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Reality television, a genre often dismissed but undeniably captivating, continues to provide a bizarre, often unsettling reflection of our own social and personal relationships while operating with mostly unscripted content where real people’s real limitations start often appearing and generating a wide array of new opportunities and talking points that aren’t at all present within fictional mediums which makes them become often compelling and also far more memorable. And today lets tackle some 2024 noteworthy moments from that field by dissecting how such events are set into motion and also analyzing how the general viewership reacts to all different elements presented throughout, particularly focusing onto moments from a selection of popular (or more unique) series all over the different categories; such as: "Love is Blind," "The Traitors," or even the unique format of "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," by analyzing how production value shapes reactions that often blur line from staged to actual.
The 2024 reality tv scene, much like in any other year, did offer several key elements that often drive viewership which come in multiple flavors. We had “Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” that featured a carefully crafted public reveal regarding "villain status" from Monica Garcia which often generated some very real emotional reactions due to how it was designed by the producers. Garcia's somewhat unemotional response showcased that often ‘playing a villain’ may end up more of an acting choice, rather than from genuine ethical disagreement. As many found that even when confronted Garcia (almost robotically) chose not to accept what was deemed ‘incorrect behavior’ but that also pushed for many to label her as the “favorite” villain by not playing against type.
Then moving to Love & Marriage: Huntsville; that explored and openly questioned long held social codes involving infidelity and relationships; what seems at the core is to provoke genuine shock while also offering more personal perspectives about cheating through those cast and its members that always ends with several complex reactions from other involved parties with those actions always having severe consequences, also for both those that make or observe those poor life choices, proving that even with an exterior focus, human nature is to center attention into ourselves and it highlights also the lack of accountability some people are more comfortable presenting when viewed from a distance.
From Phaedra Parks who was (at least on this timeline and show choice) seemingly portrayed as a "ultimate traitor’ ( but without consequences which might give an unintended perception that ‘wrong doing’ may not always result in consequences) by constantly betraying trust by also showing a specific set of skills that are deeply based in acting rather than a truly ‘evil persona.’ What those examples provide is something quite intriguing: how the lack of an obvious or genuine ‘bad person’ can sometimes amplify dramatic viewing moments, as well as showing how human reactions are more varied than the established standards often promoted throughout media. Not every situation has a ' clear bad person'. Those subtle approaches tend to make everything far more unique within a often formulaic production environment where most programs feel extremely similar.
Reality formats also tend to offer other very curious methods: "Love is Blind" through one key participant (Chelsea Blackwell) demonstrated very explicitly that what people consider ‘real or genuine’ might actually not hold true to reality outside that constructed fictional setting and the immediate social backlash highlights also just how audiences tend to favor reality and when people fail to fully adhere those accepted standard responses may often become harsh. And similarly we observe other production teams exploring that space, "Owning Manhattan”, through Ryan Serhant, did also deliberately ( if not subtly) present the ‘real deal’ ( in this case firing a long standing member), to emphasize that a power position will often mean the need to get one's own hands dirty instead of simply ‘playing the good boss’. But all those examples share something similar: the production teams tend to use and benefit from very realistic social behavior and genuine reactions within people and when those don’t align, many often end up receiving backlash from a highly invested public that sees shows with some degree of expected standards.
In “Survivor,” Liz's meltdown about food deprivation provided something raw and human and it is in these types of small details, that often transcend most scripted media. It becomes all about individual experience, with very realistic emotions at center focus and most viewers are then pushed by it either in empathy or even disgust; showcasing some key importance on what truly makes for meaningful or ‘good’ television.
Then by putting a magnifying lens over "The Great British Baking Show,” we receive examples about genuine humanity, when the hostess comforts a clearly distressed Georgie while trying to manage ongoing chaos at a live event; highlighting just how simple acts can have a strong impact upon individuals and when observed by others with an empathetic lens all those elements are being constantly highlighted from all formats showcasing what humanity can bring at all formats as a positive influence or a destructive one.
Beyond some specific cases “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” explored deep seated religious values when the production focused on how something mostly seen as common among casual people ( a trip to chippendale) causes such massive shock or dismay for those characters ( and specifically one particular husband) that their reaction shows something clearly more interesting about core aspects of long held value and its place in those social structures when compared against outside environments often showcasing limitations over people when faced with an evolving world outside of their set communities.
There's "90 Day Fiance," where Angela and Michael's toxic relationship shows all the worst qualities from some interactions. A toxic dynamic based mostly in jealousy, personal insecurities and verbal abuse provides not only drama but creates a space where viewers question why all that was taking place and if there’s value in such a relationship and what responsibility do audiences have to those individuals. This also makes many viewers re evaluate, with critical eyes what types of personalities, behaviors and relationship patterns are usually perceived in similar media. Finally , for "Chimp Crazy,” the realness of Tonia Haddix’s approach offers what other tv formats cannot ever do and makes one observe something that transcends standard tv formatted media with human behavior shown through all that chaos to protect, love or simply keep a specific object with all the personal, selfish undertones that most often happen within society without much care or any kind of external feedback at all; the ethical implications here are almost entirely unique compared to others because it challenges some foundational ethical aspects of how we define our social or family values.
By observing so many varied choices from diverse productions for Reality TV, the trend becomes clear. Those forms of media aren't mindless trash, its a reflection over specific human behaviors that, more often than not do carry over onto real world situations that allow to generate many talking points that often are simply set aside in other fictional stories where everything usually ends with a neat ending . Reality TV seems to operate almost on a similar path, but with very complex characters, sometimes relatable situations and many difficult to grasp motivations that makes these often a compelling human observation.
Instead of acting like some escapist form of entertainment the often most “shocking” moments are when actual unfiltered responses are placed at the core and all of those elements provide not only shock values but offer critical thought into what we consider ‘ethical behaviors’, and those points, will make long-term value to these shows above simply manufactured formats because the humanity often shines brightly regardless of bad acting, unscripted scenarios, high production values or even complete lack of structure as reality tends to take a clear lead above the constructed narrative. For better or worse, human interactions always take the stage, unfiltered.