Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports 2011 Keeping It Real: A Historical Look at Reality TV Jessica Roberts West Virginia University Follow this and additional works at: https://researchrepository.edu/etd Recommended Citation Roberts, Jessica, "Keeping It Real: A Historical Look at Reality TV" (2011). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports.edu/etd/3438 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by the The Research Repository @ WVU with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use.
For other uses you must obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in WVU Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports collection by an authorized administrator of The Research Repository @ WVU. For more information, please contact researchrepository@mail. Keeping It Real: A Historical Look at Reality TV Jessica Roberts Thesis submitted to the P.
Reed School of Journalism at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Journalism Sara Magee, Ph., Chair Steve Urbanski, Ph. George Esper, Ph. Krystal Frazier, Ph. School of Journalism Morgantown, West Virginia 2011 Keywords: reality TV, challenge, talent, makeover, celebrity, product placement Copyright 2011 Jessica Roberts ABSTRACT Keeping It Real: A Historical Look at Reality TV Jessica Roberts In the summer of 2000 CBS launched a wilderness and competition reality show called “Survivor.” The show became a monster hit with more than fifty million viewers watching the finale, ratings only second to Super Bowl.
That summer and that show forever changed many aspects of the television industry. Reality TV had been around for years, but with “Survivor” it began a period of lightening fast development, growth, and influence. During the past decade, many different reality shows have emerged and this research categorizes those shows into four sub-genres that it is argued all reality shows during this time could fit into. Those genres, and the hybrids of them that are still emerging, will play a huge part in how television in the future is created, financed, and produced.
In addition, reality TV and all its genres have expanded what is considered acceptable as scripted and unscripted broadcast content in less than 10 years. The implications this has had and will continue to have on the television industry are numerous and important to understand if one is to recognize where television programs are headed in the future. This detailed history gives a much needed glimpse into the people, the programs, and the processes that went into creating one of the most dominant and influential formats of television programming today and in the future. DEDICATION I wish to dedicate this thesis to my mom, the late Bonnie McKeever Roberts, who as a school teacher instilled in me at a young age the importance of an education.
Through her unconditional love, she taught me some of life’s most valuable lessons: right from wrong, do unto others, try your best, it’s what’s on the inside that counts and have faith. Her amazing strength has inspired me to follow my dreams and her beautiful smile will stay forever young. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I wish to thank my chair, Dr. Sara Magee for her constant support and encouragement.
You have gone above and beyond the role of a committee chair, and have become my mentor during these past two years. Thank you for always believing in me, even when I didn’t always believe in myself. Your dedication, patience and positive energy have been instrumental throughout this process. To the members of my committee, Dr.
Steve Urbanski, Dr. George Esper, and Dr. Krystal Frazier, thank you for your feedback during this process. I am lucky to have such a well rounded group of professionals willing to share their thoughts and ideas.
Thank you for your time and support. A special thanks to Dr. Urbanski for helping me in the decision to move home after four years in New York, and to return to the P. Reed School of Journalism to finish my Masters degree.
I would also like to thank Amy Johns, Director of Public Affairs at West Virginia University Hospitals & Health Sciences. My WVU graduate assistantship in the Planning, Marketing and Communications department has provided me with invaluable experiences both professionally and personally. I am fortunate to have worked with so many talented and skilled professionals. Thank you, Amy, for being a great boss and friend throughout this process.
I would like to thank Barbara Roberts, for her support and advice over the years. Many times, it has been your voice of reasoning that helped me face a difficult situation with a positive attitude. Thank you for the tough love I didn’t think I needed, and for being patient with me. A special thank you goes out to my father Jim Roberts, for his guidance, love and protection for the past 30 years.
From a young age, you have truly been a hero and best friend. Faced with an unthinkable situation, your determination, courage, selflessness and unconditional love helped guide me into the woman I am today. The memories we have shared and the lessons you have taught will always be with me, for like you - they will be forever in my heart. Last, I would like to thank my friends, who have become more like family.
Thank you for your love and support and for never giving up on me. Our amazing friendship reminds me that life is about the journey, not the destination. Thank you for helping to fill that journey with laughter and countless memories that will last a lifetime. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….iv Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………v Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………vi Chapter 1: Introduction…………………………………………………………….1 Chapter 2: Background of Television……………………………………………….6 Thesis Overview: Reality comes to primetime network television……………………11 Advertising & product placement…………………………………………………….14 Reality & the four sub-genres…………………………………………………………15 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….16 Chapter 3: Challenge…………………………………………………………………18 “Survivor:” The beginning…………………………………………………………….19 “Survivor:” A challenge reality show………………………………………………… 22 Lawsuits & low points……………………………………………………………….27 September 11, 2001……………………………………………………………………29 Advertising & product integration…………………………………………………….36 “American Idol:” The beginning………………………………………………………37 Audience voting & participation……………………………………………………….39 The hit show that almost wasn’t……………………………………………………….42 “American Idol:” The smash hit of 2002………………………………………………43 “American Idol:” A talent reality show……………………………………………… 44 v And now, a word from our sponsor……………………………………………………47 Controversy & backlash………………………………………………………… …….54 Sub-genre part one: Will you accept this rose? ………………………………… …….55 “The Bachelor:” A dating reality show……………………………… …………………56 Sub-genre part two: You, only better……………………………………………………58 “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition:” A feel-good reality show……………….63 Chapter 6: Celebrity……………………………………………………………………66 “The Osbournes:” A celebrity family reality show……………………………….
67 “The Osbournes:” Influence on celebrity reality…………………………………. ……68 “The Kardashians:” The next big celebrity family reality show…………………………71 Low points: They lived happily ever after…for awhile…………………………………72 High points: One big happy dysfunctional family………………………………………73 Celebrity sub-genre: Helps cable channels expand…………………………………….76 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………77 Chapter 7: Discussion………………………………………………………………….79 Competitive challenge & reality to feel-good reality………………………………. …79 From playing the part to playing themselves………………………………………….82 From ordinary person to reality star to celebrity: Is there a difference anymore?.85 The four sub-genres begin to merge…………………………………………………….87 Social shifts, technology, money & reality TV……………………………………….89 Reality’s influence on mainstream TV………………………………………………….95 vi Chapter 1: Introduction In the summer of 2010, millions of viewers tuned in for the series finale of the popular MTV reality show “The Hills.” Most viewers who had followed the characters through their “real lives” for the past six years expected tears and drama from the last episode, but not many predicted what would happen as the credits began to roll. As the camera panned out, viewers saw the crew pushing away a backdrop that made it appear as though Brody Jenner and Kristin Cavallari were saying goodbye in front of the famous Hollywood sign, but it was revealed that the final scene between the characters was filmed on a Hollywood back lot (Vena, 2010).
“It’s a nod to how much work goes into making it feel like a scripted show,” explained “The Hills” creator Adam DiVello, (Kinon, 2010). One could argue it also is a nod to how mainstream television has shifted to a new genre of programming over the last decade. That genre is reality, and scripted or non-scripted, it has completely changed the landscape of American TV. This thesis presents a historical study of how reality shows developed, what they did, and how they have attracted devoted audiences for the past 10 years.
Understanding the reality genre’s dramatic evolution over the past decade will enhance knowledge and studies of how reality has shaped and influenced television and how creators and marketers distribute programs. Throughout entertainment history, television has been dominated by varying genres such as news, westerns, sitcoms, games shows, dramas, and soap operas. While each genre had a specific audience, they all provided entertainment to viewers and some sort of conflict and resolution in a short period of time. Television also offered viewers an escape from everyday worries for an hour or so.
By 2000, another genre began to take television in a new direction: reality TV. Non-scripted shows like "Cops" and "The Real World" had been around but were 1 not considered mainstream programming. Although the public and media executives did not realize it, the popularity of this genre was about to explode, changing the way Americans viewed television. In the summer of 2000 CBS launched a wilderness and competition reality show called “Survivor.” The show became a monster hit with more than 50 million viewers watching the finale, ratings only second to Super Bowl XXXIV in January of that same year (Roman, 2005).
It also generated an estimated 50 million in advertising for the network during the final three episodes of the first season (Hill, 2005). In less than three months, CBS had created a reality frenzy pushing other networks to develop shows about “real people.” It was obvious this new genre was going to be a game changer. "The genie has finally been let out of the bottle,” said Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University in a Newsweek article. “After the summer of 2000, there will never be another day in any of our lives where there won't be some of this kind of programming on television" (Peyser, Sigesmund, Smalley, & Gordon, 2000, p.
Reality shows offered an attraction different from shows such as “Friends” that typically topped the ratings on major networks. Mainly they were less expensive to produce. The main reason was they did not include any paid actors demanding huge salaries, because none of the reality show “actors” belonged to the Screen Actors Guild (Mittell, 2010). Reality TV also gave the networks greater control by providing a way to fill the hours around more pricey dramas and sitcoms with cheaper programming and by controlling labor costs (Raphael, 2009).
They also helped fill the void during the summer season as networks began competing with cable channels that were beginning to air similar shows all year round. By 2001 “Big Brother” (July 5, 2000) and the “The Amazing Race” (September 5, 2001) successfully emerged and solidified CBS as the front-runner in the race for reality TV 2 programming. The other major networks were not far behind. In the summer of 2002, Fox debuted a new musical talent competition called "American Idol" and it became the highest rated show on US TV that year (Dann, 2003).
By 2004, reality had proven its staying power. ABC had developed "The Bachelor" (March 25, 2002) and "Extreme Makeover Home Edition” (February 15, 2004). NBC had "The Apprentice" (January 8, 2004) and "The Biggest Loser" (October 19, 2004). Cable channels such as MTV also had their own version of reality with hit shows like “The Osbournes” (March 5, 2002) and “Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica” (August 19, 2003).
The reality genre even pushed executives of the annual Primetime Emmy Awards to include new categories for unscripted programming in 2003 (Huff, 2006).