as fake as any other written show on television. As long as the show gets good ratings, who cares if the truth is stretched a little? The producers certainly do not. Their ultimate goal is to please the viewers and their boss.
The other big question: why are we so addicted? People love drama. They want to know what happens next. Every week viewers are lured back into the “real” drama of other people’s lives. Plus, let’s face it, the television shows can get pretty interesting. Our minds are constantly reeling, thinking of who will get picked, voted off, or have a dispute.
So, next time you sit down to watch your favorite reality show, remember: it may not be as real as you think.
