Nothing Better Than the Real Thing
By Philip Nice
Sidebar: Nothing Better Than The Real Thing
Are reality shows simply a candid reflection of the way things actually are? Multiple networks have been directly implicated, accused and even summonsed for skewing certain scenes to create a contrived, out-of-context, more interesting scene in which the characters appear to be racier, more foul-mouthed, more villainous and even sexually active.
In an interview with cable channel Bravo, Blind Date executive producer Jay Renfroe admitted, “We have to assist reality. Reality’s boring.”Survivor producer Mark Burnett used body doubles for what he called “beauty shots.”Pop star Jessica Simpson, upon seeing the final version of her MTV series said that it had gone from something she would have felt comfortable showing her children to pg-13 material.Producers commonly show footage out of sequence and with music designed to slant the tone anywhere from tense to romantic.Other shows have actually scripted and re-shot certain sequences months later.Source: Weekend Magazine
