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Ryn
Moderator
08-11-2000
| Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 2:38 pm
Hiyas - I was contacted today by an author writing a book about Reality TV. I was sent several questions and I thought I would share them here so anyone else that wanted to could express their feelings. I will be directing the author to this thread. 1. Why do you think people enjoy reality television so much? What do the shows teach us about ourselves? 2. Do you think reality television teaches people anything about morals or values or what's important? If so, please explain? 3. If you had to pick, which three reality television shows that are on television today will still be on in three years? Why do you think they'll still be on television? What makes each one unique or compelling? 4. How much reality is really in reality television these days? Where does reality end and acting for a camera begin?
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Hippyt
Member
06-15-2001
| Thursday, July 29, 2004 - 2:46 pm
hmmm,interesting....let me think a bit
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Ryn
Moderator
08-11-2000
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 9:52 am
Helloooooo - everyone still thinking??? Hmmmmm???
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Lancecrossfire
Moderator
07-13-2000
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 9:58 am
Ryn--I'm still thinking--and once I have answers it will take awhile to post. How long do we have before the author needs answers?
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Gidget
Member
07-28-2002
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 10:02 am
1. I enjoy it most of all because I love game shows and reality tv is the ultimate in game shows. Also, so much of regular TV has become so stale and predictable I hardly watch anymore. There is no longer a single regular show I would go out of my way to watch... but my favorite realities... cant miss 'em. What I have learned about myself is what I wont do for money <wink> 2. I think reality tv is so out of context with reality, it would not be wise to try and glean some greater truth from it. It is entertainment. It is greed. 3. That is a hard question. I am a Big Brother, Survivor and TAR fan. These shows have been well produced... yes even BB... and they try to keep changing it up to keep it interesting but I think Survivor and BB are getting a little long in the tooth. Even TAR will eventually run out of interesting locales. I would have said American Idol has lasting power but I think all the copycats are diluting that. 4. Another hard question. Although it seems obvious to me there is a lot of manipulation behind the scenes it is still improv... and most people cant be "on" all the time so their true natures slip out.
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Tiernet
Member
06-07-2004
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 10:12 am
I have benn watching reality tv since MTVs Real World II. 1. I can usually put myself into the situation and start wondering who I would get along with and how I would handle the individual situations that they encounter. Reality tv gives the impression that it is real life (though we know otherwise that it is force and to a certain degree scripted). My favorite is Amazing Race because I love to travel and am involved in the travel industry. I know a lot about travel and I would love an opportunity to try the experience. Again it is as though I am placed into the situation or in this case race. I think that it reaffirms that fact that I am really spontanious(sp?) and enjoy the qualities and excitement that go with it. 2. I dont think that reality tv teaches morals or values but it does put that behavior out there for the world to see and it to a certain degree magnifies these behaviors. Usually it is these behaviors that attract the most attention. 3. Want to stay around: All because of the travel aspect: Amazing Race, Survivor, MTV Road Rules Probably will stay around MTV Real World, it has been around a long time without any hints of going away. Big Brother, it fits a good summer filler role Survivor, it has won over the mainstream viewers 4. As reality tv evolves it will become less real because everything else will have already been done. To get the viewers the shows will always have to push the envelope and try something different. Why else would we have a show about the Amish. To achieve the undone things will become more scripted. I will add more thoughts later if I have time....
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Seamonkey
Member
09-07-2000
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 11:35 am
1. Why do you think people enjoy reality television so much? What do the shows teach us about ourselves? I was a psych major and always have been interested in human interaction and behavior.. loved documentaries and really got into "reality" or "unscripted" tv with Real World Los Angeles, but became hooked with Real World San Francisco. What have I learned about myself? I already knew I was fascinated with the entire spectrum of human behavior. I've learned that some people will totally compromise themselves and justify pretty much anything if they think they can get money or "the big break" and I've reconfirmed that I wouldn't ever do that. 2. Do you think reality television teaches people anything about morals or values or what's important? If so, please explain? Yes. I guess I touched upon this above but I think there is a wide variety of answers, depending on the person.. some will see the behaviors as justified for money or fame, others of us conclude just the opposite, that from Reality we can see that the bad actors are universally reviled and destined to sink into oblivion 3. If you had to pick, which three reality television shows that are on television today will still be on in three years? Why do you think they'll still be on television? What makes each one unique or compelling? That's difficult because some of the very best shows die for crazy reasons.. some of the most unique, compelling and worthy shows are allowed to die.. e.g., The Mole - good quality, humor, host.. gone. The Family (the one with George, the tan guy.. that was a hoot and was yanked and then finally finished.. not high quality but very entertaining. So what may be around isn't what I'd like to be around or what deserves to be around.. unfortunatley some dating shows will be around even though they jumped the shark long long ago. I think Survivor will be around and I think that is good. Big Brother apparently won't be around, in the US. Too bad, but it was too bad that Arnold Shapiro got ahold of it after season one. Some show types don't last even though they are brilliant because they require a naive set of contestants.. Joe Schmo is wonderful but cannot continue because the element of surprise will be gone. 4. How much reality is really in reality television these days? Where does reality end and acting for a camera begin? It has become a blurry blurry line, but when you think about it, even the acting IS reality, if the show isn't totally scripted.. thus if a "normally nice" person purposely acts out, yes, he/she is acting, but that it the reality with which the other players and viewers have to deal.. So it is A type of reality.. I'd like to add that while I watch and enjoy lots of Reality TV, I also treasure the really good shows, both on network and cable.. such as Dead Like Me, Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk, The L Word, oan of Arcadia and many more.. so Reality isn't my whole reality..
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Fruitbat
Member
08-07-2000
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 12:55 pm
1. Not knowing the outcome is a tremendous pull. The direction shifts and the winner difficult to predict in most cases. They are a new and fresh breath of air to the predictable scripted shows (HBO the exception). On reality tv the good guys don't always win. Message boards make them interactive as well and a huge part of my personal enjoyment. I don't watch tv to be taught about myself and, even if it possible, reality tv is not the vehicle. I want to be entertained. 2. No. They are for fun. Sit back, relax and enjoy. Well, you can scream at the TV, if you want. That is a good thing to do. I think they can hear you sometimes. 3. This one is tough because they all are fraying at the edges. Survivor could possibly stand the test of 3 more years but major changes would have to occur. Tighter security so the winners are not known ahead would be key. The best one was dropped after 2 seasons with no explanation. The Mole. TAR exhausts me but I still watch. It's fast pace and appearance only once a year make this a good contender to survive. The orignal Bachelor and Bachlorette could make it. Not sure about all the spin offs. These shows are the worst of the lot, though I watch. 4. This is a blurry line but I believe there is more reality in them than we often think. There are no scripts but behind the scenes manipulation possibly creates a direction that would not have occured without intervention. Survivor is an exception here.
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Vee
Member
02-23-2004
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 2:10 pm
1. Why do you think people enjoy reality television so much? What do the shows teach us about ourselves? My opinion is that the shows are quite a bit more exciting than viewers' ordinary experiences, which includes their ordinary television viewing. I find that the players often serve as a bad example of behavior. Sometimes I have thought that if I could watch myself in conversation or behavior that I might have the same cringe factor that I've had when watching these programs... 2. Do you think reality television teaches people anything about morals or values or what's important? If so, please explain? Perhaps, but I don't usually think of it in those terms. I am more drawn to those who appear to have values and behave in more "noble" ways, however. 3. If you had to pick, which three reality television shows that are on television today will still be on in three years? Why do you think they'll still be on television? What makes each one unique or compelling? a. The Amazing Race...very exciting, lots of activity, learn new things about other cultures b. Survivor...psychologically interesting in that the players eliminate each other, survival of the fittest and all that c. Starting Over...a positive, usually feel-good show about growth and change, the life-coaching can easily be applied to one's own life 4. How much reality is really in reality television these days? Where does reality end and acting for a camera begin? I have no way of knowing for certain, but I have the sense that, once time goes by and the players become more used to the cameras, their true selves are revealed. What isn't "reality" is dishonest editing or extreme manipulations by the shows' producers.
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Twiggyish
Member
08-14-2000
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 2:19 pm
1. Why do you think people enjoy reality television so much? What do the shows teach us about ourselves? a. Speaking for myself, I enjoy seeing "real" people in different situations. b. That some people would do anything for money. It seems greed is a motivating factor. Why else would anyone degrade and humiliate themselves on television? 2. Do you think reality television teaches people anything about morals or values or what's important? If so, please explain? a. I really don't see many moral values in reality tv. b. Money. (see answer 1b) 3. If you had to pick, which three reality television shows that are on television today will still be on in three years? Why do you think they'll still be on television? What makes each one unique or compelling? a. Big Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race. b. There is an unpredictable quality to each. c. Big Brother is unique as it shows people in a confined space.. The strategies and alliances are interesting to pick apart! Survivor, shows the endurance of the human spirit..or the depths people will sink for money. Amazing race will survive because it brings forth the competitive nature in all of us. We all have our favorites! 4. How much reality is really in reality television these days? Where does reality end and acting for a camera begin? a. I am sure there is some acting involved..but I really don't know how much.
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Pamy
Member
01-02-2002
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 8:40 pm
I am still waiting for the Family Plots interview I had questions for
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Lancecrossfire
Moderator
07-13-2000
| Friday, July 30, 2004 - 9:05 pm
1. Why do you think people enjoy reality television so much? What do the shows teach us about ourselves? I think people enjoy the shows for a couple of reasons. One is entertainment. The producers know that to stay on the air and come back next season, they have to get good ratings. So no matter the game, they have to make it entertaining. Next is the factor of competition. People seem to enjoy competition. The reality shows can potentially put competition in a bit different light—making it something to watch out of desire to see something a bit different. Next is the idea of rooting for someone we identify with. Sense these folks are not actors, there is a greater chance of connecting to a given approach of playing a game. I don’t know if they always teach us about ourselves. I think that is a case by case basis where someone is looking to see something about themselves through the actions of a player or possibly by giving thought to what one would do if in the situation of the game. 2. Do you think reality television teaches people anything about morals or values or what's important? If so, please explain? In certain ways, I believe this does happen. I don’t know that reality TV teaches us about specific morals or values. I do think it teaches us how people apply them in different circumstances—and more importantly what works with different people. I think over all we end up learning that while people say they want truth and honesty, for the most part they do not. Much more often than not, such traits such as sucking up, lying, cheating and half-truths succeed much better. This is the case for the shows such as Big Brother or Survivor where the interpersonal interactions play a big part in the outcome. Games such as The Mole or The Amazing Race are more about just competing in events. Ok, the Mole as far as finding out who the mole is has a lot to do with interpersonal interactions, although that show is set up with deception from the beginning by having a mole. What we see is that in BB or Survivor, if someone is up front and honest, they don’t last long. They end up saying something that hurts feeling or doesn’t go along with what someone else wants—and the reaction is to get rid of them instead of competing with them. Winning in these games rarely has anything to do with beating the best person so you can say you are the best player. The best player is typically those who can use and manipulate others. The important lesson here is that this is what people allow to work. I think that is a very important lesson. I think it explains a lot about how things are run in real life—politics, business (and how people most often get ahead). At the same time one can see some very positive things in these games—people puling together for a common cause. People testing their limits and seeing that amazing things can happen. People can see real life examples of people at their best and at their worst. I think that is valuable. 3. If you had to pick, which three reality television shows that are on television today will still be on in three years? Why do you think they'll still be on television? What makes each one unique or compelling? I think that in some form, American Idol, Big Brother and Survivor will be on. For myself, I’d rather see it be Bib Brother, Survivor, Amazing Race and Mole. I know that is 4—but they are all very good in their own right. To answer the second part about why they will still be on and what makes them unique: American Idol: This show represents a number of things many people can relate to. You have “every day” people competing for a high priced finish in singing. Singing is an art form most everyone would like to good with. Yet, most are not. So we root for someone who is—just like we go to events where people play games way better than they could. We like seeing the best. Especially in something we all wish we could do. We like to see people perform under pressure—to see if they might fail. Kind of like how everyone wonders if there will be a wreck when they go to watch a car race. The drama of the potential for failure—and when it happens how is it handled. Another thing about AI that is a hit is that America gets to vote. Nothing quite like the feeling that you have an affect on this whole process. That is what makes AI unique as well. There is also the thing about seeing the judging. While Simon is a judge, he is also a catalyst for crowd reaction. People watch in part to see Simon and what he will say. Big Brother: I think it will be around if it’s done properly. It runs the risk of losing that because the producer is worried (in my opinion) that whatever it takes to entertain must be done even though it will spoil what the game is all about—and what the game is all about is what makes BB the most unique reality game of all. Big Brother is about locking up strangers and keeping them from contact with other people, news, TV, radio, basically the outside world—and at the same time, having all the outside world have access to them. It is a study in human behavior that could never be done by the scientific community. Yet, here it is on TV. The uniqueness of BB is multi-fold. The isolation. The issue of everyone looking on with sight and sound being played from the house. It is real time while the others are recorded—and in many cases recorded way before they are ever shown. BB allows unlimited number of people to look in as it happens. The isolation for me is the basic premise of BB though—and keeping that true is the most important factor to get the best game—and it is being ruined with telephone calls, letters, going out for award shows and other such things. I think this is proven by the fact that BB seems to be taken more personally than any of the other games. It’s more about people and their reactions—and that is very personal. If BB cab maintain a level of consistency in how it administers rules, keeps them under pressure by not feeding them so well, and keeps them isolated for the entire time, I think people would see a better game. It might get a bit more tedious because it isn’t 3 days packed into 40 minutes of editing—if you have the live feeds. I fear though, that TV will be BB’s undoing. That and cutting costs. Survivor: Survivor provides for a great balance of physical challenges of getting by (although not true survival) and interpersonal interactions. Expense is not spared to make the show better Mark Burnett pays a lot of money to get the best game possible. It is something that is more people could relate to doing—43 days as opposed to about 100 days for BB. 50,000 applications each time show that people are interested—VERY interested in Survivor. I think this gives a better talent pool to choose from than all the other shows. It also provides for 1 million dollars for a win—a better prize by far than the 500K for BB. Also Burnett makes the show and the activities in such a manner that the people, the culture and the ways of the given area are part of the game. It connects all of them to where they are and what they see. Form interviews I’ve seen and heard about, it seems like Survivor has the biggest percentage of players saying that it’s an experience that is life altering. I think that makes for a very unique game. Survivor seems intense for the players—more extreme for what they need to do so they can win. Things happen faster—3 days between people going. Always rewards too—and even with the rewards, advantages and disadvantages for winning them. BB is mainly about the mental challenge—Survivor has strong components of both physical and mental. Survivor is very primal. The whole tribe thing, the whole issue of getting fire for cooking and for warmth and in most cases for safe drinking water. It seems to be the game with the fewest rules too. That makes for a greater number of ways to go about playing the game. Then there is the editing—Burnett seems to be a master at showing things that don’t go anywhere, and showing things that give things away—though we never know which is which. As long as he tells the story of what really happens and doesn’t make it a work of fiction for how it ends, I think Survivor will attract a huge crowd. If only Survivor had the live feeds and was done live—I believe it would never go off the air. 4. How much reality is really in reality television these days? Where does reality end and acting for a camera begin? I think the reality of reality TV is how people will react to situation and to trying to win. And of course how people react to those reactions. See my answer for #2 for what I think the reality is all about. Survivor isn’t really about surviving on an island. Amazing Race is about a race around the world, but that isn’t typical of real life—not many people have their reality as a race around the world. It may be a metaphor for how they live their lives though. The answer to where reality ends and acting begins depends on the reality show and the people they pick. I think that because people expect bigger than life things to be on TV, the players feel somewhat pressured to give us that so we keep watching. So want TV exposure for future careers. Some just play the game and don’t care about acting (Frank Garrison in Survivor Africa is a great example of that).
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