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Revision as of 05:02, 15 October 2002 by HollyAm (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Reality television is a genre of television programming in which the fortunes of "real life" people are followed. Given the way producers manipulate what is actually broadcast, and that they can control the format of the show, it is questionable how "real" reality television actually is.
There are two main types of reality television program. In the first, the viewer and the camera are passive observers following people going about their daily personal and professional activities. The "plots" which are compiled for the program often resemble soap operas. A prime example is MTV's The Real World, one of the first reality programs to gain popularity. A new subset of this type has recently emerged in which the daily lives of celebrities are portrayed. Examples include The Osbournes and The Anna Nicole Show.
In the second type, the so-called "reality gameshows", participants are filmed intensively in an enclosed environment while competing to win a prize. In these gameshows the viewing public usually (but not always) plays an active role in deciding the outcome, by eliminating participants or voting for the most popular choice to win. Two of the most popular reality-based gameshows are Big Brother and Survivor.
Other reality programs include Driving School, Cops, Highway Patrol, Road Rules, and the British "World's Worst" series.