# What do you think is the 'most real' reality show? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 9, 2014, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913 "2014-02-09T20:10:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/21 "2014-02-10T06:55:26Z")
My first thought is _Survivorman_, if that counts as a reality show. Wikipedia puts it under “Canadian reality television series” so why not? He doesn’t have a camera crew, am I right? > [@AuntiePam](#): > > It’s not staged, so there’s that going for it, but I doubt IRL cops waste that much time lecturing drunks and druggies and wife-beaters. At least I hope they don’t. They go two ways: either become the hardass cop, or commonly act that way and get all paternal. The most depressing part is that so many people sign the release to show their faces so that they get their [del]15[/del] [del]10[/del] 5 minutes of fame. > [@pancakes3](#): > > **Bourdaine** , douchey as he is, prides himself on authenticity. Lots of words I could use to describe him, that is not one of them. I mean how could he be in a world where Guy Fieri exists! The Beirut episode was nominated for an Emmy. They did a little bit of food, and then Israel started shelling the city… That episode seemed less “polished” but quite real. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/22 "2014-02-10T07:39:00Z")
These endless hidden camera restaurant/bar shows, where an owner wants to see what his employees are up to. Every single one features behavior so outrageous and reactions so fake it is laughable! “OMG he is stealing wine from the kitchen and selling it to preschoolers in the parking lot!” “Is he trying to pimp out hookers to customers while they order?!?” :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/23 "2014-02-10T08:27:48Z")
Anybody who can say with a straight face that there isn’t a decent restaurant in all of Los Angeles is a douche. Bourdain is definitely a douche. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/24 "2014-02-10T15:16:35Z")
I was going to say that The Incredible Doctor Pol but when I looked it up (to see if it was spelled ‘Pol’ or Pohl’) I found that he was on probation for incompetence and was ordered to take continuing education classes. They never showed that part on the show. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/25 "2014-02-10T15:23:14Z")
> [@fifty-six](#): > > I live in Homer. I was waiting for the punchline in your post and it never came up. Well that’ll teach me to weigh in on lighthearted threads. It was informative, too. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/26 "2014-02-10T15:48:36Z")
I’d have to say “Restoration Garage.” It’s filmed in a town about a half-hour from mine and it seems to be pretty real. [http://www.guildclassiccars.com/restorationgarage.html](http://www.guildclassiccars.com/restorationgarage.html) ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/27 "2014-02-10T15:57:18Z")
[Survivorman](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770659/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) is about as real as you can get. It’s just him in the wilderness with some cameras recording how he copes with different survival scenarios. He doesn’t have secret stashes of food or gear. He’ll use whatever he started out with and forage for the rest. He does have a radio he can use to call his crew for help, but I don’t think that’s ever happened. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/28 "2014-02-10T16:00:45Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > As for shows that depict actual reality, I’d nominate _The Deadliest Catch_. There’s almost always one or two fatal shipwrecks every season, and the show never shies away from that. This. A good deal of the interpersonal drama on DC is staged bullshit, but the reality of their horrible working conditions can’t be faked. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/29 "2014-02-10T16:08:28Z")
Is _Hoarders_ considered a “reality show”? That gets my vote. I understand that the video must be edited to conform to a viable 22 or 44 minutes narrative, that’s part and parcel of the medium. So saying that something was “edited” to make a story kind of misses the point of the OP, imho. On the other hand, “scripted” is what I have in mind when I hear the phrase “fake reality shows”. Are the stories made up, are the people reciting a script, etc? I can’t believe that the houses and people on _Hoarders_ are, in fact, scripted. OTOH, I can believe that _Clean This House_ (or whatever) did have a fair amount of scripting to it. I tweeted back and forth with Darrell Sheets of _Storage Wars_ and asked him why he was so hard on his son. He responded that having the TV camera on you makes you a different person… and not necessarily a better one. He has lightened up on Brandon since then (at least the last time I watched the show - it could be cancelled for all I know.) ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/30 "2014-02-10T17:51:22Z")
> [@Soylent\_Juicy](#): > > I’d have to say “Restoration Garage.” It’s filmed in a town about a half-hour from mine and it seems to be pretty real. > [http://www.guildclassiccars.com/restorationgarage.html](http://www.guildclassiccars.com/restorationgarage.html) Well, if we’re counting renovation shows, I never sensed any chicanery from _Holmes on Homes_, at least from Holmes and his crew. Rather, they exposed the chicanery of the building contractors who’d screwed the house up in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/31 "2014-02-10T17:57:54Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Is _Hoarders_ considered a “reality show”? That gets my vote. > > I understand that the video must be edited to conform to a viable 22 or 44 minutes narrative, that’s part and parcel of the medium. So saying that something was “edited” to make a story kind of misses the point of the OP, imho. On the other hand, “scripted” is what I have in mind when I hear the phrase “fake reality shows”. Are the stories made up, are the people reciting a script, etc? I can’t believe that the houses and people on _Hoarders_ are, in fact, scripted. OTOH, I can believe that _Clean This House_ (or whatever) did have a fair amount of scripting to it. I’ve been reviewing that series lately, and there was a moment I thought interesting - a mother and son hoarding duo get understandably upset as their stuff is being taken away and there’s a moment of “drama” where something the hoarders tried to save got put on one of the trucks. The son whispered to his mother “they’re doing it on purpose.” And it occurred to me… he might be right. It’s more likely that he’s just expressing the same paranoia and delusions of persecution that many of the hoarders share, but I don’t think it’s impossible that the crew might be pushing a few emotional buttons for better footage of a hoarder freak-out. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/32 "2014-02-10T18:04:44Z")
True. But, otoh, while the producers might “push buttons”, the fact is that the hoarders are not on that show because they’re acting. Unless it’s all a complete scam and there are idiots out there who will make a fecal toilet or a liquidfied cat just to get on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/33 "2014-02-10T18:16:03Z")
Storage Wars at one point had me foolded that it was a true reality show until I learned that the producers seed some of the spaces with valuable items. Between that and a truly asshole bidder I quit watching. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/34 "2014-02-10T19:04:25Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > [Survivorman](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770659/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1) is about as real as you can get. It’s just him in the wilderness with some cameras recording how he copes with different survival scenarios. He doesn’t have secret stashes of food or gear. He’ll use whatever he started out with and forage for the rest. > > He does have a radio he can use to call his crew for help, but I don’t think that’s ever happened. I think there was a cold-weather (Arctic?) episode where he had to bail early because conditions were so terrible that his life was at risk. He does carry his own cameras, usually having one strapped to him with some kind of arm to film his moving around, and setting up one at each site. I think the support team films drop-off and pick-up. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/35 "2014-02-10T19:21:53Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Storage Wars at one point had me foolded that it was a true reality show until I learned that the producers seed some of the spaces with valuable items. Between that and a truly asshole bidder I quit watching. They had to. At the beginning of the series, it was quite boring to watch them spend $300, get $500, and beat the other guy by $40. ---
**Author:** ![fifty-six](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@fifty-six](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fifty-six)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/36 "2014-02-10T22:29:32Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Well that’ll teach me to weigh in on lighthearted threads. It was informative, too. I apologize for coming off as an ass. I was attempting to be light and humorous. It was not my intention. Although when I reread my post I sound like a know it all asshole. The Kiltchers have never been loved much up here. The whole show is considered a joke by everyone around here including them. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/37 "2014-02-10T22:40:52Z")
> [@Laggard](#): > > Storage Wars at one point had me foolded that it was a true reality show until I learned that the producers seed some of the spaces with valuable items. Between that and a truly asshole bidder I quit watching. My dad has an acquaintance that owns storage lockers and he said he does something similar. If he sees boxes on the side of the road for valuable items (big screen TVs etc), he’ll keep them and toss them in to lockers he’s going to auction off to help bump the price. FTR, I don’t know the guy and I’m not looking to get into an argument about it or discuss the pros and cons of it, I’m just saying that, at least to a point, it actually does actually happen. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/38 "2014-02-10T23:41:25Z")
I’d say the most realistic show is “Abby and Brittany” on TLC. They’re conjoined twins who graduated from college a couple years ago and are now schoolteachers. [http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/abby-and-brittany](http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/abby-and-brittany) ---
**Author:** ![Cugel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cugel/32/1199_2.png) [@Cugel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cugel)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/39 "2014-02-11T07:21:52Z")
Is Grand Designs a reality show? ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2014, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913/40 "2014-02-11T15:28:13Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Anybody who can say with a straight face that there isn’t a decent restaurant in all of Los Angeles is a douche. Bourdain is definitely a douche. Do you have a source on Bourdain saying that? He’s done a few episodes of his various shows in Los Angeles, during which he visited a bunch of L.A. restaurants he seemed to love. And I know some of his friends are chefs in L.A. I know the guy can be abrasive, but that really doesn’t sound like something he’d think. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-is-the-most-real-reality-show/680913.md?page=3)