Posted on 09/02/2013 6:22:23 AM PDT by PJ-Comix
TV Reality shows have become incredibly popular the past few years. However, some Reality Shows are more real than others. Therefore, rate the TV Reality Shows in terms of how REAL they are.
At the bottom in terms of reality, I have to list "Amish Mafia." Even its name sounds unreal. And even more unreal than the sound of the show title is the show itself. Yeah, like Amish folks are going to pay protection money to Lebanon Levi. The show is soooo unreal as to make the viewer laugh which is why I watched it during the first season. But any relationship at all with reality is pretty much missing.
At the other end of the scale I would rate "Deadliest Catch" as the among the most real of the Reality Shows simply because you can't goof around too much on those boats catching crabs. Too dangerous. Of course, that doesn't mean it is completely real. Anytime you have a camera on people, that fact alone will make them act as a bit different.
My personal favorite TV Reality show is "Storage Wars" in part because I used to do that years ago for a time. Okay, perhaps the storage bins are seeded but I did once buy a bin for just 10 bucks and found a few hundred bucks worth of Black Hills gold jewelry in it. I also like "Storage Wars Texas" but "Storage Wars New York" is unbearable. Not only does the location seem wrong, I just don't like the characters. Is it still on the air?
Finally, some of the shows I have a hard time getting into. Like "Jungle Gold." I mean do you really want to travel all the way to Ghana to lose your shirt to chase dubious gold deals? I just don't get it.
I am surprised no one has mentioned Hoarders. I don’t think there is a lot of scripting for that! And since I have a sister in law who is in fact a hoarder, I know what it can be like.
Oh, all my hoarding is done electronically.... on pinterest.
Top Shot and Hard Knocks.
I don’t watch TV for “real”, I watch it and movies for entertainment. That being said the only real I have ever seen on TV are filmed in the wild animal shows and live events unfolding, car chases, etc. All else is either scripted or manipulated.
Ain't that the truth !
And so many times the victim is one of the few hard working or studious types in the neighborhood. Sad.
I read a piece on “Auction Kings” and got so disgusted I refuse to watch. They charge a buyers premium of 30% and a sellers premium of 30%.....pricks.
One of the few unscripted reality shows ever was “The Osbournes.” I worked on it.
We had three and a half weeks of footage to watch per episode. In three and a half weeks of following someone around, stories emerged. Also, that cast was gold. Naturally funny and comfortable on camera.
Today, nobody can afford to just shoot for three and a half weeks. You only get four days’ worth of footage to make an episode. That isn’t long enough for a story to emerge naturally. So you plant one. You tell your camera crew where to go and what to shoot. You tell your cast to do this and that, and be sure to discuss X and Y, and make sure you also set up Z, the scene we’ll be shooting tomorrow.
So yeah, it’s scripted. But without actual lines of dialogue. It’s improv, or like an old silent movie (which were shot in the same amount of time). Writers place cast members in a scene and tell them where they’re going, not EXACTLY how to get there.
Interviews, the talking heads that pop up on screen and talk about what you just saw, are totally scripted. The questions are written by writers and the writers are looking for specific punchlines in their answers. If the cast member doesn’t say it, then they ask again and tell the cast member what to say.
I don’t know why viewers get so sore when they get confirmation that things are scripted. The point is to make entertaining TV cheap. Following the “Duck Dynasty” cast with cameras for four days would result in the most boring, incoherent show imaginable. There would be no stories with beginnings, middles and ends. How they’re doing it works. So what do you care if it’s scripted?
Ones we (namely the kids) watch:
River Monsters - really, really well produced, filmed and narrated. The show weaves fascinating stories in exotic locations. Jeremy is very respectful of the local people and customs.
American Pickers - the guys are fun and the stuff they find interesting.
Counting Cars and American Restoration - I’ve told the kids that both Danny and Rick are great examples of good customer relations. They both treat their customers with respect and listen to them. Both also show the value of doing hard work and providing quality service.
But... gingers have no souls...
The most real, and in my opinion the best, is So You Think You Can Dance. Those kids obviously really are that good. The choreographers really are that good. The comments of the judges and host are unscripted, even if they scribble some down during rehearsal. But there is a ton of ad lib on there, which can be very funny. And the dances themselves are often enough to move the judges and audience to tears.
It’s genuine. It’s pure talent. You have to like dancing and you have to not be bothered with some men (about 50%) being gay. But there is nothing that needs to be faked about the entire show.
The choosing isn’t even supposed to be for the best - it’s the favorite. The parts where the judges choose some contestants are also open - the judges pick whom they pick, and explain themselves, but they can pick whim they like. When the public votes, then the public picks their favorite. Lots of times, a more trained or objectively “better” dancer is passed over for a dancer with great personality and a lot of fans.
I enjoy every minute of this show. They also listen to the fans and change the format sometimes just because of fan comments. It’s that interactive.
That Gordon Ramsay “Kitchen Nightmares” farce. If it was any more formulaic, I’d say it came straight out of a cookbook.
I have never seen a show so formulaic!! I watched it three times, and no need to ever watch it again. It is exactly exactly exactly the same every time.
(HaHahahaha)
You're absolutely right. You've seen every episode. I swear I could write a template right down to the dialog, then just fill it in with different names and places.
Absolute drivel.
Can’t believe no one has mentioned Swamp People. SHOOTEM LIZBETH!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.