Reality TV...

[Ozfer]

Has sickened me. I am literally blown away by the ridiculous fakery displayed by the media. Amish Mafia. First, resist shooting yourself just from the title. Then get cancer or some other terminal disease by watching the thing.

It is the most offensive piece of garbage I have ever witnessed. Those are not Amish people. The most offensive part of it all is that really Amish people will never know about this shameful display.

Then I come to moonshiners, who apparently break the law on tv, and mumble so badly there are forced subtitles.

I am flabbergasted.

You should know I haven' t had tv for a while, I only use Netflix t o watch shows, and I will now never desire a subscription to any other service.

[Thajocoth]

The reality shows that put groups of people in a space together purposely up the drama by making alcohol, condoms, etc... very available, but milk, bread, eggs, etc... harder to come by for their contestants.

Reality shows aren't any more real than any other show. They just have desperate people on them willing to be filmed for less than a sitcom star would be making. They're very cheap to produce & most people nowadays just use their TV for background noise anyway, so they don't care what's on. It's sad.

[Anderlith]

Maybe take a look at the new show, The Joe Schmoe Show, about a bunch of fake reality tv people & one normal guy. The whole point is to keep the one guy clueless to the fact that everything is fake.

[Grinner]

Reality TV is still a thing?

Wow.

[Scowling Dragon]

Soon TV will die like a leftover tumor. And the Internet TV shall rule supreme!

[Sgt. Cookie]

I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here would like a word with you.

[Avilan the Grey]

Reality TV has branched out in a lot of directions. Fortunately for every Big Brother, Real Housewives of -Incert Place Here- and Teen Mom there are things like Antiques Road Show (which existed before Reality TV is a thing), Master Chef (please note that I am talking about the British version, which is different than the others, much more serious and less showy), Grand Designs...


Soon TV will die like a leftover tumor. And the Internet TV shall rule supreme!

Not an improvement. It's just the same crap in a different distribution method. Plus, it is even cheaper to produce, so more crap per capita will be the future.

[Ozfer]

BTW- Sorry if I sound whiny, I' m just venting in a forum of mostly like- minded people.

[razark]

Soon TV will die like a leftover tumor. And the Internet TV shall rule supreme!
The imminent demise of television has been noted before:

When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better.

But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite each of you to sit down in front of your own television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.

You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly commercials — many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it.
Newton Minnow, FCC Chairman
9 May 1961

Five decades later, people are still saying the same thing. Television will not be going away anytime soon.

[Avilan the Grey]

BTW- Sorry if I sound whiny, I' m just venting in a forum of mostly like- minded people.

I loved the olden days before they polled focus groups and started casting these shows. The first two seasons of Real World was good. Robinson (the Swedish version of Survivor) was great in the early seasons and even the first two seasons of Big Brother was good before they started going down the checklist (and remember that I don't mean any of these "categories" are bad in any way, it's just the checklist they use!!!):

One LGBT person
One minority person
One "easy" girl
One feminist
One body builder
One nerd
One... (and so on).

If they could cast a lesbian feminist with that was part of a minority (or any other combination of course) it was jackpot, because it opened up 3 more "slots" they could fill with other casted people.

Oh and then give them all free access to alcohol to make sure they have sex on camera and fight a lot.

[Grinner]

Five decades later, people are still saying the same thing. Television will not be going away anytime soon.

While I suspect that the television show format is here to stay, I also suspect that the traditional mode of distribution is on its way out. It seems like Netflix alone pretty much put the entire video store industry out of business.

Anyway, your quote was made in a time when traditional television was pretty much the only business in town. These days the Internet makes everything available on demand. More importantly, as opposed to cable TV, wherein the content is distributed as a stream, newer modes of distribution allow for some choice in the matter, making them preferable to the archaic cable TV.

[Avilan the Grey]

While I suspect that the television show format is here to stay, I also suspect that the traditional mode of distribution is on its way out. It seems like Netflix alone pretty much put the entire video store industry out of business.

If they continue to be 3 seasons behind on TV-shows. Not so much. Not worth getting for us.

[TheEmerged]

I saw a one-panel cartoon once that I can't find a copy of right now. It depicted an oven with an open window, a large turkey roasting visibly. Surrounding the oven were other, live turkeys - watching it rapturously.

The tagline read, "Reality TV's Popularity Explained".

[Kindablue]

While I suspect that the television show format is here to stay, I also suspect that the traditional mode of distribution is on its way out. It seems like Netflix alone pretty much put the entire video store industry out of business.

Anyway, your quote was made in a time when traditional television was pretty much the only business in town. These days the Internet makes everything available on demand. More importantly, as opposed to cable TV, wherein the content is distributed as a stream, newer modes of distribution allow for some choice in the matter, making them preferable to the archaic cable TV.

This is a part of an open letter (http://thecomicscomic.com/2012/07/27/patton-oswalts-letters-to-both-sides-his-keynote-address-at-montreals-just-for-laughs-2012/) Patton Oswalt wrote to entertainment industry executives:
Our careers don’t hinge on somebody in a plush office deciding to aim a little luck in our direction. There are no gates. They’re gone. The model for success as a comedian in the '70s and '80s? That was middle school. Remember, they’d hand you a worksheet, fill in the blanks on the worksheet, hand it in, you’ll get your little points.

And that doesn’t prepare you for college. College is the 21st century. Show up if you want to, there’s an essay, there’s a paper, and there’s a final. And you decide how well you do on them, and that’s it. And then after you’re done with that, you get even more autonomy whether you want it or not because you’re an adult now.

Comedians are getting more and more comfortable with the idea that if we’re not successful, it’s not because we haven’t gotten our foot in the door, or nobody’s given us a hand up. We can do that ourselves now. Every single day we can do more and more without you and depend on you less and less.

If we work with you in the future, it’s going to be because we like your product and your choices and your commitment to pushing boundaries and ability to protect the new and difficult.

And if in the opportunities you give me, you try to cram all this wildness and risk-taking back in to the crappy mimeographic worksheet form of middle school, we’re just going to walk away. We’re not going to work together. No harm no foul. We can just walk away.

You know why we can do that now? Because of these. (Oswalt holds up an iPhone)

In my hand right now I’m holding more filmmaking technology than Orsen Welles had when he filmed Citizen Kane.

I’m holding almost the same amount of cinematography, post-editing, sound editing, and broadcast capabilities as you have at your tv network.

...

I don’t know if you’ve seen the stuff uploaded to Youtube. There are sitcoms now on the internet, some of them are brilliant, some of them are “meh,” some of them ****in suck. At about the same ratio that things are brilliant and “meh” and suck on your network.

[SaintRidley]

Maybe take a look at the new show, The Joe Schmoe Show, about a bunch of fake reality tv people & one normal guy. The whole point is to keep the one guy clueless to the fact that everything is fake.

You do know that that's season 3 of the show, which debuted ten years ago, right?

[Dave Halfbreed]

Dear Reality TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b1a-hqvGNI

Thank you

[dehro]

the closest thing to reality TV I can somehow stomach to watch are real estate shows, masterchef (though that's probably more like a game-show) Gordon Ramsay abusing wannabe restaurant owners, stuff that manages to show you bits of the world you don't know but are more documentaries than actual reality shows.
anything else is just a celebrity-creating machine of the lowest order and should burn..together with the people who invest in it or try to reach undeserved celebrity through it.
burn it, burn it with fire, I say.

[Liffguard]

Eh, there's been some reality TV I've enjoyed. A few years ago the BBC did a show called Last Man Standing about a group of athletes from different disciplines who traveled around the world to take part in traditional indigenous sports and competitions. That was pretty cool. Oh, and Contender Asia wasn't bad either.

[dehro]

Eh, there's been some reality TV I've enjoyed. A few years ago the BBC did a show called Last Man Standing about a group of athletes from different disciplines who traveled around the world to take part in traditional indigenous sports and competitions. That was pretty cool. Oh, and Contender Asia wasn't bad either.

yeah.. last man standing was kinda fun, mostly because it had this "let's see the rest of teh world" side to it.

[Yora]

This thread is 10 years late.

This is a part of an open letter (http://thecomicscomic.com/2012/07/27/patton-oswalts-letters-to-both-sides-his-keynote-address-at-montreals-just-for-laughs-2012/) Patton Oswalt wrote to entertainment industry executives:
Our careers don’t hinge on somebody in a plush office deciding to aim a little luck in our direction. There are no gates. They’re gone. The model for success as a comedian in the '70s and '80s? That was middle school. Remember, they’d hand you a worksheet, fill in the blanks on the worksheet, hand it in, you’ll get your little points.

And that doesn’t prepare you for college. College is the 21st century. Show up if you want to, there’s an essay, there’s a paper, and there’s a final. And you decide how well you do on them, and that’s it. And then after you’re done with that, you get even more autonomy whether you want it or not because you’re an adult now.

Comedians are getting more and more comfortable with the idea that if we’re not successful, it’s not because we haven’t gotten our foot in the door, or nobody’s given us a hand up. We can do that ourselves now. Every single day we can do more and more without you and depend on you less and less.

If we work with you in the future, it’s going to be because we like your product and your choices and your commitment to pushing boundaries and ability to protect the new and difficult.

And if in the opportunities you give me, you try to cram all this wildness and risk-taking back in to the crappy mimeographic worksheet form of middle school, we’re just going to walk away. We’re not going to work together. No harm no foul. We can just walk away.

You know why we can do that now? Because of these. (Oswalt holds up an iPhone)

In my hand right now I’m holding more filmmaking technology than Orsen Welles had when he filmed Citizen Kane.

I’m holding almost the same amount of cinematography, post-editing, sound editing, and broadcast capabilities as you have at your tv network.

...

I don’t know if you’ve seen the stuff uploaded to Youtube. There are sitcoms now on the internet, some of them are brilliant, some of them are “meh,” some of them ****in suck. At about the same ratio that things are brilliant and “meh” and suck on your network.

This is actually true for the entire entertainment sector. Literature, music, videogames, all thew same thing.

[Avilan the Grey]

I must say that honestly the first 4 or so seasons of Robinson (Swedish Survivor) was fun, even after they started casting it, because it was tought for real. They had a very high budget, so they had a whole island to themselves and could hunt or cut down trees or whatever they needed and only got the bare minimums to start with. At the end of the show they were noticeable starved, skin and bones and wiry muscles. Basically the show was one of the few where the obese guys were better off if they weren't voted out, because they looked fit at the end.

This all ended when the public demanded more sleaze and the TV production started to focus on it (basically there are two groups of Survivor-watchers: Those (unfortunately the majority) that only want to see them screw over eachother, and those (like me) who feel that if they have time or energy to plot, they get too much food and the show should be tougher.

[dehro]

the biggest trouble I have with these shows is that I know for a fact that they are for the most part scripted.
I remember one show that revolved around couples that had split up where one of the two partners would basically as him/her back with the help of the show. every episode would have 7 stories. of those, 5 were entirely scripted (so one of the authors to the show explained to me). very little of what I've seen since makes me think that these newer shows are any different in that respect... which means that at best they're misnomers.

[Hiro Protagonest]

the closest thing to reality TV I can somehow stomach to watch are real estate shows, masterchef (though that's probably more like a game-show) Gordon Ramsay abusing wannabe restaurant owners, stuff that manages to show you bits of the world you don't know but are more documentaries than actual reality shows.
anything else is just a celebrity-creating machine of the lowest order and should burn..together with the people who invest in it or try to reach undeserved celebrity through it.
burn it, burn it with fire, I say.

Yeah, the documentary-style shows like Alaska: The Last Frontier are pretty good.

On the other hand, I can tell Jungle Gold is bad just looking at the previews. "Be nice to this guy, he's got a shotgun". Yeah. Any show where there's a chance of a guy being shot at point-blank by a guy with a shotgun is at least partially scripted.

Discovery is entirely reality shows, and they've got some good, some bad, some declining. A guy I know liked Sons of Guns until it started to shift focus to the guy's daughter and her boyfriend. Mythbusters is exhausting their pool of myths, and you can tell that they're engineers at heart, but it's unscripted, although edited a lot. The mini-shows that make up the Curiosity series look pretty good, and an article in an archery magazine I get was written by a guy who got on a mini-show that never aired called I, Caveman. But... yeah, Discovery has some shows that are/were bad from the start and stayed that way.

[dehro]

come to think of it...the only reality show I'll admit to have actually liked a great deal despite it being edited to the point of it being scripted, is Meerkat Manor.

because... meerkats
http://www.artfulrodger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/meerkat-simples.jpg

[Traab]

Yeah, the documentary-style shows like Alaska: The Last Frontier are pretty good.

On the other hand, I can tell Jungle Gold is bad just looking at the previews. "Be nice to this guy, he's got a shotgun". Yeah. Any show where there's a chance of a guy being shot at point-blank by a guy with a shotgun is at least partially scripted.

Discovery is entirely reality shows, and they've got some good, some bad, some declining. A guy I know liked Sons of Guns until it started to shift focus to the guy's daughter and her boyfriend. Mythbusters is exhausting their pool of myths, and you can tell that they're engineers at heart, but it's unscripted, although edited a lot. The mini-shows that make up the Curiosity series look pretty good, and an article in an archery magazine I get was written by a guy who got on a show that never aired called I, Caveman. But... yeah, Discovery has some shows that are/were bad from the start and stayed that way.

What I like about mythbusters is that they basically work as a bunch of handy people with a solid skill set, and are willing to just go for it on areas they arent experts in. The chicken cannon for example. It showed them wasting a lot of airplane windshields and chickens before they realized what they were doing wrong. Or when they tested the electrocution myths, where apparently NONE of them were electricians, and thought it took something like 5 amps of current to kill so for 3/4 of the show they were dismissing everything as busted because it was "only" a couple hundred milliamps or something.

I also liked how, while they DO enjoy big booms, that isnt the whole focus of the show. They didnt get stuck in the trap of needing to add an extra 100 pounds of c-4 each time they blew something up just to make the explosion larger. Simple tests like the physics experiment where they learned a bullet fired in a straight line will hit the ground at the same time as a bullet dropped from the same height. Nothing fancy, nothing awe inspiring, just an interesting experiment with finicky factors to control.

As far as "reality" shows like big brother, survivor, those bachelor type shows, etc. I hate them. I hated them even before it was shown exactly how psychotically scripted and heavily edited they were. I cant quite decide which is worse, the bachelor type shows, or things like honey boo boo which are piles of garbage with most likely exaggerated behavior to try and bring in viewers through shock factor alone. Learning that storage wars was setup and planted ruined it for me. Oh I assumed they cherry picked the best lockers over the course of a month or so per episode since its highly doubtful dave hester stumbles across a storage locker full of 60k dollars worth of collectable newspapers on a daily basis, but deliberately planting items in the locker for the guy to "find"? Bleh.

[tbok1992]

I'm just hoping they make that movie Cube into a reality TV Show. It'd be a good way to get rid of stupid people, that's for sure.

[Inglenook]

I'm still fond of Survivor, although the first seven seasons (with their stress on characterization and survival) will always be the best.

TLC and all of its programming need to be destroyed by fire.

[Ravens_cry]

The trouble with reality TV is that it's like a parasite. It consumes little resources but returns, while often not great ratings, far in excess of what is required to keep it on the air. This encourages producers to make more of them, until ,as they have done, they flood the airwaves.
Compare that to excellent genre shows which require a lot of resources and get fairly low ratings that barely cover their costs.
That's why Fake Drama Island, No One Has Got Talent, and She-Dogs and Cat-fights stay on the air.

[Eldonauran]

Reality TV?

Reality TV is the reason my television displays nothing but video games or netflix/movies. Cable is gone, cable solicitors get a strongly worded letter whenever they try to get me to sign up (I basically say reality TV is the reason I canceled my service and I won't be returning to cable TV until it has been eradicated) and I do the same for satellite companies too.

It might be redundant and ineffective but it makes me feel better.

[Lord Seth]

I've always disliked the moniker "reality TV"--or rather, the way everyone uses the term as if it means something other than the simple distinction between it and "scripted" television. There's too much of a variety of shows under that umbrella for the term to actually mean anything. To me, The Amazing Race and Jersey Shore feel nearly as far apart as The Wire and Two and a Half Men do.

I mean, sure, most reality shows aren't very good. Most scripted shows aren't very good. Most of anything isn't very good. I've never really understood this apparent enmity towards reality shows in particular.

[Traab]

I've always disliked the moniker "reality TV"--or rather, the way everyone uses the term as if it means something other than the simple distinction between it and "scripted" television. There's too much of a variety of shows under that umbrella for the term to actually mean anything. To me, The Amazing Race and Jersey Shore feel nearly as far apart as The Wire and Two and a Half Men do.

I mean, sure, most reality shows aren't very good. Most scripted shows aren't very good. Most of anything isn't very good. I've never really understood this apparent enmity towards reality shows in particular.

I honestly think reality tv is an archaic term. It actually USED to be reality tv. But then the ratings game started and each new version had to be more and more outrageous and spectacular, so careful editing, and arranged scenes were created and things have snowballed from there.

[Arcane_Secrets]

I've always disliked the moniker "reality TV"--or rather, the way everyone uses the term as if it means something other than the simple distinction between it and "scripted" television. There's too much of a variety of shows under that umbrella for the term to actually mean anything. To me, The Amazing Race and Jersey Shore feel nearly as far apart as The Wire and Two and a Half Men do.

I mean, sure, most reality shows aren't very good. Most scripted shows aren't very good. Most of anything isn't very good. I've never really understood this apparent enmity towards reality shows in particular.

Personally, I detest it because it makes apparent the degree to which they don't even bother trying with anything that I think makes TV worth watching at its best-namely a plot, characters worth caring about, humor, or artistry in terms of special effects for science fiction, fantasy, or horror shows. If they at least made an effort, they might be only bad instead of not actively beyond foul. On top of that, like a horrible metastasizing cancer it seems to crowd out everything else to the point where when I looked at TV guide a couple of days ago there were four hours of "Snooki and Jwowww"...where there was allegedly once music.

[Lord Seth]

Personally, I detest it because it makes apparent the degree to which they don't even bother trying with anything that I think makes TV worth watching at its best-namely a plot, characters worth caring about, humor, or artistry in terms of special effects for science fiction, fantasy, or horror shows. If they at least made an effort, they might be only bad instead of not actively beyond foul.So do you loathe shows like Jeopardy or Who Wants to be a Millionaire? There's no plot, characters, or special effects on those. You probably hate news programs also by default as well.

I mean, I can understanding not enjoying reality TV if you want to see fictional stories on TV, but hating it seems odd.


On top of that, like a horrible metastasizing cancer it seems to crowd out everything else to the point where when I looked at TV guide a couple of days ago there were four hours of "Snooki and Jwowww"...where there was allegedly once music.That's...actually incredibly irrelevant to it being reality TV. MTV shows Jersey Shore a bunch because it's their most popular show. If their most popular show was something else, they'd be showing that show a lot. It's the same principle that makes Nickelodeon show Spongebob Squarepants as much as they do. It's got nothing to do with reality TV.

[Avilan the Grey]

Indeed. Not to turn this into a political argument but the "it's a cancer and it removes all good shows" is not only proven wrong (there are plenty of "better" shows that are much higher in ratings than any Reality TV show in America) but the American TV environment is a capitalist one. Highest rating for lowest cost wins.

If you have had a Public Service network, financed by the people, like the BBC or their Scandinavian equivalents... then maybe you both could expect something else AND have a cause to complain if they didn't fill their listings with quality shows. But you don't.

[dehro]

one of the main reasons I dislike it is because it's unapologetic about displaying willful stupidity and ignorance, yet somehow has the ambition of displaying society and wanting to set an example.
When you get some bimbo with 1 functioning braincell or a moron whose main claim to fame in the big brother (or any other show) has been that of causing controversy, chasing skirts and/or being obnoxious in one or the other way and these people somehow are propelled to fame, success and various degrees of "accomplishment", I know that there's something terribly wrong with the world.
I do have an actual problem with shows, interviews or just..anything, where actual ignorance on basic facts of life and/or general culture are displayed. I'm not being a snob and the world is literally awash with people who are more knowledgeable than me on..everything..
However, when people are asked on television what the capitol city of China is, in what year 9/11 happened or what the legal age of consent is in their country.. and they don't know the answer..
or when they turn up on a talent show dressed as a blind unwashed hobo caught in a tornado and then go on to display a catastrophic lack of skill at whatever it is they're trying to showcase, because they don't know any better and don't have the common sense to know they're crap..
it's just too much for me, I literally have to change the channel, physically leave the room or otherwise isolate myself from the abysmal display of unappealingness (which should totally be a word).

the notion that there are entire shows devoted to taking just that kind of people, claiming they're the average citizen and edging them on to showcase their ignorance, crassness and lack of..morals, common sense, intelligence, decency and... clothes, apparently.. it's just something that leads me to wanting to throw stuff at the TV in sheer frustration.
Why someone would go on national television and accept to be publicly displayed to the full extent of their limits, idiocy and crass ignorance is beyond me. no amount of easy money could ever make me make that choice.
I like to think that yes, we live in a world full of ignorant people, stupid people, people who don't have a clue about life and are riddled with prejudice..but that these people at least try to either better themselves or hide the less PC flaws in their characters..because they are aware of them and of how society actually sees them.
reality TV tells me I'm wrong, and that people actually enjoy watching these displays, and end up looking up to these characters who "have made it".
and that's a depressing thought.

[Avilan the Grey]

Oh I agree with you. Although I must say I have never seen a person on a talent show dressed like a hobo in a hurricane... I have seen a few dressed in less than hookers on Miami Vise, and a few not dressed at all, but not that.

Also, you have to remember that most of the time it is the network cutting the shows that makes the people look like this. Seriously. Yes, "bimbos", "himbos", morons and trash flock to these shows because quite frankly it is their version of a football scholarship. However, most of these people, on most of these shows are far more sane and intelligent (and FAR less backstabby) than the show conveys, because the network fakes conflict to get more viewers. Most of the time they have already decided ahead of time that "let's make her look like a tramp, him like a moron and her like a racist".

And yes, that is evil and sick, but at least it reflects badly on the network, nnto the people in the show, if you are aware of these things.

[Kato]

one of the main reasons I dislike it is because it's unapologetic about displaying willful stupidity and ignorance, yet somehow has the ambition of displaying society and wanting to set an example.
Wait, what reality shows are trying to set an example?! HOW?


Also, you have to remember that most of the time it is the network cutting the shows that makes the people look like this. Seriously. Yes, "bimbos", "himbos", morons and trash flock to these shows because quite frankly it is their version of a football scholarship. However, most of these people, on most of these shows are far more sane and intelligent (and FAR less backstabby) than the show conveys, because the network fakes conflict to get more viewers. Most of the time they have already decided ahead of time that "let's make her look like a tramp, him like a moron and her like a racist".

And yes, that is evil and sick, but at least it reflects badly on the network, nnto the people in the show, if you are aware of these things.
You know, that's something I hear a lot but... there's only so much you can do with editing without actually synchronizing or something like they did that one time in the Simpsons where they just pasted the words together. Of course you can exaggerate how long a person needs to answer but you can't really make someone say something racist if they didn't themselves.
Not saying they don't make it happen but they need something to work with.

[Avilan the Grey]

You know, that's something I hear a lot but... there's only so much you can do with editing without actually synchronizing or something like they did that one time in the Simpsons where they just pasted the words together. Of course you can exaggerate how long a person needs to answer but you can't really make someone say something racist if they didn't themselves.
Not saying they don't make it happen but they need something to work with.

Well easy examples:

In a popular dating show here in Sweden this season, one of the guys were, according to the show, 90% sure to pick one girl and just being polite and nice to the other. Of course this turns out to be an edited scam to get a twist ending when he picked the other girl, because in reality all the people actually on the show agrees that he had, in fact, decided on the second girl almost immediately, but the network wanted a twist ending. The guy, girl and network all got hatemail and threats from enraged viewers saying he had "betrayed" the first girl, because of the network hiding the truth for their own gain.

Second... in shows like Big Brother... keep filming one of the girls every time she is nude, or talking about sex. Don't do that to the other. Guess who comes across as a slut? Keep in mind that they compress one week of actions into 45 minutes. Lot's of dirty talk and nudity can be compressed into that... Also, of course, deliberately feed them alcohol to make them make fools of themselves. Commonly used on Swedsh Big Brother.

Third... Filming contestants in a team (like say Survivor) only using the snippets where they talk bad about an absent member, to build the expectation that they are going to betray him or her, plus make it seem they are backstabbers to the viewers.

Etc etc.

[MLai]

Only reality show I ever bothered to watch was Survivorman.

When I first heard of Survivor as a kid, I mistakenly imagined it would be like something that years later I would watch in Survivorman. I was so excited. Oh boy was I in for disappointment. :smallsigh:

[dehro]

Wait, what reality shows are trying to set an example?! HOW?


by having the more successful of the above mentioned morons as guests on talk shows, listening to their opinion on anything from climate change to politics or football like their opinion matters more than anyone elses (when more often than not they're totally unequipped to comment on those subjects to begin with).. by filling impressionable teenagers' heads with the oh so important bits of gossip about the subsequent lives of these nobodies turning them into talentless media stars for no other reason than having been picked for a spot on one of these shows.
people who were sous-chefs at a truckstop land their tv cooking show, people who danced in discos for a living suddenly get record deals or print a calendar, or get a guest spot on a tv-show, barmen who suddenly find they quite like acting and could we please offer them a part in the latest movie..etc etc..
and for each of them, there are scores of people with actual talent and who have studied and prepared for those professions who never even get a chance...
so the natural conclusion, for many, becomes: go on one of those shows, you'll become famous and have a great shot at becoming a success story.. certainly more so than you're getting now doing it "the old way"
(and don't get me started on what Jeremy Clarkson quite rightly called "sequined has-beens" who someohow revamp a carreer out of retirement, once again stealing the scene from newer generations)
that is, directly or indirectly how they are setting an example.

[Kato]

But that's not what the shows intend to do. Okay, those guys go out there, are kind of famous and make use of that. And maybe the intent of the show is to make them (in)famous because from what you hear their contracts often enable the show producers to make more money off them later but the INTENT can't be to set an example. If so, the example would be to act stupid and become famous which would mean the producers are either ridiculously stupid or evil geniuses... waaaaait a moment....

[dehro]

fair enough, it may not be the primary intent, but it is still something they are doing, an are very well aware off.
in fact it's useful for them because it allows them to identify their core audience, and feed it enough of the same drivel to keep them hooked and to then know exactly what other drivel they can get away with feeding them next.
once you clarify that your core audience identifies with a louthmouted fake-tanned harpy, it doesn't take much immagination to figure out that they might also like a show on make-up or a sit-com about people partying, getting drunk and promiscuous... and hey presto, the rest of your broadcasting is figured out, and again, breeds more of the same.

[MLai]

But you seem to have the notion that popular media showcases the best of humanity, or the most talented of humanity. When in fact since the days of the court jester and village idiot, the common people have always been fascinated with watching the trainwrecks of humanity.

[dehro]

But you seem to have the notion that popular media showcases the best of humanity, or the most talented of humanity. When in fact since the days of the court jester and village idiot, the common people have always been fascinated with watching the trainwrecks of humanity.

true..but they had a clear idea that that's what they were looking at and didn't try to emulate them and their behaviour.. or worse, consider it a viable carreer path, which is what I see happening.
I wouldn't even be so strongly opposed to it if it had just been a fad and had died after it had run it's course.. but no.. it's everywhere. the italian version of big brother just got renewed..for the..dunno.. 15th year? is the show still running in any other country? and that's just the tip of the dung-pile.