I’m amazed this show is still on the air. Ok, say you know it’s fake, is it that entertaining?! The “acting” is so bad, well, I had to put quotes around it! Given the ubiquitousness of reality shows of any & every kind, what is the appeal of a horribly performed, and patently fake ‘reality’ show like this?! I mean, it’s not even a meta-humor ‘fake’ reality show, i.e. a show that’s making fun of reality shows. It’s just a series of the worst possible, unfunny SNL skits times a million. Am I missing something? 
You do realize that every single show on that network is fake, right?
It’s fake?!?
They do show reruns of Cops which is real.
They’re cheap to produce, and more profitable.
But that’s the thing, since it’s NOT really a reality show don’t they have to pay everyone union rates? Actors, writers, extras, hair & make-up, wardrobe, prop masters etc. Or do they make use of some loophole by claiming that the shows are ‘based on’ actual cases?
Doesn’t matter a whole lot. They don’t have to pay anything near the rates that genuine celebs/actors would demand. How many stars of “regular” TV series actually get scale? I would guess almost none. Also, the producers don’t have to pay for elaborate sets, sound stage or studio costs, high production values, multiple takes to get things just right, etc.
Sadly, I don’t think everyone believes it is fake. I was on the TruTV message board (only once, to satisfy curiosity) and someone started a thread asking if the repossessions were fake. Several respondents claimed it was not fake. Perhaps they were wooshing, but they seemed convincing. Noting that repossessions aren’t usually done during daytime and that you cannot shoot (at) an agent when they repossess your car when it is on public property (weekly staples on the show), had no effect.
At first I thought this was about Repo Games, that ridiculous show where they’re about to tow someone’s car unless they can answer a series of trivia questions. That’s got to be fake as well, right?
The thing that annoys me most about this show (I mean besides the cast of stereotyped white-trash morbidly obese idiots) is that you *could *actually do a real reality show about the drama & comedy & tragedy of car repossession, something akin to Cops, and it could be an interesting, morally provoking, legitimately compelling series. There was a reality show, Wrecked, about a real Chicago towing company that, while certainly not high drama, was still an interesting, low-key, non-celebrity reality show.
Operation:REPO is worse than a Mexican soap opera!
I actually came across the crew of Repo Games about 6-8 months before the show hit the air. They were staying at a hotel in Phoenix and they had a few tow trucks and a bunch of vans with Repo Games on the side. I pictured some sort of trade competition, like there used to be a trucker rodeo some years ago where truck drivers would compete in obstacle courses and whatnot. I asked one of the guys who was loading equipment and he said he couldn’t tell me about the show but that it was going to be on Spike.
Of course the show is set up, it’s clearly staged and repo drivers will not let you keep your car for answering trivia questions. However, from watching different episodes it would appear they are repossessing for bad title loan debt. That’s brilliant if you think about it. You get the stereotypical dregs of society who are obviously not too bright if they’re paying 500% interest or more after fees and maximum pawn rates. The principal is generally fairly low, and if they get a repo commission for collecting the loan in full that makes it even cheaper. It seems to be exactly what it claims to be - a game show. I bet they shoot a lot more than they produce and air, but that’s the nature of reality TV. Get hundreds of hours of nothing to cherry pick a few hours of sensational TV.
It doesn’t really enrich my life in any way, but I really enjoy watching less fortunate people fail at simple tasks in ways that will make their lives even more difficult. I’m kind of a dick like that.
But they’re not collecting the loan – they’re taking the car. 
I’ll admit to watching this one. I won’t admit to being a dick though. I also like Cash Cab and Jeopardy. Trivia’s fun.
If the person wins they get to keep their car and have the note paid off on it.
They’re gonna get repo’d anyway, it’s nice that the at least get a chance to avoid that happening.
I get that, but I’m wondering what Emtar means by “if they get a repo commission for collecting the loan in full that makes it even cheaper.” If who gets a repo commission? Who’s “they”?
I’m sorry, “they” would be the producers of the show. If a title loan company has a loan in default they hire a repo company to repo the car. By instead collecting the amount owed (or in this case, paying the amount owed themselves) Repo Games cures the default. I suppose that would earn a collection commission rather than a repo commission, but the concept remains the same: It is a high drama gameshow for relatively low stakes.
Thanks. That makes sense,
Everybody wins. Unless, of course, you can’t name three songs from Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, or don’t know in which century the Revolutionary War occurred.
I like that the older contestants usually do better than the younger ones.
This statement has an almost perverse Zen quality, and makes me grin. 
Stay Strong, Brother!
I deal with a lot of repos at my job. They come in and tell us beforehand just so we don’t get calls that someone is stealing a car. And if we verify the paperwork ahead of time it saves on the drama. But in 15 years I have been called out on exactly one repo because it was going bad. A real show like that would be very boring.
Have they watched Lizard Lick Towing??? Or Worlds Worst Tenants?
the Worst was Southern Fried Stings. They even had a seen where someone broke a hollywood bottle over the guys head!