Now the way I see it, COPS was the “gateway drug” for Reality TV. It paved the way for Jerry Springer to become a success. Jerry Springer began his show in 1991. Trying to mimic Donahue, Jerry Springer’s show was only moderately successful.
In 1994, no doubt after seeing the success that COPS was having, the format for the Jerry Spring show was revamped. Bring in the poor, poorly educated, and low-class people to amuse the masses once again. Reality TV has evolved greatly since then, but Funt, COPS, and Springer all paved the way for some of the most popular shows of the past 5-10 years.
And then the icing on the cake happened in 1999. The real explosion for Reality TV occurred when The Blair Witch Project was shown in theaters. Consisting of “home video”, the cost to create the film was absurdly low and the amount of money the film grossed, more than $248 million, was absurdly high. Profitable media with little expense or effort required. Eureka!
Suddenly everyone wanted a camera so they could film everyone and everything around them. New shows began popping up, like The Office, that were reality-based shows. Seeing the success that The Office achieved, more shows like it began, such as Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock. These shows are/were massively popular for their time, and they all evolved from the same place.
Somehow the ideas for shows like that turned into ideas for shows like the Kardashians, American Idol, blah, blah, blah. And perhaps most disturbing of all, people actually thought that because these shows were reality based, they were real.
There’s this common misconception that Reality TV is real based on the fact that it’s called “reality”. The truth is, Reality TV couldn’t possibly be further from its name. Now, I’ve made this assertion once before in an article I wrote a while ago, but now I have proof. Reality TV is just as scripted and set up, if not more so, than any other show you’ll see on TV.
This video will introduce you to some people who work or have worked in the Reality TV business. If you don’t want to believe me, fine, but you have no reason to not believe them.
Nobody is going to financially back something they have no control over. More than anything, this is the reason why you can be absolutely sure that Reality TV isn’t real. As we all know, money controls everything, down to the smallest detail. I have no clue why people find Reality TV so fascinating. If I wanted that kind of entertainment I would simply go outside and visit a bar or watch people in Wal-Mart. Guess what – TV is not the portal to reality. Reality is right outside your door.
