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Television.

Psychology & Behavioral Health

Reality TV

by Gina Riley

Type of Psychology: Cross-cultural; Social

Reality TV is a genre of television programming that is unscripted and based upon real life scenarios. Documentaries, sports programming, news shows, talk shows and game shows are generally not considered reality television. Reality television has early roots, starting in the 1950's with the show Candid Camera. Reality TV gained much popularity as a genre of television programming in the 1990's and 2000's.

Key Concepts:

  • Cable networks

  • Nonfiction

  • Reality television

  • Subcultures

Television programming has come a long way since the variety shows and newscasts that were a staple in the 1950's and 1960's. Scripted fiction based television dramas and comedies still exist, but room has been made for nonfiction based programming, specifically “reality television.” Reality television is a genre of television programming that is unscripted and based upon real life scenarios. The cast of reality tv shows are generally “regular” people who do not consider themselves actors or actresses of any sort. The genre generally does not include documentaries, talk shows, game shows, and sports programming, even though these shows have many of the same characteristics as reality television shows.

Reality TV History

Many consider the first reality television show to be Candid Camera, a show that gained syndication and much popularity in the early 1950's. The first episodes of Candid Camera were hosted by Allen Funt, and were focused on playing jokes on people that assumed that they were in real life situations. For example, a classic episode of Candid Camera focuses on a human resource manager who believes he is interviewing a prospective employee. He asks the prospective employee to tell him something about herself, and she says that she feels like recently, she has been followed by a woman who has a monkey on her head. The human resource manager becomes uncomfortable and dismisses the prospective employee. Another woman then walks in with a monkey on her head. The human resource manager is baffled. Later on, a camera man walks in and states “You're on Candid Camera!”

In 1973, The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), followed and filmed the Loud Family in Santa Barbara, California for seven months in a one season series called An American Family. Several landmark events happened during filming. First, the Loud's oldest son came out as a homosexual man. Second, the filming chronicled the Loud's separation and divorce. Although meant to be a documentary, this television series inspired many producers of modern day reality television, including the producers of MTV's Real World.

MTV's Real World focuses on a group of young adults who have been placed in a living situation together. They go through their daily lives, wearing microphone packs and surrounded by camera men and women almost 24 hours a day. Similar to everyday life, these young adults are taped dealing with relationship problems, issues of sexual identity, chronic illness, eating disorders, religious issues, and death. It is currently in its 30th season on the network.

Since the success of MTV's Real World, the genre of reality television has boomed. Traditional networks have found great success in reality television shows such as The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The Apprentice, and Big Brother; and many cable networks such as The History Channel, TLC, Bravo, Lifetime, and E! primarily focus their programming on reality television shows. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences also gave nod to the popularity of reality television, adding a Reality Television Award to the Emmy's in 2001, and expanding those awards to include an award for Outstanding Reality Competition Program (2003), and an award for Outstanding Host of a Reality Show or Reality Competition Program (2008).

Genres

Numerous researchers of psychology and popular media have spent time categorizing the varied genres of reality television as it has increased in popularity. These categorizations have resulted in various genres and subgenres of reality television, many of which will be outlined below.

Documentary Style/Special Living Environment. This type of reality television show was introduced by MTV's Real World. Participants audition and are selected to live in a house/living environment together. Conflict and tension usually ensue. Social experiment based - special living environment shows have also become popular. In Big Brother, participants chosen to live in the same house are not allowed contact with the outside world. In ABC's Wife Swap, two women from very different households swap homes and families for a week.

Celebrity Reality Television. Follows celebrities going about their everyday life. For example, The Osbournes (MTV) followed rock singer Ozzy Osborne, his wife Sharon, and their children for three years from 2002 to 2005. Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E! network, 2007 to the present) focuses on talk show host Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner, their adult and teenage children, and their grandchildren.

Professional Activity Reality Television. Profiles individuals in their daily work. Examples include Deadliest Catch (Discovery Channel), Ice Road Truckers (History Channel), Pawn Stars (History Channel), and Duck Dynasty (A & E).

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Photo: iStock

Reality Legal Programming. Includes courtroom based shows as well as programming focused on law enforcement activity. Examples include COPS (Fox); The People's Court (Warner Brothers), and Judge Judy (CBS).

Reality Competition Based Shows. Comprised of shows where there is a clear winner. The concept of “immunity” is present within these shows. Immunity is usually gained when a contestant gets a break from weekly judging because of something they have done. For example, on The Biggest Loser (ABC), if a contestant wins a particular race or obstacle course, they may receive immunity for the week. On The Bachelor (ABC), immunity is gained in the form of a rose, which the Bachelor may give a woman after a promising individual or group date. Music based reality competition shows such as American Idol (Fox), The X Factor (Fox) and The Voice (NBC) are also highly popular in the United States, although some believe these shows are more variety based than reality television based. Dancing with the Stars (ABC) is a reality show where professional ballroom dancers are paired with celebrity non-dancers in competition for the coveted “Mirror Ball Trophy”.

Self-Improvement or Makeover Shows. There are two basic types of self-improvement/makeover shows. The first type focuses on an individual who needs help with their weight (Extreme Weight Loss, ABC) style, (What Not to Wear, TLC), or particular obsession (Hoarders, A & E). The second type of makeover show focuses on a person's home. This Old House (PBS) was one of the first home improvement based reality shows. Newer home improvement based reality shows include Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) and Love it or List it (HGTV).

Reality Television Shows featuring Subcultures. The purpose of a subculture-based show is to document different lifestyles and subgroups. For example, the MTV series 16 and Pregnant documents the lives of pregnant teenage girls from a couple of months into their pregnancy to halfway through their babies' first year. The TLC series The Little Couple follows two professional adults who have dwarfism through marriage and subsequent parenthood. 19 Kids and Counting (TLC), follows the Duggar Family, a conservative Christian family with 19 children. The Lifetime network's show Sisterhood features four young women discerning to become Catholic nuns.

Why People Watch Reality Television

There are many reasons why people may watch reality television. Subculture based reality television shows allow individuals to learn about and be exposed to a new culture or lifestyle. Competition based reality shows allow audiences to assist in “picking a winner.” Robert Galinsky, founder of the New York Reality TV School, states that the reason why people watch (and audition for) reality TV shows is anthropological in nature. People have an intrinsic interest in telling and listening to stories about people. People also like to live vicariously through others, and reality TV helps them do that. Many reality shows feature ordinary people in different or exotic locations. They are traveling, dating, or improving their home or appearance. Reality television allows individuals to experience their transformation or journey, albeit passively.

Criticisms of Reality Television

Critics of reality television, however, will say that reality TV is more scripted than viewers believe. In many reality television shows, situations are contrived or set up. Camera footage is edited in order to show the most extreme or most sensitive moments, and some producers may even instigate drama in order to make the overall show more exciting. Although many reality TV shows tape “confessionals” or “in the moment” (ITM) interviews, many former cast members report that the producers made sure that they caught them in a highly emotional moment when taping the confessional, enhancing dramatic effect and heightening audience interest.

Critics have also lambasted certain reality television shows as exploitive. ABC's The Bachelor reminds many of pre-feminist days by focusing on 27 to 30 women vying for one wealthy man. TLC's reality show Toddlers and Tiaras showcases the children's beauty pageant industry, which has been accused of sexualizing young girls and making them feel that their self-worth is based on appearance. NBC's The Biggest Loser was embroiled in controversy in 2014, when 5 foot 4 inch Rachel Frederickson weighed in at 105 pounds to win the competition, a weight considered “underweight” by the Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator.

Reality Television and Social Change

Whether completely realistic or mostly contrived, reality television has changed not only the way individuals watch television, but also the way individuals live their lives. Even amid controversy, The Biggest Loser has inspired many to live a healthier lifestyle. Eighteen months after 16 and Pregnant debuted, teen pregnancy in the United States decreased 5.7 percent. The cast of the Sister Wives helped Utah citizens maintain their first amendment right to free speech; allowing polygamous families in that state to be able to freely say “I have multiple spouses.” Finally, shows like COPS and Judge Judy have allowed many a glimpse of the criminal and civil justice system, inspiring careers in the legal field and law enforcement.

Bibliography

1 

Burton, N.K. (2012, October 22). Reality TV is here to stay. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/10/21/are-reality-shows-worse-than-other-tv/reality-tv-is-here-to-stay. Article one in a debate on the current status and future of reality television.

2 

Galinsky, R. (2012, October 21). Reality TV is still storytelling. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/10/21/are-reality-shows-worse-than-other-tv/reality-tv-is-still-storytelling. Focuses on the anthropological basis of reality television. This article is written by the founder of the NY Reality TV School, an educational institution that focuses on training individuals interested in auditioning for reality television shows.

3 

Murray, S. & Ouelette, L. (2008). Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. New York: NYU Press. A comprehensive compilation of research based articles on the history, culture, politics, and significance of reality television.

4 

Reiss, S. & Wiltz, J. (2004). Why people watch reality TV, Media Psychology, 6, 363 – 378. Reiss and Wiltz questioned 239 people about their reality television watching habits. Results suggested that people watch reality television mostly to feel a level of self-importance, but also to feel friendly, secure, and romantic.

5 

Robinson, C. (2014). I Didn't Come Here To Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain. New York: It books. Autobiography of Courtney Robinson, who was portrayed as a “villain” by the media during her tenure on Season 16 of The Bachelor. Includes personal vignettes from her time on television as well as insights into the production process of a reality television show.

6 

Rose, R.L. & Wood, S.L. (2005). The paradox and the consumption of authenticity through reality television. Journal of Consumer Research, 32, pp. 284 – 296. Discusses why individuals watch reality television from the perspectives of consumer research, literary criticism, and the social sciences. Hypothesizes that individuals watch reality television to blend fantasy with reality, and to create a type of “hyper-authenticity” within their own self.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Riley, Gina. "Reality TV." Psychology & Behavioral Health, edited by Paul Moglia, Salem Press, 2015. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=PBH_0528.
APA 7th
Riley, G. (2015). Reality TV. In P. Moglia (Ed.), Psychology & Behavioral Health. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Riley, Gina. "Reality TV." Edited by Paul Moglia. Psychology & Behavioral Health. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2015. Accessed September 17, 2025. online.salempress.com.