A Brief History
Reality television began in the United States in the late 1940s. Allen Funt’s Candid Camera is credited as one of the first reality television shows. It featured normal, innocent people being pranked and taped by a hidden camera.
The genre truly emerged as its own distinct section of television in the 1990s and early 2000s with shows like The Real World, Survivor, American Idol, and Big Brother. Survivor led ratings in both 2001 and 2002. American Idol dominates over all other primetime programs and has the longest hold on the No. 1 rank in American television ratings.
A number of shows created in the late 1990s and 2000s have had massive global success such as The X Factor, The Biggest Loser, and Got Talent series. Several reality game shows including Deal or No Deal, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? and The Weakest Link were developed during this time and have over 50 international adaptations each.
During the reality TV revolution of the 2000s, several cable networks including Bravo, A&E, E!, TLC, History, VH1, and MTV changed their programming to feature mostly reality television series. Reality TV even took over the charts in DVD reissues. In the mid-2000s, DVDs of The Simple Life outranked scripted shows such as The O.C. and Desperate Housewives.
Reality TV has been taken seriously even at award shows. In 2001, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences added Outstanding Reality Program as a category of the Emmy Awards. In 2003, to better differentiate between competition and information reality programs, a second category, Outstanding Reality-Competition Program was added. In 2008, a third category, Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program was added.
Many of the long-running reality television show franchises in the U.S., such as American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, and The Bachelor, began to lose viewership and by 2012, reality TV started to see a decline in ratings. But, reality TV wasn’t going anywhere. This was the peak of special skill competition shows and a lot of shows about cakes, weddings, and various “wars.”
In 2014, publications noted a decline in reality ratings, and networks dedicated to reality shows, such as Bravo and E!, released their first scripted shows. Yet, despite the decline in ratings and profits, reality TV continued to expand. Introducing new shows like the South Korean competition show I Can See Your Voice, which premiered in 2015. This spawned into The Masked Singer which has over 50 local adaptations and created great moments in American history like Wendy Williams’ rendition of Native New Yorker.
COVID-19 halted production on all media; however, because it's easier to turn around reality TV was the first media brought back after restrictions were lifted. In addition, the 2023 writers’ strike spawned new competition and game shows since scripted series were unable to be filmed.
Categories
There have been various attempts to classify reality TV shows into different sub-genres. I am using the categorization that divides reality television into two types: shows that try to document real life (documentary-style), and reality competitive/game shows.
Documentary-style reality TV is commonly referred to as “fly on the wall,” observational documentary, or factual television. Storylines are often constructed by planned situations or post-production editing. This type of reality TV resembles soap operas or other types of scripted ensemble character shows.
One of the first popular documentary-style reality shows is MTV’s The Real World. The premise of the show revolves around a group of young adults living in a house together in a new city. The first season of the show aired in 1992 and the cast was living in an apartment in SOHO, New York City. This show, and this season in particular, is credited with pioneering the main elements in modern reality tv including bringing together a group of strangers as participants and the use of "confessional" interviews with participants. The Real World used its platform and premise of bringing different people together as an opportunity to confront political and social issues. In the first three seasons alone, The Real World discusses racism, LGBTQ rights, abortion, homelessness, and AIDS.
Not only does this show discuss these topics openly, but they have participants with differing views and opinions, so they are typically debating these topics. Season 3 of The Real World, The Real World: San Francisco is on Hulu. This season featured a cast member named Pedro Zamora who was openly battling AIDS. This was the 1990s when a lot of misinformation was spread surrounding HIV and AIDS, so this was extremely monumental in portraying an average, young man living with AIDS. Although they were all kind to his face, the other cast mates were very apprehensive about Pedro’s diagnoses. The other cast members' beliefs and values obviously contribute to the way they see and act toward Pedro.
However, he uses this as an opportunity to educate his cast mates and majority of them begin to recognize the stereotypes and negative impact of misrepresentation of the epidemic. Pedro’s relationship with his partner Sean Sasser was documented on the show and the two exchanged vows on the series, making it the first same-sex ceremony in television history.
Midway through filming the season, Pedro’s health started to decline. He was suffering from night sweats, pneumonia, fatigue, and weight loss, but he refused to give up on life and sharing his story. Producer Job Murray has been quoted saying, “He got sick much faster than he expected. That’s when he made us promise to tell his story till the end.” Pedro worked as hard to give audiences the impression that he was much healthier than he was.
His health was declining while tensions between cast mate David “Puck” Rainey were rising. Puck was - for lack of a better word - complete jackass. Puck mocked Pedro’s Cuban accent, dismissed his relationship with Sean, and made multiple homophobic comments. When Pedro made the announcement that he was no longer comfortable in the house and would like to leave, the group unanimously agreed that they wanted Pedro to stay and kicked Puck out of the house.
Tragically, when the cast met up for the reunion in August 1994, only two months after they wrapped filming, Pedro was visibly ill. Pedro passed away in the early morning of November 11, 1994, just hours after the final episode of his season of The Real World aired on MTV. He was only 22 years old.
While they may not have had as positive of a societal impact, MTV has gone on to create some of the most iconic reality TV shows that follow the same basic format of The Real World. Jersey Shore and Floribama Shore are perfect examples of this format. Put a bunch of strangers in a house for the summer and see what happens, what can go wrong?!
MTV also created Laguna Beach, which aired from 2004 to 2006 and had a more cinematic feel than previous reality shows like The Real World since it had higher-quality lighting and cameras. The spinoff show The Hills aired from 2006 to 2010. It was later revealed that both shows were completely scripted and producer-led. In the series finale of The Hills, the Hollywood Hills backdrop is lifted up and the camera pans back to reveal that the entire scene was filmed on a backlot, insinuating that the entire show was scripted and was actually a realistically shot soap opera.
MTV is not the only television network that has created amazing reality TV. As previously mentioned, many television networks started creating only reality TV shows. Bravo created some of the most famous documentary-style shows such as The Real Housewives series, Summer House, Winter House, and Southern Charm. Documentary-style shows also highlight people at the same job or in the same career field such as Vanderpump Rules or Below Deck. I would argue Dance Moms fits the same career field category since all the girls are professional dancers and the show doesn’t show anything else, but dance.
E! Network is known for providing reality TV surrounding celebrities and famous families such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians, The Anna Nicole Show, The Simple Life, The Girls Next Door, Pretty Wild, Married to Jones, and Life with Kylie, just to name a few.
TLC is another network that is famous for featuring documentary-style reality television shows. This network is known for shining light on rarely seen cultures and lifestyles. Shows like Breaking Amish, Sister Wives, and Little People, Big World all depict unique lifestyles while empathizing with the cast members. The shows don’t depict the cast members as the butt of the joke, rather highlight the fact that they live very normal, everyday lives, just like the audience.
We can’t talk about documentary-style reality shows without talking about the various versions of court, home renovation, supernatural/paranormal, and self-improvement shows that feature individuals or a group of people improving, or simply changing, their lives. Judge Judy is the most well-known version of a court reality show. Apparently, Steve Harvey has a court show now, but we don’t need to go into that.
Zak Bagans is the infamous host of Ghost Adventures. There are many variations of paranormal hunting shows, but this is probably the most popular because of how embarrassing Zak Bagans is.
When discussing self-improvement reality TV shows, we have to talk about the worst show to ever air on television: The Biggest Loser. The show featured overweight contestants being trained by the “best” fitness instructors. The person who lost the most weight won the show and was determined the biggest loser.
Reality competition/game shows follow the format of non-tournament elimination contests. Shows that fall into this category typically have participants living together in a confined space while competing to win a prize. Usually, one participant is eliminated at a time through some sort of voting system and whoever is the last participant is crowned the winner. Well-known examples of this type of reality show are Big Brother or MTV’s The Challenge.
This category of reality TV also includes traditional talent search shows such as the Idol series and the Got Talent series. One or more contestants are eliminated each episode and the public often has a vote on who is removed. Video clips detailing the contestants’ backstories, interviews revealing how participants feel about the competition, and rehearsals/behind-the-scenes moments are played throughout episodes to break up the performances and let the audiences get to know the contestants.
Although not typically considered reality tv, traditional game shows are almost as old as television itself. The first episode of The Price is Right aired in 1956, the first episode of Jeopardy! aired in 1964, the first episode of Wheel of Fortune aired in 1975, and the first episode of Family Feud aired in 1976. More modern, yet traditional game shows such as Deal or No Deal became popular in the 2000s.
Traditional competition-based shows are divided into sub-genres and groups that are specific competitions. For example, dating-based competition shows have been around for decades, starting with The Dating Game back in 1965. However, modern television took this up a notch by forcing participants into a house or close living situation for an extended period of time. Bachelor Nation began in 2002 when The Bachelor was first released. Since then, the franchise has created the following shows: The Bachelorette, Bachelor Pad, Bachelor in Paradise, Bachelor in Paradise: After Paradise, Bachelor Live, Ben and Lauren: Happily Ever After?, The Twins: Happily Ever After, The Bachelor: Winter Games, The Bachelor Presents: Listen to Your Heart, The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons - Ever!, The Golden Bachelor, and various wedding specials.
Believe it or not, Bachelor Nation shows are not the only dating-based competition shows. The following are just a few of the iconic shows VH1 hosted: Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, I Love New York, and A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila. We also can’t forget the incredible MTV dating shows: Room Raiders, Next, Parental Control, and Are You The One? Obviously streaming services had to jump on the bandwagon and created some of their own dating-based competition shows. Netflix has created Too Hot to Handle, Love is Blind, the Circle, Love on the Spectrum, Sexy Beasts, and Dated and Related.
We can’t discuss dating-based competition shows without discussing Love Island. The franchise originated in the U.K. in 2005 as Celebrity Love Island and was picked up again 10 years later when Love Island premiered in 2015. Similar to Big Brother, contestants are continuously monitored during their stay by live television cameras as well as personal audio microphones. Contestants have to “couple up” and those not in relationships can be voted off. As people are voted off, new participants are brought into the villa. Obviously, jealousy and chaos ensues.
The reality competition genre also includes shows portraying participants competing for a specific job title which typically includes a contract to perform that kind of work or simply monetary or ancillary prizes such as the cover article in a magazine. These types of shows typically feature experts in that field acting as counselors, mediators, and judges to help contestants develop their skills further. Examples of shows in this genre are Hell’s Kitchen, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance, Ink Master, The Glee Project, America’s Next Top Model, and Scream Queens.
Everything is Not What It Seems
Speaking of the competition-based reality TV show, Scream Queens, participant Rosanna Pansino revealed on Trisha Paytas’ podcast, Just Trish what her experience was like on the VH1 reality show. Scream Queens premiered in October 2008 and the show features a group of unknown actresses competing for a role in the Saw film series. Legendary Youtuber Rosanna was on the second season of the show and told Trisha that filming the show was nothing like they portrayed on the screen.
To start, the first shot of the second season is a house that contestants didn’t stay in. Rosanna told Trisha that contestants stayed in a warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles without any heat. They were filming in late fall into early winter and even L.A. gets cold that time of year. Contestants had to refer to their home base as “the house” even though they all knew they were living in a cold warehouse.
Prior to moving into the warehouse, the contestants were picked up, taken to a hotel, and put in private rooms for three days of “isolation.” Producers took their cell phones and key cards. While they can call room service and order food, they were unable to leave their rooms. During these three days, contestants were evaluated by a psychologist, who admitted to Rosanna that this “isolation” was purposeful. By keeping the girls isolated for three days, they will bond quicker once introduced and living with each other.
Rosanna was on the show for two weeks, which is portrayed as two episodes in the series. For context, Trisha Paytas was on Celebrity Big Brother and told Rosanna that one episode was two days of filming for that series. However, you wouldn’t know Rosanna participated in as much as she actually did because the post-production edit made it seem like she wasn’t paying attention and didn’t care about the challenges.
She told Trisha that the final cut of her episodes only included small snippets of her acting challenges. She participated in four acting challenges while on the show and went first, two of those times. The other participants were watching her go first, allowing time for them to fix their routines or change their approach to the challenge. Rosanna told Trisha that there were many production errors on set and production used footage of Rosanna waiting for the errors to be fixed as part of her official screen time. This made Rosanna look uncommitted and uninterested in acting, which is a bad look for an aspiring actress.
It’s not surprising that post-production editing can drastically change the storylines and perspectives of those on reality TV shows. Most documentary-style reality shows can have full storylines or plot points concocted by producers and scenes are often “directed” or reshot for clarity. MTV producers clearly set up every single event and activity that occurs on Jersey Shore Family Vacation and it’s extremely obvious. The infamous scene where Schwartz pours his drink on Katie in season two of Vanderpump Rules was reshot, which explains why she didn’t punch him out in response.
In an article published by Vanity Fair titled, “ ‘They Murdered Me’: Reality TV Stars Push Back at Producers’ Cheapest Trick," the author talks to reality tv producers about the practice of “Frankenbiting.” This is when producers formulate sentences from multiple clips into something reality stars didn’t actually say or mean. The Vanity Fair article references producer Toni-Ann Lagana’s tell-all for The Hollywood Reporter, which revealed that there are underpaid, overworked “story producers” who are responsible for sorting through hours of footage to craft deceptively reality scenes.
They often use a software called Avid, which can make phrases from multiple shots sound more natural when strung together. Producers revealed that they’re often encouraged to do whatever they can to obtain as much dialogue as possible during filming, so they are able to manipulate and create scenes later on. Amy Kaufman wrote in her book, Bachelor Nation, that producers have gone as far as to track contestants’ menstrual cycles so they can take advantage of their vulnerability. Producers will typically prompt participants to talk about upsetting subjects such as a family member’s death or a traumatic childhood experience and then use this audio during an unrelated scene, making the woman look hysterical or irrational.
Producers spoke to Vanity Fair anonymously, as most “story producers” are freelancers and therefore, don’t have a union to back them up against executives. They cannot speak up against Frankenbiting without fear of termination; however, they are not typically given straight direction from executives to create false storylines. A producer who spoke to Vanity Fair said most network executives keep critiques “intentionally vague” so no one has to straight up ask or say “our season needs a villain and a slut.”
But utilizing Frankenbiting without any transparency can portray participants completely different. One changed word or misplaced sentence can have a ripple effect that will only impact the person on the screen. Reality stars typically sign NDAs and other contracts binding them from breaking the fourth wall and even if they do push back, there’s often little they can do to change the outcome of how they are portrayed. However, more and more reality stars are open about their false portrayals and their fans are quick to back them up.
Taking Care of the Contestants
Frankenbiting and editing are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to causes of concern within reality TV. Cast members are frequently under the influence of alcohol, which makes great television, but causes great concern. Shows like Jersey Shore and Floribama Shore focus around binge drinking and partying. Jersey Shore cast has been open about their struggles with prescriptions and drugs as well. It’s hard to believe that in a show where people are being filmed 24 hours that someone doesn’t notice behavior that should be deemed dangerous and that person gets removed from the house. But, if Jersey Shore cast members had to leave because they were deemed dangerous, they would all get kicked out. The cast has revealed on podcasts that they would get into fights so frequently, with each other and other people out at the shore, so it became normalized and producers didn’t feel the need to step in.
In Season 2 of Bravo’s Below Deck Down Under two cast members were kicked off due to drunken non-consensual sexual advances to coworkers.
Once charter guests leave the yacht at the end of their vacation, the yacht crew (Below Deck Down Under cast members) all go out for a night of drinking. Female cast member, Margot, went to bed and another male cast member, Luke, went into her room, naked, ignoring producers' requests to get the hell out. He even went as far as to lock producers out of the room. They were able to get him out of the room and he was kicked off the show.
Another cast mate Laura was discussing the situation with Margot and said she would have welcomed Luke into her bed. Laura was upset that Luke wasn’t given a warning and was fired with no questions asked. Earlier in that same episode, producers had to intervene when Laura got on top of a fellow male cast member, Adam, and began to massage his back despite him asking her to stop. She was kicked off for her actions toward Adam as well as the inappropriate comments made to Margot.
There was a lawsuit filed against the production company Kinetic Content, which produces the Netflix show Love is Blind. Tran Dang filmed for Season 5 of the series but is not featured in the episodes. The lawsuit claims that she was sexually assaulted on set by her former fiancé and the company did nothing to stop it. The lawsuit also included a claim that she was falsely imprisoned while filming and producers acted with negligence. Since this initial filing, she also sued production company Delirium TV, which Kinetic claims had responsibility for shooting that season of the series.
This complaint also details that cast members were provided a lot of alcohol, but limited food. They were on set for up to 18 hours per day and were required to ask permission to do basic things like use the restroom. The producers have denied these claims.
However, there are many other contestants from this series that claim filming the show was a traumatic experience that included high levels of exhaustion, insufficient meals, lack of sunlight, and panic attacks. Season 2 cast mate Danielle Ruhl says producers pressured her to stay on the show despite her vocalizing suicidal ideations.
According to an article published by Variety in 2019, nearly 40 reality stars from various programs were found dead by suicide or overdose. This has prompted a larger conversation surrounding the long-lasting mental impact appearing on a reality tv series has on contestants and whether production needs to offer more pre-show screening and post-show support.
Clinical psychologist Brie Rosenfield has consulted on a number of unscripted series and was quoted in Variety saying, “Everyone is really dying to be seen, and for some people, the way they imagine they will fulfill that ultimate experience of being seen is by being on television, by being the center of an entertaining, all-eyes-on-you experience. Being seen is very different in your own personal life than it is on reality television. It can trigger a lot of the areas where we may not have a tremendous amount of resiliency and where, if there is a pre-existing condition in the face of that level of stress and discomfort, some people will not be able to move through.”
Since the early days of reality TV, producers have used therapists and emotional intelligence testing to cast participants. Clinical psychologist Steven Stein has developed a series of scientifically validated assessments used to pre-screen contestants on dozens of North American reality series over the years, including Survivor, The Apprentice, Big Brother Canada, and Scare Tactics.
While the system is now mostly automated to speed up production, Steven said, “we usually tailor the tests in terms of what they’re looking for. Some shows like Big Brother rely a lot on social and interpersonal skills. Other shows sometimes require stamina and managing stress, and so we focus on those areas.”
He adds, “the first and most important thing we also do is a mental-health screening because we want to make sure that it’s safe. That the person is not going to be self-injurious or aggressive. That there are no real addiction problems. No sort of borderline personalities.” Overall, he revealed that only less than 5% of the contestants they evaluate don’t make it through to actual production because they’ve already been pre-screened by casting and other departments.
Stein told Variety that once production starts, he is on-call for additional support and can help contestants prepare for post-production life. However, he is not contacted regarding storylines or any production decision that may impact a contestants’ mental health.
Mental health may be tested during filming, but once contestants return to actual reality, the real tests begin. Contestants have to re-enter society and go back to their normal lives while being judged and critiqued by the public. Stein told the publication that the more reality shows that are produced, the more contestants will be participating, which increases the probability of someone suffering negative consequences. As such, it’s incredibly important to have the proper support before, during, and after filming.
However, it looks like there is hope for more support and better working conditions for reality stars. According to an article published by Deadline, NBCUniversal is updating its guidelines for cast and crew alike. The publication reported that NBCUniversal Entertainment will require expanded alcohol related training to the cast, crew, and production team, which must include details on how production will monitor alcohol, including when consumption limits may be appropriate and when and how to intervene to maintain cast and crew safety. NBCUniversal is also committing to providing psychological care after filming that includes mental health support to cast through the airing of the show and beyond, including mandatory on-set support during reunion tapings.
This Deadline article also mentions the “reality reckoning” being led by Bethenny Frankel. She is working closely with SAG-AFTRA lawyers to obtain better working conditions for cast members and possibly start a union for reality TV stars. One of the main issues she has with Bravo is the “unrealistic NDAs” which restrict cast mates from talking about the show (aka their own life) with the public. Bravo claims this is to prevent disclosure of storylines prior to air, but the network makes it a point to mention that cast members are able to discuss or disclose any unlawful acts in the workplace.
Reality Television Changes Our Reality
So what good has reality TV done? For starters, reality TV started the careers of many celebrities who are now legends in the entertainment industry. The X Factor can be credited to starting the careers of Leona Lewis, Olly Murs, Little Mix, and One Direction, among others. The following artists all made their mark on American Idol: Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Adam Lambert, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Clay Aiken, Kellie Pickler, Lauren Alaina, Fantasia Barrino, David Archuleta, Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee, and many one hit wonders.
There are even celebrities you wouldn’t realize were on reality shows. For example, actress Emma Stone was on the reality show, In Search of the New Partridge Family which followed actors trying to win a part in a TV series called The New Partridge Family. Emma Stone won a part on the show, but it wasn’t officially picked up.
But stardom is not the only thing reality TV has an impact on. As previously mentioned, reality TV shines light on unique lifestyles and humanizing those typically ostracized from society. Past-President Bill Clinton called The Real World contestant Pedro Zamora when he was hospitalized to thank him for his work in HIV and AIDS education. Clinton asked his family if there was anything he could do to show his gratitude, and the Zamora family told the past President that Pedro’s remaining siblings were in Cuba and unable to be with him in his final days. This resulted in Alonso R.del Portillo, Attorney General Janet Reno, Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, and Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen forming an agreement with Cuba that would admit 20,000 Cubans per year to the United States. As for the Zamora family, three of Pedro’s brothers and their families arrived which reunited the family for the first time in 14 years.
Millennials and Gen Z have grown up seeing their identities, values, and struggles represented on the screen. However, our world has become more critical and harsher toward others and often the more dramatic someone is, the more attention they will get. As noted in the TIME article titled, “Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not,” reality shows have been found to exacerbate body anxiety, increase physical aggression, and mess with our expectations for romantic relationships. This makes me laugh because when I need to get some energy or hype myself up to go out, I’ll literally put on Jersey Shore or Floribama Shore to inspire me to get my ass up and drink. This is probably a bad thing.
Long-term exposure to this type of content can reinforce misperception and stereotypes. Women are often portrayed as spoiled, catty, and vain. Gender roles and stereotypes are exacerbated on dating-based reality shows. In addition, reality romances featuring LGBTQ+ cast mates are lacking or misrepresented by the television show.
Reality TV will never end but it needs to get better. The new guidelines by NBCUniversal are a step in the right direction. I also think audiences will tune into reality tv because of other media shifting to the vlog style content. People are more interested in “personalities'' rather than actors as traditional celebrities because it's easier to “connect” with these people. The producers need to make it a priority to be honest about the edit and portray people how they actually are so those people are able to be normal members of society. The fame and public critique that comes from one season of The Bachelor is extremely different to navigate compared to traditional celebrities.
At the end of the day, we should all take reality TV with a grain of salt.
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