Hill (2005) gives a fairly extensive; albeit brief history of the 3 key components of media production that were pivotal in the hybridization of TV programmes into what has been coined, Reality TV; Tabloid Journalism, Documentary Television and Popular Entertainment. You often have to wonder how ‘real’ reality TV is, including game shows when it is shamelessly obvious that editing was used to cut and insert certain dialogue (or no dialogue but dramatic music) to sensationalize a discussion or action of participants. It’s even more embarrassing when during a scene that is supposedly meant to highlight an event is easily dissected and analyzed by a viewer with sharp eyes as being somewhat of a fake. For example we’ve seen on many occasions the contestant/s talking or arguing on cam, only to realize that the exact same people were clothed/positioned differently in the previous shot. Little errors like this only intensify viewer’s beliefs that some reality TV is a hoax, which can have detrimental effects on the popularity of a show. For example The Hills, where Audrina confessed to her role as best friend to Lauren was actually scripted, and they had no previous knowledge of each other. It takes away the excitement.
In shows like that of Hells Kitchen, Gordon Ramsey is the tyrannical chef who is relentless and almost barbaric towards his contestants and clearly takes pleasure in tossing curses left right and centre, and while some chefs accept the verbal bashing others take delight in hurling a few words back to Gordon in the hopes of looking admirable or manly on screen, it eventually falls flat as Gordon again charges in with “are you a fucking donkey?!”. This is what people perceive as reality TV, whereby ‘normal people’ are made to be the celebrity (Hill, 2005). It is this type of entertainment that viewers feed off. I think if HK had used the audience to participate and vote as to who gets eliminated, the unfortunate chef would’ve had his normal status changed to that of a ‘celebrity’.
Hills (2005) talks about Temptation Island where, “The heady mixture of passion and betrayal, island location, attractive contestants, staged flirtations and surveillance footage all made for a fascinating, morally dubious reality game show” (p.g. 35). So, how real are game shows? To a certain degree, yes. How real is reality TV? I think the appropriate answer would be how much is actually scripted? Although I do enjoy the odd reality TV show, sometimes I find the ‘reality’ videos of amateurs on YouTube far more fascinating and it is cost effective and far more entertaining on so many levels.
Hill, A. (2005). The Rise of reality TV. In Reality TV: Audiences and Popular Factual Television (pp. 15-40). Oxon: Routledge.
Interesting response.
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