The Real Housewives Of Orange County

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The Reality of The Real Housewives of Orange County A reality television show where cameras follow affluent women as they enjoy their lavish lifestyle in Orange County, California is depicted in Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Orange County. The American reality television series focuses on the personal and professional lives of several women living extravagantly wealthy lives mostly due to their rich husbands. Over the past 5 years the success of this innovative reality TV show has allowed for an expansion of several installments of The Real Housewives franchise into various regions. Viewers have been riveted by the fictionalized version of such lavish lifestyle on television, however, The Real Housewives series has evolved as one of the …show more content…

Accordingly, its aim of presenting real people and situations fascinates audiences that may have no other glimpse into such lifestyles, which is exactly what The Real Housewives attempts to do. Viewers believe that what is happening in reality television shows mirrors the real world; however, in the hopes of good ratings, many reality television shows grossly exaggerate and script characters, thus deviating far from relatable realism. The Real Housewives of Orange County is a perfect example of how “reality TV is manipulated to be exciting, but also retain the appearance of reality”, in that it is constructed to suit the audience’s expectations, which is referred to as “hyperreality”(Jackson). The characters in this show are filmed dealing with their supposedly real life; however, this life is staged by the producer and exaggerated by the housewives to make it more appealing to the viewers. Ultimately, reality television constructs “realism through codes and conventions”, and therefore does not offer an “unbiased, objective representation of reality”(Jackson). The show is scripted to make it over the top, such as through the artificial drama contained in their personal lives. Instead of partaking in domestic chores traditionally associated with housewives, the women are attempting to signify their wealth and status, walking …show more content…

The hit show selects their newest recruits based on if they fall into a narrow niche, which depicts the stereotypical wealthy housewife and the extravagant lifestyle she leads. They furthermore almost seem interchangeable and lack diversity, because this type of character depicted was successful and thus there was no reason to introduce much diversity. The Real Housewives series holds “extensive casting calls and pointedly choose[s] specific types of people to represent reality on their show, and they structure interpersonal conflicts and friendships though serial narratives”(Kraszewski 194). The type of casting has remained consistent throughout seasons quite simply because the depiction of these similar types of woman has remained interesting to viewers and produced good ratings, leading to their representational casting decisions not evolving over time. An insider told Radar Online that fans loved one of the housewives “because she is a bit of an airhead, likes to drink and party and is a hot mess. She doesn’t care what others think about her, and producers want to cast women with similar personality traits”(Heger). Due to such characteristics and the fact that the viewers love to tune in to her antics, she remains on the show. Furthermore, the “housewives

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