by Patricia Rainford

Created on: January 28, 2009

There are two reasons why reality TV does not reflect actual reality. Not even in the slightest. The first reason, and the most prominent reason, can be summed up in two words: Creative Editing. The second reason is that "real" people tend to act differently in front of the camera.

The sole purpose of reality television and why it appeals to so many people is the concept of real people in real situations, assuming that a real person here is someone who isn't a well known actor or actress. However, in the entertainment industry, there has to be some semblance of a story, of a purpose. It needs to be suspenseful and eye popping,

Imagine, if you will, the cast of "Survivor", sitting out on some jungle clearing. They talk, they work, they sleep. They use the bathroom, they eat, they twirl their hair or pick their noses. The cameras follow them around when they whisper who they are going to vote off. There are literally hours and hours of footage for the think tanks behind the scenes to sort. And wa-la! The hundreds of hours of footage is magically reduced to one or two hours of pure entertainment due to creative editing.

Using "Survivor" again as an example, if reality television really reflected reality, then there would be no pause. We'd see everything from the time the cast woke until they went to bed. We'd also know without a doubt who was going to be voted off. Now, how boring would that be? Everyday "real" people spend their days doing mundane things, as do the casts of reality television programs. After a day of doing the mundane, who wants to watch the mundane?

What people also fail to realize while watching these programs is that people are different behind the camera as opposed to being followed by one. If you don't believe me, tell a friend that you are going to film them for a day and put it online for the world to see. When you start filming, watch them. They will either become super nice and polite or they will transform into a total show off. "Real" people tend to create another version of themselves when they know other people will be watching.

Reality is more then just a collection of exciting events. That's why so many say, "I didn't know it would be this hard," when they make it on one of those shows. Just imagine our own lives being broken down for television. If that were the case, I'd never have to smell another dirty diaper again. I could just "creatively edit" that part out.

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