There have been many criticisms of certain shows and genres of reality television. The main criticism that can be found for reality TV is that it is not in fact real, but oftentimes scripted and events are played up for maximum drama and entertainment for the audiences. Despite calling themselves ‘reality’ shows, they are not real but instead appear to be real to the outside viewer despite all of the inner-workings of misleading editing, coaching participants on what to say or how to act, generating storylines before things play out on camera, and staging or restaging scenes for the best camera angles. All of these factors are usually ignored in reality TV since they destroy the illusion that it portrays the reality of a given situation or person (Booth 2004).
Other criticisms of reality television assert that it has a negative political and cultural impact since these shows can be vulgar or be thought to promote promiscuous or dangerous behavior. Some reality TV shows also are thought to be used as an outlet to humiliate certain types of people, and this can definitely be seen in transformation-type reality television shows focused on weight loss or on shows discussing abnormal addictions. These shows are not produced in order to contribute to a larger conversation about issues regarding obesity, addiction, or other topics but are rather produced in order to exploit contestants and humiliate them on camera.
“There is a sub-set of Reality TV that can only be described as Shame TV because it uses humiliation as its core appeal”
Tom Alderman, Media analyst 2008
Another way in which reality TV shows may have a negative cultural impact is through the exploitation of children on these shows. Shows such as Dance Moms and Jon & Kate Plus 8 feature children as the main characters and it is largely unclear whether or not they feel comfortable being on these shows. Although law requires children to consent to participating in the entertainment industry, there have been multiple scandals regarding children who were forced by their parents or other family members to take part in reality TV.