The Chu Forums

What do you guys classify as reality shows?

I've always ragged on reality shows, but realized some people classify shows like The Singoff as reality. Reality shows to me are like Big Brother where there are hidden cameras and you just watch some people live their lives.. like voyeurism kinda.

What about you guys?

big brother
x factor
fear factor
amazing race
america's/canada's next top bulimic
american idol
canadian idol
hell's kitchen
survivor
the bachelor/bachelorette

just to name a few of the shows that annoy me and that I would call reality tv.

Do reality shows annoy you, or just those ones specifically?

Reality shows in general annoy me. Also, those stupid ET, ET Canada, etc shows annoy me.

Maybe I'm just irritable.

"reality" shows are supposedly any show that has no script. so all game shows, dating shows, talk shows, even sports classify as reality shows.
the exception to that i guess would be pro wrestling lol.

I guess the reality genre needs more sub-classification then. It seems to encompass a huge range of shows.

pretty much the same as what shaun listed, i consider most those "competition" show series as reality tv too.

i would probably lump game shows in a separate category, i would consider it a game show if it is only self-contained episodes. wheel of fortune, jeopardy, price is right...

same with sports, even though it has no script i wouldn't classify it as reality.

i think for me if the show has a major purpose to build any sort of attachment to one or more real life characters over a season, i would call it reality.

You could say that a major purpose of sports is to build attachment to one or more "characters" or "players". Giving players more publicity, interviews, bios/stats, trading cards, allstar games, advertisements, etc... that's all meant to build attachment to specific players and in turn, gain more viewership to the sport.

if you were to break it down, reality shows are just that: reality. i.e. if that ish is happening for realsies, then it's reality.

however, sports i guess could be pushing it as it's not about people as much as it's about the game. i find that reality shows (game shows included) are more about the people, characters, etc. with sports it's more the game and the team (like, how many canucks from when you started to be a fan are still canucks?).

either case, half the reality shows out there aren't even real. they're so obviously fake that it annoys the piss out of me. most of the celebrity reality shows fall into this category. snoop dogg's fatherhood was the worst.

The line gets blurry for me in places.
I guess instead of a definition, I tend to go by a certain criteria.

If it's more about the intrapersonal relationships between the contestants than the accomplishments of them, then it's reality tv.

If it's more about the judges (and/or the intrapersonal relationships between them) than the feats of the contestants, then it's reality tv.

If it involves voting someone off, it's reality tv.

Is it, or could it someday be considered a documentary? If so, then it isn't reality tv. I haven't seen the 24/7 road to winter classic, though I suspect it would fall under this.

Is it a news program? News programs aren't reality tv.