While reality TV shows are meant to reflect "real" situations and challenges that the contestants are facing, we have heard alleged stories that expose the scripted elements in its production.
After all, for a reality TV show to be entertaining, there needs to be high-stakes drama and characters that make it worth investing for the audience and some producers may have to create some events to trigger them.
Let's explore some of the alleged scripted parts of the reality shows.
How "Real" Are Reality TV Shows?
Unlike a scripted drama series or a sitcom, reality TV does offer some semblance of real life as we follow figures and contestants who are going through some challenges with real stakes and drama.
However, some of them still have scripted elements as producers would allegedly make up some events to add drama and tension to the situation. After all, without it, the series would not be an entertaining watch.
For example, reports have claimed that the filming of the rose ceremonies in The Bachelor does not reflect what we've been seeing on-screen in the series at all.
While the scenes appear to be a romantic moment, they are often exhausting and tiring for the contestants and they have to pretend to be happy once the cameras are rolling. They even have to do reshoots until they have the "perfect" take.
Meanwhile, in shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians, there is no clarity on whether there are scripted elements but fans have speculated that some moments may have been staged to make them more dramatic on-screen.
Are the Competitions in Reality Shows Real?
It is easy to presume that most of the reality competition shows are not staged since the challenges are based on the performances of the contestants and it would be a disservice to the viewers if the producers manipulated the situations.
However, reports have claimed that some of these shows have also scripted elements or footage manipulated/edited in a certain way to make them more dramatic.
An example is the alleged claims that Survivor would hire body doubles in some of the challenges and reenact certain moments, instead of the contestants doing the real action.
There are also shows where the competition is not set exactly in the location that they make it out to be. For example, Hell's Kitchen is actually filmed on a soundstage, not in a real kitchen as the title might suggest.
The Reality of Reality Shows
In the end, audiences may have to accept that the reality shows that they're watching are not 100% "real" and should expect some scripted elements or manipulation in the final edit.
After all, TV shows are a form of entertainment and you always need to add drama and stakes in a story to make it watchable for the viewers, even if it's reality TV.
Still, despite the reports and claims regarding the alleged scripted elements of reality TV, it doesn't matter for most audiences as long as they are entertained and get a dose of "reality" in what they're watching.
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