Jenkins Chapter 1

After Reading Chapter 1 of Jenkins' book, and discussing it in class, i decided to take an internet trip to my favorite website, www.howstuffworks.com. I searched for reality tv and found a lot of interesting information of how reality TV started and how it actually works. If you get a chance you should really take a look a this article. I will sum uo what it said for you though. By definition, reality TV is essentially unscripted programming that doesn't employ actors and focuses on footage of real events or situations. "The defining aspect of reality TV is probably the manner in which it is shot. Whether the show takes place in a real setting with real people (much like a documentary), shoots in front of a live studio audience that participates in the program, or uses hidden surveillance, reality TV relies on the camera capturing everything as it happens." So, reality TV isn't necessarily real as it is live. They shoot it live unscripted, so this saves on the production costs. They rely heavily on producers and editors instead of writers and directors. So how successful was survivor and why? Well, adding the show survivor was said to be one of CBS's best moves. They captured their largest audience after adding this show. Some Shows that followed were "Big Brother," "The Mole," "The Amazing Race" and "The Bachelor." But how "real" are they? Not so much, they are technicly unscripted and aired live, but they are also heavily edited. They are also said to be rigged. "In 2001, first-season "Survivor" contestant Stacey Stillman filed a lawsuit against producer Mark Burnett and CBS, claiming that Burnett rigged the show by talking two other contestants into voting her off the island. Stillman said that Burnett wanted to keep 72-year-old contestant Rudy Boesch on the island to maintain an older viewing demographic. Also, a number of contestants on shows like "The Apprentice," "The Bachelor" and "Joe Millionaire" have claimed that their actions were taken out of context and presented in misleading ways."