Fish in a Fish Bowl
“This is the true story… of seven strangers… picked to live in a house… work together and have their lives taped… to find out what happens… when people stop being polite… and start getting real” (Robinson par. 8). The reality television program, The Real World, by MTV, had its first airing in 1992 and is one of the longest-running shows in MTV history. Initially, the program was designed as an outlet for young individuals to express common issues of adulthood ranging from prejudice, religion, AIDS, sex, and substance abuse, but eventually it evolved into a showcase for immature and reckless behaviors.
Creators of The Real World, Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray, originated the idea of casting regular people to live together and tape their day-to-day lives; thus, eliminating the cost and time of hiring paid actors and writing a script. The first season took place in New York. Seven people were paid $2,600 to appear on the series. Typically the producers receive around 5,000 applicants a season, but as Murray specified“… it ultimately comes down to who are the seven best people. All the story has to come from the cast. If you don’t have people with layers that are going to be peeled off throughout the season you’re not going to get your 24 episodes of series television” (Peyser par. 5). Picking seven people for the first season was relatively easy because no one was aware of the show and they did not go on the program seeking fame and fortune. The original season also referred to as “Season 0,” received harsh and negative reviews, but viewers could not get enough. There was something fresh and powerful that those unique seven members brought to the screen. An example of this raw experience i...
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... irrational, embarrassing behavior for the sole purpose of entertainment. The fish in a fish bowl metaphor is a perfect descriptor of what The Real World has evolved into.
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Sipple, L. (2011). The appeal of reality television for teen and pre-teen audiences. Journal of
Do you know the guiltiest pleasure of the American public? Two simple words reveal all—reality TV. This new segment of the TV industry began with pioneering shows like MTV’s The Real World and CBS’s Survivor. Switch on primetime television nowadays, and you will become bombarded by and addicted to numerous shows all based on “real” life. There are the heartwarming tales of childbirth on TLC, melodramas of second-rate celebrities on Celebrity Mole, and a look into a completely dysfunctional family on The Osbornes. Yet, out of all these entertaining reality shows arises the newest low for popular culture, a program based on the idea of a rich man or woman in search of the perfect marriage partner. The Bachelor, and its spin-off The Bachelorette, exemplify capitalist ideology founded on the Marxist base-superstructure model and establish the role of an active American audience.
In Signs of Life in the USA, Francine Prose states that it is an essential semiotic principle that, one way or another, everything connects up in a society. Prose, an author of sixteen books of fiction and five nonfiction books (for children and adults) is a contributing editor at Harper’s and a writer on art for the Wall Street Journal. Prose also reviews books, teaches creative writing, speaks in many places about fiction, and is a member in a special Art program. In her provocative analysis of the underlying ideology of reality television (RTV), Prose discovers what may seem a surprising connection between the RTV craze and current trends in American politics. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon state that today’s office-related entertainments are neither happy nor have happy endings and that their humor, when comical, become a combination of Schadenfreude, (taking pleasure in the suffering or misfortunes of others), and a certain rueful satisfaction taken by watching the sorts of things that one has to endure in real working life exaggerated for the sake of comedy (172). Like in NBC’s Average Joe, contestants are voted off and embarrassed throughout the show just to be rewarded with something they think is worth it all. While the whole show is based on Schadenfreude and they act as if they do not notice.
How much of television is comprised of real life? By examining one show within its context, one can find the answer. Reality is reflected in the themes; rhetorical strategies; and audience, importance, and popularity. By examining the situational comedy series: Drake and Josh, a popular teen show from 2004, it is possible to see how reality shapes television. Drake and Josh is centered around two brothers in San Diego, California: Drake and Josh. Drake is portrayed as the suave, charming, bad boy in a band. He gets all the girls, leaving Josh in the dust. Josh is a nerdy brainiac, who has an unhealthy infatuation with Oprah Winfrey. They also have a meteorologist father and a kooky mother. Plus, a younger sister who painfully pranks them in
Seger, Linda. "Creating the Myth." Signs of Life in the U.S.A.: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers. 4th ed. Ed. Sonia Maasik and Jack Solomon. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003. 316-325.
Herbert, Bob. “Hiding From Reality” They Say I Say. 2nd ed. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2012. 564-567. Print.
The first effect of reality shows is the image it gives viewers. Reality shows give misconceptions of everyday life; the Real World and Jersey Shore show young adults relaxing, having a good time, and partying every day. The...
"This is the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a loft and have their lives taped. Find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real”, so starts every episode of a popular TV show on MTV called The Real World. This show is based on the idea of having no script or actors, and to just see what happens when strangers live together and interact with each other for three months. This show has been on for over a decade now and is still a popular show even though throughout the last ten years the show has changed in many ways. It has changed in the people, places, and activities that make up the Real World. Through the show’s history The Real World has become less of a reality show and more of a circus show.
A. “Reality TV Offers an Amoral Message.” Reality TV. Ed. Ronnie D. Lankford, Ph.D. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008, 32-37. Print.
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Beginning around the early 2000s Reality TV has shifted to a more viewer engaged format. Mathijs of the University of British Columbia
Thesis/ Preview: Good afternoon, Mr. Charles and fellow classmates, My name is Ianna Blanchard and I am here to inform you on what reality TV is, how it all started, and why is this genre of television so popular.
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...bout the “real” real world.” Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Vol 2(4). Oct 2013. 237-250. PsychARTICLES. 29 Nov 2013