Reality TV is a genre that has wormed its way into our screens, our culture, and—for many of us—our guilty pleasures. While some might dismiss these shows as frivolous entertainment (we’re using the term “entertainment” generously here), maybe there’s more to it than good old fashioned wife swapping, marrying strangers and surviving in the wild with nothing but a six-pack and an epic tan.



Perhaps reality TV is so popular because it holds up a mirror to society, showcasing the full spectrum of human emotions. Watching real people in real situations causes us to reflect on our own life choices and experiences. Or perhaps it’s all completely fake, scripted rubbish that makes the producers a hell of a lot of money. As a writer of The Simpsons, Dana Gould put it, reality TV is “people who aren’t actors working with people who aren’t writers in an amateur production of nothing.”



But how “real” is reality TV… really?



*CHAPTERS:*

00:00 Born In The Wild

07:30 Bet on Your Baby

11:06 How Real is Reality TV?

16:38 Release The Hounds

25:14 The Role of NDAs in Reality TV

29:14 The Naked Magazine Sweepstakes

30:21 Ethics and Consent in Reality TV

31:24 Who's Your Daddy?

33:59 Viewer Shame

37:11 When Reality TV Goes Too Far

43:17 The Upsides of Reality TV

48:23 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show



SOURCES:
Who's Your Daddy? (2005 TV series) - Wikipedia
34% of Aussies who watch reality TV lie about it
"Born in the Wild": Lifetime TV has lost its mind | Salon.com
"Born in the Wild" TV Review on Lifetime
https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/absolutely-bonkers-reality-shows/
Release the Hounds - Wikipedia
Intervention (TV series) - Wikipedia
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwilson/2022/03/17/reality-tv-how-the-genre-has-consistently-re-engineered-itself-into-new-life/?sh=2cbffce5303a
How Reality Shows Affect Our Lives and Society | Psychology Today Australia
Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not
Why are people so embarrassed to say they love reality TV? - ABC News
Full article: The Voice: non-disclosure agreements and the hidden political economy of reality TV
Angles /The Reality Behind Reality TV by John Yazbek
Five myths about reality television - The Washington Post
Just how fake are reality TV shows? | HowStuffWorks
20 worst reality TV shows of all-time (so far)
The New Quiz Show Scandal -- Reality Television - Los Angeles Times
‘Intense and insane’: was this the most unsettling reality TV show ever? | Documentary films | The Guardian
https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a823156/most-dangerous-reality-shows-ever/

Reality TV is a genre that has wormed its way into our screens, our culture, and—for many of us—our guilty pleasures. While some might dismiss these shows as frivolous entertainment (we’re using the term “entertainment” generously here), maybe there’s more to it than good old fashioned wife swapping, marrying strangers and surviving in the wild with nothing but a six-pack and an epic tan.
 
Perhaps reality TV is so popular because it holds up a mirror to society, showcasing the full spectrum of human emotions. Watching real people in real situations causes us to reflect on our own life choices and experiences. Or perhaps it’s all completely fake, scripted rubbish that makes the producers a hell of a lot of money. As a writer of The Simpsons, Dana Gould put it, reality TV is “people who aren’t actors working with people who aren’t writers in an amateur production of nothing.”
 
But how “real” is reality TV… really?
 
*CHAPTERS:*
00:00 Born In The Wild
07:30 Bet on Your Baby
11:06 How Real is Reality TV?
16:38 Release The Hounds
25:14 The Role of NDAs in Reality TV
29:14 The Naked Magazine Sweepstakes
30:21 Ethics and Consent in Reality TV
31:24 Who's Your Daddy?
33:59 Viewer Shame
37:11 When Reality TV Goes Too Far
43:17 The Upsides of Reality TV
48:23 What’s Next on The Wholesome Show
 
SOURCES:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who%27s_Your_Daddy%3F_(2005_TV_series)">Who's Your Daddy? (2005 TV series) - Wikipedia</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.reviews.org/au/entertainment/reality-tv-survey/">34% of Aussies who watch reality TV lie about it</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.salon.com/2014/06/05/born_in_the_wild_lifetime_tv_has_lost_its_mind/">"Born in the Wild": Lifetime TV has lost its mind | Salon.com</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://variety.com/2015/tv/reviews/tv-review-born-in-the-wild-1201441076/">"Born in the Wild" TV Review on Lifetime</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/absolutely-bonkers-reality-shows/">https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/absolutely-bonkers-reality-shows/</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Release_the_Hounds">Release the Hounds - Wikipedia</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intervention_(TV_series)">Intervention (TV series) - Wikipedia</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwilson/2022/03/17/reality-tv-how-the-genre-has-consistently-re-engineered-itself-into-new-life/?sh=2cbffce5303a">https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshwilson/2022/03/17/reality-tv-how-the-genre-has-consistently-re-engineered-itself-into-new-life/?sh=2cbffce5303a</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/living-finesse/202204/how-reality-shows-affect-our-lives-and-society">How Reality Shows Affect Our Lives and Society | Psychology Today Australia</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://time.com/collection/reality-tv-most-influential-seasons/6199108/reality-tv-influence-on-world/">Reality TV Has Reshaped Our World, Whether We Like It or Not</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/why-are-people-embarrassed-to-love-reality-tv/100186256">Why are people so embarrassed to say they love reality TV? - ABC News</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15405702.2020.1733577">Full article: The Voice: non-disclosure agreements and the hidden political economy of reality TV</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://web.mit.edu/angles/2010_John_Yazbek.html">Angles /The Reality Behind Reality TV by John Yazbek</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/five-myths/five-myths-about-reality-television/2019/04/19/fdab858c-6125-11e9-9ff2-abc984dc9eec_story.html">Five myths about reality television - The Washington Post</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/just-how-fake-are-reality-tv-shows.htm">Just how fake are reality TV shows? | HowStuffWorks</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://ew.com/gallery/worst-reality-tv-shows-ever/">20 worst reality TV shows of all-time (so far)</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-dec-05-op-stein5-story.html">The New Quiz Show Scandal -- Reality Television - Los Angeles Times</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/may/02/the-contestant-documentary-japanese-reality-show?CMP=oth_b-aplnews_d-3">‘Intense and insane’: was this the most unsettling reality TV show ever? | Documentary films | The Guardian</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a823156/most-dangerous-reality-shows-ever/">https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/reality-tv/a823156/most-dangerous-reality-shows-ever/</a></li>
</ul>

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed. 

From tales of historical idiocracy and scientific genius to weird and wacky cultural phenomena, Dr Rod Lamberts and Dr Will Grant are here to take you on a wild conversational journey, deep diving into the crevices of science, history and culture that you never knew existed.

Bizarre science history from academics with beers