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Reality television is a genre of
television programming which, it is claimed,
presents unscripted dramatic or humorous
situations, documents actual events, and
features ordinary people rather than
professional actors. It could be described as a
form of artificial or "heightened"
documentary. Although the genre has existed
in some form or another since the early years
of television, the current explosion of
popularity dates from around 2000.
Reality television covers a wide range
of television programming formats, from game
or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often
demeaning programmes produced in Japan in
the 1980s and 1990s (a modern example is
Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurismfocused productions such as Big Brother.
Critics say that the term "reality
television" is somewhat of a misnomer and that
such shows frequently portray a modified and
highly influenced form of reality, with
participants put in exotic locations or abnormal
situations, sometimes coached to act in certain
ways by off-screen handlers, and with events
on screen manipulated through editing and
other post-production techniques.
Part of reality television's appeal is due
to its ability to place ordinary people in
extraordinary situations. For example, on the
ABC show, The Bachelor, an eligible male
dates a dozen women simultaneously,
travelling on extraordinary dates to scenic
locales. Reality television also has the potential
to turn its participants into national celebrities,
outwardly in talent and performance programs
such as Pop Idol, though frequently Survivor
and Big Brother participants also reach some
degree of celebrity.
Some commentators have said that the
name "reality television" is an inaccurate description for several styles of program
included in the genre. In competition-based
programs such as Big Brother and Survivor,
and other special-living-environment shows
like The Real World, the producers design the
format of the show and control the day-to-day
activities and the environment, creating a
completely fabricated world in which the
competition plays out. Producers specifically
select the participants, and use carefully
designed scenarios, challenges, events, and
settings to encourage particular behaviours and
conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor
and other reality shows, has agreed with this
assessment, and avoids the word "reality" to
describe his shows; he has said, "I tell good
stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is
unscripted drama."