The reality behind reality shows

In another communications class of mine, we watched the pilot of MTV's reality series Jersey
Shore. I am not the biggest fan of reality shows in general; the characters are always very outlandish, unreal (despite it being a reality show) and overall seemingly obnoxious people.While I felt that watching the show was a waste of my time because it is so terrible, it sparked me into doing some digging about "behind-the-scenes" of reality shows. I noticed while watching Jersey Shore that there were a lot of fast cuts, repeated shots, and many voiceovers, which indicates that from piecing together various footage make a particular story, even if its not the story that was told originally.

According to the Writer's Guild of America West, reality TV producers create formats, cast people based on character traits, and then edit scenes to create a story arc. Teams will shoot several days of footage and then hand it off to the editor to create a story based on the guidelines that producers gave them. Because no one's life is constantly that dramatic, crews must film for days at a time before piecing together an episode. That's why there's so much voiceover and b-roll; it is up to the editor to create the story that the producer wants, as opposed to how events actually occurred.

David Rupel states that one of the secrets to creating the arc to a reality show is to "find a scene that has many of the same emotional beats as another, and use interview bites to shape it to be about the other topic" because if you remove all references to some other subject, it still makes sense. That way if some major even occurs off-camera, it can still be shown somehow. This method is used a lot in Jersey Shore, especially utilizing the "interviews" as making sense of the dramatic situations that occur by getting each person's reaction.

Snooki: "i'm too pretty for jail"

MTV networks President Van Toffler said that in the Jersey Shore casting process they looked for "candor, honesty, boldness, and a very combustible, chaotic mess. You could honestly say none of these people were traditionally beautiful."...combustible, chaotic mess is a very good way to put it indeed. And while all the characters are just generally unpleasant human beings, the show is wildly entertaining because they are all so outlandish. The casting directors choose them because they know that viewers will want to watch them do ridiculous things (that they are paid to do).

Reality TV is a form of entertainment that is constantly on the rise because the creators know how to draw people in with the fast editing and outlandish characters. Jersey Shore is just one example; other shows such as Dance Moms, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, and Survivor also follow the reality-tv-editing formula. (only difference is that those characters are slightly more tolerable!)

Here's a taste of what Jersey Shore is like. Watch if you dare.

'Real World: Skeletons' The 30th Season

I haven't watched a lot of MTV shows in the past few years, but the other day I was looking through Hulu and came across the new season of The Real World. I thought I would give it a try because during my teen years I used to enjoy other seasons of The Real World and it has been a while since I watched reality TV.

Many of us are familiar with the premise of The Real World, where a group of people that don't know each other live in the same house for serval months while it is documented by an MTV crew. This show starts with seven new roommates who all seem like they just want to have a good time, even though they might not get along with each other all the time. What is new about this season is that  after the first few episodes where the roommates get to somewhat know each other; MTV starts bringing a "Skeleton" from one of the cast member's past. A "Skeleton" in the show has pretty much been a person that would be one of the last people you would ever want to see again, that shows up to the house and typically, immediately starts new drama!

MTV is trying to create more drama by bringing in a house guest that they know the cast will not be happy to see.  As entertaining as this show is I feel like it has to be scripted or the producers tell the cast members what to do to some extent.  What I find weird about this season is that there seems to be a phone in the house that is a connect line to the producers, several times a cast member will pick up the phone and complain to the producers which feels weird while watching a reality TV show.  Also it seems a little set up the way the cast members talk about something and then what they were speculating actually happens moments after, this could be just the way it is edited but I still believe the cast members know more about what is going on then they lead you to believe.  I decided to keep watching the show because it is entertaining and I watched enough episodes where I want to see what happens next as well as see how the cast will survive the "Skeletons".

I'm not going to rate this show on a scale because I feel like you watch this show to be entertained and can't really take this show too seriously.

If you love drama, cat fights, raw emotions, and reality TV then this show would be the one for you!

Naked Dating?!

It’s no secret that sex is one of the biggest sellers in today’s world.  Because of this, nudity has become an increasing trend in broadcast television (this includes blurred or pixelated nudity).  Popular shows including Game of Thrones, Parks and Recreation, Modern Family, and Girls have all show shown nude or pixelated nude images. The Parents Television Council found that a majority of the shows displaying any kind of nudity are comedies.

Some networks have chosen to direct the trend a different way: nude reality shows.  Discovery Channel premiered Naked and Afraid in June 2013, and other shows like SyFy’s Naked Vegas and TLC’s Buying Naked have also been aired.  Now, VH1 has ordered a new reality dating show revolving around nakedness called Naked Dating. The series is meant to “explore the art of romance -- preconceived notions, stereotypes, and yes, clothing.”  It’s produced by Lighthearted Entertainment, the same company responsible for Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

The reality show follows a naked man and a naked woman as they each go on dates with a naked partner.  At the end of the show, they’ll discuss their discoveries from the nakedness, and decide whether or not to pursue the partner.  It's definitely a strange concept, and I'm not too sure it'll last. They’re literally ‘stripping’ away all dating pretenses (ha ha).

When Reality Becomes Surreal

I'm very picky when it comes to watching television. A show has to be well written, funny, with actors who play the part. That being said, I have a secret shame:

I love Real Housewives of New Jersey. I think it's one of the greatest shows on television, possibly all time. It's horribly photographed trash TV at it's finest. The show takes five women who lead lives of luxury in the dirty Jers and follow the petty crap they argue about on a daily basis. I can't even begin to describe the suffering and emotional trauma these upper middle class citizens endure every episodes. Stolen recipes, book deals, recording careers. It's hard not to empathize with them.

I began watching Housewives when the show began following the lives of women from Orange County back in March 2006. Since then, there's been five spinoffs, three international versions, and a new executive producer, Andy Cohen.

When the show first premiered, the premise was simple: follow the everyday lives of five women who live lives of luxury. In the first season of the show, there wasn't a single fight, screaming match, or petty argument. Everyone got along and stood by each other. They actually had real people problems, such as bankruptcy, divorce, and relationships.

Six years later, the show has become a poster-child for a new genre recently coined "Docusoap." The only one I continue to watch, just because it's so ridiculous, are the women from New Jersey. The producers continue to do everything they can to pump drama into the show. Since the first season, the entire cast has just been in a cross-media war, each battle consisting of something stupid being blown completely out of proportion. It's like high school with money.

Just recently, I watched the reunion. These supposedly upstanding members of society, each worth millions of dollars, personally dug in and attacked each other for the entirety of three hours. It was something to behold. They argued about who's mom created a recipe, someone faking an Autistic child, people wearing the same dress to an event, liposuction, nose jobs, lip synching, the list goes on and on. This wouldn't seem so bad, but each reunion shoot takes fourteen hours to complete. What was previously a reflection on the season by the cast has become a therapy session.

It's no secret that these women don't like each other. They apparently hadn't spoken to each other for a year before the reunion show. At the same time, how can people who have everything let something so stupid tear apart previously strong bonds?

People don't watch reality TV to see how other people live normal lives. They don't want to see people sleeping, using the bathroom, cleaning, or eating. People want to see fighting, arguing, hair pulling, drama. The producers have to do something to stir drama. While that may be the case for most shows, there's something pure about Housewives.

These women are truly pure evil. They will do anything to make each other's lives horrible. They constantly attempt to start something through twitter, magazines, celeb websites, blogs. The fights make for great reality TV. One problem: real people don't go that far out of their way to mess up someone's life. Even if they wanted to, most are too busy. The housewives primary paycheck comes from the producers at Bravo to make good TV by any means possible. Everyone involved in the show is choosing money over friendship, family, and public impression.

If the average person was asked to do this and no TV show was involved, they would likely decline. But the women of Real Housewives are incredibly heartless bitches. Therefore, I propose that the "reality tv" moniker be replaced by the much more appropriate "surreal TV."

Big Brother

As a TVR major, I like my fair share of critically-acclaimed dramas and comedies. However, we all have that one television show that is our guilty pleasure - one that we aren't so anxious to admit we love. For me, that show is Big Brother. Now on season 14, Big Brother is a reality-television competition where 14 house guests are locked down into a house with cameras and microphones on them, and no contact with the outside world. The house guests have to listen to the overhead announcements known as "Big Brother" and must compete in a series of Head of Household competitions and Power of Veto competitions to evict a household each week. The last remaining house guest wins $500,000. While it may sound dumb, it actually becomes a very strategic game.

I like to think about how it would be to work on a television show like Big Brother. Lighting is always flat and the cameras are always filming. However, someone needs to edit footage for the episodes that air three times a week and they also have people who change cameras and do zoom-ins 24-7, because people watch live feeds of the house guests all hours of the day. The production team needs to highlight specific stories and conversations, as well as sometimes urge house guests to make certain moves so that the "story" remains interesting. Though it may not be the most gratifying of careers, it would definitely be different from any other show out there!