Editing Reality television (section)

== Criticism and analysis ==
{{further|Criticism of reality television}}

=== "Reality" as misnomer ===
The authenticity of reality television is often called into question by its detractors. The genre's title of "reality" is often criticized as being inaccurate because of claims that the genre frequently includes elements such as premeditated scripting (including a practice called "[[soft-scripting]]"), acting, urgings from behind-the-scenes crew to create specified situations of adversity and drama, and misleading editing. It has often been described as "scripting without paper".

In many cases, the entire premise of the show is contrived, based around a competition or another unusual situation. Some shows have been accused of using fakery in order to create more compelling television, such as having premeditated storylines and in some cases feeding participants lines of dialogue, focusing only on participants' most outlandish behavior, and altering events through editing and re-shoots.<ref name="washingtonpost">{{Cite news |date=August 10, 2004 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html |title=Reality Is Only An Illusion, Writers Say - Hollywood Scribes Want a Cut Of Not-So-Unscripted Series |newspaper=The Washington Post |access-date=April 26, 2009 |first=William |last=Booth |archive-date=September 20, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050920001557/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53032-2004Aug9.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MSNBC">{{cite web |date=April 15, 2009 |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30092600/ |first1=Michael |last1=Ventre |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410033804/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30092600/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 10, 2009 |title=Just how real are reality TV shows? - Shows may exist in a middle ground – not fully scripted nor completely true |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |access-date=March 13, 2018}}</ref>

Shows such as ''Survivor'' and ''Amazing Race'' that offer a monetary prize are regulated in the United States by federal "game show" law, {{UnitedStatesCode|47|509}}, and are monitored during the filming by the legal staff and standards and practice staff of the parent network. These shows cannot be manipulated in any way that affects the outcome of the game. However, misleading editing does not fall into altering the fairness of the competition. 

Beyond concerns about authenticity, media critics have argued that reality television may have broader societal consequences. In 2022, Time magazine TV critic Judy Berman wrote that "to the extent that the U.S. has become a harsher, shallower, angrier, more divided place in the 21st century, reality TV, which has helped normalize cruelty, belligerence, superficiality, and disloyalty, and rewarded people who weaponize those traits, bears a share of the blame."<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2022-08-04 |title=Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not |url=https://time.com/collection/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6199108/reality-tv-influence-on-world/ |access-date=2025-04-21 |magazine=Time |language=en}}</ref>

Reality television shows that have been accused of, or admitted to, deception include ''[[Real World (TV series)|The Real World]]'',<ref name=EW>{{cite magazine |url-status=live |last1=Fretts |first1=Bruce |date=July 21, 1995 |url=https://ew.com/article/1995/07/21/real-world-returns-fourth-season/ |title=The British Invasion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081222215151/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,297971_3,00.html |archive-date=December 22, 2008 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |page=3}}</ref><ref>Reality TV World. [http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/real-world-chicago-cast-admits-their-september-11-reactions-were-staged-546.php {{"'}}Real World: Chicago' cast admits their September 11 reactions were staged"]. August 19, 2002. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101133010/http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/real-world-chicago-cast-admits-their-september-11-reactions-were-staged-546.php |date=January 1, 2012 }}.</ref><ref name=Westword>{{cite web |url-status=dead |last1=Roberts |first1=Michael |url=http://www.westword.com/1996-03-14/music/the-unreal-world/ |title=The Unreal World |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128132305/http://www.westword.com/1996-03-14/music/the-unreal-world/ |archive-date=January 28, 2015 |website=[[Westword|Denver Westword]] |date=March 14, 1996}}</ref> the American version of ''[[Survivor (American TV series)|Survivor]]'',<ref name="TodayMSNBC">{{cite web |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603071531/http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26726792/ns/today-entertainment/t/last-secrets-survivor-revealed |archive-date=Jun 3, 2011 |url=http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26726792/ns/today-entertainment/t/last-secrets-survivor-revealed |title=At last! The secrets of 'Survivor' revealed |publisher=[[MSNBC]] |website=TODAY |first1=Andy |last1=Dehnart |date=October 7, 2008}}</ref> ''[[Joe Millionaire]]'',<ref>''Reality TV Secrets Revealed'', [[VH1]] documentary, 2004</ref> ''[[The Hills (TV series)|The Hills]]'', ''[[A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila]]'',<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2008/01/03/as-shot-misses-tequila-aims-anew/ |title=As 'Shot' misses, Tequila aims anew |work=Chicago Tribune |date=January 3, 2008 |first=K C |last=Johnson |access-date=November 30, 2012 |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061440/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2008-01-03/news/0801020939_1_mtv-shot-affections |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Hogan Knows Best]]'',<ref>[[Hulk Hogan|Hogan, Hulk]] (October 2009), ''My Life Outside the Ring'', [[St. Martin's Press]]. pp. 175 - 178, {{ISBN|0-312-58889-5}}</ref> ''[[Extreme Makeover: Home Edition]]'',<ref>Christensen, Kim; James, Meg (May 13, 2007). [https://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/13/business/fi-extreme13/2 "And then the roof caved in"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061622/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/13/business/fi-extreme13/2 |date=September 21, 2013 }}. ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''. Page 2 of 3.</ref> ''[[The Bachelor (American TV series)|The Bachelor]]'' and ''[[The Bachelorette (American TV series)|The Bachelorette]]'',<ref>{{cite journal | title = Jesse Csincsak Talks About Ashley Hebert And Last Night's The Bachelorette | journal = Reality TV Magazine | date = June 28, 2011 | first = Christine | last = McDow | url = http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/2011/06/28/jesse-csincsak-talks-about-ashley-hebert-and-last-nights-the-bachelorette/ | access-date = July 10, 2012 | quote = The viewers are seeing the PRODUCED side of her show and not so much the genuine stuff, and she looks silly because of it... A LOT TAKES PLACE IN THE EDITING ROOM! | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120422035811/http://realitytvmagazine.sheknows.com/2011/06/28/jesse-csincsak-talks-about-ashley-hebert-and-last-nights-the-bachelorette/ | archive-date = April 22, 2012 | url-status = dead | df = mdy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://realitysteve.com/2009/02/27/update-on-the-megan-interview-and-more-news-coming-later-tonight | title = My Interview with Megan Parris | access-date = July 16, 2012 | last = Carbone | first = Steve | date = February 26, 2009 | archive-date = March 1, 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130301075027/http://realitysteve.com/2009/02/27/update-on-the-megan-interview-and-more-news-coming-later-tonight/ | url-status = dead }}</ref> ''[[Pawn Stars]]'',<ref name=AutoBio>Harrison, Rick (2011). ''License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver ''. Hyperion. 2011. New York. {{ISBN|978-1-4013-2430-8}} pp. 70, 89</ref> ''[[Storage Wars]]'',<ref>Oldenburg, Ann (December 11, 2012). [https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2012/12/11/storage-wars-star-dave-hester-says-show-is-rigged/1761603/ {{"'}}Storage Wars' star says show is rigged"]. ''[[USA Today]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170901135152/https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2012/12/11/storage-wars-star-dave-hester-says-show-is-rigged/1761603/ |date=September 1, 2017 }}.</ref> ''[[Squid Game: The Challenge]]'' and ''[[Keeping Up with the Kardashians]]''.<ref>Maresca, Rachel (March 13, 2013). [http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/real-re-shot-kim-divorce-docs-raise-issues-article-1.1287568 "Kim Kardashian, Kris Humphries divorce case heats up: Court documents show marriage scenes were 'scripted, reshot or edited' for reality show"]. ''[[Daily News (New York)|Daily News]]''. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316025734/http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/real-re-shot-kim-divorce-docs-raise-issues-article-1.1287568 |date=March 16, 2013 }}.</ref><ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |last1=Tate |first1=Amethyst |date=March 14, 2013 |url=http://m.ibtimes.co.uk/kim-kardashian-annulment-marriage-fake-scenes-court-russell-jay-kris-humphries-millions-divorce-446047.html |title=Kim Kardashian Faked Kris Humphries Scenes: Show Producer Reveals Star Wanted To Make Humpries Look Bad |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921055226/http://m.ibtimes.co.uk/kim-kardashian-annulment-marriage-fake-scenes-court-russell-jay-kris-humphries-millions-divorce-446047.html |archive-date=September 21, 2013 |website=[[International Business Times]]}}</ref>

In contrast, critic [[Matt Zoller Seitz]] praised ''[[Deadliest Catch]]'' as having "brought old-school documentary sobriety to a genre more often known for shamelessness."<ref>{{cite web|last=Seitz|first=Matt Zoller|authorlink=Matt Zoller Seitz|title="Deadliest Catch": Reality TV's first on-screen death|url=https://www.salon.com/2010/07/13/deadliest_catch_finale/|website=Salon.com|publisher=Salon Media Group, Inc.|access-date=July 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805031816/https://www.salon.com/2010/07/13/deadliest_catch_finale/|archive-date=August 5, 2012|date=July 13, 2010}}</ref>

=== Political and cultural impact ===
Reality television's global success has become, in the view of some analysts, an important political phenomenon. In some{{quantify|date=October 2017}} [[authoritarian]] countries, reality-television voting has provided the first opportunity for many citizens to vote in any free and fair wide-scale "elections". In addition, the frankness of the settings on some reality shows presents situations that are often taboo in certain conservative cultures, like ''[[Star Academy Arab World]]'', which began airing in 2003, and which shows male and female contestants living together.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.tbsjournal.com/lynch.html |title= 'Reality is Not Enough': The Politics of Arab Reality TV |first= Marc |last= Lynch |year= 2006 |access-date= March 11, 2011 |archive-date= July 16, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110716194108/http://www.tbsjournal.com/lynch.html |url-status= live }}</ref> A Pan-Arab version of ''Big Brother'' was cancelled in 2004 after less than two weeks on the air after a public outcry and street protests.<ref>{{cite news |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3522897.stm |title= Arab Big Brother show suspended |work= BBC News |date= March 1, 2004 |access-date= April 27, 2009 |archive-date= July 28, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110728021432/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3522897.stm |url-status= live }}</ref> In 2004 journalist [[Matt Labash]], noting both of these issues, wrote that "the best hope of little Americas developing in the Middle East could be Arab-produced reality TV".<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/752xbofx.asp?pg=1 |title= When a Kiss Is Not Just a Kiss |first= Matt |last= Labash |magazine= [[The Weekly Standard]] |date= October 18, 2004 |access-date= July 11, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070311091348/http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/752xbofx.asp?pg=1 |archive-date= March 11, 2007 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref>

In 2007, [[Abu Dhabi TV]] began airing ''[[Million's Poet]]'', a show featuring ''[[Pop Idol]]''-style voting and elimination, but for the writing and oration of [[Arabic poetry]]. The show became popular in Arab countries, with around 18&nbsp;million viewers,<ref name="Winner's tribe">[http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100419/FOREIGN/704189952/ Winner's tribe put the millions in Million's Poet] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100423212146/http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20100419%2FFOREIGN%2F704189952%2F |date=April 23, 2010 }}, James Calderwood, ''[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]'', April 19, 2010</ref> partly because it was able to combine the excitement of reality television with a traditional, culturally relevant topic.<ref>[http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0407/Move-over-American-Idol-Hissa-Hilal-in-finals-of-Arab-reality-TV-poetry-contest Move over American Idol: Hissa Hilal in finals of Arab reality TV poetry contest] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100515160945/http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2010/0407/Move-over-American-Idol-Hissa-Hilal-in-finals-of-Arab-reality-TV-poetry-contest |date=May 15, 2010 }}, Kristen Chick, ''[[Christian Science Monitor]]'', April 7, 2010</ref> In April 2010, however, the show also became a subject of political controversy, when [[Hissa Hilal]], a 43-year-old female [[Saudi people|Saudi]] competitor, read out a poem criticizing her country's Muslim clerics.<ref>Hassan, Hassan (March 19, 2010). [http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/millions-poet-finalist-defies-death-threats "Million's Poet finalist defies death threats"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629135945/http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/millions-poet-finalist-defies-death-threats |date=June 29, 2017 }}. ''[[The National (Abu Dhabi)|The National]]''</ref> Both critics and the public reacted favorably to Hilal's poetry; she received the highest scores from the judges throughout the competition and came in third place overall.<ref name="Winner's tribe"/>

In [[India]], in the summer of 2007, coverage of the third season of ''[[Indian Idol]]'' focused on the breaking down of cultural and socioeconomic barriers as the public rallied around the show's top two contestants.<ref name="Reality TV and Participatory Culture in India"/>

The [[China|Chinese]] singing competition ''[[Super Girl (TV series)|Super Girl]]'' (a local imitation of ''Pop Idol'') has similarly been cited{{by whom|date=October 2017}} for its political and cultural impact.<ref name="Becoming Extra-Ordinary">{{cite journal|last= Li Cui|author2= Francis L. F. Lee|title= Becoming Extra-Ordinary: Negotiation of Media Power in the Case of "Super Girls' Voice" in China|journal= Popular Communication|year= 2010|volume= 8|issue= 4|pages= 256–272|doi= 10.1080/15405702.2010.512829|s2cid= 144259958}}</ref> After the finale of the show's 2005 season drew an audience of around 400&nbsp;million people, and eight million [[text-message]] votes, the state-run English-language newspaper ''[[Beijing Today]]'' ran the front-page headline: "Is Super Girl a Force for Democracy?"<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4382469 |title= Democracy Idol |newspaper= The Economist |date= September 8, 2005 |access-date= July 11, 2006 |archive-date= February 24, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070224095021/http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=4382469 |url-status= live }}</ref> The Chinese government criticized the show, citing both its democratic nature and its excessive vulgarity, or "worldliness",<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article560126.ece |title= TV talent contest 'too democratic' for China's censors |first= Jane |last= Macartney |work= The Times |date= August 29, 2005 |location= London |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070208102958/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article560126.ece |archive-date= February 8, 2007 |df= mdy-all }}</ref> and in 2006 banned it outright.<ref>{{Cite press release |title= Footage from banned Chinese "Pop Idol" receives Cambridge premiere |publisher= University of Cambridge |date= July 5, 2007 |url= http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2007070501 |access-date= July 29, 2007 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080303023254/http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2007070501 |archive-date= March 3, 2008 |url-status= dead |df= mdy-all }}</ref> It was later reintroduced{{by whom|date=October 2017}} in 2009, before being banned again in 2011. ''Super Girl'' has also been criticized by non-government commentators for creating seemingly impossible ideals that may be harmful to Chinese youth.<ref name="Becoming Extra-Ordinary"/>

In [[Indonesia]], reality television shows have surpassed soap operas as the most-watched broadcast programs.<ref name="Indonesia">{{cite news|last= Onishi|first= Norimitsu|title= Indonesia goes wild for American-style reality TV in a nation where income varies widely, shows offer a look at how others live|newspaper= International Herald Tribune|date= May 25, 2009}}</ref> One popular program, ''Jika Aku Menjadi'' ("If I Were"), follows young, middle-class people as they are temporarily placed into lower-class life, where they learn to appreciate their circumstances back home by experiencing daily life for the less fortunate.<ref name="Indonesia"/> Critics have claimed that this and similar programs in Indonesia reinforce traditionally Western ideals of [[materialism]] and [[consumerism]].<ref name="Indonesia"/> However, Eko Nugroho, reality-show producer and president of Dreamlight World Media, insists that these reality shows are not promoting American lifestyles but rather reaching people through their universal desires.<ref name="Indonesia"/>

Reality television has also received criticism in Britain and the United States for its [[ideological]] relationship with [[surveillance societies]] and consumerism. Writing in ''The New York Times'' in 2012, author Mark Andrejevic characterised the role of reality television in a post-9/11 society as the normalisation of surveillance in participatory monitoring, the "logic of the emerging surveillance economy", and in the promise of a societal self-image that is contrived.<ref name=andrejevic1>[https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/10/21/are-reality-shows-worse-than-other-tv/reality-tv-is-about-surveillance "Reality TV is About Surveillance"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170215013952/http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/10/21/are-reality-shows-worse-than-other-tv/reality-tv-is-about-surveillance |date=February 15, 2017 }}; Mark Adrejevic, ''The New York Times'', October 21, 2012</ref> An [[London School of Economics|LSE]] paper by Nick Couldry associates reality television with [[neoliberalism]], condemning the ritualised enactment and consumption of what must be legitimised for the society it serves.<ref name=couldry1>[http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/52405/1/Couldry_Reality_TV_secret_theater_2008.pdf "Reality TV, Or The Secret Theatre of Neoliberalism"], {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111112243/http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/52405/1/Couldry_Reality_TV_secret_theater_2008.pdf |date=November 11, 2016 }}; Nick Couldry, in ''Review of education, pedagogy, and cultural studies'', 2008</ref>

=== As a substitute for scripted drama ===
Reality television generally costs less to produce than scripted series.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

VH1 executive vice president Michael Hirschorn wrote in 2007 that the plots and subject matters on reality television are more authentic and more engaging than in scripted dramas, writing that scripted network television "remains dominated by variants on the [[police procedural]]... in which a stock group of characters (ethnically, sexually, and generationally diverse) grapples with endless versions of the same dilemma. The episodes have all the ritual predictability of Japanese [[Noh]] theater," while reality television is "the liveliest genre on the set right now. It has engaged hot-button cultural issues – class, sex, race – that respectable television... rarely touches."<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200705/reality-tv |title=The Case for Reality TV |first=Michael |last=Hirschorn |magazine=The Atlantic Monthly |date=May 2007}}</ref>

[[Television critic]] [[James Poniewozik]] wrote in 2008 that reality shows like ''Deadliest Catch'' and ''[[Ice Road Truckers]]'' showcase working-class people of the kind that "used to be routine" on scripted network television, but that became a rarity in the 2000s: "The better to woo upscale viewers, TV has evicted its mechanics and dockworkers to collect higher rents from yuppies in coffeehouses."<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1808612,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526235721/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1808612,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 26, 2008 |title=Reality TV's Working Class Heroes |first=James |last=Poniewozik |magazine=Time |date=May 22, 2008}}</ref>

In a 2021 interview, filmmaker [[Mike White (filmmaker)|Mike White]] (who had previously competed on ''The Amazing Race'' and ''Survivor'') said that reality competition shows like ''Survivor'' accurately conveyed how, in real life, "so much of self is situational", so that, as circumstances change, "the oppressed becomes the oppressor, the bully becomes the bullied." In contrast, he felt that in scripted drama "there's a lot of religiosity around humanity."<ref>{{cite web |title=Mike White Accepts the Criticism |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/the-white-lotus-finale-mike-white-interview-departures-ending.html |first=Kathryn |last=VanArendonk |date=August 15, 2021 |work=New York |access-date=September 3, 2021 |archive-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206071309/https://www.vulture.com/article/the-white-lotus-finale-mike-white-interview-departures-ending.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Instant celebrity ===
[[File:One Direction at the Logies Awards 2012.jpg|thumb|The English-Irish [[boy band]] [[One Direction]] formed during the [[The X Factor (British series 7)|seventh series]] of the British singing competition ''[[The X Factor (British TV series)|The X Factor]]'' in 2010, and later became one of the [[Boy band#Best-selling boy bands|best-selling boy bands]] of all time.]]
Reality television has the potential to turn its participants into national [[celebrity|celebrities]], at least for a short period. This is most notable in talent-search programs such as ''Idol'' and ''The X Factor'', which have spawned music stars in many of the countries in which they have aired. Many other shows, however, have made mostly temporary celebrities out of their participants; some participants have then been able to parlay this fame into media and merchandising careers. Participants of non-talent-search programs who have had subsequent acting careers include [[Lilian Afegbai]], [[Jacinda Barrett]], [[Jamie Chung]], [[Stephen Colletti]], [[David Giuntoli]], [[Vishal Karwal]], [[NeNe Leakes]] and [[Angela Trimbur]]; though Barrett and Trimbur were already aspiring actresses when they appeared on reality television. Reality TV participants who have become television hosts and personalities include [[Nabilla Benattia]], [[Rachel Campos-Duffy]], [[Kristin Cavallari]], [[Colby Donaldson]], [[Raffaella Fico]], [[Elisabeth Hasselbeck]], [[Katie Hopkins]], [[Rebecca Jarvis]], [[Jodie Marsh]], [[Heidi Montag]], [[Tiffany Pollard]] and [[Whitney Port]]; some of them have had acting careers as well. Reality TV participants who have become television personalities as well as successful entrepreneurs include [[Gemma Collins]], [[Lauren Conrad]], [[Jade Goody]], [[Bethenny Frankel]] and [[Spencer Matthews]]. Several cast members of MTV's ''[[Jersey Shore (TV series)|Jersey Shore]]'' have had lucrative endorsement deals, and in some cases their own product lines. Wrestlers [[The Miz|Mike "The Miz" Mizanin]] and [[David Otunga]] got their start on non-athletic reality shows.

In [[Australia]], various reality TV personalities have later served as radio hosts, including Fitzy and Rachel Corbett from ''[[Big Brother (Australian TV series)|Big Brother]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/big-brother-contestant-and-radio-nerd-make-peace|title=The Big Brother contestant and the Radio Nerd make peace {{!}} radioinfo.com.au|website=www.radioinfo.com.au|date=September 29, 2009|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-date=November 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181116034154/https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/big-brother-contestant-and-radio-nerd-make-peace|url-status=live |author1=Iamadmin }}</ref> Mick Newell from ''[[My Kitchen Rules (series 4)|My Kitchen Rules]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/mkrs-mick-makes-breakfast-hobart|title=MKR's Mick makes breakfast in Hobart {{!}} radioinfo.com.au|website=www.radioinfo.com.au|date=April 10, 2013|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-date=October 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018000209/https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/mkrs-mick-makes-breakfast-hobart|url-status=live |author1=Iamadmin }}</ref> Heather Maltman from ''[[The Bachelor (Australian TV series)|The Bachelor]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/sea-fm-serves-fresh-new-breakfast-show-gold-coast|title=Sea FM serves up a fresh new breakfast show on the Gold Coast {{!}} radioinfo.com.au|website=www.radioinfo.com.au|date=November 20, 2016|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-date=November 22, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161122185138/https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/sea-fm-serves-fresh-new-breakfast-show-gold-coast|url-status=live |last1=Napier |first1=Kim }}</ref> and Sam Frost from ''[[The Bachelorette (Australian TV series)|The Bachelorette]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/rove-and-single-woman|title=Instant Access {{!}} radioinfo.com.au|website=www.radioinfo.com.au|date=November 23, 2015|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-date=October 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018001033/https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/rove-and-single-woman|url-status=live |author1=Iamadmin }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/2dayfm-start-2017-new-breakfast-team|title=2DayFM to start 2017 with a new breakfast team {{!}} radioinfo.com.au|website=www.radioinfo.com.au|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=May 1, 2017|archive-date=January 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170107173733/https://www.radioinfo.com.au/news/2dayfm-start-2017-new-breakfast-team|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some reality-television alumni have parlayed their fame into paid public appearances.<ref name=Aurthur>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/arts/television/10aurt.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&oref=slogin|author=Aurthur, Kate|title=Reality Stars Keep on Going and Going|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 10, 2004|page=2|access-date=December 19, 2010|archive-date=April 16, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416213626/http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/arts/television/10aurt.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&oref=slogin|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=CNNMoney>Childers, Linda (July 7, 2011). [https://money.cnn.com/2011/07/06/smallbusiness/rick_harrison/ "Rick Harrison of 'Pawn Stars' spills success secrets"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112021314/https://money.cnn.com/2011/07/06/smallbusiness/rick_harrison/ |date=November 12, 2020 }}. [[CNN Money]].</ref>

Several [[socialite]]s, or children of famous parents, who were somewhat well known before they appeared on reality television shows have become much more famous as a result, including [[Paris Hilton]], [[Nicole Richie]], [[Kelly Osbourne]], [[Kim Kardashian]], and many of the rest of the [[Kardashian]] family.

Reality television personalities often get derided as "[[A-list|Z-list]] celebrities". Some have been lampooned for exploiting an undeserved "[[15 minutes of fame]]".<ref name=InsideEdition>[http://insideedition.com/news/7392/kim-kardashian-is-fighting-back-against-backlash.aspx "Kim Kardashian Is Fighting Back Against Backlash"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120115031000/http://insideedition.com/news/7392/kim-kardashian-is-fighting-back-against-backlash.aspx |date=January 15, 2012 }}. ''[[Inside Edition]]''. December 21, 2011</ref> The [[Kardashian family]] is one such group of reality television personalities who were subject to this criticism in the 2010s,<ref name=InsideEdition/><ref>*[http://www.theimproper.com/18677/elton-john-trashes-kim-kardashian-reality-television "Elton John Trashes Kim Kardashian, Reality Television"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212174053/http://www.theimproper.com/18677/elton-john-trashes-kim-kardashian-reality-television |date=February 12, 2012 }}. The Improper. February 4, 2011.
*Vanderberg, Madison (December 23, 2011). [http://www.hollyscoop.com/kim-kardashian/kardashian-family-the-backlash-of-being-overexposed.html "Kardashian Family: The Backlash of Being Overexposed"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511190015/http://www.hollyscoop.com/kim-kardashian/kardashian-family-the-backlash-of-being-overexposed.html |date=May 11, 2013 }}. Hollyscoop.
*Gostin, Nicki (December 12, 2011). [https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/jonah-hill-the-sitter-kardashians_n_1146242.html "Jonah Hill Talks 'The Sitter,' Weight Loss And Disgust With Kardashians"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001184049/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/jonah-hill-the-sitter-kardashians_n_1146242.html |date=October 1, 2018 }}. ''[[The Huffington Post]]''.
*Marikar, Sheila (March 19, 2012). [https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/03/jon-hamm-defends-kim-kardashian-criticism/ "Jon Hamm Defends Kim Kardashian Criticism"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200111065057/https://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/03/jon-hamm-defends-kim-kardashian-criticism/ |date=January 11, 2020 }}. [[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]].</ref> Kim Kardashian in particular.<ref>Mitchell, Houston (July 14, 2012). [https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-xpm-2012-jul-14-la-sp-sn-ronda-rousey-kim-kardashian-20120713-story.html "Ronda Rousey wants to beat up Kim Kardashian"] . ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''.</ref>

=== Springboard for political success ===
Two international franchises, ''[[The Apprentice (TV series)|The Apprentice]]'' and ''[[Dragons' Den]]'', are notable for having some of the business people who appeared there as judges and investors go on to win political office. The prime example is [[President of the United States]] [[Donald Trump]]: his stint as host of the original ''[[The Apprentice (American TV series)|The Apprentice]]'' from 2004 to 2015 has been credited by some commentators as a factor in his political success, since it greatly increased his fame, and showcased him as a tough and experienced authority figure.<ref>{{cite web |title=Poll: Trump Surges Past Hillary, Biden, Sanders, and Gore -- Here Are Some Reasons Why |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/423646/poll-trump-surges-past-hillary-biden-sanders-and-gore-here-are-some-reasons-why-david |first=David |last=French |date=September 7, 2015 |publisher=National Review Online |work=The Corner |access-date=March 2, 2016 |archive-date=March 6, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306122900/http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/423646/poll-trump-surges-past-hillary-biden-sanders-and-gore-here-are-some-reasons-why-david |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Lado Gurgenidze]], who hosted the Georgian version of ''The Apprentice'' in 2005, was appointed [[Prime Minister of Georgia]] from 2007, and served until 2008. [[Harry Harkimo]], who hosted the Finnish version of ''The Apprentice'' from 2009 to 2013, has been a member of the [[Parliament of Finland]] since 2015. [[João Doria]], who hosted seasons 7-8 of the Brazilian version of ''The Apprentice'', ''O Aprendiz'', from 2010 to 2011, served as [[Mayor of São Paulo]] from 2017 to 2018,<ref>{{cite news |title=A Rich 'Apprentice' Host in Politics? But This Mayor Says He's No Trump |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/world/americas/a-rich-apprentice-host-in-politics-but-this-mayor-says-hes-no-trump.html |first=Simon |last=Romero |newspaper=The New York Times |date=February 10, 2017 |access-date=February 10, 2017 |archive-date=February 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211042425/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/world/americas/a-rich-apprentice-host-in-politics-but-this-mayor-says-hes-no-trump.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and as [[Governor of São Paulo]] from 2018 to 2022. [[Bruno Bonnell]], who hosted the short-lived French version of ''The Apprentice'' in 2015, was a member of France's [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] from 2017 to 2022.

''Dragons' Den'' investors who have gone on to hold political office after appearing on their country's version of the program include [[Tommy Ahlers]] of Denmark, [[Nir Barkat]] of Israel, [[Anne Berner]] of Finland, [[Tomio Okamura]] of the Czech Republic, and [[Lencke Wischhusen]] of Germany.

In a rare case of a previously unknown reality television alumnus succeeding in the political arena, ''[[The Real World: Boston]]'' cast member [[Sean Duffy]] was a [[U.S. Representative]] from [[Wisconsin]] from 2010 to 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43894.html|title=Sean Duffy's 'Real World' reprise|last=Hunt|first=Kasie|date=October 20, 2010|website=POLITICO|language=en|access-date=December 6, 2019|archive-date=December 23, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121223164035/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1010/43894.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Youth audience ===
In 2006, four of the ten most popular programs among viewers under 17 were reality shows.<ref name="Appeal of Reality Television">{{cite journal|title=The Appeal of Reality Television for Teen and Pre-Teen Audiences|journal=Journal of Advertising Research|date=March 2011|volume=51|issue=1|pages=288–297|doi=10.2501/jar-51-1-288-297|last1=Patino|first1=Anthony|s2cid=36976247}}</ref> Studies have shown that young people emulate the behavior displayed on these programs, gathering much of their knowledge of the social world, particularly about consumer practices, from television.<ref name="Becoming Extra-Ordinary"/><ref name="New Media Practices in China">{{cite journal|last=Wallis|first=Cara|title=New Media Practices in China: Youth Patterns, Processes and Politics|journal=International Journal of Communication|year=2011|volume=5|pages=406–436}}</ref><ref name="Media Consumption and Global Visions">{{cite journal|last=Guo|first=Ke|author2=Ying Wu|title=Media Consumption and Global Visions Among Urban Chinese Youth|journal=China Media Research|year=2009|volume=5|issue=4|pages=80–94}}</ref><ref name="It's About Audience">{{cite journal|last=Paron|first=Katina|title=It's About Audience: How Adult Audiences Can Benefit Youth Media Organizations|journal=Youth Media Reporter|year=2008|volume=2|issue=1–6|pages=87–91}}</ref> Some critics have decried the positive representation of sexually objectified women in shows like ''[[The Girls Next Door]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Battista|first1=Kathy|title=Cindy Hinant's Make-Up, Glamour and TV Show|url=http://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2012/september/19/cindy-hinants-make-up-glamour-and-reality-tv-show/|website=Phaidon|access-date=November 23, 2014|date=2012|quote=Such women are symbolic of both the triumph and failure of consumerism and popular culture, where Playboy models and reality TV stars are revered by a younger, impressionable generation.|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023065132/https://www.phaidon.com/agenda/art/articles/2012/september/19/cindy-hinants-make-up-glamour-and-reality-tv-show/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Barton|first1=Jennifer|title=Bunny Talk: Teenagers Discuss The Girls Next Door|date=2010|publisher=Media@ LSE, London School of Economics and Political Science|location=London|url=http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/mediaworkingpapers/mscdissertationseries/2009/barton_final.pdf|access-date=November 23, 2014|archive-date=June 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611112611/http://www.lse.ac.uk/media@lse/research/mediaworkingpapers/mscdissertationseries/2009/barton_final.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 2007, according to the [[Learning and Skills Council]], one in seven UK teenagers hoped to gain fame by appearing on reality television.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Jaded |newspaper=The Economist |date=January 27, 2007 |page=57}}</ref>

=== Appeal ===
A number of studies have tried to pinpoint the appeal of reality television.<ref>Lundy, L. Ruth, A. & Park, T.(2008). Simply Irresistible: Reality TV Consumption Patterns, Communication Quarterly, 56(2), p.208-225.</ref> Factors that have been cited in its appeal include personal identification with the onscreen participants; pure entertainment; diversion from scripted TV; vicarious participation;<ref>Ebersole, S. & Woods, R.(2007). Motivations for Viewing Reality Television: A Uses and Gratifications Analysis. Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, 23(1, 23-42)</ref> a feeling of self-importance compared to onscreen participants;<ref name="Reiss, S. 2004">Reiss, S. & Wiltz, J. (2004). Why People Watch Reality TV, Media Psychology 6(4).</ref> enjoyment of competition;<ref name="Reiss, S. 2004"/> and an appeal to [[voyeurism]], especially given "scenes which take place in private settings, contain [[nudity]], or include gossip".<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Papacharissi | first1 = Z. | last2 = Mendelson | first2 = A. | year = 2007 | title = An exploratory study of reality appeal: Uses and Gratifications of reality TV shows | journal = Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media | volume = 51 | issue = 2| pages = 355–370 | doi=10.1080/08838150701307152| s2cid = 145099520 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Baruh | first1 = L | year = 2009 | title = Publicized intimacies on reality television: An analysis of voyeuristic content and its contribution to the appeal of reality programming | journal = Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media | volume = 53 | issue = 2 | page = 207 | doi = 10.1080/08838150902907678 | s2cid = 143928405 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Baruh | first1 = L | year = 2009 | title = Publicized intimacies on reality television: An analysis of voyeuristic content and its contribution to the appeal of reality programming | journal = Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media | volume = 53 | issue = 2 | page = 190 | doi = 10.1080/08838150902907678 | s2cid = 143928405 }}</ref>

A 2012 survey by [[Today (American TV program)|Today.com]] found that Americans who watch reality television regularly are more extroverted, more neurotic, and have lower self-esteem than those who do not.<ref>{{cite web |title=Reality Check for reality TV fans: You're more neurotic |url=https://www.today.com/news/reality-check-reality-tv-fans-youre-more-neurotic-1C7320186 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150807154401/http://www.today.com/news/reality-check-reality-tv-fans-youre-more-neurotic-1C7320186 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 7, 2015 |first=Courtney |last=Hazlett |publisher=Today.com |date=November 9, 2012 }}</ref>