The term “Reality TV” can be a bit misleading. Sure, they are real people doing whatever we see them do, but most of the time, a lot of the things we see on the TV are actually scripted! While most of the time they are entertaining to watch, that doesn’t remove the fact that they are lying to you by saying that everything that is happening in the show is “real” and “authentic.” With that in mind, let us take a look at these so-called “reality shows” and see just what exactly is going on behind the scenes of these shows!
South Beach Tow
We can’t deny how entertaining the show’s antics are. Bernice has done everything from removing car doors by the hinges with her hands to miraculously surviving a massive fall and immediately apprehending a violator. There’s no denying that it’s a hoax, but it’s still a lot of fun!
South Beach Tow
Duck Dynasty
The Robertson family, who live in Louisiana, rose to fame as a result of their duck-hunting business. Almost everyone in the cast is related to each other by blood or marriage. However, it turns out that the producers enjoy adding ‘dramatic’ elements to make things more interesting. Furthermore, it is claimed that the production team enjoys adding “bleeps” even when no one is actually swearing.
Duck Dynasty
Undercover Boss
Did you like the idea of workers finally getting the credit they deserve? In this show, executives from various companies infiltrate their workplaces to see how well their employees are performing while on the clock. Of course, this also provides them with some knowledge of how to run the company. This so-called reality show is, in fact, scripted. More importantly, they do not follow through on the promises they make to various employees. Yikes.
Undercover Boss
Hardcore Pawn
Hardcore Pawn is a documentary about the Gold family and their family-run pawn shop in Detroit’s rough 8 Mile neighborhood. Can you believe how many strange people walk past their shop on a regular basis? Many of the arguments presented on the show appear to be far too unbelievable, don’t they? They are, in fact, the case. The ‘fights’ were staged, according to many of the people who appeared on the show. What are the chances that Ashley, Les, and Seth will get into a fight with a customer in every episode? Do the math.
Hardcore Pawn
Project Runway
It is not true that just because a show is popular does not mean it is not “fake.” Many contestants, including Daniel Esquivel and Jack Mackenroth, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the judging portion of the competition. Esquivel has spoken out in particular about how the show’s producers allegedly tailored it to sensationalize the contestants to an extreme level.
Project Runway
Cake Boss
In no time, this show became a smash hit. The team, led by business owner Buddy Valastro, created beautiful and intricate cake designs for us to admire. The truth, however, is that things aren’t quite as dramatic as they appear. For one thing, Valastro rarely visits the shop unless they are filming something. Furthermore, some of the events and weddings are acted out.
Cake Boss
Ghost Hunters
This show has gained a lot of traction over the last few years. Since its inception, it has spawned a slew of spin-off shows. However, many people have claimed that it was scripted. Former case manager Donna Lacroix gave an interview and essentially confirmed what everyone had suspected.
Ghost Hunters
The Jerry Springer Show
We don’t think this is particularly surprising. This show is without a doubt one of the most bizarre television programs ever produced. If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’ll tell you that the guests and storylines aren’t entirely true. This also applies to the production team who encourages the audience to cheer.
The Jerry Springer Show
Fixer Upper
The homeowners, like other house shows, purchased the property before filming could begin. This implies that they aren’t really choosing between the three houses shown at the start of the episode. Because none of Joanna Gaines’ carefully arranged décor or furniture is included in the budget, the owners will only keep it if they are willing to pay for it. Similarly, not every room in the house is remodeled. Meanwhile, unsubstantiated reports claim that Chip only works on the house when the cameras are rolling.
Fixer Upper
Keeping Up With The Kardashians
I’m sure we’ve all heard of this show. It premiered in 2007 and followed the lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family members. It featured a large cast and covered many of their life events. With this in mind, it’s not surprising that they had to reshoot and edit certain shots to ensure a consistent viewing experience and timeline. According to court documents from Kim Kardashian’s divorce from Kris Humphries, producer Russell Jay stated that at least two scenes involving Humphries had been scripted or reshot. The editing process is also used heavily by the famous family.
Keeping Up With The Kardashians
Storage Wars
Former show star David Hester shocked the world when he revealed that the show is scripted after he was fired. According to him, the items discovered in the storage lockers have been staged. Furthermore, many of the auctions are not genuine. He claims that even the cast member interviews are scripted!
Storage Wars
Jersey Shore
The first episode of this TV show aired in 2009. Even if the stars are true friends, this does not imply that the film is a true representation of their lives. A number of locals and extras have claimed that much of what happened on the show was pre-planned. The walkabouts were being practiced, according to an attorney who lives across the street from them. Aside from that, it’s been reported that they frequently reshoot scenes from different perspectives. Yes, they perfect the dialogue and facial expressions.
Jersey Shore
Say Yes To The Dress
This well-known bridal reality show follows brides-to-be as they search for the ideal wedding gown at Kleinfeld in New York. The truth is that the producers screen the people who show up for the bride-to-appointment for added drama, and they ask the outspoken people to stress or repeat a comment. The boutique is also much smaller than it appears on the outside. Many people who stop by for a visit are taken aback when they see this for themselves.
Say Yes To The Dress
Long Island Medium
Theresa Caputo made a name for herself as a medium who helps people communicate with the dead. There’s a good reason for your skepticism of the show. Caputo is embroiled in a scandal involving claims that she was given access to client and audience information for her shows. Before feeding it to her on stage, producers learn about them through questionnaires, background checks, and social media profiles.
Long Island Medium
Cupcake Wars
The show starts with four contestants representing various bakeries from across the United States. The contestants compete in three rounds of cupcake baking in order to be featured in an event with a thousand cupcakes on display. The first round usually includes a challenge that requires participants to use ingredients that aren’t commonly found in cupcakes. However, there are rumors that the contestants are already aware of the ingredients they must use.
Cupcake Wars
Naked And Afraid
This is a survival show in which participants are taken to exotic locations, stripped naked, and shot while attempting to live off the land. Several contestants have spoken out about how things aren’t always as they appear. The strange adventure is said to be well-produced. They are also provided with amenities that they would not find in the wild by the production team. Tampons, supplements, and prescription medication are among these items. It was obvious to us that it was too good to be true.
Basketball Wives
The reality show follows the lives of women who are married to famous basketball players. However, not everyone has been pleased with their participation in the show. Former cast member Matt Barnes has discussed how scripted and staged the entire show is. Tanya Young has backed up the claims, claiming that the producers set up the drama by pitting the wives against each other.
Basketball Wives
The Hills
The show featured everything you’d expect from a reality show. On a regular basis, there was backstabbing, teen angst, and relationship drama. The show appears to be extremely scripted. According to Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag, they were asked to shoot one scene fifteen times. It was the part where she thought she was “pregnant,” and he reacted angrily. The show’s producers have since admitted to casting a number of characters, including Lauren’s co-worker’s best friend.
The Hills
Last Comic Standing
When this show was still on the air, it was all about finding undiscovered talent and giving them exposure or cash prizes in exchange for competing. The truth was that the producers, unbeknownst to the judges and contestants, had influenced the vote. When the winner’s name was announced, everyone became enraged. It’s also been claimed that the show edits good performances to make them appear worse.
Last Comic Standing
The Apprentice
This reality show is known for reintroducing Donald Trump to the public eye. The plot revolved around a group of celebrities and businessmen who were interviewing for a job at the current President’s company. Obviously, the firing scene was added and scripted for added drama. Before they filmed the scene, the contestants already knew they were going to be fired. Perhaps the worst aspect of the show was that the winner received no actual prize other than bragging rights.
The Apprentice
Love Island
This is the show for you if you like Survivor and The Bachelor. For the uninitiated, the show basically assembles singles for a tropical island summer! The contestants are enticed to hook up and pair off for the promise of money, romance, and a chance to win the contest. It’s a hoax, according to Reddit. Almost everything in the show is scripted, from the arguments to the intimate scenes. According to reports, the producers go through all of the takes and select the most “realistic” one for the final cut.
Love Island
Breaking Amish
Unfortunately, Breaking Amish was not as authentic as they made it out to be. Official documents revealed that the Amish people on the show actually defected a long time ago, according to Jezebel. If you believed their claims that they had just left the community for the “first time,” you might be surprised to hear this.
Breaking Amish
Britain’s Got Talent
This show has a lot in common with its American counterpart. It’s a wide-ranging talent show that features just about anything you can think of. There are magicians, dancers, and acrobats among the performers. Everyone in the audience was brought to their knees by one dog. The dog act “Jules and Matisse” won the competition in 2005. It was, however, a rigged game! Because the real dog was too scared for the high-wire stunt, the producers substituted a dog that looked like Matisse.
Britain’s Got Talent
Restaurant Stakeout
Willie Degel is a restaurateur who installed surveillance cameras in a failing restaurant. He did this in order to figure out what the issue was. The system is based on catching employees who aren’t performing their duties properly, if at all. He’d confront them and possibly fire them in a dramatic manner. It’s almost entirely made up. The first season’s restaurant owner admitted that the Food Network contacted him and then screen-tested his employees before filming the episode. Furthermore, the customers were instructed to be as annoying as possible.
Restaurant Stakeout
Dance Moms
Did you think all of the drama and fighting on Dance Moms was just for the camera? If that’s the case, you’re correct. Little Maddie Ziegler told USA Today in 2015 that some of the show’s dramatic moments aren’t real. The young girl stated, “It’s hard to do a reality show when there’s so much crying and drama. The producers set it up to make us all yell at each other…The moms have a fake fight sometimes. Afterward, they just start talking and laugh about it.”
Dance Moms
Hell’s Kitchen
Gordon Ramsay, the flamboyant and foul-mouthed celebrity chef, is the host of this popular cooking show. We’ll admit that it’s a very entertaining show, but it’s important to remember that it’s scripted. The customers who ended up eating the meals were revealed to be paid actors.
Hell’s Kitchen
Toddlers And Tiaras
We don’t know about you, but when we catch a few minutes of this show, we can’t help but wince a little bit. There are some people who genuinely enjoy it. Ranker has claimed that, like the other shows on the list, much of the show is staged. To make things more interesting, the stars are asked to rephrase what they say and invent drama.
Toddlers And Tiaras
Survivor
Survivor can be thought of like a real-life Hunger Games, in which contestants are divided into teams, transported to the wilderness, and forced to live off the land while taking part in challenges. Unfortunately, many of the competitions and challenges were nothing more than a hoax. For certain challenges, the producers admitted that they had to hire body doubles. They had to reenact a lot of footage as well. Former contestant Stacey Stillman has claimed that her eviction from the show was rigged.
Survivor
American Idol
This extremely popular television show first aired in 2001. It has a straightforward premise. They held auditions all over the country until they found the right person to be crowned American Idol. The vast majority of the millions of hopefuls have no chance. According to reports, scouts were already on the lookout for the most talented singers before the auditions. Isn’t it heartbreaking to learn that it was all a farce?
American Idol
Catfish
On this hit show by MTV, hosts Max and Nev attempt to figure out the puzzle of “who is really behind these profiles.” Catfishing may seem bizarre to you, but it is a common practice among many people. However, this does not imply that what you see on the show is accurate. It’s been said that the producers actually reverse the application process. Catfishers were required to apply for a spot on the show.
Catfish
The Voice
This show, according to a potential competitor, is not at all fair. In a Facebook post, rock singer Adam Wiener stated that the show approached him, but he declined. He claimed that the competition is pre-cast, with the producers selecting the songs and musical styles to be performed. His revelations drew attention and raised questions about the show’s authenticity.
The Voice
Property Brothers
This is going to break a few people’s hearts. Drew and Jonathan Scott, Canadian brothers, team up to help a couple find their dream home on the show. A few aspects of the show, however, have been revealed to be fake! For one thing, they don’t renovate the entire house; instead, they select a few rooms that the couple has hand-picked. The show then reshoots scenes in order to add more “drama” to the scenes for the audience’s enjoyment. Finally, because the brothers frequently show them homes that are simply out of their price range, the couple decides on a renovation project.
Property Brothers
Pawn Stars
Can you believe that almost the entire History Channel show is scripted? It’s possible that the store is real and owned by the Harrison family. However, it has since evolved into a tourist attraction rather than a functioning store. Because of Nevada’s privacy laws, the stars no longer work there during regular hours. Aside from that, they’ve already agreed on a price with the sellers, and many items have been thoroughly researched.
Pawn Stars
The Real Housewives
There had been a lot of speculation that this show was scripted, but Theresa Guidice of Real Housewives of New Jersey finally confirmed it when she swore under oath that it was. The producers had planned the meetings between the ladies ahead of time. You could say the same thing about their huge disagreements with one another.
The Real Housewives
The Bachelor/The Bachelorette
We all know that both versions of the show are a lot of fun, but the truth is that a lot of it was planned ahead of time. There are rumors that celebrities have been fed lines. Producers also weed out the dramatic ones before coaxing them into dramatic situations with one another. The rose ceremony is meticulously planned, and the casting is meticulously done so that the finalists can be chosen ahead of time.
The Bachelor And The Bachelorette
The Biggest Loser
While viewers wait with bated breath to see how much weight each contestant has lost, it turns out that the fancy technology used to show their weight loss is a hoax. The contestants are weighed and measured two days prior to the competition. To top it off, the medical professionals on the show’s authenticity has been questioned several times. Some claimed they lacked the necessary qualifications to distribute drugs. Not to mention that the show is staged to make the contestants appear sluggish and lazy when they are not.
The Biggest Loser
The Simple Life
Fans couldn’t get enough of watching Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie work menial jobs while staying with local families in small towns across the United States. There’s no denying that the show was hilarious, but Paris Hilton later admitted that producers forced them to play the sassy blonde and the troublemaker. On the other hand, Paris revealed that she enjoyed playing the airhead with a baby voice and found it amusing. She admitted that she would frequently revert to this character’s voice after five years on the show.
The Simple Life
House Hunters
One of HGTV’s biggest hits, House Hunters, turned out to be yet another fake reality show to add to the list. When they first appeared on the show, the contestants had already decided which house they wanted to buy. Some of the contestants have already purchased the house featured on the show. To top it off, it’s been reported that younger actors occasionally play the show’s house owners.
House Hunters
What Not To Wear
Even though the show’s premise is intriguing, it isn’t nearly as entertaining as it appears. Each contestant will receive $5,000 to redo their closet and get a makeover. However, there are a few stipulations: the producers must dispose of all of the participants’ clothing and donate it to charity. In addition, the participants must pay tax on everything they purchase. To top it off, all of the contestants’ clothing is custom-made to fit them perfectly, which is another cost that the show does not cover.
What Not To Wear
Pimp My Ride
Pimp My Ride on MTV was one of the most popular reality shows at the time. Rapper Xzibit would show up at people’s houses, taking their old cars and giving them a complete makeover. The car makeovers, it turns out, were only for the cameras and were entirely cosmetic. Someone on the show mentioned that when they got their car back, it barely ran. In addition, it took up to six months for these vehicles to be repaired.
Pimp My Ride
Cribs
Cribs was another popular MTV show. This show would feature celebrities who would show off their extravagant homes while fans watched on the screen. During the show’s 13-year run, a number of well-known celebrities made appearances. MTV, on the other hand, was exposed when a woman sued the network for portraying her rented home as rapper Ja Rules’ crib.
Cribs
90 Day Fiance
Right off the bat, there are numerous flaws in 90 Day Fiance. The show is primarily designed so that one member of each couple can obtain a K-1 visa and immigrate to the United States. The issue here is that the couple must marry within the next 90 days. Otherwise, their tourist visa will expire before they are able to travel. Naturally, this causes plenty of drama between the couples, but the producers add fuel to the fire in order to get more viewers to watch the show. They will frequently ask participants to do or say certain things.
90 Day Fiance
Divorce Court
We all know how much drama reality television thrives on, and what could be more dramatic than divorce and marital problems? Divorce Court focuses on the drama and issues that arise during a marriage, listening to both sides of the story and reaching an agreement. However, it has been revealed that the show is entirely fictitious. They claimed that their daughter and her boyfriend had been approached about appearing on the show. The couple wasn’t married at the time, and the producers provided them with a backstory to lie about on the show.
Divorce Court
The Osbournes
There was The Osbournes before the Kardashians were a thing. Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, and Jack are the members of the band. The show didn’t hold back, with everyone on it swearing a lot. The strange but loving family dynamic enthralled fans. They even got a few good laughs from the seeming-to-be-real antics. It turns out that none of it was real and that the majority of the show was scripted. Producers allegedly briefed the family on what to expect in each episode.
The Osbournes
Teen Mom
Teen Mom was no exception. MTV isn’t known for having the most authentic reality shows, and Teen Mom was no exception. After 16 and Pregnant, the show followed the lives of the young mothers after they gave birth. No one can deny that there was a lot of drama, arrests, and breakups. However, it has been suggested that the producers would meticulously edit conversations to make them appear more dramatic than they were.
Teen Mom
Beauty and the Geek
This reality show wanted to pair attractive women with nerdy men for couples challenges. The show’s geeks were depicted as socially awkward and incapable of conversing with women, but this was not the case in real life. One of the guys on the show had a girlfriend back home, as it turned out. Furthermore, the show has been accused of employing actors to play some of the contestants.
Beauty And The Geek
I Am Cait
Caitlyn Jenner’s gender transition was documented in this show, which chronicled her struggle to become her true self, including all of the ups and downs along the way. While the show’s first season was very real, fans learned all about Jenner’s transition in the second season, leaving little to show. As a result, the producers began fabricating Caitlyn’s scenarios.
I Am Cait
Famously Single
This E! Network reality show follows a group of single celebrities as they try to match them with different people. The celebrities live together while attending therapy sessions and reminisce about their search for love. On the other hand, these celebrities aren’t the best actors, and it’s clear that many of the situations are made up. To add to the drama, various celebrities and people from their past are brought into the show.
Famously Single
Total Bellas
Given how fake WWE was, it’s only natural that a reality show based on the Bella Twins would be fake as well. Nikki and Brie’s partners, John Cena and Daniel Bryan, were featured in the series. Many of the show’s scenarios were clearly fabricated by the producers, and much of the drama between Nikki and John Cena was staged for the cameras.
Total Bellas
WAGS
WAGS quickly became one of E!’s most popular shows, chronicling the lives and dramas of sports stars’ wives. The producers created drama between the women to keep the show interesting for viewers, and the show was heavily reliant on fake scenarios. Even though the marriage breakdowns were genuine, the women’s conversations and rivalry were all made up. There were even women who weren’t dating athletes who were brought on to spice things up.
WAGS