Reality TV: WHAT THE HELL?

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Okay, go read this article here and then come back. Done? Good.

So here's my question. Reality tv is getting more and more ridiculous. However, this is the second British reality tv show that offers NO PRIZE. Can someone tell me what the point is? Would any of you go in for a reality tv show hell with no prize? Why does anyone watch these shows? I know we already did the Big Brother thread but at least that show has a flipping prize. And doesn't involve maggots.

― Ally, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The prize = being on TV (many people's "goal in life") and afterwards earning a fair few quid from tabloid interviews, supermarket openings, chat show appearances etc etc.

― Andrew L, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

That idea's really stupid, unless they're going to stick a bunch of Germans in another trench 250yds away and lob explosives at each other. That doesn't give anyone an idea of what it was like without the extreme danger, we can guess that trench life was a bit unhygenic. If the contestants want to leave after a couple of weeks do the producers shoot them I wonder?

― DG, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Did the jailbreak one even reach the end of its run — wasn't it pulled? UK watches BB *because* it's intensely boring (='keeping it real'), not despite cf the delirious TOUCH THE TRUCK!! (Zenith of Human Enervating Culture). Anything that adds spice removes rationale. Remember, UK = nation which invented (count em): Football, Cricket, Tennis, Golf, Bowls, Snooker... And which until outbreak of F&M screened SHEEPDOG TRIALS in PRIMETIME!!

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS!!!

― mark s, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh my god, if they put Germans on the other side and they have to kill each other, this would be the most fantastic show ever. Holy shit, I didn't think of that. I am down with this idea now. I hope they wear real authentic uniforms, those are hot.

― Ally, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

There's another reality show called "Murder In Small Town X". A competitive murder-mystery dinner theater broadcast on TV? Oh, HELL YEAH.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

O'course the prize in Big Brother UK is only 70 grand - which when you consider putting life on hold for 12 weeks, probably jacking in job and being piss bored is not a huge wedge. Its a deposit on a house in London at best. (Possibly buy Scotland though.)

All of this years Big Brother contestants have used language like "doing it for the right reason" - ie the psychological torture aspect. Hmm. There was - after all - no prize in the WWI House, the WWII House or even the Eighties House.

― Pete, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Murder mystery dinner theater is only good if somebody dies. Can we pick a victim?

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Oh my god, if they put Germans on the other side and they have to kill each other, this would be the most fantastic show ever.

They already made that one. It was called "The World at War", and it went on for weeks.

"Reality TV" is a misnomer, really. They should call it "highly contrived situation TV".

A little while ago, there was a doc abt what happened to the a$$holes who were on the original "Big Brother". It made for glum viewing. Low point was the winner, "cheery, down to earth" (and it appeared, alread rather wealthy) scouser Craig being driven to his next PA. To the interviewer he sez something along the lines of "of course I want to be famous. Doesn't everybody want to be famous" with a look of abject fear in his eyes. The rest of them seemed to have wound up doing work along the lines of opening supermarkets and hosting piss poor cable tv shows. Absolutely dismal.

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

ummm...that's the original brit version of "Big Brother", BTW....

x0x0

― Norman Fay, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ned: That's the way they're marketing it! All of the promo shots are BlairWitch-style shaky camera lunges at a shrieking man or woman which then cuts away to a creepy-looking white house. It all looks like the people playing are actually being offed one by one. RAWK!

Of course, if they were being offed, it would be illegal and therefore only suitable for broadcast on "20/20" or "Dateline". GRR.

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Then where is the fun, I ask you?

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Alas, you have trumped me. *sob*

I'm pretty ready for the reality craze to go away. Even The Real World has become plastic and annoying (not that this keeps me from watching it...).

― Dan Perry, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'd not heard of this but if they consider me a fit young man, then where do I sign? I already got trench foot a few years ago at T In The Park and a bit of mustard gas can't hurt. Sounds great. Curse you, General Haig!

― Greg, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I'm afraid I find the whole phenomenon disturbing, degrading and terrifying. That probably makes me sound much more reactionary than I am, but I genuinely hate everything about reality TV, and find it antithetical to everything I believe in.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Why?

(Note: I actually might agree with you, as I hate reality tv too, and would like to discuss it, so it's not a facetious bitchy "Why?")

― Ally, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If I may put words in Robin's mouth:

It's NOT reality - it's hyper-aware staged fiction passed off as reality. Blocked, staged, spliced, etc. The minute you have someone aware that there's a camera on them, they STOP being real. And how many people on these shows aren't photogenic, or struggling actors, or aching to be "famous"?

The trend seems to be to make the situations "extreme", either by including matinee idols in the cast, or by making the situations absurd & surreal. What the hell is "real" about re-staging foxhole warfare? People don't want "reality" - if they did, they'd stop watching TV, and actually pay attention to what's happening around themselves. They want something different, something beyond their capabilities - hence, the shit currently being foisted upon the viewing public.

What I'm waiting for is the real magilla - _The Truman Show_ WITHOUT the actors. 24 hours of a person's life - watch them eat, crap, work, screw, sleep, cry, etc. No post-production, no editing, no situation - just the straight story. No one's going to watch, of course. (Obvious Statement #5,983 from yours truly.)

― David Raposa, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

It's like that damn victorian house thing, when a 1990's famiily went to live as Victorians, the kids had to go to school in old fashioned clothes and one had to work as a greengrocer's assistant...the mother in that show was always freaking out. Adam and Joe did a good send up with their 1980's house. Anyhows, this World War One trench thing is extremely direpesctful and I shall not be watching it.

― james e l, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Ally: I would basically echo everything David says, with the addition that I find these programmes, often, unconsciously revealing of all the worst aspects of humanity, and perhaps because I'm so worried about displaying those tendencies myself, I don't want to see them thrown back at me through such means.

― Robin Carmody, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

So? A hamburger doesn't have any ham but you still eat it. Just because there's no reality doesn't mean I'm not watching Big Brother tonight. I'd quite like Paul to stay because of his funny voice ("That's a bit mad, innit?") but Bubble has to stay because he reminds me of one of my friends and I like him.

― Greg, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Even The Real World has become plastic and annoying

You mean at some point it wasn't plastic and annoying?

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Six hours later, and I believe that that World War One thing is the stupidest idea ever. It'd be like "let's see how members of the general public cope in space" only filmed in Harlow. Or something. You know what I mean.

― DG, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

What about BIG DIET? Is that serious? If anyone has info, I am really curious... Seems atrocious a concept to begin with, watching people lose weight. Yuk.

― Simon, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Could be worse - some novelty web site had a contest where two people had to gain weight. Though it could be argued that within certain bounds those are both equally bad ideas.

― Josh, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Josh -- "within certain bounds" -- you are not without a certain talent for euphemism, mate...

― Simon, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I believe the site Josh refers to also had a "feature" where the writer actually TRIED to develop a foot fungus to see what affect it would have on his foot.

Fungi were also examined on foodstuffs left in the wild - for 30 days, changes were documented. (With pictures, too!)

MTV (once again) is trying to show how Culturally Relevant _The Real World_ is. Granted, they did document alternate lifestyles & various religious POVs on the show. They also manipulated said documentation to get the biggest bang for the buck, and push the most buttons. Should I be chagrined when I see people on TV giving thanks to _The Real World_ for giving them something to identify with? Or should I shove my righteous indignation in the sock drawer?

― David Raposa, Tuesday, 26 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Please don't start me on The Real World. I'll rant on forever about thebehind the scenes manipulation, the decidedly dodgy editing and the bunch'a'cunts that run the show in general (not Billy - hi Billy if you're reading). The odd thing is that no-one really brought reality TV forward from that until the Dutch thought of Big Brother. Then it went nuts.

I suppose The Real World perpetuated the idea that good TV is all in the editing and building stories up. Watching the London one which I worked on it was amazing to see the way they used looks which were completely out of context to try and suggest an affair going on. While BB is also edited, they have to make do with a days material. And anyone who has watched it live on E4 will know that even unedited it can be thoroughly addictive.

Shall i tell you about my reality TV pitch called "Lock-In".

― Pete, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

The Real World is egregiously fake, yes. It's also patently obvious that some of the interview responses are coached for maximum drama.

I find it hilarious that MTV has banned TV in the Real World houses because people don't argue enough if they're watching TV. Hee hee hee. Also, they banned music because they couldn't pick up people's dialogue over the stereo. That's some serious meta- commentary if I've ever seen it.

Just watched the Real World/Road Rules casting special last night... They actually picked some interesting-seeming people for this one. I'm somewhat pissed, though, because they took the two strongest, most clashing personalities (Coral and Ellen) and put them on opposite shows! WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?????

― Dan Perry, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Lars (German DJ type on Real World London) hit upon a tremendous scheme for never being on the program. He chain-smoked all the time. This mean that MTV were wary as showing him often as he was a bad example. Spot on techno boy.

Do you know how much they get paid to be on it as well? Not to mention repeat fees.

― Pete, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

INTOLERABLE! FUCK M T V and their destruction of the idea of music videos being something nice to watch. God I miss seeing videos of real bands I liked actually on day time MTV

― Mike Hanle y, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I do not know how much they got paid. Care to tell us?

― Richard Tunnicliffe, Wednesday, 27 June 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

If I remember rightly they got paid about $10 000 at the end of the series and something like $300 per repeat (this was 1994 and I wasn't that party to the contracts - these were the figures which were bandied around). It may not look like much, but them repeats clock up - not to mention oversees etc.

― Pete, Wednesday, 4 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Pete why on earth were they paid in dollars, I thought this was Real World UK? Is the pound like the rouble now or something?

― Emma, Thursday, 5 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Of the seven housemembers three were American, one was German, one was Australian and only two were English. They were paid in dollars because an American company (Bunim-Murray Productions) was paying them and most of them would not be able to spend pounds in their native lands. I daresay some sort of exchange rate was sorted out for the non-Americans though.

I was paid in dollars too via the magic of exchange rates.

― Pete, Thursday, 5 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

My god. Last night I went drinking in Wicker Park (Chicago), and we decided to sneak a peek at the new Real World house. They are filming in Chicago as we speak. Well, jeezus, you can get more than a peek at it, because they plopped the damn cast down near the busiest hipster intersection in the city. It's fucking nuts: by midnight, there were around two hundred or so moppets hanging around across the street from the building, photographing it and using binoculars, etc.

You could see some of that neo-expressionist decor through the windows. And excessively bright fluorescent lights coming from inside the house at all hours - even at four a.m., when we left the bars. I never bought into the "reality" aspect of this show, of course, but seeing the house and all of their equipment in person really drove home how fake it is. Oh, and they brought out a blue trolley and were filming cast members on it - I've never seen blue trolleys in Wicker Park. I'll bet they empty out the clubs, too, when they want to do a nightlife scene. They also spray-painted a red blob on the front door to give it some sort of gritty "urban" graffiti look, but it just looked like fake blood instead.

As we were walking back to the train at 4 a.m., the moppets had gone to bed, and two cast members were looking out over the street from their expressionist bedroom. They kept waving to us. I almost felt sorry for them.

My grandma watches this show - it's her favorite.

― Kerry Keane, Sunday, 15 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I think it is this fasciating post modern thing . We can no longer tell what is staged and what is "real". We all all always on camera, someone is watching. Wether that is webcams being on a non fiction show ( which is what the emmys are calling them), or walking down the street. Its a symptomn of survalince culture.

― anthony, Sunday, 15 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Grrr...< /a>

― Nicole, Tuesday, 24 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

calling reality tv shows 'non-fiction' is bollocks. they make them do things on almost all of them. wait a minute, putting people on camera and telling them to do things and filming it...sounds like EVERY OTHER TELEVISION SHOW EVER. it's not like the difference between fiction and non- fiction literature, because in fiction the things do not exist and are not happening. but this, it's like calling blair witch a documentary because they used their real names or something.

― ethan, Tuesday, 24 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

they call it "reality" so they don't have to pay em actor's union rate

I just bonded with my new boss over Big Brother. I wish our "reality TV" beezers would become politicians (not the ones off Survivor UK-versh, obviously, who are all hellarubbish...)

― mark s, Tuesday, 24 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Chicago gave the Real World hell again this weekend: seven people arrested in a "riot", I believe. Of course, they called the previous weekends' frolic a "riot", so I take it with a grain of salt.

― Kerry Keane, Tuesday, 24 July 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two months pass...

Did anyone watch "Who Wants to be a Princess?". Without a doubt, the most hilarious of the reality shows. A bunch of strippers, oops sorry "dancers/choreographers" vie for a chance to date a twerpy midget. Beyond classic.

― Nicole, Wednesday, 26 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

wasn't that great? my only disappointment came when i realized that they weren't actually going to be married! (false advertising: it should've been called who wants to be a princess for a day?) and the prince was the grandson of marconi! beats rick rockwell! i've yet to see a who wants to be a... show that has been anything less than fabulous.

― fred solinger, Wednesday, 26 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-four years ago)

one year passes...

This is not an answer, but I am here promoting my Yahoo group.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/haterealitytv/

― Russell Christiansen, Tuesday, 4 February 2003 03:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Okay - you know this reality TV thing has gone too far when someone you know is on one of them. In this case, it's my sister - she knows one of the contestants on "Survivor" Amazon.

― Kerry (dymaxia), Monday, 10 February 2003 17:21 (twenty-two years ago)

four years pass...

This "The Moment of Truth" show looks worse than nuts cancer times American Dad to the John Ashcroft sings 'Let the Eagle Soar'-eth power.

― Oilyrags, Monday, 17 December 2007 02:29 (eighteen years ago)

At least there will be American Gladiators and Celebrity Apprentice for the classier reality tv viewer.

― polyphonic, Monday, 17 December 2007 03:08 (eighteen years ago)

"nuts cancer" is my fraze of the day

― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 17 December 2007 03:27 (eighteen years ago)

Australian Princess was fantastic, this year's winner's surname is BOOBY

― electricsound, Monday, 17 December 2007 03:35 (eighteen years ago)

Did I make up that American Gladiators 4 Kidz show they used to have where they fought on a Food Pyramid with giant asparagus spears and carrots?

― Abbott, Monday, 17 December 2007 03:53 (eighteen years ago)

Stop using vegs as a weapon!

― Oilyrags, Monday, 17 December 2007 04:51 (eighteen years ago)

External confirmation by all I have asked confirms it was probably a vivid dream.

― Abbott, Monday, 17 December 2007 04:54 (eighteen years ago)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiators_2000

― milo z, Monday, 17 December 2007 04:57 (eighteen years ago)

HOLY SHIT MILO Z that is much appreciated.

― Abbott, Monday, 17 December 2007 05:33 (eighteen years ago)

so basically it was like a more combative double dare

― latebloomer, Monday, 17 December 2007 05:36 (eighteen years ago)

six years pass...

I didn't know where else to put this but I recently got into a couple of the SyFy reality shows

the new one Jim Henson's Creature Shop
Basically project runway for puppets and holy shit it's really cool. ie for the 2nd challenge: redesign a Dark Crystal skeksis! full scale, from scratch, go crazy. super awesome.

and Face Off
which is basically project runway for special effects makeup
I don't quite love it AS much as the puppet show but it's still really cool and creative and the challenges are pretty bitchin

however I would like to observe - what is it with older men in these industries and their tendency to dress/speak like magicians. at least one judge on each show is this way and it's kinda lol

― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 25 April 2014 15:27 (eleven years ago)

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