Has anybody ever NOT been hurt by "Reality" TV?

Cafe Society
1

As the whole “Balloon Boy” circus passes through its inevitable course, I wonder about its larger meaning: We’re so desperate to be celebrities that even “reality” shows are something that people aspire to be in.

The first one I remember, An American Family from 1973, dissolved pretty quickly into divorce and squalor. I suppose they would’ve had most of the same problems with or without the cameras rolling, but the Heisenberg principle sure seems to apply (like that poor kid didn’t have enough problems “coming out”; there had to be a TV camera involved!). The Real World was eventually premised on how long it would take for these well-scrubbed kids to descend into The Lord of the Flies. Then there was The Simple Life, The Hogan Family, et al. I guess Gene Simmons’ family is none worse for his show. Still, given the overwhelmingly bad effect this particular kind of celebrity has on its participants… Why?

2

To say that it’s due to “reality TV” is too broad an indictment. Some shows seem intended to generate conflict, but not all. I’ve seen The Girls Next Door once or twice, and they didn’t seem to be suffering for having been on television. I’m a fan of The Amazing Race, and while the competition introduces a certain amount of stress, most of the teams seem to come out of it with an appreciation for the experience. I don’t recall any post-show scandals among the participants.

In general, I think some shows are done with the expectation of seeing people fail, and some are done so we can see people succeed. There were lots of people who thought Fear Factor was degrading. I kinda liked it, though; largely because the host, and most of the contestants, were encouraging each other to overcome their limitations and do things they didn’t think they could do. Compare that to a show like Wipeout, where they edit out the successes and show multiple replays of the failures. I think the psychological toll on the contestants depends on what the show expects of them. Of the two, I’d much rather watch people trying to be good at something.

3

Plenty of actors in scripted TV series flame out as well.

4

Elisabeth Hasselbeck parlayed her Survivor appearance into a lucrative gig on The View.

Some lady who was on one of those Real Housewives shows is now (for some reason) working for the E! network.

The Hills has allowed a bunch of people with no discernable talent to become famous and stinking rich for doing essentially nothing.

For a handful of people, reality TV is a gateway to actual work in show business or other successes. For others (who probably weren’t very stable to begin with) it’s resulted in embarrassing public meltdowns. The vast majority in between are quickly forgotten and move on with their lives having had an interesting and memorable experience.

You don’t have to enjoy watching reatity TV. I think most of it is crap. But it’s not a one-size-fits-all experience. To say that it has an “overwhelmingly bad effect” on its participants is hyperbolic at best.

5

Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood seem to be doing OK.

6

There’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, those people seem to come out pretty well. However, I seem to recall one family got in hot water for immediately trying to flip the house that was built for them, and some have had tax issues. Can’t remember the exact details though.

7

If you want to focus on these types of reality shows (camera comes into the house of <adjective> family), there are plenty of reasons to want to do it (for the family in question).

Hulk Hogan’s family ended up in divorce, but not before the Hulkster was able to make (another) comeback, his daughter Brooke was able to land a record deal, and his son was able to get laid by tons of hot chicks.

Ozzy Osbourne’s family came out pretty well. The son got into some drug problems, but who didn’t see that coming? The daughter Kelly achieved some celebrity, and seems to be doing okay (didn’t she get a record deal as well?). And of course Sharon is all over the place right now (I love her - Ozzy landed a pretty cool wife). And Ozzy managed to deliver the message to the world that decades of drug and alcohol abuse turn you into a mummy.

As for the Wife Swap folks, I dunno. They all get cut a check at the end of the day, which these days could very well keep their house from foreclosing for all I know. I doubt anyone who watches the shows would recognize any of the families if they ran into them on the street - so it doesn’t seem like “celebrity” is an achievable goal there.

Anyone know of any outcomes from those Wife Swap shows (other than Balloon Boy’s family)?

8

I think Sharon is the only one of the 3 who this could be attributed to the show - Kelly, if she wanted to get a record deal and some exposure, just being Ozzy’s daughter could get doors opened. Jack…well, when you’re a celebrity’s kid, you’re going to party, and those parties will probably involve drugs. If you’re Ozzy’s kid…you’ve got a really bad role model on that front.

At least 2 cast members of Real World: San Francisco are doing fairly well - Judd Winick and Pam Ling. They’ve been married for almost a decade, both have successful careers, they have 2 kids, and so far as I know, neither of them has any significant personal, psychological, or drug problems…at least none that didn’t predate the show. (I only know about the show at all due to Winick’s having been on it.)

9

I think The Biggest Loser contestants come out better after the show, providing they can keep the weight off.

10

I would have to imagine that many of the contestants on Wipeout are going to have arthritis issues in later life.

11

What about innocuous stuff, like the Mole? I didn’t see anyone from that show going all crazy. They partook in the game, which was fun–no one got killed or maimed. It was just enjoyable, IMO.

12

I’d also say that the contestant on The Joe Schmoe Show came out the better for it.

13

I think reality shows can be divided into a number of categories:

Gameshows - which are elimination contests that generally consist of either:
Race / Survival Shows (Survivor, Amazing Race, Biggest Loser, Hells Kitchen, etc) - where contestants compete each week for a prize by completing various challenges

Dating Shows (Who Wants to Marry a Millionare, The Bachelor, Rock of Love, Tool Academy, etc) - where a group of contestants vie for the affection of someone (famous or not) and are gradually eliminated through a series of dates or other activities.
Fishbowls (Real World, The Hogan Family, Jon and Kate Plus Eight) - where viewers basically just watch a group of people, famous or just unusual, interact for a season.
Gotcha shows (Punked, Extreme Makeover, etc) - where the hosts of the show surprise some unsuspecting contestant (could be with a practical joke or something nice like a new home or makeover).

Given the sheer number of people who have been on these various reality shows, the most obvious answer to the OP’s question is “no”. Most people probably go on to lead their lives and are never heard from again.

A few people like Eric Nies (The Grind), Jacinda Barrett (The Last Kiss, Poseidon), or Jaime Chung (I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry) all from The Real World have gone on to various degrees of success in the entertaiment world.

Occassionally some contestant gets into tax trouble or kills their girlfriend. But given such a large population, I would expect that.

With a lot of the “fishbowl” reality stars, keep in mind people watch them because they are so outlandish or bizarre. In real life, people that crazy and fucked in the head often get into trouble. Especially if you hand them a pile of money.
Really the people hurt the most by reality shows are those forced to watch them.

14

I’ve heard Jack Osbourne say that he was really hurt by the negative things people said about him when The Osbournes was airing. Apparently, it affected him deeply, much the same way lots of kids can be deeply affected by school bullies.

I guess it’s not a good idea to put a chubby, sensitive, insecure teenage boy on a reality show. Who woulda thought?

15

I benefited from being forced to watch Survivor. Once I got bored and did a take-home exam that I’d been putting off, the second time I got bored and did my taxes (which I had also been putting off), and the third time I got bored and put together my new laundry hamper, which I’d been procrastinating for a few months on doing. I should probably watch it regularly- I’d get a lot done.

16

Rob and Amber seemed to have done okay.

17

Kyle Brandt, of 2002’s MTV’s Real World: Chicago, was a regular on Days of Our Lives for a few years. Looks like he’s moved on to production work.

18

All the Biggest Loser members seem to have benefitted greatly.

19

I’ve only watched the last three seasons of that show, not coincidentally they all aired since I got together with my girlfriend, and many of the former contestants put all of the weight back on and even more in some cases. They talk about it all the time in the later stages of the game. The guy who won Season 1 is one of them.

Remember Joe Millionaire? A good friend of a good friend, Sarah Kozer, came in second. I never met Sarah but I had heard of her and my ex-wife had met her a few times before the show started filming. She was a struggling actress and had a little catering business and was getting to the age where she needed to make it in show biz soon or it wasn’t going to happen. She figured a reality show might do the trick.

She got some notorious and embarrassing publicity but she also got a lot of money for second place and a ton more for posing in Playboy. She also got a brief gig as a spokesperson on some food show on E Channel. Last I heard she used a lot of her money to build up her catering business and is doing quite well.

20

There was a recent Big Brother winner who used his winnings to become an entrepreneur…of some sort.