My guest blogger for this week is Shelley Munro. Please give her a very special warm welcome as she is also hosting me at her blog today. You can read my post at http://www.shelleymunro.com/blog.
Heeeeeere's Shelley!
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Reality Shows with Shelley Munro
Firstly, thanks to Rose Marie for inviting me to guest at her blog.
Today, I thought I’d talk about reality shows. The chances are that most of us have watched a reality show on television. They’re popular with viewers of all ages and topics of great discussion and debate amongst fans. It’s difficult to switch on the television and not hit one of the many reality shows currently gracing our screens.
So what is a reality show? Wikipedia defines reality shows as a television show that’s unscripted, shows dramatic or humorous events and features the man on the street instead of professional actors.
When I first considered writing this article, I thought reality shows were a modern invention. Not so. According to my research, reality television shows have been around since the late 1940s. Shows such as Candid Camera, You Asked For It, and the Miss America Pageant were around in the late 40s and early 50s. They’re all forms of reality shows.
In the last ten years, the popularity of reality shows has exploded. Millions of us tune in to watch shows such as American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race and Fear Factor.
Reality shows fall into several categories:
1. Documentary
These are shows such as 1900 House and Regency House. Directors plan the plots with the participants taking part in prescribed activities.
2. Elimination
The participants take part with the aim of winning a prize. One by one, the contestants are eliminated with the last person receiving a prize, often monetary in value. American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, The Biggest Loser and America’s Got Talent fall into this category.
3. Makeover
An expert or group of experts take ordinary people and “improve” or make them over. Examples are Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Extreme Makeover, and What Not to Wear.
4. Renovation
Several shows concentrate on renovating homes and work spaces. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a show that fits into this category.
Some reality show participants have found fame after their appearances such as many of the American Idol stars. Others have become media celebrities or gone on to host television shows. Love reality shows or hate them, the current popularity means they’re here to stay. These days, directors push boundaries, making some shows contentious and controversial. Some shows are unabashedly sexual. A fairly new show The Moment of Truth, where contestants are asked questions about their lives and things they have done, certainly pushes past my comfort zone. It makes me wonder about the reality shows of the future. How far will we push under the guise of entertainment?
I took the concept of a reality show and asked myself what will happen in the future? My books, SEX IDOL and FALLEN IDOL, are the result. They are both futuristic stories and are my version of what might happen with the reality shows of the future. Sex Idol features Antonio and Sasha, reunited lovers who compete for first prize in the inaugural Sex Idol contest. Fallen Idol features Bob and Rafi, old friends who compete for first prize and find love along the way.
You can read the blurbs and excerpts of both books at my website.
Heeeeeere's Shelley!
***
Reality Shows with Shelley Munro
Firstly, thanks to Rose Marie for inviting me to guest at her blog.
Today, I thought I’d talk about reality shows. The chances are that most of us have watched a reality show on television. They’re popular with viewers of all ages and topics of great discussion and debate amongst fans. It’s difficult to switch on the television and not hit one of the many reality shows currently gracing our screens.
So what is a reality show? Wikipedia defines reality shows as a television show that’s unscripted, shows dramatic or humorous events and features the man on the street instead of professional actors.
When I first considered writing this article, I thought reality shows were a modern invention. Not so. According to my research, reality television shows have been around since the late 1940s. Shows such as Candid Camera, You Asked For It, and the Miss America Pageant were around in the late 40s and early 50s. They’re all forms of reality shows.
In the last ten years, the popularity of reality shows has exploded. Millions of us tune in to watch shows such as American Idol, Survivor, The Amazing Race and Fear Factor.
Reality shows fall into several categories:
1. Documentary
These are shows such as 1900 House and Regency House. Directors plan the plots with the participants taking part in prescribed activities.
2. Elimination
The participants take part with the aim of winning a prize. One by one, the contestants are eliminated with the last person receiving a prize, often monetary in value. American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, The Biggest Loser and America’s Got Talent fall into this category.
3. Makeover
An expert or group of experts take ordinary people and “improve” or make them over. Examples are Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Extreme Makeover, and What Not to Wear.
4. Renovation
Several shows concentrate on renovating homes and work spaces. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition is a show that fits into this category.
Some reality show participants have found fame after their appearances such as many of the American Idol stars. Others have become media celebrities or gone on to host television shows. Love reality shows or hate them, the current popularity means they’re here to stay. These days, directors push boundaries, making some shows contentious and controversial. Some shows are unabashedly sexual. A fairly new show The Moment of Truth, where contestants are asked questions about their lives and things they have done, certainly pushes past my comfort zone. It makes me wonder about the reality shows of the future. How far will we push under the guise of entertainment?
I took the concept of a reality show and asked myself what will happen in the future? My books, SEX IDOL and FALLEN IDOL, are the result. They are both futuristic stories and are my version of what might happen with the reality shows of the future. Sex Idol features Antonio and Sasha, reunited lovers who compete for first prize in the inaugural Sex Idol contest. Fallen Idol features Bob and Rafi, old friends who compete for first prize and find love along the way.
You can read the blurbs and excerpts of both books at my website.
http://www.shelleymunro.com/books/sex-idol/ 
http://www.shelleymunro.com/books/fallen-idol/What do you think about reality shows? Like them or hate them? Do you have any favorites?
Shelley Munro writes erotic romance for Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Publishing. You can visit Shelley and read excerpts at http://www.shelleymunro.com/
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television
11 comments:
Excellent discussion of reality shows. Like them or not, they are very popular. Myself, I do watch Dancing With the Stars. I relate to the need to drive yourself to be the best you can be. I've worked hard at my writing to perfect my work. But I don't think I could be part of a reality show. It was clever of you to create novels that use reality shows.
All the best,
Jacqueline Seewald
just released! THE DROWNING POOL, romance and mystery from Five Star,
check it out on Amazon, B&N online or request it at your local library!
Love 'em or hate 'em, reality shows are here to stay. I like the home renovation ones and American Idol. I'm not keen on the ones like Survivor where it's a dog-eat-dog mentality. Not my idea of entertainment.
Cool idea for your books!
I am a huge fan of reality TV its a guilty pleasure. I am amazed that so many people are willing to have thier lives taped and played on tv for the world to see. I am a totally devotee of all the Real Housewives of ATL, Orange County,and New York, Top Chef, Tough Love(VH1) and The Next Food Network Star.
NJ - I'm not keen on Castaway and Surviver either. I suspect a lot of the carrying on is to raise ratings but I still hate all the backbiting and nastiness.
Writing of Ptolemy - I'm a big fan of American Idol. I'm amazed at the talent, enjoy Ryan Seacrest as a host and the judges always make me laugh. There are certainly lots of shows to choose from.
Jacqueline - Dancing with the Stars is very popular here. (The NZ version) I'm not sure that I could be part of a reality show because I'm quite a private person. Some people seem to love having their moments of fame and letting all their personal laundry hang out for all to see.
I've never really been a big fan of reality shows. Some of them don't seem "real" at all.
I've been pulled into reality tv shows. I get caught up in The Bachelor/Bachelorette. Even though I know not everything we watch is reality, lol. It is entertainment...just like books! ;-)
Great idea for your books.
I've never gotten in to reality shows, except I'm hooked on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. I try not to miss that, and have the boys tape it for me if I'm out. Survivor always seems so, not exactly fake, but semi-scripted.
Very fun, Shelley! I tend to watch Dancing with the Stars, too, and also love The Amazing Race :) I'm intrigued by the premise of your books--love how you weave in the reality-show concept!
I was surprised to learn that a lot of the reality shows are semi-scripted. I guess the bottom line is entertainment and the directors need to attract an audience.
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