Term Paper 3

 

Jeremy Langston

MCOM1003

Professor Reppert

10-20-20

Word Count: 1017

 

Reality Television Critique

          What is reality television?  This question led to more questions, so I searched for a definition and after looking through a handful of meanings online, reality television is basically a tv program with every people being filmed for entertainment purposes.  My original question also had me wondering about the genesis of the reality tv phenomenon.  After a brief search, I discovered that the first reality television program was Candid Camera. Candid Camera was a popular reality tv series that first aired in 1948 on the ABC network,

          Previous to its television debut, Candid Camera began as a radio show called Candid Microphone.  The radio show hit the air waves on June 28, 1947.  The show was created and produced by Allen Funt.  Funt also host the reality show for many years until he became to ill to perform the duty.  Candid Camera used a hidden camera to film natural reactions and responses of everyday citizens during practical joke scenarios.  After several minutes of awkward moments, a person from the group who was in on the joke would reveal to participant that they were on Candid Camera.  The participant would typical respond as if they were relieved and shocked by the news. The participant would be told, “Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!”

The following is a video clip from an episode from Candid Camera:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRSliZfNFKc&t=202s

          In August of 1948, Candid Camera aired on ABC. Produced in New York, it became part of CBS's powerhouse Sunday night lineup, which included "Lassie," "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "What's My Line." Candid Camera’s target audience was early and middle adults.  The show was frequently in the Nielsen top 10; in 1962 it finished second, with a staggering 31.1 rating, to "The Beverly Hillbillies (Meisler). It was thirty minutes in length and was shot on a single camera setup. The show continued to air into the 1970s, followed by a few specials in the 1980s. 

          The 1990s saw a huge demand for reality tv, and as a result there was a resurgence of Candid Camera.  Due to Allen Funt declining health, Peter Funt, Allen’s son took over as host and producer. As the times changed, the show added celebrities to their prank list.  Candid Camera would go on the lay the foundation for many other reality shows such as Punk’d and Impractical Jokers. As popularity grew, several versions of Candid Camera began airing in many other countries across the globe.  One interesting fact is that a young Woody Allen wrote for the show in the early 60s.  He would later go on to be a successful director and screenwriter.   Over the years, Candid Camera became a household with the last show airing in 2014.  One could argue that Candid Camera opened up some type of pandora’s box for social media.  The idea of gaining attention from viewers with practical jokes or funny scenarios reflects what happens when individuals post candid moments of their day on social media platforms like Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.  Candid Camera used humor to convey a sense of connection for people.  In my opinion, that is why the show was so popular in America and other parts of the world.

          Fear Factor is my second reality show critique.  Fear Factor was a tv show that was adapted from the original Dutch version, Now or Neverland.  Endemol USA and NBC decide to rebrand the idea and renamed the concept Fear Factor to appeal to an American audience.  The stunt/dare game show first aired in the U.S. in 2001.  The first host was a comedian and UFC analysis, Joe Rogan.  Rogan went on the have a successful career as a comedian and also host began hosting his on podcast called The Joe Rogan Experience.

          The show consisted of six contestants competing against each other in a variety of three stunts.  The winner would receive a grand prize of $50,000.  The show’s format had three women and three men battling individually.  This model took place through the first five seasons.  Contestants had to perform several strange tasks such as eating animal intestines to sitting in an enclosed boxes with spider crawl on the contestant’s bodies.

 Season six had a different format.  It consisted of four couples who had been in some sort of pre-existing relationship like, siblings, boyfriend/girlfriend, married couple,  etc.  The show was cancelled in 2006.  Each year Fear Factor had to keep upping the dares and stunts until it finally became too disgusting for many viewer.  The NBC network cancelled the show after catching wind of an upcoming episode involving drinking animal fluids.  Fear Factor used shock value to hold the viewers attention.  The target demographic for the show was teenagers and young adults. In my opinion, reality shows that are build off of shock value tend to die out because of their constant need to top the previous week’s challenges.  They simply ran out of ideas.

          The show resurfaced again in 2011 and 2012 but was short lived.  MTV picked up an update version of Fear Factor in 2017.  It was hosted by Ludacris, a rap artist to try to help broad the fan base but it was also short-lived.  Celebrities were used to try to gain attention from viewers, but it did not work.  Fear Factor had ran its course.

          If I were to have a reality show, I would call it On the Road.  The show would have a camera crew that would follow a tour bus of musicians around while they performed at different place around the country.  The format would work similar to a documentary.  On the Road would capture candid moments of the featured artist’s tour including scene like live music, interviews on the tour bus, and all of the behind work that goes into building up and breaking down live shows.  Once the tour ended, I would move to the next artist and start the process all over again.

 

 

 

 

Work Cited

Deseret News, Andy Meisler. “Smile! You're Back on 'Candid Camera'.” Deseret    News, Deseret News, 3 Jan. 1999, www.deseret.com/1999/1/3/19425402/smile-you-re-back-on-candid-camera