Reality television has become increasingly popular over the years; showing viewers the dramatic lives of celebrities and reality stars in places like Los Angeles and New York City. Although these shows show no greater purpose than to entertain audiences with the misfortunes and dramatics of their lives, they've become addicting and hard to turn away from.
When watching these shows, do you ever think, 'there's no way this is actually happening.' This much drama? Falling so perfectly in place? Someone HAS to be getting paid to do this. And all of these shows have common aspects that are no coincidence. There's the sweetheart, the airhead, and of course, the villain. And if you really think about it, these "characters" are nothing more than actors getting paid to stir the pot, make America fall in love with them, be the voice of reason, or whatever part they serve in the show.
The myth about Reality T.V. and its level of "realness" is clear when you compare two popular shows: The Bachelor and UnREAL. Essentially the same plot line about a man searching for love among dozens of women while going on insane dates and living in an extravagant house, there proves to be one fatal difference: one show is scripted, while the other is a reality tv show. In addition, one follows the behind scenes aspect, while the other focuses on the contestants themselves.
Let's first look at The Bachelor. A show dedicated to real life men finding what should be there wives through a series of dates and rose ceremonies until they are left with "the one." Season 21 has followed Nick Viall on his 4th shot at finding love among 30 women. From Nick's past one night stand Liz, to dolphin obsessed Alexis, to absolute wifey material Raven, to way too sexual Corrine; the show started off strong with it's level of drama, intensity, and strangeness.
Over the past 21 seasons, the show has consisted of cat fights, secret affairs, crazy lunatics, sexy scandals, and the iconic villain every season that everyone loves to hate. Tears have been cried, insults have been said, and punches have been thrown. And through all that, one can't help but think, there's no way this is real. People must be getting paid or manipulated or something.
That brings us to UnREAL. A scripted series that follows the behind the scenes actions of the producers and directors of a love finding show called Everlasting, which is the same thing as The Bachelor. Throughout UnREAL, it is shown how the producers of the show manipulate and convince the contestants on Everlasting to do things that will get them higher ratings. They prep the girls for specific roles such as "the wifey" or the "the bitch", showing how Reality T.V. stars are forced or manipulated to act certain ways for the "better" of the show. In addition to this, they mess with the girls lives; switching out their medications, purposely bringing up issues of assault and losses of the past to drive them crazy or make them cry, and convincing each and every one of them that they're going to win.
The scandals and dramatic moments we all crave when watching reality TV are proven to be nothing more than the artwork of show runners. Nothing about it is "real." It's all fake and manipulated crap people in power force to make more money. UnREAL demonstrates the truth behind what really goes on in The Bachelor. The girl that seems a little off? She's probably getting paid more to act that way. The girl that acts normal with the suitor and crazy with the contestants? She's probably been promised the final rose if she creates as much drama as possible. The girl who seems perfect? She probably has a fatal past the crew in keeping under wraps to protect her image.
And from that one can see how Reality T.V., although entertaining, is just as fake as your other scripted series. Pretending it's real, however, is something people worldwide do. Sometimes that's to make them feel better about their own lives -- convince them that there's people out there who are worth keeping up with, or because they simply never thought about the possibility of it all bring manipulated. Despite the false advertising of "reality" within these shows, they will still continue to be watched and their rise in popularity will increase as a more controlled scandal is created.
Next time you watch one of these shows, just remember, these aren't these people's actual lives. These are the lives they've created for your enjoyment, for your pleasure.
