are they real?

I enjoy reality television shows - not all of them, but some of them. Of course, there are different kinds of shows, and each show has its own personality. Some shows are performance-oriented, show-biz competitions, whereas others are skills-based competitions. Still others aren't competitions at all.

Just how real they are is open to discussion. What they all appear to have in common is that they are non-scripted. And they can vary from production to production - I suppose only an actual participant can offer an opinion on what it's like to be in one.

One of the biggest advantages I can think of for a network to produce a reality show as opposed to a scripted show is the amount of footage that is naturally generated; I imagine that a lot of work must be set aside for editing down the material. A scripted show on the other hand must spend time writing the dialogue, rehearsing, and directing, among other things. In fact, I kind of wonder why scripted shows are so much easier to find on DVD than reality shows. There is so much extra 'bonus' material that could go on the DVD of a reality show.

Now depending on the participants, some seasons of reality shows are more enjoyable than others. And no, I don't prefer the so-called controversial participants to spark my interest. Charismatic, yes, controversial, no.

With the proliferation of reality shows, maybe scripted shows will become more popular again. Time will tell just where the balance will settle down at - and with so many choices such as cable available, technology could play a big role.