[daveT]

Much of reality TV is scripted. I knew one person who was a reality TV writer. I also knew one person who worked on the crew of a reality show. They would usually tell the actor what had happened, and then coach them to act a certain way. Yes, this would sometimes take several shots to get the right thing.

For the most part, the actors are acting natural, but when they go over the top, I can assure you that they are being coached. It is the way TV is. The super-fast-paced action scene takes five days to shoot.

But don't think it is limited to "reality" TV. Watch most any talk show, court show, etc, and you have the same effect. Some of these court shows will stop the case to let the litigants know they need to step it up. The Late Nite shows work the same way. These people have to audition all day and go through several rehearsals to make it natural.

This impact is extended further. Go to a Rolling Stones concert in New York. I can assure you that if at exactly 17:13 into the concert, Mick Jagger "spontaneously" rips off his short at stage left and tosses it into the crowd, he will do the exact same motions at 17:13 in Amsterdam.

I don't where this tangent is going. At least reality shows don't try to act like they have something important to say, for the most part, unlike certain non-reality shows. I think that when certain reality shows start to act like something important is happening, and the leads act gushy (see extreme home make-over), it's just plain stupid.