Reality Television Facts

Think you know your reality TV facts and trivia? See how well you know this genre and check out our rundown of reality TV inside information. You may find yourself surprised!

Before we delve into the ins and outs of some of your favorite reality shows, let’s start off with a few facts about the genre itself. Did you know…

• MTV’s The Real World often likes to lay claim to being the first reality TV show, and while they certainly sparked the more recent run of reality TV, they were not the first. In fact, way back in 1973, PBS ran An American Family, which followed a family as they went through a divorce. Depending on your definitions, you could trace reality TV all the way back to the advent of television itself, with shows like Candid Camera, which hit the airwaves in 1948.

• Reality TV actually started on the radio with Candid Camera precursor Candid Microphone in 1947.

• Survivor and American Idol routinely top the ratings when they are on, beating scripted shows.

• At the 2008 Emmy Awards, a new category honoring reality TV was added – Best Reality TV Show Host (which was won by Survivor host Jeff Probst).

Despite the fact that many people complain about reality television and decry its existence, the genre continues to expand. There is a seemingly never ending barrage of new reality shows, and they all seem to find an audience.

There are several different types of reality shows. Here are just some show formats that fall under the reality banner:

• Talk Shows
• Game Shows
• Celebrity Shows – these include celebrity documentary style shows like Keeping Up With the Kardashians and Kathy Griffin: Life on the D List, as well as celeb based dating shows like Flavor of Love and Rock of Love
• Fly on the Wall Shows – these include shows like Big Brother, whose premise is simply throwing people into a unique living situation and filming the results
• Dating Shows – these include single episode dating shows like Fifth Wheel as well as dating shows that depict a search for a partner over several episodes, like The Bachelor and The Bachelorette
• Competition Shows – these shows are different from game shows in that they span several episodes and include things like Survivor and The Amazing Race
• Job Based Shows – these programs have a competition component but the prize and the challenges are all based around a particular career. Think of The Apprentice, Top Chef and Project Runway
• Hoax Based Shows – hoax based reality shows feature the manipulation of either all of the participants or some of the participants. This includes shows like My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancée and Joe Millionaire
• Hidden Camera Shows – Hidden camera shows are in the style of Candid Camera and Punk’d
• Talent Shows – these are among the most popular reality shows and include things like American Idol and America’s Got Talent

Everyone who joins a reality TV show has dreams of stardom, but here are some reality TV stars who have really made a splash:

• Omarosa – Omarosa wasn’t the winner of season one of The Apprentice, but she is the one who has turned her much maligned turn on the show into a showbiz career (of sorts). People love to hate her – in fact, in 2005, she was voted Most Reviled Reality Show Contestant by TV Guide readers.

• Elizabeth Hasselbeck – You either love her or hate her, but there’s no denying that Elizabeth Hasselbeck somehow turned a stint on Survivor into sitting next to Barbara Walters on The View.

• William Hung – William Hung is one of those strange breed of reality stars – they’re so good at being bad that no one can look away. Hung rode a tone deaf audition on American Idol into stardom.

• Trista and Ryan Sutter – The Bachelor and The Bachelorette introduced audiences to these two who somehow seemed to find real love on TV. Viewers can’t seem to get enough of this happy ending and their marriage turned into a TV special.

• New York – Tiffany “New York” Pollard was spit on and then rejected by Flavor Flav on season one of VH1’s mega hit Flavor of Love. That was enough to earn her another (failed) attempt at winning Flav’s heart, plus three reality shows of her own – and counting!

Of course, this list barely scratches the surface, and everyone has their own favorite stars. Who are your reality TV must sees? Let us know by leaving us a comment!.

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