How real are reality TV shows?
On One Hand: Reality TV Is Not ScriptedThe premise of reality TV is to put individuals in situations that will invoke candid reactions from them, reports MSNBC. In this sense, reality TV is real, as there are no scripts, and the individuals are actually reacting to situations in real life.On the Other: Reality TV Is Heavily EditedMany reality TV shows use editing to alter what actually happened. Time magazine says some of the most commonly used practices involve cutting and rearranging footage so that facial expressions and other reactions occur at certain points to play up the drama. Other editing techniques involve splicing audio to add words or sentences to conversations.
