Editing Reality television (section)

=== Parodies and hoaxes ===
Some reality shows aim to [[Satire|satirize]] and deconstruct the conventions and cliches of the genre for comedic effect; in such cases, a fictitious premise is usually presented to one or more of the participants, with the rest of the cast consisting of actors and other figures that are in on the joke.

* ''[[The Joe Schmo Show]]'', a series in which a civilian is set up as a contestant on a [[Story within a story|fictitious reality competition]], with the remaining "contestants" representing stereotypical [[archetype]]s of reality television contestants.<ref name="post-gazette.com">{{cite news |last=Owen |first=Rob |date=December 10, 2012 |title=Another Pittsburgher, another 'Joe Schmo' - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette |url=http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/another-pittsburgher-another-joe-schmo-665681/ |access-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-date=December 14, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121214143702/http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/ae/tv-radio/another-pittsburgher-another-joe-schmo-665681/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The first season portrayed a ''Big Brother''-like show entitled ''Lap of Luxury'', with subsequent seasons parodying dating shows (''Last Chance for Love'', which featured both a man and woman as the targets) and a job hunt competition in the field of [[bounty hunting]] (''Full Bounty''; its broadcaster [[Paramount Network|Spike]] concealed the third season by announcing in 2012 that it had ordered ''Full Bounty'' to series as part of a larger slate of reality shows targeting male viewers, without immediately revealing it was actually a ''Joe Schmo Show'' revival).<ref name="post-gazette.com" />
* ''[[My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss]]'', a parody of ''The Apprentice'' in which the contestants were given challenges with inane objectives by businessman Mr. N. Paul Todd (an [[anagram]] of ''Apprentice'' host [[Donald Trump]]). The final decision on eliminations in each episode was always given to Todd's "real boss"—revealed in the series finale to have been a [[chimpanzee]] spinning a wheel.<ref>{{Cite web |title='Obnoxious Boss' is mean, funny --and smart |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-11-19-0411200090-story.html |access-date=June 7, 2022 |website=Chicago Tribune |date=November 19, 2004 |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607045348/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2004-11-19-0411200090-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Carter |first=Bill |date=November 1, 2004 |title=Fox Will Follow Red Sox Surge With Reality TV |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/01/business/media/fox-will-follow-red-sox-surge-with-reality-tv.html |access-date=June 7, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=June 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220607050851/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/01/business/media/fox-will-follow-red-sox-surge-with-reality-tv.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-11-10 |title=You're hired: how The Apprentice led to President Trump {{!}} Stuart Heritage |url=http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/10/trump-the-apprentice-president-elect-reality-tv |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615064757/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/10/trump-the-apprentice-president-elect-reality-tv |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[Superstar USA]]'', a parody of ''American Idol'' attempting to find the worst singer. The judges criticized good singers and eliminated them, but bad singers were praised and allowed to progress further through the competition.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Oldenburg |first1=Ann |date=May 16, 2004 |title=Can't sing or dance? Give 'Superstar' a shot |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-05-16-wb-superstar_x.htm |website=USA Today |access-date=June 29, 2017 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304042655/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2004-05-16-wb-superstar_x.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[Space Cadets (TV series)|Space Cadets]]'', a series in which a group of contestants were set up on the purported reality competition series ''Thrill Seekers'', where they would allegedly receive [[astronaut training]] in Russia and compete to become Britain's first [[space tourists]].<ref name="guardian">{{cite news |last=Martin |first=Laura |date=March 17, 2021 |title=Ipswich, we have a problem: Space Cadets, the reality show that never left the ground |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/17/ipswich-we-have-a-problem-space-cadets-the-reality-show-that-never-left-the-ground |access-date=March 17, 2021 |archive-date=March 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210317140152/https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/mar/17/ipswich-we-have-a-problem-space-cadets-the-reality-show-that-never-left-the-ground |url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[I Wanna Marry "Harry"]]'', a hoax dating competition where single women were manipulated into believing they were competing for the affection of [[Prince Harry]], but in reality "Harry" was actually a lookalike.<ref>{{cite news |last=Vincent |first=Alice |date=April 1, 2014 |title=I Wanna Marry Harry makes women compete for 'Prince Harry's' hand in marriage |work=The Daily Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/tvandradiovideo/10777831/I-Wanna-Marry-Harry-makes-women-compete-for-Prince-Harrys-hand-in-marriage.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140422081955/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/tvandradiovideo/10777831/I-Wanna-Marry-Harry-makes-women-compete-for-Prince-Harrys-hand-in-marriage.html |archive-date=April 22, 2014 |access-date=May 8, 2014}}</ref>
* ''[[Nathan for You]]'', a reality [[mockumentary]] in which [[Nathan Fielder]] attempts to help struggling businesses, but employs unusual and outlandish strategies to do so—such as rebranding a coffee shop as a "parody" of the [[Starbucks]] chain in which [[Dumb Starbucks|everything is prepended with the word "dumb"]], and trying to make the lifting of boxes into an exercise [[fad]] so the owner of a [[moving company]] could receive free labor under the guise of marketing himself as a [[personal trainer]].<ref name="lat-dumbstarbucks" /><ref name="Alston" /> Although aware they are on a reality program, the employees of the businesses featured were unaware of the show's comedic nature, and reacted genuinely to Fielder's antics.<ref name="Alston"/><ref name="gq15">{{cite news |author=Alex Wong |date=October 14, 2015 |title=Get Ready for the Weirdest—and Most Personal—Season of Nathan For You Yet |work=[[GQ (magazine)|GQ]] |url=https://www.gq.com/story/nathan-for-you-season-3-qa |url-status=live |access-date=October 29, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017040515/http://www.gq.com/story/nathan-for-you-season-3-qa |archive-date=October 17, 2015}}</ref> On multiple occasions, the show received media attention related to its stunts prior to broadcast.<ref name="Alston">{{cite web |author=Alston, Joshua |date=30 October 2015 |title=In "The Movement," Nathan Fielder continues his journey down the left-hand path |url=https://www.avclub.com/in-the-movement-nathan-fielder-continues-his-journey-1798185634 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819103451/http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/movement-nathan-fielder-continues-his-journey-down-227711 |archive-date=August 19, 2017 |access-date=February 18, 2020 |publisher=[[The A.V. Club]]}}</ref><ref name="lat-dumbstarbucks">{{cite web |date=February 10, 2014 |title=Dumb Starbucks: Comedy Central star Nathan Fielder behind faux cafe |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-who-is-behind-dumb-starbucks-20140210,0,78772.story |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211011751/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/cotown/la-et-ct-who-is-behind-dumb-starbucks-20140210,0,78772.story |archive-date=February 11, 2014 |access-date=February 11, 2014 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref>
* The Dutch reality show ''[[De Grote Donorshow]]''—where a group of patients competed to receive a [[Kidney transplantation|kidney donation]] from a terminally-ill woman—was, by contrast, not intended for comedic effect, and was a hoax directed at viewers to help raise awareness for kidney donation.<ref>{{Cite news |title=''Washington Post'', June 1, 2007 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/01/AR2007060101471.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102041251/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/01/AR2007060101471.html |archive-date=November 2, 2012 |access-date=August 26, 2017}}</ref>
* ''[[Jury Duty (2023 TV series)|Jury Duty]]'', a mockumentary series portraying a fictional [[juries in the United States|jury trial]] in which one member of the jury is not aware that the entire trial and its events are planned and acted out.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/jury-duty-tv-review|title=Charming Comedy Jury Duty Makes Case for a Different Verdict|website=rogerebert.com|last=Jones|first=Rendy|date=April 6, 2023|access-date=August 31, 2023}}</ref>