[border]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wBAiysFzLOY

That's pretty awesome. Ghost Adventures is a pretty fun show.....if that's staged then they need to stage more stuff like that.

[Luap]

Don't know if it's been mentioned already, but Operation Repo.

I remember watching an episode where the fat guy karate chops a dude and knocks him out, and it looked unbelievably fake. I started cracking up. And then I Googled it. Sure enough, that show is completely bullshit.

[sharbhund]

But the test wasn't about the longevity of the battery, it was about the ease of recharging. On the other hand, it is also not reality TV. It is a talk show with movies.

The entire segment was scripted so they would "surprisingly" run out of power when they reached a town without a charging station. Jeremy Clarkson and James May acted like they had no idea they would have so much trouble recharging it.

[Deified Data]

Caught another agonizingly awful example last night...Undercover Boss.

For those who haven't seen this show, it's basically CEOs donning awful wigs and glasses and going out to do grunt work in their franchise under the guise of competing for a job in a fake reality show. None of the employees dealing with the CEO are supposed to know it's him.

But every encounter with every employee always offers the same ridiculous format. The first one we meet always has some sort of sob story like "I'm dying of cancer" or "I'm old", the second employee always has some "helpful suggestions" for how the company could be improved, and there's usually some at-risk kid working his way through school, but doing his best despite his troubled past, dammit!

The employees tasked with babysitting the CEO ham it up so bad - they just wear their best shit-eating grins and wax philosophical about how great it is to work for such a great company, and the boss comes away from this saying "I didn't know we had such committed employees!". Haha, whatever.

No, the question isn't whether the employees are totally aware that they're babysitting their boss or not. They do. The real question is whether the boss knows that the employees know. If he's ignorant, perhaps the employee's actions make sense in that they're entertaining their boss's weirdness. But if they both know, it becomes some sort of weird, mandatory roleplaying exercise. I can't imagine how awkward it would be, talking to your boss as though you don't know him while your boss pretends he doesn't know that you know...

[The Lamonster]

The worst offender was America's Most Wanted. I mean, if you had a camera crew when they were committing the crimes, then why didn't you just freaking stop them. Then we wouldn't have to be on the look out for these dangerous individuals.

haha, had to read this a couple times before I got it

[aett]

My wife and I used to like watching Clean House a few years ago, mostly just to see how fucked up these people's houses were (it was like a more lighthearted version of Hoarders), but we got sick of the exact same drama occurring in every episode. There was always a part where a family member didn't want to give up a certain item, and one of the cast would "negotiate" with them by offering new stuff for their room if they gave up this one item, and the family member would reluctantly agree. It played out the same way in every single episode.

[xxracerxx]

Caught another agonizingly awful example last night...Undercover Boss. For those who haven't seen this show, it's basically CEOs donning awful wigs and glasses and going out to do grunt work in their franchise under the guise of competing for a job in a fake reality show. None of the employees dealing with the CEO are supposed to know it's him. But every encounter with every employee always offers the same ridiculous format. The first one we meet always has some sort of sob story like "I'm dying of cancer" or "I'm old", the second employee always has some "helpful suggestions" for how the company could be improved, and there's usually some at-risk kid working his way through school, but doing his best despite his troubled past, dammit! The employees tasked with babysitting the CEO ham it up so bad - they just wear their best shit-eating grins and wax philosophical about how great it is to work for such a great company, and the boss comes away from this saying "I didn't know we had such committed employees!". Haha, whatever. No, the question isn't whether the employees are totally aware that they're babysitting their boss or not. They do. The real question is whether the boss knows that the employees know. If he's ignorant, perhaps the employee's actions make sense in that they're entertaining their boss's weirdness. But if they both know, it becomes some sort of weird, mandatory roleplaying exercise. I can't imagine how awkward it would be, talking to your boss as though you don't know him while your boss pretends he doesn't know that you know...

That show is an hour long commercial for the company, it is fucking ridiculous.

[Interfectum]

About Hell's Kitchen... it's not 'fake' per say. They shoot lots of film and weave a story around the footage. So the footage is semi-real but it's cut in a way that tells a narrative that may or may not be what actually happened.

I believe a lot reality TV shows do it like this. "Real" footage mixed with story driven editing.

[GloveSlap]

I have a different complaint about most reality shows. I hate how they like to put a spoiler trailer containing everything that is going to happen before the opening credits even start. I have to mute the TV at the beginning or I might as well not even watch the show.

[J.W.Crazy]

That would make it a hoax. Why would they need to manufacture a rivalry amongst rivals? That doesn't make any sense. I've already said that the show is setup up for these characters but there's a lot to the show that is simply impossible to fake- the bids, the units, the stars are not fake - i.e 90% of the show. The things not grounded in reality, and thus by your definition fake, are the schedules, the editing, & likely a paycheck at the end to ham up your personality.

It's common place. They make no attempt to hide it. If you can hear the stilted line reading, see the horribly overacted reaction shots, and still somehow miss it awesome but that doesn't mean it's not there.

I'm going to say this as clearly as I possibly can: In the process of creating a reality show about the real life experiences of a group of regulars at storage locker auctions they hired a man who had never been to one. His job was to star in said show as a regular. Does that seem real to you?

They do not put them in a manufactured setting unless, again, you have the proof to verify or you think the manufactured setting is simply them having a show about guys doing their job and they film it. There's no reason to put them in those uninteresting settings.

You know when they find something and then take it to an "expert" for an appraisal? That's setup by the show. It's a waste of time and money to drive across town to find out what something is worth and have them show you all the things it isn't. The internet exists. They even show them looking things up online on the show sometimes. I know lots of people who do this for a living, selling from their own stores or at flea markets, and it just doesn't happen. If you don't know what something is or what it's worth and you can't find anything online somebody else there probably does. The show makes things look very insular, with a small group of regulars, but that's not reality. Often if people can't find any information about an item they put an arbitrary price on it or throw it away. Valuable things are generally well documented. That's not always the case and is the reason you occasionally hear about someone making it rich off something they found at a thrift store.

This part isn't really accurate (I had to deal with this with a friend recently). They will not let you take anything out of those lockers until the bill is paid. Once the bill is paid, then you can get your stuff but also the clock is reset and no auction is scheduled. They will give you notice but if you don't have the money it sits there. When someone dies, some people don't even know the unit exists. The good stuff is there unless the people are actually dumping junk in storage units and then refusing to pay. As the show shows, most of it is just stuff that outgrew the house- worth something to someone but nothing fancy.

Most people don't put valuable things in storage lockers to begin with. It's little more than a shed in your backyard. They do have more expensive climate controlled units but those aren't up for auction as much. A lot of what gets left behind is on purpose. People get the stuff they want out and leave the rest. The whole reason they auction the units is because if they didn't they'd have to pay to get rid of it. In most, if not all, cases they aren't even allowed to make any money from the auctions. If the amount paid is more than your outstanding bill they have to give the rest to you.

Well, it did happen to Paris Hilton several years ago (obviously an exception)

A huge exception too. She was actually paying her bill.

I have a different complaint about most reality shows. I hate how they like to put a spoiler trailer containing everything that is going to happen before the opening credits even start. I have to mute the TV at the beginning or I might as well not even watch the show.

Or on the police chase and security camera shows where the tease something outrageous the whole episode and when they finally get to it it's the same footage they've already shown before and after every commercial break. That and the constant recaps. "2 minutes ago this happened..."

[Patrick Bateman]

That one ep of Pawn Stars where they let an old coin brought in by some customer get checked by some historian and it turns out like this:

Historian: "Well... it turns out... *drumroll* *a bunch of close ups* *five minutes later* that this IS a really old coin and is worth at least 3000$."
Pawn dude: "So, what do you want?"
Customer: "Oh boy, 3000$, well I want 2000$!
Pawn dude: "Na, can't give you that. 1000$ max."
Customer: "OK!"

Me: "What the fuck is this bullshit???"

[LosDaddie]

Me: "What the fuck is this bullshit???"

An object is only worth as much as you can sell if for. And pawn store owners know that most people come to them only when they are in need, so it's easy to get an item cheaper than it should be.

[Patrick Bateman]

An object is only worth as much as you can sell if for. And pawn store owners know that most people come to them only when they are in need, so it's easy to get an item cheaper than it should be.

Of course. But if they actually bring in a historian, why doesn't the customer just say: "Fuck it, I know the price. I'll sell it for more than your lousy offer at another store, flea market, ebay etc."

[Seguin]

Of course. But if they actually bring in a historian, why doesn't the customer just say: "Fuck it, I know the price. I'll sell it for more than your lousy offer at another store, flea market, ebay etc."

Because they probably need the money immediately. Selling a valuable object like that for good value can be a pain in the ass and not quick, if it's a niche market.

[J.W.Crazy]

Because they probably need the money immediately. Selling a valuable object like that for good value can be a pain in the ass and not quick, if it's a niche market.

But if that were the case it wouldn't be happening on TV. They don't just walk in off the street.

[Jimothy]

Because they probably need the money immediately. Selling a valuable object like that for good value can be a pain in the ass and not quick, if it's a niche market.

Pawn shops prey upon people's desperation. They're fucking evil.

[abebraZoobe]

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[Deified Data]

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My prayers are answered!

[Tatsumaki Senpuukyaku!]

That's pretty awesome. Ghost Adventures is a pretty fun show.....if that's staged then they need to stage more stuff like that.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cOgg0iEDT9U

This ones pretty funny too. I love ghost adventures fyi...i dont think it would be as good if they did stuff like that every episode though

[adamsappel]

The camera crew is there as just an observer (or portraying to be just an observer). If the crew interacted (or vice versa), it wouldn't come across the same.

Even a simple "Can you believe this shit?" glance at the camera would be welcome. Of course, I'm sure they edit out many instances of people noticing the camera.

What I don't get is why people intermix editing, scripting, and fabrication definitions as the same thing. A single simple story may play out over the course of a day, a week, or a month. It behooves a good producer/editor to make the "story" as concise and viewable as possible. Otherwise we'd all be watching paint dry over the course of 3 months.

Yes, people are using "scripted" and "staged" interchangeably. I don't think anyone is angry that they edit out the boring parts where nothing happens, but that they encourage or facilitate certain scenarios.

JGS is ignoring at least that one episode of Storage Wars (?) where they coincidentally used a "psychic" when the unit contained a shrunken head or some such. How is that remotely plausible as happenstance?

I wonder if the people who have no problem with reality shows also don't care about Michael Moore's selective editing and story-telling techniques.

[poppabk]

I mentioned this earlier in the thread but I have a friend who works on that show. It isn't scripted, in that they do not have a script. That said, all the situations are completely set up. The producers decide where they are going to film for the day and what they are going to be doing. The cast doesn't have any input

When people say scripted of don't think they necessarily mean that they are writing lines, although sometimes this is what happens, but that they write a narrative and tell the casts of these shows to act it out. More guided improv than scripting.

[sangreal]

When people say scripted of don't think they necessarily mean that they are writing lines, although sometimes this is what happens, but that they write a narrative and tell the casts of these shows to act it out. More guided improv than scripting.

I'm repeating myself at this point, but you have to distinguish between the two because there are 'reality' shows that are completely scripted. There is an entire spectrum of reality shows from completely fake to real. You can't just call them all scripted

[Gooster]

I don't know if I would use "scripted," but I remember not really feeling anything genuine about Comic Book Men in the three episodes I watched.

[Razgriz-Specter]

as long as stuff like Amazing Race remain safe I can deal with it on other shows.
though Operation Repo(a show I watched every night) just got too far out there for me.

[border]

I'm going to say this as clearly as I possibly can: In the process of creating a reality show about the real life experiences of a group of regulars at storage locker auctions they hired a man who had never been to one. His job was to star in said show as a regular. Does that seem real to you?

Do you really think the premise of Storage Wars is that it's supposed to be an educational, incredibly realistic look into the lives of actual uhhhh, storage locker dudes? Of course it isn't. Of course the same 4-5 rival groups don't show up at the same lockers every weekend. Of course the auctioneer isn't the same every time.

I don't think they're really pretending to be a documentary. It's more-or-less a game show where the contestants are the same every week. It's not all that dissimilar to Let's Make a Deal now that I think about it.

[Ceekus]

Food Network Star is horribly scripted this year. It's been, what, six weeks? And all of the teams still have the same number of contestants. I'm almost sensing that the finale will be a three-way competition with one member from each team still around.

I just popped in here to echo this sentiment. My fiancée and I really used to enjoy this show, even as we tried to guess how it was being scripted. This season has been particularly ridiculous, though, as the producers have clearly thrown out their own rules to eliminate contestants on with specious reasoning (I'm thinking of the episode they manufactured Eric's demise by preventing the quality of his cooking from being considered, in particular, but there are numerous examples).

I don't mind if they know who their favorite is going in, but at least try to pretend like it's a fair fight.

[Pachinko]

The majority of reality tv isn't so much scripted as it is re-enacted, especially on a show like angry tennents or that house flipping program. They get some live footage, edit the shit out of it and eventually end up having to re-enact or embellish certain aspects to add more drama.

Another example is that show Man Tracker, they apparently do the whole thing properly with a minimal crew following the prey and the man tracker , then go back and pick out key moments to refilm with a bigger crew and that's what ends up making it to air.

Celebrity reality shows , I'd say they aren't scripted but improved , like the producers engineer situations and then record the results so stuff happens that wouldn't have naturally. I seem to recall the osbournes pretty much came out and admitted this way back when that show was big.

[RyanardoDaVinci]

If you don't accept the Cash Cab, do they just tell you to get the fuck out? Or will the guy actually take you to where you want to go? :)

Saw one episode where the guy got in and when Ben finished his speech and asked, "What do you say - do you want to play?"

The guy said, "Nope," and just got right out.

[The Abominable Snowman]

Bad Girls Club

The producers regularly direct the girls to do something, or do stupid shit like throw a drink on the girls so that they attack each other or random people, ignoring that it was clearly the producers hand from behind the camera that threw the drink.

[DeathNote]

I realized wrestling was scripted long before the reality TV boom, so I was skeptical and hearing confirmed things never shocked me.

[kharma45]

All of recent Top Gear, sad to see :(

[Jay Sosa]

I could watch that gif for hours.

[BankaiZaraki]

When I read a post on gaf that said "house hunters is fake", I realized that house hunters is fake. Google confirmed :(

What? I don't believe you!

[eLZhi]

This may have been mentioned, but in Storage Wars, the scene where Dave Hester finds that tiny white and pink porcelain container. He takes it to get it appraised and before getting out of the truck he puts his bag over his shoulder, reaches in and takes item OUT of the bag for seemingly no fucking reason. As he steps out of the truck he proceeds to drop it. Either dude is more of an amateur than he leads on, or it was scripted. I knew the show wasn't 100% real to begin with, but this is where they completely dropped the ball and I could no longer suspend disbelief.

As a matter of fact, here's the clip on YT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj6bMBAIdJg

[eLZhi]

Double post.

[J.W.Crazy]

This may have been mentioned, but in Storage Wars, the scene where Dave Hester finds that tiny white and pink porcelain container. He takes it to get it appraised and before getting out of the truck he puts his bag over his shoulder, reaches in and takes item OUT of the bag for seemingly no fucking reason. As he steps out of the truck he proceeds to drop it. Either dude is more of an amateur than he leads on, or it was scripted. I knew the show wasn't 100% real to begin with, but this is where they completely dropped the ball and I could no longer suspend disbelief. As a matter of fact, here's the clip on YT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj6bMBAIdJg

The overdubbed sound effects are terrible in that clip. It sounds like someone rattling change in a jar. Then when you actually see the damage the lids just cracked.

[border]

He takes it to get it appraised and before getting out of the truck he puts his bag over his shoulder, reaches in and takes item OUT of the bag for seemingly no fucking reason.

I think everybody has accidentally dropped something super-expensive at some point or another in their life (laptop, cell phone, etc). I don't see how it's so unbelievable.

[J.W.Crazy]

I think everybody has accidentally dropped something super-expensive at some point or another in their life (laptop, cell phone, etc). I don't see how it's so unbelievable.

Did you watch the clip? It's got obviously overdubbed sound effects. There are a few other things off too but it's not really worth getting into if after watching you see nothing wrong.

[RadioActiveLobster]

"Moments where you noticed a 'real' TV show was scripted as hell"


When I noticed it was on TruTV

[border]

Did you watch the clip? It's got obviously overdubbed sound effects. There are a few other things off too but it's not really worth getting into if after watching you see nothing wrong.

Yes, these shows don't have microphones everywhere at all times -- they will re-record dialogue or add in sound effects if need be. I'm not sure how a cornball sound effect means the whole thing is scripted.

[IMACOMPUTA]

TruTV is mostly fake, but i know for a fact baitcar isn't. I know a guy that was on it. Haha.


And I really hope Impractical Jokers is real, because that show is REALLY funny at times.

[Loofy]

I could watch that gif for hours.

[poppabk]

Yes, these shows don't have microphones everywhere at all times -- they will re-record dialogue or add in sound effects if need be. I'm not sure how a cornball sound effect means the whole thing is scripted.

The whole scene is completely unnatural, I don't know about the rest of that show but that scene is definitely scripted.

[zoukka]

One of the first survivor seasons where a flood took their whole camp away, but miraculously all the food was stuck on some branches.

[Chuckl3s]

I was hired to be on the Jerry Springer Uncensored Show (PPV) a total of four times. I wasn’t actually part of the show like “I slept with my sister” but I was a side show act. I’m a little person, so I had to dress up and entertain the audience between commercial breaks.

From what I learned while I was there, The Jerry Springer Show is half real and half fake. The producers will get calls from people who do have real problems and would like to talk about it. But when they fly these people in, they will take each person in a separate room and try to rile them up about their situation. Literally screaming at the guest to make sure they truly get a good reaction from them. Some of the talks as well where kind of like “how do I act in this situation”. The funny part of all of this was that we would all go to dinner together after the show and the guests would be all happy and enjoying each other. Even though a couple of hours earlier they were beating each other up.

Jerry Springer is one of those quick turnaround shows. They fly you in and fly you out within a day. So you don’t have time for much. You also never interact with Jerry himself. You will see him in the hall before the show but during the commercial breaks he will seclude himself to his own side of the set.

[JGS]

That is interesting.

I never thought about that, but if I were Jerry Springer I wouldn't want to hang out with the guests either.

[Chuckl3s]

I had one of those..."What the fuck am I doing" moments when I was hanging out with them as well. Some of the guests were out of their mind.

[npm0925]

Gold Rush season 2 is far more scripted than the premiere season, which was so fun to watch because of all the spontaneous fuck ups that took place (mostly due to the character flaws of a guy named Dorsey). Also the whole sheriff badge incident in Whale Wars was obviously staged.

[Chuckl3s]

nm

[chubigans]

I was hired to be on the Jerry Springer Uncensored Show (PPV) a total of four times. I wasn’t actually part of the show like “I slept with my sister” but I was a side show act. I’m a little person, so I had to dress up and entertain the audience between commercial breaks. From what I learned while I was there, The Jerry Springer Show is half real and half fake. The producers will get calls from people who do have real problems and would like to talk about it. But when they fly these people in, they will take each person in a separate room and try to rile them up about their situation. Literally screaming at the guest to make sure they truly get a good reaction from them. Some of the talks as well where kind of like “how do I act in this situation”. The funny part of all of this was that we would all go to dinner together after the show and the guests would be all happy and enjoying each other. Even though a couple of hours earlier they were beating each other up. Jerry Springer is one of those quick turnaround shows. They fly you in and fly you out within a day. So you don’t have time for much. You also never interact with Jerry himself. You will see him in the hall before the show but during the commercial breaks he will seclude himself to his own side of the set.

Wow, that's pretty interesting! How were the audiences for those shows? We're they rowdy/somewhat trashy?