Do Reality Shows Really Show Real Life?

This Big B File is about all of those “reality shows we see on television every week (except for when they are on Hiatus). and whether or not they really do imitate real life. Reality Shows -     You might have heard of shows like The Amazing Race (CBS), America’s Next Top Model (UPN), Hit Me Baby One More Time (NBC), The Surreal Life (FOX), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), Fire Me, Please (CBS),The Bachelorette (ABC), The Restaurant (NBC), The Biggest Loser (NBC), among others.        You might wonder whether these “Reality Shows” really imitate what it is like in the real world i.e. where you and I live and work every day. For the vast majority of the shows, I would say the answer is…NO. Where in real life do you see people wanting to take a job with the sole purpose of geting fired the same day? Where in real life do you see “10 strangers…live in a house outfitted with 28 cameras and 60 microphones to record their every move 24 hours a day”? Where in real life do see 25 eligible bachelors compete for the hand of one woman in mariage using ANY MEANS NECESSARY…Including stabbing someone in the back (figuratively speaking) and deception?        The questions I asked in the last paragraph I believe are valid. I do not know of anyone that would go for a job, let along being hired for a job, with the sole intention of being fired the same day or one, two, three months or years later…nobody would! Nor would I want to be stuck with 10 strangers and simultaneously have 28 cameras and 60 microphones capturing everything I say and do 24 hours a day seven days a week. The setup for Big Brother cannot be found anywhere in real life.        Having watched a number of the reality shows over the I have always wondered “Where in real life are thesse shows based?”, “How do these shows reflect, resemble, and/or imitate real life in any way, shape, or form?” In most cases, I am simply unable to find any resemblance to real life in any way, shape or form.        However…there are shows that Either surround themselves in real life or give those of us a glimpse of what it is like to apply for a job in and work for a major corporation.  Reality Shows That DO Reflect Real Life…          Even though there are reality shows that in my opinion do not reflect real life, there are shows that do reflect real life (or al least gives us a glimpse of what it is like in the real world. Some of those shows actually change people’s lives for the better.   Below are examples of reality shows that really do reflect what is like in real life and/or have made profound changes in people’s lives for the better…. EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (ABC) - In a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take four months toachieve, a team of designers, 100 workmen and even the neighbors, have just seven days to completely renovate an entire house — every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping. Along with Ty Pennington, the other members of the design team that work their creative magic on the homes are Constance Ramos, Preston Sharp, Michael Moloney, Paul Dimeo, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol, Ed Sanders, and Paige Hemmis To get the job done, they’re going to have to cooperate with each other — a hard thing to do when they don’t always even like each other. Tensions flare as tastes are disputed and the deadline approaches … can they get the job done? THE APPRENTICE (NBC) - The third season of NBC’s Apprentice has a new twist, there are already two teams, “Street Smarts” and “Book Smarts” (AKA Team Networth and Team Magna). They will go head to head to see which team is smarter. In the end, there is only one question, “What team holds ‘The Apprentice’?” Each week, they will endure rigorous business tasks while living together in a hip Manhattan loft apartment. Prominent Fortune 500 companies were enlisted to participate in many of the tasks. The tasks will test their intelligence, chutzpah and street-smarts. They will face the challenges of living in close quarters and must complete sometimes humorous, but always difficult, job assignments and will be forced to think outside the box in order to outshine each other to get to the top. AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK (FOX) - AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK takes on the nation’s hottest crime issues. This crime-fighting program focuses on capturing fugitives, protecting victims and empowering citizens within the criminal justice system. The series also takes an in-depth look at laws that harm victims, champions the cause of lawmakers fighting to protect victims’ rights and presents news of recent captures, convictions and missing children cases. Since February 7, 1988, America’s Most Wanted has captured 840 dangerous criminals, and recovered 41 missing children. AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (ABC) - ABC’s longest-running comedy series. The show began with original host Bob Saget (Full House). The series was an instant sensation on Sunday nights and ran for seven successful seasons. The show was re-launched with new hosts John Fugelsang (a stand up comedian with a one man show called Junk Male) & Daisy Fuentes (Loving), with a new hour long format, and moved to Monday nights where it would once again become a ratings success and then aired on Saturday. Then, after several years of being shown as an occasional special hosted by D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) and Richard Kind (Spin City), ABC brought the series back on Friday nights with new host Tom Bergeron (Hollywood Squares). In September 2003, it was moved back to Sunday nights. Once again, the series has become a success. - Show Information Courtesy of TV Tome.         The reality shows America’s Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Apprentice, and America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back illustrate that the term “Reality Shows should be much more narrowly defined than it is now. I believe that it should be be defined to mean that it either reflect real life or effect real life in ways like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, This Old House, and America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back does now           That’s the Big B File. Click on “Comment” link below and tell me what you think…I’m Bryan Hewing.

Do Reality Shows Really Show Real Life?

This Big B File is about all of those “reality shows we see on television every week (except for when they are on Hiatus). and whether or not they really do imitate real life. Reality Shows -     You might have heard of shows like The Amazing Race (CBS), America’s Next Top Model (UPN), Hit Me Baby One More Time (NBC), The Surreal Life (FOX), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC), Fire Me, Please (CBS),The Bachelorette (ABC), The Restaurant (NBC), The Biggest Loser (NBC), among others.        You might wonder whether these “Reality Shows” really imitate what it is like in the real world i.e. where you and I live and work every day. For the vast majority of the shows, I would say the answer is…NO. Where in real life do you see people wanting to take a job with the sole purpose of geting fired the same day? Where in real life do you see “10 strangers…live in a house outfitted with 28 cameras and 60 microphones to record their every move 24 hours a day”? Where in real life do see 25 eligible bachelors compete for the hand of one woman in mariage using ANY MEANS NECESSARY…Including stabbing someone in the back (figuratively speaking) and deception?        The questions I asked in the last paragraph I believe are valid. I do not know of anyone that would go for a job, let along being hired for a job, with the sole intention of being fired the same day or one, two, three months or years later…nobody would! Nor would I want to be stuck with 10 strangers and simultaneously have 28 cameras and 60 microphones capturing everything I say and do 24 hours a day seven days a week. The setup for Big Brother cannot be found anywhere in real life.        Having watched a number of the reality shows over the I have always wondered “Where in real life are thesse shows based?”, “How do these shows reflect, resemble, and/or imitate real life in any way, shape, or form?” In most cases, I am simply unable to find any resemblance to real life in any way, shape or form.        However…there are shows that Either surround themselves in real life or give those of us a glimpse of what it is like to apply for a job in and work for a major corporation.  Reality Shows That DO Reflect Real Life…          Even though there are reality shows that in my opinion do not reflect real life, there are shows that do reflect real life (or al least gives us a glimpse of what it is like in the real world. Some of those shows actually change people’s lives for the better.   Below are examples of reality shows that really do reflect what is like in real life and/or have made profound changes in people’s lives for the better…. EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (ABC) - In a race against time on a project that would ordinarily take four months toachieve, a team of designers, 100 workmen and even the neighbors, have just seven days to completely renovate an entire house — every single room, plus the exterior and landscaping. Along with Ty Pennington, the other members of the design team that work their creative magic on the homes are Constance Ramos, Preston Sharp, Michael Moloney, Paul Dimeo, Tracy Hutson, Eduardo Xol, Ed Sanders, and Paige Hemmis To get the job done, they’re going to have to cooperate with each other — a hard thing to do when they don’t always even like each other. Tensions flare as tastes are disputed and the deadline approaches … can they get the job done? THE APPRENTICE (NBC) - The third season of NBC’s Apprentice has a new twist, there are already two teams, “Street Smarts” and “Book Smarts” (AKA Team Networth and Team Magna). They will go head to head to see which team is smarter. In the end, there is only one question, “What team holds ‘The Apprentice’?” Each week, they will endure rigorous business tasks while living together in a hip Manhattan loft apartment. Prominent Fortune 500 companies were enlisted to participate in many of the tasks. The tasks will test their intelligence, chutzpah and street-smarts. They will face the challenges of living in close quarters and must complete sometimes humorous, but always difficult, job assignments and will be forced to think outside the box in order to outshine each other to get to the top. AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK (FOX) - AMERICA’S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK takes on the nation’s hottest crime issues. This crime-fighting program focuses on capturing fugitives, protecting victims and empowering citizens within the criminal justice system. The series also takes an in-depth look at laws that harm victims, champions the cause of lawmakers fighting to protect victims’ rights and presents news of recent captures, convictions and missing children cases. Since February 7, 1988, America’s Most Wanted has captured 840 dangerous criminals, and recovered 41 missing children. AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS (ABC) - ABC’s longest-running comedy series. The show began with original host Bob Saget (Full House). The series was an instant sensation on Sunday nights and ran for seven successful seasons. The show was re-launched with new hosts John Fugelsang (a stand up comedian with a one man show called Junk Male) & Daisy Fuentes (Loving), with a new hour long format, and moved to Monday nights where it would once again become a ratings success and then aired on Saturday. Then, after several years of being shown as an occasional special hosted by D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys) and Richard Kind (Spin City), ABC brought the series back on Friday nights with new host Tom Bergeron (Hollywood Squares). In September 2003, it was moved back to Sunday nights. Once again, the series has become a success. - Show Information Courtesy of TV Tome.         The reality shows America’s Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, the Apprentice, and America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back illustrate that the term “Reality Shows should be much more narrowly defined than it is now. I believe that it should be be defined to mean that it either reflect real life or effect real life in ways like Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, This Old House, and America’s Most Wanted: America Fights Back does now           That’s the Big B File. Click on “Post Comment” link below and tell me what you think…I’m Bryan Hewing.

The Local TV Media’s Credibility Problems

        This Big B File is about the Credibility Problems that the News Media has had for some time and what they need to do to fix it. 

Local TV News Media

KTVI-TV (St. Louis, MO)

          There was a segment on a local TV station’s evening news that dealt with the viewers’ feedback sent into the station. One such letter asked the station on why the station did not interview the Christians that addressed the local city council on a proposal (I forget what the proposal was). The station said that the Christians refused to be interviewed on camera for the story. However, I thought at the time that the Christians felt like they would not get a “fair shake”…in other words, they thought that the media would have an agenda against them and would be viewed in the story as being biased against them..
       It seems like that the Local TV News Media for the most part has an agenda that would often favor groups and people on the Left & Radical Left of the Ideological Spectrum. For instance…when Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich proposes something or does something at I would be hard pressed to find people here in Downstate Illinois to support, the Local media seem to always put the Governor Blagojevich and his Democratic Allies in a positive light and his critics in a negative to very negative light.
        You also see the same (mostly Liberal) causes and organizations get promotion and station Sponsorship, no matter who owns the TV News Station. Liberal Organizations and causes include a laundry list of mostly Democratic Party aligned groups (or ones that might as well be), such as American Cancer Society, Planned Parenthood, Susan G. Komen Foundation, The United Way (you’ve heard in the news of numerous instances of their refusal to give funding to the Boy Scouts because of the Scouts’ Opposition to homosexuality), March of Dimes, ACLU, Etc. There are exception to this rule like Salvation Army’s Tree of Lights and a few stations supporting Catholic Charities. Just look at the health stories covered on the nightly newscasts and at the events where the station’s Anchors are in attendance as part of their official duties as Station Representative, and you’ll notice that these are pretty much the same causes and issues championed by people on the far left.
        Another example of the media’s credibility problem is the War in Iraq a.k.a. Operation Iraqi Freedom. Just look at what they cover and how they report it. What is more important, look at what they don’t cover and you will likely be able to tell what their agenda is. I want to direct your attention to the Big B Files Balanced Iraq News Coverage? and the third section of Big B Files Hodgepodge 1, as well as LT. Colonel Tim Ryan’s op-ed piece entitled “Media’s coverage has distorted world’s view of Iraqi reality” (which also has links to what’s going on in Iraq) for more examples of the media’s credibility problems overall.
        I’ll admit that the Sinclair stations WICD & WICS are working on it and have made huge strides toward fixing the credibility problems that currently plague the media by airing The Point with Mark Hyman, Get This, and providing fair and balanced reports on national stories like the War in Iraq via Sinclair’s NewsCentral series Truth, Lies, & Red Tape. I believe that it can be attributed to how the stories are reported and stories that are covered (for the most part).
        The only exception for ALL of the Local Media is the station’s Weather Coverage…which is (in my opinion) first rate overall. Just Simply ask the viewers what they think is fair and balanced news coverage and If things do not change soon, the TV News Media’s Credibility will continue to erode to the point that the people will think of the TV News Media as an absolute joke…to say the least.

        That’s the Big B File. Click on “Post Comment” link below and tell me what you think…I’m Bryan Hewing.