Reality TV

 

Tryin' To Make It Real, Compared To What?

I love the lie and lie the love
A-Hangin' on, with push and shove
Possession is the motivation
That is hangin' up the God-damn nation
Looks like we always end up in a rut (everybody now!)
Tryin' to make it real, compared to what? C'mon baby!

REALity TV, compared to what?

With the WGA on strike, the broadcast TV networks are getting set for a fall season with lots of Reality TV. At least that is what they, and a former president who was a Reality TV star, call it. A better name is UNSCRIPTED, because it is anything but REAL.

I once had the opportunity to attend a taping of Deal or No Deal, a reality TV game show. I wish it was in the first two seasons when Meghan Markle was a briefcase model, because that would make a better story, but it was in a later season. What you see on TV is anything but what is real.

What was broadcast on the TV screen was the unexpected appearance of the loved ones of the contestants in the audience. In reality, the people in those seats were removed and the loved ones were seated for just that shot. The contestant was so excited and hyper when the cameras were rolling. When the cameras stopped, that hyper, excited contestant sat passively and did not move. The one-hour show which was broadcast became a 4-hour ordeal to record, and when those originally in the audience started leaving, the remaining audience members were herded into their empty seats so only shots with no empty seats would be shown on camera. What you see is NOT what is real. What you see is what the producers want you to see.