Mini Review #3: Unrealism in Reality TV

Before taking Media Studies, I was told that so many things that happen on reality TV are fake, but I never believed anyone who said that. After thinking about it and discussing it in this course, I have realized so many unrealistic aspects of so many reality TV shows that I never really picked up on before. For example, in the show survivor, I feel like some people are a lot more laid back then they would be in real life, where as some people are extremely untrustworthy and try to show no weaknesses, which is clearly not the case. Most people are probably going to do whatever it takes to win $1,000,000. It's unlikely that in every season, something extremely unfortunate happens in almost every episode such as someone breaking a leg or just giving up and going home. At the same time, I think that these 'tragic' events in these types of shows need to happen in order for it to stay entertaining and not repetitive. In the show Four Weddings, 4 brides compete to see who has the best wedding, which is chosen by judges, and once the winner in that show is selected, the three other competitors are told to say something nice about her. My sisters' ex boyfriends' Aunt was in that show and refused to say something nice because of how mad she was in real life. The show tries to make it seem like all ends well in the end and all the competitors will stay friends, but I have learned that in real life, that's not always the case in reality television.