# Reality shows that are fake...spinoff thread



## pmyers

Somebody suggested a spinoff thread to discuss "reality shows" that might or might not be faked and to what extent.

Original thread:
http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?t=488700

Show's I've stopped watching due to being too fake:
Operation Repo
Hardcore Pawn
World's Worst Tenants
Flipped Off
Restraunt Stakeout


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## Alfer

SyFy's *Fact or Faked* is borderline.

But I still get a kick out of watching the goofballs act like every "paranormal" case is supposedly real when 99% of the time it's just CG hoaxes.


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## tivoboyjr

Alfer said:


> SyFy's *Fact or Faked* is borderline.
> 
> But I still get a kick out of watching the goofballs act like every "paranormal" case is supposedly real when 99% of the time it's just CG hoaxes.


I love that show. It's so bad it's good. I also like Lanisha.


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## Unbeliever

Pawn Stars is also completely scripted, and obviously so. However, since they actually try to teach you something about the history around an item, I give them a pass.

--Carlos V.


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## mrdazzo7

I pretty much can't watch any of the shows on TruTV, they're all completely staged. There's a show called "All Worked Up" about process servers, repo people, etc, and I know for a fact it's staged because one of the episodes was shot in a restaurant by my house... The owner's wife is in a comedy troupe and she and the producers worked out the whole storyline from start to finish... I'm sure every other show on the network is the same way. I tried to get into that "Bait Car" one but after about 10 minutes decided it too was fake so I didn't see the point. 

"The Locator" was a big disappointment for me... I'm a sucker for those kinds of stories but I couldn't even get through a couple of episodes because I was too distracted by the epic staging going on. Conversations with six different camera angles, people walking up from behind as if it's a "surprise" yet you can tell there are three different cameras on them... If you have just a slight knowledge of film production, you can tell when something is staged vs not. I had other examples but it's been a while since I've watched that one. 

"Undercover Boss"... I don't care what anyone says, there's no way that one isn't staged. Maybe the first season when no one knew what it was but there's no way they still get away with it after all this time, and so I'm leaning towards scripted. I can still watch it sometimes but that's always in the back of my head.

I liked the concept of "Secret Millionaire" but again, way too much staging. I guess I can buy that it's not scripted in the sense of the concept (millionaires posing as documentary filmmakers looking to find people to donate to) but it's staged in terms of production. In the episode I watched, the father and daughter are shown prancing around Newark NJ and basically stumbling upon causes to look into. Then they show up at these places, which conveniently already have cameras and lighting set up for their arrival... it's just pointless to me. 

I never understood the "reality" genre... A lot of times they have awesome concepts that I think could actually be cool, but instead of actually doing them (which would be a million times more interesting), they just fake everything. Why not just have a concept and shoot it like a documentary (or closer to that format)--the material is there. Instead the put together this heavily edited, overly-staged crap. 

No mi gusta!!


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## cmontyburns

Lap of Luxury
Last Chance for Love


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## 2004raptor

Gene Simmons family jewels


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## Azlen

mrdazzo7 said:


> Why not just have a concept and shoot it like a documentary (or closer to that format)--the material is there. Instead the put together this heavily edited, overly-staged crap.


Documentaries are faked too. How many million kids grew up thinking that lemmings threw themselves over a cliff in mass suicide because of the Disney documentary "White Wilderness"?

http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.asp


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## Archangel00

Ax Men


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## getreal

mrdazzo7 said:


> "Undercover Boss"... I don't care what anyone says, there's no way that one isn't staged. ... No mi gusta!!


This show ("Undercover Boss") has the absolute WORST disguises possible, and most especially the most unbelievable WIGS!!  How any person in real life could not do a double-take when someone walks up to them wearing those awful disguises, and then to treat them seriously ... Get Real!


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## pmyers

Unbeliever said:


> Pawn Stars is also completely scripted, and obviously so. However, since they actually try to teach you something about the history around an item, I give them a pass.
> 
> --Carlos V.


To me the show is "produced" but I do believe actual business is being done and transactions are legit. I'm ok with that.


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## Unbeliever

pmyers said:


> To me the show is "produced" but I do believe actual business is being done and transactions are legit. I'm ok with that.


I'm fairly confident that many of the "transactions" are borrowed items from other auction houses with actors to play the part, or pre-bought items.

Plenty of people have caught them out providing proof of the people on screen either never owned them to begin with, or were actors with IMDB pages.

Google the term "Pawn Stars Scripted"

--Carlos V.


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## scooterboy

A recent episode of American Pickers showed Mike and Frank buying a circus sideshow banner. Then they flashed back to a previous sideshow banner they had bought last season. In the flashback it showed the "expert" in NYC who valued it for them.

I now recognize that expert as Billy Leroy - one of the buyers on the new show Baggage Wars. In the pickers flashback, he wore an eye patch. On Baggage Wars, his vision must have gotten better because the eye patch is gone.


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## Barmat

House Hunters
House Hunters International

Producers hire couple that recently purchased a house. Then show them looking at three houses one of them being the one they bought. Then couple decides what house they like best. Surprise it's the one they already bought.


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## Beryl

That is why I like Investigation Discovery offerings. We KNOW the segments are reenacted and the actors are probably exaggerating everything for dramatic effect.

"I can't with" most reality shows.


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## GoHalos

scooterboy said:


> A recent episode of American Pickers showed Mike and Frank buying a circus sideshow banner. Then they flashed back to a previous sideshow banner they had bought last season. In the flashback it showed the "expert" in NYC who valued it for them.
> 
> I now recognize that expert as Billy Leroy - one of the buyers on the new show Baggage Wars. In the pickers flashback, he wore an eye patch. On Baggage Wars, his vision must have gotten better because the eye patch is gone.


I'm not saying that either of these shows isn't faked in this instance, but he could have had a temporary medical condition that needed a patch for a time, no? Now, perhaps it could have have been a bandage-type patch instead of a pirate-type patch if it was temporary, but you never know.


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## RonDawg

mrdazzo7 said:


> "Undercover Boss"... I don't care what anyone says, there's no way that one isn't staged. Maybe the first season when no one knew what it was but there's no way they still get away with it after all this time, and so I'm leaning towards scripted. I can still watch it sometimes but that's always in the back of my head.


I happened to catch an episode filmed in the UK that featured the boss of a power company. One of his employees asked him point-blank if he was faking his identity. The boss finally admitted to it.



Archangel00 said:


> Ax Men


I don't think all of it is faked, and the earlier episodes I believe are genuine, but the recent ones involving Rygaard are definitely faked. Craig's intense dislike of Dave is more than just a sideshow, it is a safety hazard (which the show does depict quite well).

At the beginning of last season, am I really supposed to believe that Gabe's "accidental" felling of a tree right on top of Dave's car was genuine? And that the cameras just happened to be set up to capture all the best possible angles?


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## Unbeliever

I was flipping through and stopped on Ax Men for a few minutes. Flipped away again after a similar scene to what RonDawg described of a well captured accident with a Wilhelm Scream.

Come on. Not only did the producers strain credulity with the heavy coincidence of the camera pointing the right place at the right time, but to foley in the most recognizable stock sound effect in the history of foley artistry just puts the icing on the "staged" arguments.

Haven't sought out Ax Men ever again, even when I'm bored.

--Carlos V.


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## mwhip

2004raptor said:


> Gene Simmons family jewels


I agree. It was great the first season then it became all scripted and is terrible. Which is a shame because I follow them all on twitter and they could carry the show without the scripting.


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## jjd_87

If its on Tru Tv its fake.

*Unless its a rerun of COPS or NCCA March Madness.


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## sieglinde

Black Gold was fake but I watched it because I found it interesting. I mean would a bunch of Texans all be drinking the same brand of beer at a party. (I figured the sponsor supplied the beer but it was fairly fake towards the end.)


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## pmyers

What's said is that these "producers" are ruining the entire genre for me and our going to burn their industry down if people stop watching because everything is fake.


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## mwhip

I think even to a degree things like Duck Dynasty are staged. Like the producers put people into a situation to see the dynamics happen. It's like throwing a feral cat in with a pit bull something is going to happen.


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## sharkster

What about Mystery Diner? It's pretty much the same show as Restaurant Stakeout. Apparently the buzz is that it is faked also. Bummer! I like these kinds of shows but I don't appreciate being duped.


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## stahta01

NBC News


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## squigy0

Barmat said:


> House Hunters
> House Hunters International
> 
> Producers hire couple that recently purchased a house. Then show them looking at three houses one of them being the one they bought. Then couple decides what house they like best. Surprise it's the one they already bought.


Wow, this one's a surprise to me. We did always find it kind of bizarre that they only looked at 3 houses, but then just dismissed it figuring it was all in the editing, and they simply showed the "3 best"

How do you know about this?


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## nickels

sharkster said:


> What about Mystery Diner? It's pretty much the same show as Restaurant Stakeout. Apparently the buzz is that it is faked also. Bummer! I like these kinds of shows but I don't appreciate being duped.


I'm torn on this one.... My wife said the episode that she watched was ridiculous. The one I saw seemed legit. I meant to look up the names of the people and their restaurants to see if they were real.


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## mwhip

Kitchen Nightmares

In the UK the show was great for the first couple years. Not overly produced and Ramsay was not in "Ramsay" mode. He was actually knowledgeable and helpful. Making people sell their cars to buy new equipment or sitting with them and showing them how to run their finances. 

Then it came to the US...totally over produced and he had to get into Ramsay mode and yell at people. Plus they had sponsors who gave these restaurant owners all new equipment. It was terrible in the US.


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## moetown

squigy0 said:


> Wow, this one's a surprise to me. We did always find it kind of bizarre that they only looked at 3 houses, but then just dismissed it figuring it was all in the editing, and they simply showed the "3 best"
> 
> How do you know about this?


It came out last week.


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## cheesesteak

Bikini Barbershop is so fake but at least the girls are wearing bikinis.


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## Cearbhaill

moetown said:


> It came out last week.


Actually I remember discussing the House Hunters being fake topic *in this very forum* several years ago.

It's all fake, people.
We are fed what we like to eat.

I view anything on my teevee as a product made to order- even the news.
Entertainment shows are purely that no matter what genre they are listed as falling under or what name they are given.
IMO everything is manipulated whether on the front end via scripting or the back end by the edit monkeys.
Nothing is true except that making money selling commercial air time trumps everything else.

Believe nothing. [/grassy knoll]


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## Boston Fan

Barmat said:


> House Hunters
> House Hunters International
> 
> Producers hire couple that recently purchased a house. Then show them looking at three houses one of them being the one they bought. Then couple decides what house they like best. Surprise it's the one they already bought.





moetown said:


> It came out last week.


Minor point, but the article doesn't mention HHI at all. We have long assumed it is staged, but still like HHI because we enjoy seeing the different international locations.

We assume most of these real estate type shows are scripted based on our daughter's participation in "My First Place". They did some initial filming of her to show to the producers, but she ultimately wasn't selected because the the closing date of the house she was buying couldn't be finalized yet (it was a short sale).

They only come in for a day or two of filming, so you pretty much need to have already purchased (closing date set) your home to be selected before they will invite you to do the show. The idea was that she would then look at a few of the other places she had considered to kind of reenact the process. If they were no longer available they would just pick some random homes.


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## sean67854

How fake are those shows where they build cars or motorcycles or whatever? I caught the last few episodes of Dream Machines and it looked pretty cool. Some of the setups, like when the get phone calls out of the blue seem pretty staged, but how much of the shop interaction is scripted?


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## MikeMar

Cearbhaill said:


> It's all fake, people.
> We are fed what we like to eat.
> 
> I view anything on my teevee as a product made to order- even the news.
> Entertainment shows are purely that no matter what genre they are listed as falling under or what name they are given.
> IMO everything is manipulated whether on the front end via scripting or the back end by the edit monkeys.
> Nothing is true except that making money selling commercial air time trumps everything else.
> 
> Believe nothing. [/grassy knoll]


I assume and have been assuming since Survivor that it's anywhere from 50% to 100% fake.


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## Snappa77

Big Brother. 

(That producer Allison something killed the show with her nonstop micro managing just about EVERYTHING.)


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## LoadStar

Deadliest Catch. It's all done on a soundstage and with "green screen." The pots are all CGI, and the crab are rendered by Pixar.


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## tivoboyjr

LoadStar said:


> the crab are rendered by Pixar


So that explains why they can talk, and and also the occasional song and dance routines. I thought that was odd, but then I'm no marine biologist.


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## mwhip

Snappa77 said:


> Big Brother.
> 
> (That producer Allison something killed the show with her nonstop micro managing just about EVERYTHING.)


I agree. Other countries are better they put in people who can play the game not just ones who look good laying out by the pool.


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## Graymalkin

They're ALL fake.


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## Satchel

sean67854 said:


> How fake are those shows where they build cars or motorcycles or whatever? I caught the last few episodes of Dream Machines and it looked pretty cool. Some of the setups, like when the get phone calls out of the blue seem pretty staged, but how much of the shop interaction is scripted?


obviously the cars or bikes are getting built, but what's fake is the "deadline" that makes everyone stress out and have to scream at each other.

That's the formula that American Chopper pioneered.


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## Einselen

mwhip said:


> I think even to a degree things like Duck Dynasty are staged. Like the producers put people into a situation to see the dynamics happen. It's like throwing a feral cat in with a pit bull something is going to happen.


To a degree? Most things in Duck Dynasty are staged or highly influenced by the producers either that or Willie has some amazing timing to come in and stop the stupidity.


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## MarkofT

Unbeliever said:


> I'm fairly confident that many of the "transactions" are borrowed items from other auction houses with actors to play the part, or pre-bought items.
> 
> Plenty of people have caught them out providing proof of the people on screen either never owned them to begin with, or were actors with IMDB pages.
> 
> Google the term "Pawn Stars Scripted"
> 
> --Carlos V.


I know a couple of early seasons had some seeded buddies that wanted to be on TV. And it's obvious that unless you walk in with something fairly unique, you won't be getting on TV at all. You never see someone come in with a TV or a toolbox or a stack of DVDs.

I doubt there is any scripting beyond seeking out items to feature, whether it's buddies that want to be on TV or someone really looking to sell an item.



Einselen said:


> To a degree? Most things in Duck Dynasty are staged or highly influenced by the producers either that or Willie has some amazing timing to come in and stop the stupidity.


Willie is the cause of at least half of the stupidity. Much of the bits with Miss Kay seems like they just setup a couple cameras, put the girls in the kitchen and film away. Probably similar for the guys but they have more places to setup. There are a few obvious scripted events, but that's more from a safety, one time only shot so we better get the cameras in the right spots thing.


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## mattack

I really want to say [citation needed] for all of these... Not that I don't believe they're 100% completely real...


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## Unbeliever

MarkofT said:


> I doubt there is any scripting beyond seeking out items to feature, whether it's buddies that want to be on TV or someone really looking to sell an item.


So no scripting, even when Rick Dale's brother Ron brings in a Coca Cola machine, all beat up, then Harrison brings it to Rick Dale for restoration with a "Never seen that before comment."

When the machine comes back "restored" it's not the same machine. Different window size, different coin mechanism, square corners when the machine used to have rounded corners, etc.

Or how they were able to get all sorts of Hatfield and McCoy items for the debut week for History's H&M series?

Or the "Upcoming on Pawn Stars" clips where the comments in the clip flat out contradict what happens in the episode?

Or the whole "happy vibe" routine with the dreamcatcher/flax bow? The flax bow that was a completely different bow with different color string when the "owner" returned to reclaim it?

Again, I'm not so naive to think that any of the "transactions" are real, but give them a pass as they're trying to set up the transactions to teach some history to the viewers.

--Carlos V.


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## LoadStar

Unbeliever said:


> So no scripting, even when Rick Dale's brother Ron brings in a Coca Cola machine, all beat up, then Harrison brings it to Rick Dale for restoration with a "Never seen that before comment."
> 
> When the machine comes back "restored" it's not the same machine. Different window size, different coin mechanism, square corners when the machine used to have rounded corners, etc.
> 
> Or how they were able to get all sorts of Hatfield and McCoy items for the debut week for History's H&M series?
> 
> Or the "Upcoming on Pawn Stars" clips where the comments in the clip flat out contradict what happens in the episode?
> 
> Or the whole "happy vibe" routine with the dreamcatcher/flax bow? The flax bow that was a completely different bow with different color string when the "owner" returned to reclaim it?
> 
> Again, I'm not so naive to think that any of the "transactions" are real, but give them a pass as they're trying to set up the transactions to teach some history to the viewers.
> 
> --Carlos V.


Also, everything you see on the show is filmed specifically for the show when it is closed. You can tell, because occasionally, they'll show a shot of a pretty busy store, but then they'll immediately cut to a person supposedly wandering in to sell/pawn something, and the store is almost completely vacant.

The "stars" of the show aren't even in the store much if at all when it is open. Plus, the store is much too crowded with fans of the show browsing and buying all sorts of show memorabilia. (I understand a huge portion of the store is now dedicated to selling show memorabilia.)


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## RonDawg

Barmat said:


> House Hunters
> House Hunters International
> 
> Producers hire couple that recently purchased a house. Then show them looking at three houses one of them being the one they bought. Then couple decides what house they like best. Surprise it's the one they already bought.


I always wondered what would happen if someone on this show had already bought a house, and the producers happened to find one that the new homeowners liked even better, but for whatever reason was not available when they were first looking?

Or do the producers only find ones that they would automatically reject, or perhaps already have as part of their own property search?


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## Steveknj

Graymalkin said:


> They're ALL fake.


Thunder stolen.

I sometimes think the genre should be named "Not" Reality show.


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## sieglinde

There are some fake ones that I watched anyway. There was one on CMT where they had a few C class celebrities running a bed and breakfast in a southern town. It was cute.


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## dthmj

I don't trust anything on Duck Dynasty now. The whole winery thing was fake. They never bought a winery. The show rented an existing (and successful and running) winery where they filmed the whole thing.

That's not even a manufactured situation - that's just pure fiction.


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## xuxa

moetown said:


> It came out last week.


I can also verfiy, a friend of mine was on HHI, same story.

Reality TV if it wasn't faked or heavily produced would be very boring. The less you fake it gets much more expensive to produce. Look at Deadliest Catch, produced but not heavily faked and they shoot 4 to five ships for months with multiple cameras pretty much 24/7 with some to get something they can make a story out of for the season. I imagine it is the one of the most costly show on cable. Survivor heavily depends on exotic locations and competitions and gets away with only having to shot for 40 days or so but on location. Without the location you have Big Brother where they need 3 months to make something viable.

The low budget shows are 'required' to be faked because there is no budget (I imagine trutv isn't paying that much) to cover the job, event etc to get a good story or not be utterly boring.


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## xuxa

dthmj said:


> I don't trust anything on Duck Dynasty now. The whole winery thing was fake. They never bought a winery. The show rented an existing (and successful and running) winery where they filmed the whole thing.
> 
> That's not even a manufactured situation - that's just pure fiction.


Willie before the beard and realizing that he could make a character for a tv show


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## pmyers

They've actually showed that picture or another one of him without the beard, on the show.


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## Big Deficit

LoadStar said:


> Deadliest Catch. It's all done on a soundstage and with "green screen." The pots are all CGI, and the crab are rendered by Pixar.


AND they use the same sound stage that the fake moon landings were filmed on!

I know this because my mothers mothers aunts cousins brothers dogs chew toy told me so.


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## dtivouser

King of Cars? Oh please don't tell me Chopper wasn't legit...


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## Squeak

RonDawg said:


> I always wondered what would happen if someone on this show had already bought a house, and the producers happened to find one that the new homeowners liked even better, but for whatever reason was not available when they were first looking?
> 
> Or do the producers only find ones that they would automatically reject, or perhaps already have as part of their own property search?


You can only be on HH (or Property Brothers) if you have a signed contract for a house.

They know exactly what house they are going to "buy", and 2 other houses are added into the mix.


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## mwhip

dtivouser said:


> King of Cars? Oh please don't tell me Chopper wasn't legit...


Please tell me that guy went out of busineess


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## Azlen

I read somewhere that there was a lot of fakery in Iron Chef. The mystery ingredient wasn't such a mystery. The actual food the judges ate wasn't necessarily cooked by the chefs in that hour time period and that much of it was actually done by the sous chefs.

Found the article 
http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/next_iron_chef/2011_Dec_05_behind-scenes-iron-chef


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## pmyers

Azlen said:


> I read somewhere that there was a lot of fakery in Iron Chef. The mystery ingredient wasn't such a mystery. The actual food the judges ate wasn't necessarily cooked by the chefs in that hour time period and that much of it was actually done by the sous chefs.
> 
> Found the article
> http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/next_iron_chef/2011_Dec_05_behind-scenes-iron-chef


I never assumed the ingredient was an absolute mystery. I always assumed that they gave the chefs a list of a couple of possible ingredients so they could come up with a "menu". That's just logistics

I also always assumed they had to go back and make some of the food because the one plate they make is not enough to feed all the judges.


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## RonDawg

Squeak said:


> You can only be on HH (or Property Brothers) if you have a signed contract for a house.
> 
> They know exactly what house they are going to "buy", and 2 other houses are added into the mix.


I realize that. But I've always wondered if there was a situation where they've already bought the house, but the two "alternatives" ended up being a lot better but for some reason they never were shown them before (such as they were in escrow but which fell through after the subjects had already committed to another house).

For example, a buyer would really like a house on a cul-de-sac, but because none were in his/her price range, the buyer had to settle for one on a busy street. Then, after committing to buying the house and to being on HH, one of the alternative houses is on a cul-de-sac, and is within their price/size/commuting distance/neighborhood/etc. criteria.

Frankly, that would suck to know that I could have gotten a house I liked better if I had waited just a bit longer.


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## Cearbhaill

RonDawg said:


> Frankly, that would suck to know that I could have gotten a house I liked better if I had waited just a bit longer.


That is the one enormous fear every home buyer has the day they sign a contract.
It is by no means limited to those buying a home and appearing on HH's.


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## MarkofT

Unbeliever said:


> So no scripting, even when Rick Dale's brother Ron brings in a Coca Cola machine, all beat up, then Harrison brings it to Rick Dale for restoration with a "Never seen that before comment."
> 
> When the machine comes back "restored" it's not the same machine. Different window size, different coin mechanism, square corners when the machine used to have rounded corners, etc.
> 
> Or how they were able to get all sorts of Hatfield and McCoy items for the debut week for History's H&M series?
> 
> Or the "Upcoming on Pawn Stars" clips where the comments in the clip flat out contradict what happens in the episode?
> 
> Or the whole "happy vibe" routine with the dreamcatcher/flax bow? The flax bow that was a completely different bow with different color string when the "owner" returned to reclaim it?
> 
> Again, I'm not so naive to think that any of the "transactions" are real, but give them a pass as they're trying to set up the transactions to teach some history to the viewers.
> 
> --Carlos V.


They got in *one* H&M item on an episode before the miniseries. American Pickers hit up a place in the hills where it all took place. History seems to be on a major cross promotions kick in recent times. Can't say that I blame them on that since they do edit the shows to show the stories they want to tell. Editing is also the reason for the "Upcoming on Pawn Stars" issue that you have. I didn't really pay enough attention to respond to your other issues.

There have been some real transactions as some of the items have had screen time since they were purchased. I also recall a few scenes where there wasn't a seller, but a buyer that would come in and ask about an item on display and they would give a little history lesson on it.

All of that shows that it is edited, some portions prearranged, and maybe they bone up on an item before it walks in the door, but I wouldn't say any of that is scripted and the show is faked like some of the other shows mentioned.

I do happen to know that one scene that many claim to be scripted was in fact just plain dumb luck. Chumlee did happen to wander across Bob Dylan and get the record signed to himself. They didn't plan the result and had set out to show him acting goofy and failing but got him acting goofy and succeeding, kind of.


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## Snappa77

I remember a few seasons back on one of the MTV RealWorld vs RoadRules seasons the producers were notorious for showing clips of ppl speaking on things and making it seem like they were talking about someone or something different. 

Quite a few times they would have a guy who shaved his head or got a faux hawk involved with something but their 'diary room/confessional' interview about the subject would be when they had a full head of hair. 

They would talk trash about one person in the interview but they'd edit it to seem like they were speaking about someone else.

I know that is the norm now but years ago it was shocking cuz it was so blatant. 



I still gotta say Big Brother is probably the worst offender of shadiness. Challenges out of order to help certain players. Random advantages handed out at convenient times for others. Heavy HEAVY interview room influence. That show is rigged from top to bottom.


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## Gunnyman

cmontyburns said:


> Lap of Luxury
> Last Chance for Love


I totally LOL'd


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## RonDawg

Cearbhaill said:


> That is the one enormous fear every home buyer has the day they sign a contract.
> It is by no means limited to those buying a home and appearing on HH's.


True, but the difference is those who signed up for HH *must* go look at the other two houses for the show.

Again, I would hope the other two choices are ones already rejected by the subjects of each episode, but the possibility exists that those are no longer up for sale by the time filming starts.


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## pmyers

Azlen said:


> I read somewhere that there was a lot of fakery in Iron Chef. The mystery ingredient wasn't such a mystery. The actual food the judges ate wasn't necessarily cooked by the chefs in that hour time period and that much of it was actually done by the sous chefs.
> 
> Found the article
> http://www.realityblurred.com/realitytv/archives/next_iron_chef/2011_Dec_05_behind-scenes-iron-chef


Also the "Chairman" is just an actor not actual Japanese royalty or descendant of the original "Chairman"


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## LordKronos

pmyers said:


> I never assumed the ingredient was an absolute mystery. I always assumed that they gave the chefs a list of a couple of possible ingredients so they could come up with a "menu". That's just logistics
> 
> I also always assumed they had to go back and make some of the food because the one plate they make is not enough to feed all the judges.


That was one of my biggest complaint about the american version, that they only make one plate. I wish they made them do all the plates like the original.

I understand about the fact that the chefs have a general idea of the ingredient ahead of time. It only makes sense. Likewise, in the american version it's predecided which chef your are going to face. That only makes sense, as it would be expensive to have a bunch of other chefs come in to do nothing. I always wondered how they worked that in the japanese version. Is it really the case that the challenger picks his iron chef at the last second? It's been a while since I've seen an episode, but I thought the other chefs were actually present for the filming of each episode (except for chef Kobe, who was only there from time to time).


----------



## LordKronos

pmyers said:


> Also the "Chairman" is just an actor not actual Japanese royalty or descendant of the original "Chairman"


Likewise, the original chairman was also an actor.


----------



## marksman

My only exception on trutv is full throttle saloon. While undoubtedly some staging goes on, given the circumstances a lot of the drama is legitimate. Otherwise everything on trutv is a joke. Hardcore pawn is just them yelling at black people and then getting mad when their employees do the same.

Someone else mentioned pawn stars and I agree but it is more an informational show to me than anything else. The characters and set ups provide a good background to learn something.

To be fair every single reality show is heavily, edited, scripted and staged. I can't think of any exceptions.


----------



## marksman

mrdazzo7 said:


> I pretty much can't watch any of the shows on TruTV, they're all completely staged. There's a show called "All Worked Up" about process servers, repo people, etc, and I know for a fact it's staged because one of the episodes was shot in a restaurant by my house... The owner's wife is in a comedy troupe and she and the producers worked out the whole storyline from start to finish... I'm sure every other show on the network is the same way. I tried to get into that "Bait Car" one but after about 10 minutes decided it too was fake so I didn't see the point.
> 
> "The Locator" was a big disappointment for me... I'm a sucker for those kinds of stories but I couldn't even get through a couple of episodes because I was too distracted by the epic staging going on. Conversations with six different camera angles, people walking up from behind as if it's a "surprise" yet you can tell there are three different cameras on them... If you have just a slight knowledge of film production, you can tell when something is staged vs not. I had other examples but it's been a while since I've watched that one.
> 
> "Undercover Boss"... I don't care what anyone says, there's no way that one isn't staged. Maybe the first season when no one knew what it was but there's no way they still get away with it after all this time, and so I'm leaning towards scripted. I can still watch it sometimes but that's always in the back of my head.
> 
> I liked the concept of "Secret Millionaire" but again, way too much staging. I guess I can buy that it's not scripted in the sense of the concept (millionaires posing as documentary filmmakers looking to find people to donate to) but it's staged in terms of production. In the episode I watched, the father and daughter are shown prancing around Newark NJ and basically stumbling upon causes to look into. Then they show up at these places, which conveniently already have cameras and lighting set up for their arrival... it's just pointless to me.
> 
> I never understood the "reality" genre... A lot of times they have awesome concepts that I think could actually be cool, but instead of actually doing them (which would be a million times more interesting), they just fake everything. Why not just have a concept and shoot it like a documentary (or closer to that format)--the material is there. Instead the put together this heavily edited, overly-staged crap.
> 
> No mi gusta!!


The main reason why is they would likely have to film for three years to make one season. I agree a lot of these situations sound like interesting ideas but when they need to make 10-13 episodes out of a couple months of shooting it is just not going to have much going on.


----------



## marksman

LoadStar said:


> Deadliest Catch. It's all done on a soundstage and with "green screen." The pots are all CGI, and the crab are rendered by Pixar.


You can tell from the shadows. All us seamen know there are no shadows in the ocean.

Also cake boss and Jon and Kate plus eight were so real.


----------



## tivoboyjr

Snookie is actually a Ph.D. and is fluent in eight languages.


----------



## Azlen

pmyers said:


> Also the "Chairman" is just an actor not actual Japanese royalty or descendant of the original "Chairman"


The Chairman is Wo Fat from Hawaii Five-O.
The whole Iron Chef thing is a sinister plot against McGarrett.


----------



## cmontyburns

Gunnyman said:


> I totally LOL'd


I'm glad somebody did.


----------



## Samantha Kirk

marksman said:


> The main reason why is they would likely have to film for three years to make one season. I agree a lot of these situations sound like interesting ideas but when they need to make 10-13 episodes out of a couple months of shooting it is just not going to have much going on.


As grownups we know that every reality show is staged and bound to be fake. Ideas may be interesting but I dont get any excitement out of these shows. It is not about what you show in the episodes; it is about how you show it. As mrdazzo7 said earlier they could have made these shows into a documentary and documentaries are way more interesting than reality shows.


----------



## betts4

mwhip said:


> Kitchen Nightmares
> 
> In the UK the show was great for the first couple years. Not overly produced and Ramsay was not in "Ramsay" mode. He was actually knowledgeable and helpful. Making people sell their cars to buy new equipment or sitting with them and showing them how to run their finances.
> 
> Then it came to the US...totally over produced and he had to get into Ramsay mode and yell at people. Plus they had sponsors who gave these restaurant owners all new equipment. It was terrible in the US.


They filmed an episode of this at a restaurant down the street. "The Hon Cafe" here in Hampden/Baltimore MD. I know some was real and some was faked/set up. The real part was the restaurant owner is a nasty ***** and was portrayed like that on tv. He came in and ripped her a new one and we all cheered. I have eaten there- 3 times. I have waited and waited for my food. Anyway, one thing that he either did or had it timed right or she did and timed it right was her pulling the order to try and register the word "hon" to her. Hon is a baltimore word and is used by men and women alike. It is not meant as a sexist thing, it is just used. Because of the name of her restaurant she wanted to trademark that word and then get something everytime it was used around the city. It was ridiculous.

I do wish Ramsey would come back. The Cafe Hon stayed the way he set it up for about 6 months. It's back to it's old self again.


----------



## pmyers

Man I loved King of Cars!


----------



## marksman

Samantha Kirk said:


> As grownups we know that every reality show is staged and bound to be fake. Ideas may be interesting but I dont get any excitement out of these shows. It is not about what you show in the episodes; it is about how you show it. As mrdazzo7 said earlier they could have made these shows into a documentary and documentaries are way more interesting than reality shows.


Jon and Kate plus eight started off as a one hour documentary. It was a real documentary. They followed it with a second one later on, then it became a show.

Once it became a show they did not take the luxury of filming then for six months to make each episode of the tv show. This is the rub. Most of these shows with seven to thirteen hours of content a year would not be engaging given the source material they have to work from.

I don't like it either but it is not as easy as saying make it like a documentary. Most documentaries cover substantial periods of time. Think of your favorite documentary movies of all time. Now tell that creator to do that same work six times every twelve months. It is an impossible request and we end up with staged nonsense.


----------



## murgatroyd

A behind-the-scenes look at America's Got Lawsuits (If You Reveal The Outcome Before The Episode Airs).


----------



## FiftyoneFifty

Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but Kitchen Nightmares was mentioned, and I thought this was interesting. Looks like Gordon Ramsey's success rate isn't so hot:
US
S01E01 - Peter's - Babylon, NY **closed**
S01E02 - Dillon's - New York, NY **renamed Purnima, closed**
S01E03 - Mixing Bowl - Bellmore, NY **closed**
S01E04 - Seascape - Islip, NY **sold** **Closed**
S01E05 - Olde Stone Mill - Tuckahoe, NY **Sold**
S01E06 - Sebastian's - Toluca Lake, CA **closed**
S01E07 - Finn McCool's - Westhampton, NY **Sold**
S01E08 - Lela's - Pomona, CA **closed**
S01E09 - Campania - Fair Lawn, NJ **sold, then closed** 3 years later
S01E10 - Secret Garden - Moorpark, CA

S02E01 - Handlebar - Mount Sinai, NY **closed**
S02E02 - Giuseppe's - Macomb Township, MI **closed**
S02E03 - Trobiano's - Great Neck, NY **closed**
S02E04 - Black Pearl - New York, NY **closed**
S02E05 - J Willy's - South Bend, IN **closed**
S02E06 - Hannah & Mason's - Cranbury, NJ **closed**
S02E07 - Jack's Waterfront - St. Clair Shores, MI **closed**
S02E08 - Sabatiello's - Stamford, CT **closed**
S02E09 - Fiesta Sunrise - West Nyack, NY **closed**
S02E10 - Santé La Brea - Los Angeles, CA**closed**
S02E11 - Cafe 36 - La Grange, IL **closed**

S03E01 - Hot Potato Cafe - Philadelphia, PA **closed**
S03E02 - Flamangos - Whitehouse Station, NJ **renamed The Junction** **closed**
S03E03 - Bazzini - Ridgewood, NJ **closed**
S03E04 - Mojito - Brooklyn, NY
S03E05 - Lido di Manhattan Beach - Manhattan Beach, CA
S03E06 - Le Bistro - Lighthouse Point, FL
S03E07 - Casa Roma - Lancaster, CA **Closed**
S03E08 - Mama Rita's - Newbury Park, CA **closed**
S03E09 - Anna Vincenzo's - Boca Raton, FL **closed**
S03E10 - Fleming - Miami, FL **Closed**
S03E11 - Sushi-Ko - Thousand Oaks, CA **closed**

S04E01 - Spanish Pavillion - Harrison, NJ
S04E02 - Classic American - West Babylon, NY
S04E03 - PJ's Steakhouse - Queens, NY **closed**
S04E04 - Grasshopper Also - Carlstadt, NJ
S04E05 - Davide - Boston, MA
S04E06 - Down City - Providence, RI **Closed**
S04E07 - Cafe Tavolini - Bridgeport, CT **closed**
S04E08 - Kingston Cafe - Pasadena, CA
S04E09 - La Frite - Sherman Oaks, CA
S04E10 - Capri - Eagle Rock, CA
S04E11 - Zeke's - Metairie, LA
S04E12 - Oceana - New Orleans, LA

S05E01 - Blackberrys - Plainfield, NJ
S05E02 - Leone's - Montclair, NJ
S05E03 - Mike & Nellies - Oakhurst, NJ **CLOSED**
S05E04 - Luigi's - Anaheim, CA
S05E05&06 - Burger Kitchen - Los Angeles, CA **closed**
S05E07 - The Greek at the Harbor - Ventura, CA
S05E08 - Michon's - College Park, GA
S05E09 - El Greco - Austin, TX **Closed**
S05E10 - Park's Edge - Atlanta, GA
S05E11 - Spin-A-Yarn Steakhouse - Fremont, CA
S05E12 - Charlie's - La Verne, CA
S05E13 - Cafe Hon - Baltimore, MD
S05E14 - Chiarella's - Philadelphia, PA
S05E15 - Zocalo - Philadelphia, PA

UK
S01E01 - Bonapartes Restaurant - Silsden, England **closed**
S01E02 - The Glass House - Ambleside, England
S01E03 - The Walnut Tree Inn - Llandewi Skirrid, Wales **closed**
S01E04 - Moore Place - Esher, England **sold, now Esteem**

S02E01 - La Lanterna - Letchworth, England **closed**
S02E02 - D-Place - Chelmsford, England **closed**
S02E03 - Momma Cherri's Soul Food Shack - Brighton, England
S02E04 - La Riviera - Inverness, Scotland **renamed to Abstract**

S03E01 - Oscar's - Nantwich, England **sold**
S03E02 - The Sandgate Hotel - Sandgate, England **sold**
S03E03 - Clubway 41 - Blackpool, England **closed**
S03E04 - La Gondola - Derby, England **sold**

S04E01 - La Parra de Burriana - Nerja, Spain **closed**
S04E02 - The Fenwick Arms - Claughton, England **sold**
S04E03 - Rococo - King's Lynn, England **closed**
S04E04 - Morgans - Liverpool, England

S05E01 - Ruby Tate's - Brighton, England **closed**
S05E02 - Piccolo Teatro - Paris, France **closed**
S05E05 - The Priory - Haywards Heath, England **sold, now La Capilla, a tapas bar**
S05E06 - The Fish and Anchor - Lampeter, Wales
S05E07 - Curry Lounge - Nottingham, England
S05E08 - The Granary - Titchfield, England **closed**

(Source: http://www.quora.com/What-restaurants-on-Kitchen-Nightmares-have-closed)

Anyone remember Trick My Truck on CMT? The 'acting' was so bad.. I wanted to punch them in their face. It was literally... 'Hey. You. Get. Away. From. My. Truck.' It was ridiculous. I think all are staged for entertainment value, otherwise, no one would watch.


----------



## LoadStar

FiftyoneFifty said:


> Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but Kitchen Nightmares was mentioned, and I thought this was interesting. Looks like Gordon Ramsey's success rate isn't so hot:


To be fair, long runs for a restaurant, even successful ones, are pretty rare.

I also wouldn't pin all the fault on Ramsay; he can only do so much when he's dealing with some of these inept restaurateurs, especially when (if the reality is as portrayed on the show) he is expected to come in and overnight transform a failing restaurant into a successful one.

But yeah, to expect a coat of paint for the restaurant and a pep talk for the staff to suddenly revive a restaurant is not exactly likely.


----------



## marksman

Restaurant business is weird. So many people with no experience want to open one as their small business. Yet it is absolutely one of the toughest businesses to run let alone be successful.

The good news for Ramsey is the sixteenth chef from bells kitchen s5 probably has a lifetime worth of job offers because so many inexperienced people open restaurants.


----------



## Gunnyman

Two shows that I caught recently are totally staged
Tanked, the show about the aquarium company in Las Vegas, the "acting" is horrible.
And Sand Masters. Every show the person who ordered the sand sculpture has a last minute "addition" to the job and it gets exaggerated for dramatic effect.


----------



## sean67854

Okay, now i've seen 2 episodes of Fast & Loud. First episode seemed pretty much on the up and up. Second episode was iffy. 

One thing I found interesting is that we all talk about these artificial deadlines these shows have to raise the tension, and the main guy directly talked about his tight deadline in one episode. He basically said he has to turn the cars around quickly, otherwise the labor costs eliminate his profit.


----------



## That Don Guy

murgatroyd said:


> A behind-the-scenes look at Americas Got Lawsuits (If You Reveal The Outcome Before The Episode Airs).


And being sued if you reveal a result in advance makes AGT different from pretty much every other "reality competition show" in what way?

Pretty much every show has a "five million dollar clause" in its contestant contracts; if you reveal anything about how a show works, or any result before it airs, you can be sued for up to five million dollars. The number comes from the original _Survivor_ contract.

Just what is considered "worth enforcing" is another matter. Presumably, the producers of _American Idol_ could sue anyone who pointed out that not everybody auditions in front of the judges, or the _So You Think You Can Dance?_ producers if somebody notes that the "green mile" (where the dancers are told whether or not they made it to the final 20) not only is not in Vegas, but takes place weeks after the end of "Vegas Week", but I have not heard of any lawsuits. (At least one SYTYCD finalist has claimed that, at least once, when she had to "draw a dance style out of a hat," there was only one dance in the hat.)

There's supposed to be a "tell-all" _Idol_ book coming out soon; I suppose the producers could try to get an injunction and stop its publication if they wanted, the way J.K. Rowling stopped somebody from publishing a "Harry Potter Encyclopedia" of some sort, but considering that most of the "backstage" information is public anyway - in fact, an issue of TV Guide from an early Idol season pointed out that "only about 120 singers actually get to sing in front of Simon Cowell," and nobody complained about this "news" back then.


----------



## Jebberwocky!

A friend of my Son's is on the current Bachelorette and while he's filled in some blanks there are many things that he just won't disclose.


----------



## martinp13

Peewee's Playhouse. Totally staged. Talking pterodactyls, indeed.


----------



## nickels

dtivouser said:


> King of Cars? Oh please don't tell me Chopper wasn't legit...


That guy is my wife's distant cousin! haha
From what I know the show was legit. We are going to be with his closer family very soon so I can ask them if the show was real and see what they say. I can assure you the dealership is real and his family on the East coast has a dealership as well.


----------



## pmyers

nickels said:


> That guy is my wife's distant cousin! haha
> From what I know the show was legit. We are going to be with his closer family very soon so I can ask them if the show was real and see what they say. I can assure you the dealership is real and his family on the East coast has a dealership as well.


I just loved the "tv show" commercial they did with the car lineup!


----------



## blacknoi

Gunnyman said:


> And Sand Masters. Every show the person who ordered the sand sculpture has a last minute "addition" to the job and it gets exaggerated for dramatic effect.


I believe that the actual sand sculpture portion is real, but the drama behind last minute additions is fake. As is the customer showing up EVERYTIME at a bad moment to check on the progress.

I sometimes wonder when they have a huge portion of it fall, was that scripted to happen or not? I think it could go either way.


----------



## LoadStar

nickels said:


> That guy is my wife's distant cousin! haha
> From what I know the show was legit. We are going to be with his closer family very soon so I can ask them if the show was real and see what they say. I can assure you the dealership is real and his family on the East coast has a dealership as well.


Most if all of these reality shows are in some way based in reality. I have no doubt the dealership is real.

The issue is that quite often, these reality shows are then scripting new scenarios that are partially or completely fictional, or asking the participants on the show to behave in certain ways that they may or may not normally do.


----------



## ehusen

pmyers said:


> Also the "Chairman" is just an actor not actual Japanese royalty or descendant of the original "Chairman"


My wife loves "Iron Chef America". I always say, "You know the chairman is really an actor...". My wife always, jokingly, replies that he is most definitely not. One time I found the actor was in one of those bad Sy-Fy Saturday movies and recorded it to "prove" to my wife he was an actor. He is, IMHO, not a very good actor.


----------



## Bob_Newhart

COPS would be about the only one I'd trust. Don't watch any others. I saw Pawn Star once and cringed from the bad acting and "dramatic" pauses while they were "negotiating". I blame Survivor for all the "reality" crap that pollutes today.


----------



## greggt007

nobody mention storage wars/auction yet? "I cant believe he/she is dragging me out here", yea like the camera crew isnt, and like every group doesnt contractually have to be at every auction. i'll suspend disbelief but dont lie.


----------



## phox_mulder

Bob_Newhart said:


> I saw Pawn Star once and cringed from the bad acting and "dramatic" pauses while they were "negotiating". I blame Survivor for all the "reality" crap that pollutes today.


Earlier episodes they weren't pausing, just cutting/editing the audio.

Many times you could hear them start to say the price right as they cut it, then the pause and hopeful glances from the pawn guy and the seller, then the continuation with the price.

Later they started having them actually pause.

phox


----------



## mattack

Jebberwocky! said:


> A friend of my Son's is on the current Bachelorette and while he's filled in some blanks there are many things that he just won't disclose.


So, then fill us in on the blanks he did fill in!


----------



## RonDawg

greggt007 said:


> nobody mention storage wars/auction yet? "I cant believe he/she is dragging me out here", yea like the camera crew isnt, and like every group doesnt contractually have to be at every auction. i'll suspend disbelief but dont lie.


The one that used to make me wonder about their so-called "reluctance" to be somewhere was a British show called _Most Haunted_ which used to air on the Travel Channel (US). The beginning of the show would have host Yvette Fielding going through various rooms, saying things like "This room is SOOOO scary, the owners refuse to ever step foot in it." Yet, it wasn't scary enough to prevent the host* from doing intro shots in those very same rooms 

*she rivaled Jamie Lee Curtis for the "Queen of Scream" title whenever the ghosts (real or imagined) frightened her


----------



## Samantha Kirk

marksman said:


> Jon and Kate plus eight started off as a one hour documentary. It was a real documentary. They followed it with a second one later on, then it became a show.
> 
> Once it became a show they did not take the luxury of filming then for six months to make each episode of the tv show. This is the rub. Most of these shows with seven to thirteen hours of content a year would not be engaging given the source material they have to work from.
> 
> I don't like it either but it is not as easy as saying make it like a documentary. Most documentaries cover substantial periods of time. Think of your favorite documentary movies of all time. Now tell that creator to do that same work six times every twelve months. It is an impossible request and we end up with staged nonsense.


I have to agree with you on this matter. Documentaries do take lot of time to film. My favorite is the Blue Planet from David Attenborough. Right now i am watching The First Life.


----------



## Mikeyis4dcats

LoadStar said:


> To be fair, long runs for a restaurant, even successful ones, are pretty rare.
> 
> I also wouldn't pin all the fault on Ramsay; he can only do so much when he's dealing with some of these inept restaurateurs, especially when (if the reality is as portrayed on the show) he is expected to come in and overnight transform a failing restaurant into a successful one.
> 
> But yeah, to expect a coat of paint for the restaurant and a pep talk for the staff to suddenly revive a restaurant is not exactly likely.


+1. The vast majority of things I've read indicate that very few of the owners maintain his standards or changes. They are too stubborn.


----------



## warrenn

There are different levels of fakeness. In shows like Big Brother and Survivor, the contestants are free to act as they see fit. They aren't getting explicit direction from the producers, but they may play up to the cameras or create drama for their own reasons. Many people on these shows are seeking attention or some sort of entertainment career. They know the more they can stay on screen, the more popular they will be. In a sense they may be acting, but it's an act they are creating themselves. The producers may attempt to influence the contestants or the game outcome, but it is generally up to the contestants to behave as they see fit. 

In other shows like Pawn Stars or Miami Ink, it's more of an improv show where there is a loose outline of how the producers want the plot to go. The cast doesn't follow a written script, but they improv the conversation to follow the plot outline.

Then there's shows like House Hunters where the whole thing is a setup and the contestants are expected to follow exactly what the producers want them to do.


----------



## inaka

Desert Car Kings.

Wow, this show on Discovery/Velocity is so fake. Bad acting, scripted, and they even purposely broke the window on a vintage 'Cuda just to add drama to the show. The guy who broke it was such a bad actor he almost started laughing, and then they cut to him acting like his job is on the line.

I wonder how many takes they did to break that glass. Horrible.


----------



## sieglinde

I think Black Gold was probably an improv show. 

I have watched the first two episodes of the Bristol Palin show. It seems to be only partially scripted.


----------



## avery

pmyers said:


> What's said is that these "producers" are ruining the entire genre for me and our going to burn their industry down if people stop watching because everything is fake.


And this would be a bad thing, because....??


----------



## avery

Jebberwocky! said:


> A friend of my Son's is on the current Bachelorette and while he's filled in some blanks there are many things that he just won't disclose.


My daughter's friend, who was an AP on The Bachelor for a few seasons, told her that they deliberately ply the girls with liquor before the rose ceremonies, so they're more inclined to get weepy and cry! (and by that, I essentially mean drunk!)

All the reality shows are scripted/manipulated. It's sad and amazing to me that new ones just keep cropping up... and the newer they are, the more dreadful the premise.

(your son's friend had to sign a non-disclosure agreement and doesn't want to get sued)


----------



## rondotcom

2004raptor said:


> Gene Simmons family jewels


That is a unique show. But if you look at the plotlines there are traditional sitcoms (especially the first couple of seasons.) So, what Simmons did was a sitcom, but in keeping with format of the day, produced it as a reality show. It's quite ingenious really.


----------



## rondotcom

cheesesteak said:


> Bikini Barbershop is so fake but at least the girls are wearing bikinis.


The show is not the only thing(s) on that show that are fake.


----------



## pmyers

avery said:


> And this would be a bad thing, because....??


because some people enjoy "reality" shows


----------



## DLC

The over-produced style of cable reality shows has begun to permeate the big, prime-time network shows like Amazing Race and Survivor. For example, contestants are being given a more narrative role in their "confessionals". In the early seasons, Contestant-X would talk about how certain events effected him and his own game plan. Whereas now they talk more about how events will effect the entire group dynamic. Contestant-X explains that Contestant-Y is going to be pissed at Contestant-Z, etc. It's annoying. 

And certain aspects of Survivor are "faked". A lot of what Probst is heard yelling out during immunity challenges is actually added in post-production. Thats not such a big deal though.


----------



## gamndbndr

RonDawg said:


> True, but the difference is those who signed up for HH *must* go look at the other two houses for the show.
> 
> Again, I would hope the other two choices are ones already rejected by the subjects of each episode, but the possibility exists that those are no longer up for sale by the time filming starts.


The real estate agent is the driving force for HH. Our agent was very excited about the opportunity as we were looking in north Georgia and production at the time was based out of Knoxville. They were soliciting agents and we were perfect "retirement home in the mountains." Then we found our cabin through CraigsList. End of discussion.

Recently friends of ours bought a cabin and did get on the show. The other 2 houses were found by their agent, one was still on the market from when they bought - the other was unknown. But they had already been in the place "2 months". Watch the show - however long they say it's been when they go back is how long the buyers have owned the place.

We still watch and enjoy the show and try to pick the "which one did they buy?" using the "least furniture" method. They clean out the place for the "showing" but then re-stage for the "after they bought" finale.


----------



## ADent

RonDawg said:


> True, but the difference is those who signed up for HH *must* go look at the other two houses for the show.
> 
> Again, I would hope the other two choices are ones already rejected by the subjects of each episode, but the possibility exists that those are no longer up for sale by the time filming starts.


It sounds like they do look at the other houses. The article linked near the top of this thread from someone on the show years ago says they looked at friends houses - not houses on the market


----------



## ADent

LordKronos said:


> That was one of my biggest complaint about the american version, that they only make one plate. I wish they made them do all the plates like the original.
> 
> I understand about the fact that the chefs have a general idea of the ingredient ahead of time. It only makes sense.


From my understanding the chefs are given a list of possible secret ingredients, approx 3. The chefs then prepare a shopping list for each ingredient.

Also the chefs have to cook the food in the time allotted. That is used for the camera work. They then re-cook all their food and it is served hot to the judges.

See http://eater.com/archives/2010/10/10/iron-chefs-dish-about-kitchen-stadium-secrets.php


----------



## RonDawg

ADent said:


> The article linked near the top of this thread from someone on the show years ago says they looked at friends houses - not houses on the market


The post right above yours says that in the instance of their friend who got on the show, one of the alternate houses had already been rejected, but the other one they had not seen before.

I guess how the alternates are picked is determined at least partly by what's available at the time of filming.


----------



## cannonz

RonDawg said:


> I don't think all of it is faked, and the earlier episodes I believe are genuine, but the recent ones involving Rygaard are definitely faked. Craig's intense dislike of Dave is more than just a sideshow, it is a safety hazard (which the show does depict quite well).
> 
> At the beginning of last season, am I really supposed to believe that Gabe's "accidental" felling of a tree right on top of Dave's car was genuine? And that the cameras just happened to be set up to capture all the best possible angles?


I like when Jimmy lost his boat, good thing they just happened to have camera attached to tailgate aimed down at the trailer hitch.


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## tonestert

I was watching an episode of Yard Crashers the other day and when they went back to the owners house to look at their yard everyone was wearing coats and you could see it was definitely winter by the trees and yard anyways they said we will be back tomorrow to start the crash and the "next day" everyone was in short sleeve shirts and shorts and all the trees had leaves and everything was very green and obviously it was summer.


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## Boot

FiftyoneFifty said:


> Sorry if this is slightly off topic, but Kitchen Nightmares was mentioned, and I thought this was interesting. Looks like Gordon Ramsey's success rate isn't so hot:
> US
> S01E01 - Peter's - Babylon, NY **closed**
> S01E02 - Dillon's - New York, NY **renamed Purnima, closed**
> 
> [snip]
> 
> (Source: http://www.quora.com/What-restaurants-on-Kitchen-Nightmares-have-closed)
> 
> Anyone remember Trick My Truck on CMT? The 'acting' was so bad.. I wanted to punch them in their face. It was literally... 'Hey. You. Get. Away. From. My. Truck.' It was ridiculous. I think all are staged for entertainment value, otherwise, no one would watch.


Seems like Restaurant: Impossible has done a little better:
(from here)

Restaurant Impossible 
(episode list from Wikipedia) (Status from Yelp, Facebook, CHOW, etc)

SEASON ONE - 2011
Villari's, Palmyra, New Jersey - OPEN (Yelp review 3/12) website active
Mainelli's Restaurant, Providence, Rhode Island - CLOSED (according to Yelp)
Rascal's BBQ and Crab House, New Castle, Delaware - CLOSED (according to CHOW)
Salt Works II, Wilmington, North Carolina- OPEN (4/12 reivew on FaceBook page, 12/11 on Yelp)	
Meglio's, Bridgeton, Missouri - OPEN (Yelp review 4/12)
Secret Garden Cafe, Jacksonville, Florida - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12)
Flood Tide, Mystic, Connecticut - OPEN (Yelp review 3/12)

SEASON TWO - 2011-2012
Dodge City, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania - OPEN (reviews - Yelp 12/11 - Facebook 5/12) website active
La Stanza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - OPEN (Yelp review 4/12)
Sweet Tea, Chapin, South Carolina - OPEN - New Owner 4/12 (Urban Spoon review 4/12)
County Fare, Stafford, Virginia - CLOSED (according to Yelp)
Snooty Fox, Indianapolis, Indiana - CLOSED (according to Yelp)
Pastori's, Ellington, Connecticut - OPEN (Yelp review 11/11) website active
Scrimmages, Wilmington, Delaware - OPEN (Yelp review 9/11) website active
Mamma D's, Pipersville, Pennsylvania - OPEN (Yelp review 10/11) website active 
The Trails, San Diego, California - OPEN (Yelp review 4/12)
Cap'n and the Cowboy, Port Charlotte, Florida - OPEN (Yelp review 3/12) website active 
Mad Cactus, Strongsville, Ohio - OPEN (Yelp review 2/12) website active 
McShane's, East Syracuse, New York - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12)
Coffee's Boilin' Pot, Madisonville, Louisiana - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12) - Website being updated page
St. James Soup Kitchen, Newark, New Jersey - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12) website active 
Wildcat Café, Canton, Ohio - OPEN (Yelp entry 5/12) website active 
Sullivan's, Fruita, Colorado - OPEN (Yelp review 2/12) website active 
Hoffman's, Santa Cruz, California - OPEN (Yelp entry 5/12) website active

SEASON THREE - 2012
Moss', Elyria, Ohio - OPEN (Yelp review 4/12) website active 
Chatterbox, Windham, New Hampshire - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12) website active
Anna Maria's, Dunmore, Pennsylvania - OPEN (Yelp review 3/12) website active 
Del's, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - OPEN (Yelp review 2/12) website active 
Woody's Tupelo Steakhouse,Tupelo, Mississippi - OPEN (Yelp review 4/12) website active 
Valley View, Quarryville, Pennsylvania - CLOSED (according to Yelp)
Pelican Grill, Seabrook, Texas - OPEN (Yelp review 1/12) website active 
Mama Lee's Soul Food Restaurant, San Antonio, Texas - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12) website active 
Pappas Restaurant, Benicia, California - OPEN (Yelp review 2/12) website active
Ristorante Barolo, Aptos, California - OPEN (Yelp review 5/12) website active
University Grill, Burlington, North Carolina - OPEN website active
Pollard's Bar-B-Q, Memphis, Tennessee - OPEN website active


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## pmyers

Boot said:


> Seems like Restaurant: Impossible has done a little better:
> (from here)...


That would make sense to me as the people who go on RI are probably actually interested in staying in business than just being on national TV.

I watch and enjoy both shows but for totally different reasons.


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## Mikeyis4dcats

pmyers said:


> That would make sense to me as the people who go on RI are probably actually interested in staying in business than just being on national TV.
> 
> I watch and enjoy both shows but for totally different reasons.


if you read the updates online, very few of the owners on either show seem to keep most if any of the changes.


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## pmyers

Mikeyis4dcats said:


> if you read the updates online, very few of the owners on either show seem to keep most if any of the changes.


I hate that they changed and put the updates for RI online instead of during the episode. I will never make the effort to go to the website


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## SickOfJunkTV

I KNEW I'd seen that guy before!!! Thank you for recognizing him and your post here. I'm sooooo sick of these shows. There are hundreds of channels but I can't find anything to watch.

NPR to the rescue! I can draw, paint or sew while listening on my iPod, and it's much more relaxing.

About the only things worth watching (IMHO) are the nature and history channels.



scooterboy said:


> A recent episode of American Pickers showed Mike and Frank buying a circus sideshow banner. Then they flashed back to a previous sideshow banner they had bought last season. In the flashback it showed the "expert" in NYC who valued it for them.
> 
> I now recognize that expert as Billy Leroy - one of the buyers on the new show Baggage Wars. In the pickers flashback, he wore an eye patch. On Baggage Wars, his vision must have gotten better because the eye patch is gone.


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## Mikeyis4dcats

This is too bad, I kinda had a soft spot for Gabe

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...45-cast-member-pass-away-past-four-years.html


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## Big Deficit

My first reaction, that's sad. My second reaction, Ax men is still on?


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## 702

All of them. Every single one. I guess the question is how fake is acceptable? For example in Amazing Race every shot of them buying tickets is fake. They actually need to buy 4 not 2. (Camera and Sound guy)


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## mrdbdigital

I used to like Swamp Loggers, but there haven't been any new episodes in a long time.

Gold Rush
Bering Sea Gold


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