Say it aint so! Reality TV isnt real!

[Buzzard]

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/20 ... ing-apart/

I realize this is everyone heres favorite news source but I'll take the risk of spanking for reading/watching fox news.

It goes through allegations of shenanigans on various networks and shows. It doesnt reference the Duggars specifically, likely because they arent high enough on anyone's radar to give a shit. I think its interesting how blatent some of the actions are

The Discovery Channel also recently found itself in a legal battle. A ship owner filed a suit against its Animal Planet series "Whale Wars" for $5 million, claiming the show lied about the state of his ship and sabotaged the boat to encourage viewers to donate to an anti-whaling organization, the Sea Shepherds.

But, sadly, I fear that this is correct - no one will care that the Duggar's shit is staged, scripted, or completely faked because THEY LOVE JEEEESUUUSS!

So what do these accusations and lawsuits mean for the ever-lucrative reality TV shows?

"The 'reality' shows are in all actuality, lying to their viewers,†John DiThomas, Producer/Partner at Rough Water Films said. “The audience, even if they subconsciously know it is not real, will become angry, and personally I think they should."

But according to prominent reality television agent Alec Shankman, there is little chance faked scenes will impact the audiences of these shows.

“Although the fact that certain storylines and shows are contrived has certainly been brought to light, what matters most to the audience are the characters,†he said. “As long as the characters are genuine, the ‘produced’ storylines don’t seem to be a real concern for fans and ratings.â€

[Lillybee]

I agree, it has been said that the producers (fired now) of RHONJ tampered with the time line to make one of the HW look worse than she was. That producer was allegedly BFF with one of the other wives.

[lilwriter85]

A lot of lies about reality shows have been exposed over the years. I still remember those VH1 documentaries that exposed several shows that aired in the early 00s. Producers at E! staged several things for the short lived reality show Dirty Soap. Dirty Soap followed a group of soap actors and some of the actors' fanbases exposed E!'s lies early on. One of the participants Kelly Monaco went through a painful breakup with a longtime boyfriend. The producers made it seem as if Kelly hadn't been dating anyone new within the past two years. Her fans commented on several sites about how they knew Kelly had a new boyfriend. They had seen the new boyfriend at fan events.

With the Duggars, some IMDB posters were pissed a couple of years back when public records had revealed that Josh doesn't own the car lots. The Duggars have lost popularity and their fans don't know or sometimes don't even care if things are staged. Some of the Duggar leg humpers tend to take everything seen on the show as truths. I still remember Diane Standherr getting into it with a few FJers on FB over the J'Slave Chicago trip. She kept saying that the girls were on their own in Chicago.

[miffy]

I liked the ending of The Hills. Everybody (hopefully) knew that the scenes were mostly set up or re-shoots of things that had previously happened. But it turned out to be almost 100% fake, right down to Kristin & Brody's relationship.

[lilwriter85]

I liked the ending of The Hills. Everybody (hopefully) knew that the scenes were mostly set up or re-shoots of things that had previously happened. But it turned out to be almost 100% fake, right down to Kristin & Brody's relationship.

I also liked it. A lot of my friends who watched the show figured it was staged, but there were some hilarious moments when cast members couldn't pull things off. The Soup used to make fun of The Hills almost every week during its run.

[Maggie Mae]

There was a guy on Reddit today who said he had competed in some cooking show (I think on Discovery) and throughout the whole thing producers were sabotaging.

[BlondeAgent007]

I think the field trips are set up by the show, but I don't think it's scripted in the way some reality shows are. The Duggars actually do show a surprising amount of reality on television, like the births of all the kids and some family crises. An easy way to fix the Jubilee birth announcement fiasco would have been to stage and reshoot the scene. Then they wouldn't have had to use the camera snap effect to alter out the Josiah issue. I think what the Duggars do is conveniently make sure certain details of their lives never come to light. They allow so much of their personal lives to be filmed that they can be sure some things stay private. Viewers get the sense that they have the whole picture, when they don't.

Sorry if this isn't coherent, I hate editing and I am exhausted.

[roddma]

A lot of lies about reality shows have been exposed over the years. I still remember those VH1 documentaries that exposed several shows that aired in the early 00s. Producers at E! staged several things for the short lived reality show Dirty Soap. Dirty Soap followed a group of soap actors and some of the actors' fanbases exposed E!'s lies early on. One of the participants Kelly Monaco went through a painful breakup with a longtime boyfriend. The producers made it seem as if Kelly hadn't been dating anyone new within the past two years. Her fans commented on several sites about how they knew Kelly had a new boyfriend. They had seen the new boyfriend at fan events.

With the Duggars, some IMDB posters were pissed a couple of years back when public records had revealed that Josh doesn't own the car lots. The Duggars have lost popularity and their fans don't know or sometimes don't even care if things are staged. Some of the Duggar leg humpers tend to take everything seen on the show as truths. I still remember Diane Standherr getting into it with a few FJers on FB over the J'Slave Chicago trip. She kept saying that the girls were on their own in Chicago.

Yea they tried hopelessly to show the girls went places by themselves , but you could see the two chaperones in the background. They also try to hopeleslsy paint Josh more successful than he is. It isn't so much that Jim Bob owns the car lots as the fact they hid the truth. Why do they think the audience would have a problem with Jim bob owning a car lot and Josh paying rent or whatever? They could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by being truthful . I thought truthfulness was a virtue in Quiverfull/ATI.

[Kitty]

I've suspected for a very long time that the Duggars rely on their ATI training up that they do editing to make sure certain details of their lives stay private. As much as I hate that training, it's a really good strategy on their part and it makes it harder for the producers to sabotage them, film the reactions, and portray them in a (different) inaccurate light via editing. Of course, it means that their show is boring as hell and isn't all that well-known, but of course they can take advantage of their relative obscurity and hide their ties to Gothard and the fact that Josh isn't very successful.

Even Mythbusters isn't immune to nasty producers. Two words: Baghdad Battery. That show doesn't really have any drama or storylines, and is definitely not scripted, but one producer was willing to jeopardize the safety of the cast if it meant good television. That producer left (or was sacked) years ago. It's no secret that the show is edited for time, and the more boring aspects of setting up the experiments are left out. Even in the 'best of' episodes the cast mentions this.

Also, MTV manipulates the fuck out of Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. I have friends who watch Teen Mom and are just now finding out that Leah is engaged again. She's been engaged for months. A lot of the cast's hijinks are captured in tabloids but aren't noticed until (or unless) the hijinks make it onto the show. Some of Jenelle's several arrests haven't made it to air.

[miffy]

I think if the producers tried to sabotage them or make them look bad they would just quit(or Gothard would make them). Even with all the fundie dysfunction they are by far the most normal people on reality TV. (apart from maybe Yolanda & Lisa on RHWBH)

[lilwriter85]

I've suspected for a very long time that the Duggars rely on their ATI training up that they do editing to make sure certain details of their lives stay private. As much as I hate that training, it's a really good strategy on their part and it makes it harder for the producers to sabotage them, film the reactions, and portray them in a (different) inaccurate light via editing. Of course, it means that their show is boring as hell and isn't all that well-known, but of course they can take advantage of their relative obscurity and hide their ties to Gothard and the fact that Josh isn't very successful.

Even Mythbusters isn't immune to nasty producers. Two words: Baghdad Battery. That show doesn't really have any drama or storylines, and is definitely not scripted, but one producer was willing to jeopardize the safety of the cast if it meant good television. That producer left (or was sacked) years ago. It's no secret that the show is edited for time, and the more boring aspects of setting up the experiments are left out. Even in the 'best of' episodes the cast mentions this.

Also, MTV manipulates the fuck out of Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. I have friends who watch Teen Mom and are just now finding out that Leah is engaged again. She's been engaged for months. A lot of the cast's hijinks are captured in tabloids but aren't noticed until (or unless) the hijinks make it onto the show. Some of Jenelle's several arrests haven't made it to air.

MTV pretty much manipulates all of their reality shows. They have been doing since the early 90s when Real World was started. The cast members from the first Real World season talked about reshoots and manipulation on the E! True Hollywood Story which aired in 2003 or 2004. There was a cool message board called tubescan which focused on Real World and it's sister show Road Rules. The moderator there managed to keep track on a lot of the former cast members and she found out that some cast members cut off ties with MTV after their shows. Some former cast members have slammed MTV quite a bit. I got turned off by the Real World, Road Rules, and the producers after reading that board.

Another 16&Pregnant manipulation came to light recently because of the couple who adopted Catelynn and Tyler's daughter. The adoptive parents Brandon and Theresa revealed that C&T picked them as parents before MTV even selected C&T for filming. A lot of C&T's 16&Pregnant was staged to make it look like they picked B&T as filming started.

[lilwriter85]

Yea they tried hopelessly to show the girls went places by themselves , but you could see the two chaperones in the background. They also try to hopeleslsy paint Josh more successful than he is. It isn't so much that Jim Bob owns the car lots as the fact they hid the truth. Why do they think the audience would have a problem with Jim bob owning a car lot and Josh paying rent or whatever? They could have saved themselves a lot of trouble by being truthful . I thought truthfulness was a virtue in Quiverfull/ATI.

I think if the Duggars were truthful about the car lots, many people wouldn't have issues with them. Many people would understand why Boob owns the lots. I know several people who work for businesses owned by their parents. Michelle's "leave and cleve" speech has turned into BS because it never happened. Anna and her kids supported by Boob and Mullet. The Duggars are dumb in a lot of ways. They have the attitude that every viewer will buy into their manipulations. They might not have known that certain public records can be easily accessed.

[merrily]

I've suspected for a very long time that the Duggars rely on their ATI training up that they do editing to make sure certain details of their lives stay private. As much as I hate that training, it's a really good strategy on their part and it makes it harder for the producers to sabotage them, film the reactions, and portray them in a (different) inaccurate light via editing. Of course, it means that their show is boring as hell and isn't all that well-known, but of course they can take advantage of their relative obscurity and hide their ties to Gothard and the fact that Josh isn't very successful.

Even Mythbusters isn't immune to nasty producers. Two words: Baghdad Battery. That show doesn't really have any drama or storylines, and is definitely not scripted, but one producer was willing to jeopardize the safety of the cast if it meant good television. That producer left (or was sacked) years ago. It's no secret that the show is edited for time, and the more boring aspects of setting up the experiments are left out. Even in the 'best of' episodes the cast mentions this.

Also, MTV manipulates the fuck out of Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant. I have friends who watch Teen Mom and are just now finding out that Leah is engaged again. She's been engaged for months. A lot of the cast's hijinks are captured in tabloids but aren't noticed until (or unless) the hijinks make it onto the show. Some of Jenelle's several arrests haven't made it to air.

What happened in Baghdad battery? Well, TV is scripted, and I doubt viewers would want a 3 hour show of failures in experiments.

[Justme]

Not at all fundie, but House Hunters is "scripted" as well. The home buyer has to have a home purchased for applying. They then "stage" the hunt and show 2 decoy homes. I still watch it, especially the international show. I like seeing the houses.

I'd sure love to know the true backstory on Love it or List it. The agent and decorator are such bad actors!! As are most of the home owners. I watch the first 15 minutes to get the story, then the last 10 minutes to see their home redecorated and the final home choice. The 30 minutes in the middle is just a waste of time and staged drama.

[2xx1xy1JD]

One of the reasons that I like locally-produced reality shows is that it's a bit easier to find out the real scoop. In general, the Canadian reality shows can be a bit messier/less scripted, but some still have some heavy-handed editing.

I know one family that was featured in "Rich Bride, Poor Bride". Basically, they selectively edit tons of footage to paint a particular image - in this case, trying to make the father of the bride look cheap. It's pretty clear if you pay attention to the final cost that he was anything but. I actually felt really bad for them, since the cameras caught them saying some embarrassing stuff (including a comment about someone else that we both know). To make matters worse, an American cable channel picked up the show, so we saw it repeated in New York.

I like Property Virgins because the outcome isn't known in advance.

To me, the internet is more like the ultimate reality show. When I was on Babycenter, for example, I never knew whose pregnancy would be successful, or how a bad fetal defect would play out, or if anything else would go right or wrong. Sometimes it was boring, sometimes it was heartbreaking, but it was real.

[Closed Womb]

I do think there are many different levels of "non-reality TV."

Like many have said, 19KAC shows many field trips that are not a part of the Duggar's normal lives (save J, A, M, and M, who seem to hang out at SDC quite a lot), but I think that is generally something to keep the show alive. My guess is that the director tries to influence, but it's not scripted. How much TTC, SOTDRT, and BroomBall can one film crew shoot?

But then there are other shows that are scripted reality. I met a "bridezilla" who claimed that the producers told her what to say into the camera. Since she was being well compensated, she agreed, but then was pissed at how bad she came off (aside: WTF? The show is Bridezillas! You ARE the Bride. You WILL come off looking badly.)

[lilwriter85]

I remember there was a site that exposed Bridezillas. Someone wrote about an experience she had at a restaurant where Bridezillas was filmed at. The restaurant manager told the guests that film crew and participants would be there. She said that an argument was staged there.

[wild little fox]

BWAAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAA!!!

No! You don't say?!?! It's fake?!

Dang! I need to learn the code for the little guy rolling on the floor laughing.

Oh, Fox News you are a non ending source of entertainment with your ridiculousness !

:lol: :lol:

The only reality show I watch is Myth Busters. I did watch Bear Grylis for one season, but the guy is so dangerous. I watche Les Stroud.

As for other types of shows they just are not my thing. I do watch Duggar clips here and there but I can't STAND fundies. I can't deal with misogyny or patriarchy. I've been around it far too much. They seriously make me gag. I have strong feelings about Michelle's misogyny towards her daughters and them selling out their children as an income. As someone who feels I was cut off at the knees as a child because of religious fundamentalism, I can't look into the Duggar girls eyes... :'(

[keen23]

Obnoxious Dave from Storage Wars is suing A&E saying that his show was fake. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/sto ... d=17948408

Honestly, I don't care that if it was or wasn't. No one got hurt- except for maybe Dave Hester's feelings- over Storage Wars.

[nokoanna]

Not saying that the show is complete reality, but I do like on Grand Designs when they just have to go "Well that house didn't get finished, so..." Makes it seem a bit more real at least.

[roddma]

I think the field trips are set up by the show, but I don't think it's scripted in the way some reality shows are. The Duggars actually do show a surprising amount of reality on television, like the births of all the kids and some family crises. An easy way to fix the Jubilee birth announcement fiasco would have been to stage and reshoot the scene. Then they wouldn't have had to use the camera snap effect to alter out the Josiah issue. I think what the Duggars do is conveniently make sure certain details of their lives never come to light. They allow so much of their personal lives to be filmed that they can be sure some things stay private. Viewers get the sense that they have the whole picture, when they don't.

Sorry if this isn't coherent, I hate editing and I am exhausted.

It may be true the DUggars are less scripted, but the Duggars are generally the most unrealistic in other ways. Fans brag how Michelle never yells and the kids never back talk or argue. This should raise a red flag alone. When I was a fan, I thought they were a refreshing change and then found their true beliefs. There is no way 21 people all think alike and get along 24/7. Yelling or back talk is just natural and doesnt mean you love your family less.

[Green Glass]

I guess I thought that by now most people already knew that "reality" TV is definitely not entirely real, but I suppose it's news to someone. I figure the vast majority of shows are going to at least have some set up situations or "help" from producers, and even the ones that don't are going to be heavily edited. The Duggars definitely have some "misleading" stuff on their show and it's funny that some of the leghumpers deny it so vehemently. Particularly the fully-grown leghumpers. I can understand a 14 year old fundie who wants to be just like the Duggars not wanting to believe that a lot of it is fake, but anadult who denies it is just kind of sad.

[lilwriter85]

It may be true the DUggars are less scripted, but the Duggars are generally the most unrealistic in other ways. Fans brag how Michelle never yells and the kids never back talk or argue. This should raise a red flag alone. When I was a fan, I thought they were a refreshing change and then found their true beliefs. There is no way 21 people all think alike and get along 24/7. Yelling or back talk is just natural and doesnt mean you love your family less.

I liked them in their pre-series documentaries. Things just seemed off with the Duggars on the regular show. Their show premiered a couple of years after Little People, Big World and Jon&Kate Plus 8. Disagreements were shown on both of those shows. Over the time, I realized how unrealistic the Duggars are. I agree, there is no way 21 people could ever get along 24/7/. I think footage of the Duggar family having disagreements have been filmed, but that footage ends up on the cutting room floor. TLC picked the Duggars to be the "always happy family that never fights". I was a bit surprised last season when footage of Jana talking about past drama with Jinger or Jessa was aired on the show.

[lilwriter85]

I guess I thought that by now most people already knew that "reality" TV is definitely not entirely real, but I suppose it's news to someone. I figure the vast majority of shows are going to at least have some set up situations or "help" from producers, and even the ones that don't are going to be heavily edited. The Duggars definitely have some "misleading" stuff on their show and it's funny that some of the leghumpers deny it so vehemently. Particularly the fully-grown leghumpers. I can understand a 14 year old fundie who wants to be just like the Duggars not wanting to believe that a lot of it is fake, but anadult who denies it is just kind of sad.

Since last year, I have also noticed that some of the leghumpers on the 19kac FB page think everything on reality TV is real. They don't know about the methods that reality show producers use. Sean Overbeeke is just as bad as other producers in the business. With the Duggars, they get a lot of "help" when it comes to their travels. Everything is planned out for them. Boob is cheap skate about a lot of things and I doubt that he would be planning ski trips or other outings on some of their trips. I remember an FB leghumper made some crazy claims about the Duggars last year. She said that they pay for all of their trips and then later on she said that the Duggars donate all of their TLC salary to charity.