Lifetime is bold, especially because they are taking on reality TV giants like, The Bachelorette and The Bachelor in their newest television show, UnReal. While their latest show, UnReal, is scripted, it leaves me to wonder how much of it is actually true. I have heard before that reality television is not real, and that producers are constantly pulling the strings of the “characters” in order to create drama, especially on shows where people are trapped for long periods of time such as shows like The Real World and Bad Girls Club. I decided to research this a bit and found a Buzzfeed article that broke down how reality television really works. I found this particular confession about editing and manipulating reality television footage from the writer of the article to be shocking:
“Sometimes I feel guilty about manipulating the footage, but I maybe feel more guilty about the dumbing-down of reality TV. We put out quality emotional, dramatic products, but as soon as they go to the network, they’ll decide “our audience doesn’t have that attention span” or “people in Middle America won’t like it.” They’re basically saying, “our audience is too dumb for that.” I feel guilty about dumbing down the product for this imaginary viewer that I don’t believe exists, or if it does, I think we have a responsibility to educate viewers and give them something smarter.” (via Buzzfeed)
This particular article was written back in 2012, and it makes me wonder how the beast that is reality television has changed since then. I have to say I’m guessing producers still think American’s are too dumb, because according to an article from The Daily Best, 1,715 television series were aired on TV in 2014 but only 352 were scripted. The number of scripted series includes content that are on streaming sites such as Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix. It’s no shock that streaming networks are beginning to gain ground on cable television, because they are dedicated to providing real content, not cheap fluff.
I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t admit the appeal of reality television. So, I admit that I watch reality television and it can be entertaining, but after watching the first episode of UnReal, I felt a bit disgusted at the lengths that the Executive Producer, Quinn (Constance Zimmer), went to in order to brand certain contestants and entertain the targeted audience. It’s even more shocking that the Producer, Rachel (Shiri Appleby), whose job is to make the drama come to life, could continue to stomach the wrath that she was unleashing, especially after her breakdown on the previous season of the made-up reality show, Everlasting.
I can’t say I was too shocked when the first contestant that walked out was black and the Executive Producer refused to label her as “wifey” material and made them reshoot immediately saying, “It’s not my fault America is racist,” which I wish wasn’t true. It’s no secret that there are a limited number of minorities on these types of reality shows. Further, it’s widely known that they ever make it past the first few weeks. Knowing this fact, one of the Producers approached two of the black contestants off camera. He wanted them to assume the role of the typical black stereotype that viewers generally see on reality television. I won’t spoil anything, but you’ll see how that one turned out.
<p>Another thing that they played on were the contestants emotions and troubled pasts. They had a doctor in the production room reading each contestants profiles. The Executive Producer then proceeded to use that to her advantage to stir up drama. The leading man, Adam (Freddie Stroma) wasn’t prince charming either, as the Producers had to trick the privileged, but troubled suitor into agreeing to the madness that was their reality show. Let me not forget to mention that sparks are apparently going to fly between him and the producer in charge, which was made known from episode one. It’s a bit predictable, but it’s always fun to watch these things unfold.</p>
Both Sarah Gertrude Shapiro and Marti Noxon inked the new show for Lifetime, but Shapiro has a little more experience in the reality television arena. Shapiro worked on the Bachelor for nine years at the beginning of her career and climbed so far up the ranks that she had the opportunity to write story lines, come up with romantic dates, and conduct show interviews. In a recent interview Shapiro addressed the appeal of reality shows like the Bachelor, as well as her attempts to get out of her contract and the gender roles that plague the industry. She swears her new show isn’t a tell-all story about The Bachelor, but a work of fiction. After revealing some of the traumatic experiences she’s been through, it’s hard to believe that some aspects of her new show are not an attempt to expose The Bachelor.
I do believe that there are some good reality shows out there. It’s unfortunate that good reality shows, such as Beyond Scared Straight, which aims to expose unruly youth to the jail system at an early age, has to be in the same category and most times overshadowed by shows like Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo and The Bachelor. Overall, I applaud the efforts of the show, and I believe shows like UnReal are well overdue. It’s time that we shut down the flourishing reality television industry and demand better programming. After watching the first four episodes, I am completely hooked. The show has an appeal and I hope it continues to expose the nature of reality tv, without getting lost in the entertainment factor that an audience generally expects from scripted television. I hope they can further continue this story past season one as well. Catch UnReal on Monday’s at 10/9c on Lifetime.
Update 2018: The final season of Unreal is now available to stream on Hulu.
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