Found out something about discovery channel shows

You know those shows like Monster Garage, Monster House, that other chopper show where people make bikes or something. There is always so much drama when you watch that where you see one guy slacking and everyone pissed and I always thought that stuff was real. My tattoo artists is about to get his own show on Discovery and he showed me the storylines for the first three episodes. It was very disheartening to find out the conflict is scripted. In the papers he gave me that described what the shows would be it had a detailed breakdown of the people, their personalities and the conflict that would arise. It even speaks of how everyone will be suprised when something happens and that saves someone from getting fired. Man I always thought that stuff was real, I didn't know it was all scripted.

Next you're gonna tell me Survivor is scripted! You just can't trust those Tinseltown dreamweavers to deliver the straight, unembellished goods. The word REALITY is not in their vocabulary (unless sticking it in a promo boosts ratings).

I guess if you want unscripted, real life reality you have to watch professional wrestling

I was just talking to a guy who was on Decorating Challenge (the Canadian version of Trading Spaces) and he told me he showed up all set to work - then they put him through 2 hours of makeup, filmed him putting a little paint on a wall, then told him to get lost, as they brought in a dozen handymen to finish the job.

I work in TV, and this even surprised me!

I am a fan of reality shows specifically because I figured they were real (duh). I feel pretty dumb now!

Is that why TLC's slogan is "LIFE UNSCRIPTED" (or something like that)?

-Z

I know for a fact that parts of a Survivor episode (don't remember which one) had to be re-shot because the "dynamics" between cast members wasn't what the director wanted. The Osbournes, Real World, Anna Nicole, Punk'd, all that crap is largely scripted. The only "reality" are the people that watch and swear it's all real. Then they're all gathered around the water cooler the next day gabbing about it like it's big news...some people I knew at work couldn't talk about anything else.

:drink:

I think it's weird that they would script it, (and I guess that's why I beleived they didn't) because when reality shows first appeared, I thought - brilliant, save money on locations and actors and scriptworters and everything else! Truth is stranger than fiction! Wow! Cool!

So why would they fark it up by scripting it?

I guess people like to meddle...

MEDDLING KIDS!!!

It's all in the conflict.
People thrive on it to make them look better.
Real life is boring.
Take TC for example,
When there is no conflict it slows down to a crackly crunch
THEN
Bong jumps out of the closet and gets everybody all stirred up again.
I love that about him.
Look at Poly Pop, just as many posts
But who do they talk about.
I just saw Pop yesterday and love what he knows and does.
But in a different way.(yes,I am gay)
Do you think race cars would be around if nobody crashed?
Would politics be needed if everybody thought alike?
How many people know the Vice President's name unless he does something wrong?
Oh who cares. I am just going to play with my Neon TIKI action figure doll set.
The reality of it all is, IT WORKS, IT MAKES MONEY, and all of us suckers want it, so it's real!!

Suicide Sam........who is your tattoo artist? Sounds like an interesting show though. After it airs I guess we will see another trend of everyone wanting to get tattooed.

It's this guy Baba, that owns Vintage Tattoo in Highland Park. His shop used to set up at Bowlarama regularly and still sets up at the Rat Fink shows. I've youre into that scene at all I'm sure you've seen him or his guys tattooing somewhere.

What's funny is my brother-in-law's brother owns the video store next to the tatoo shop. Small world.....?

Oh yeah, my TV bubble burst when Mig let the cat out of the bag on Maury.

For Survivor, I know that there's a.) what they hope will happen, b.) what does happen, and c.) what they edit to make look like happened (which is back to a.). An old friend of mine was on Survivor Africa, and realized while there that they were trying to goad him into being a jerk. He is, in fact, Mr. Nice Guy, but they edited him to be the asshole that they'd hired him to be. (Lex has multiple tattoos, piercings, etc, and plays drums for punk bands.) He was vindicated, however, on the last episode, when the penultimate finalist explained how she'd not picked him to go into the final round with her, because she was afraid he'd win, so well-liked was he by the still current survivors and the already-gones.

In retrospect, he was kicking himself for having thought that they'd picked him to be himself. He'd obviously been chosen to be The Scary Mean Guy by his looks. When he didn't turn out to be so, they had to edit him thusly. Gotta have a conflict!

You're comPLETEly at the mercy of the editors. I watch the Bachelor and Millionnaire shows really just to enjoy the editing - how they grab an out-of-context yawn or sour face, and juxtapose it to the speech of another contestant. Voilá - instant bitch! Any contestant can be The Bitch, and any one can be The Princess.

I don't think Lex came off as a jerk. they might have tried to show him that way, but you could still tell he was a decent guy. He was one of the more interesting characters on that show, I remember him and Ethan, and that's about it.

Oh and Clarence, but that was because he was such a lame-o. You want to talk about typecasting, just look at every black guy who has been on that show. If I didn't beleive in conspiracy theories, I would think there was a consipiracy afoot!

OK, enough of my Survivor babble... this is Tiki Central, not Survivor Central! Must remember that. But you have to understand I am not allowed to go on Survivor boards because I am in a betting pool with my co-workers and they are tired of me winning all the time.

I don't think "scripted" is a fair term. I mean, their dialog isn't scripted. I think these guys are told that the more drama unfolds, the bigger the ratings for their episode will be.

From what Mig told me, his dialog on Maury was rehearsed and in rehersal, after Mig gave his answer the director would then tell him to do it way bigger, and with way more emotion ...

A friend of mine was a runner-up for "Amazing Race" and he said that during the interview process it was clear they were looking for people who would not shy away from the camera, and were asking questions like "If a rival player took something trivial from your bag, would you confront them about it or whould you let it slide?" etc.

Survivor:
One of the biggest cheats they do in survivor is refilm the challenges multiple times (once for real, and the others for editing). Notice on arial shots of the action how there's no camera men or crew to be seen ...

Yes, a lot of the close up challenge shots I have noticed are shot with stand ins - a hand reaching down and undoing a lock underwater, for instance...

Oops, here I am talking about Survivor again! haha

On 2003-11-08 21:28, Juno wrote:
The Osbournes, Real World, Anna Nicole, Punk'd, all that crap is largely

Anna Nicole was scripted?? They actually told her to whine constantly and basically be incoherent? I bet you that show was really reality for real! Imagine writing the dialogue for her! You'd have to be on crack.

That Anna Nicole episode where her hillybilly cousin came to town was total reality or the best damn acting I have ever seen.

Anna Nicole was scripted??

"Scripted" might have been an inaccurate choice of words. What I meant was the director says, "OK, now call the waiter over and complain about the soup and get really loud and cause a big scene. Yeah, that'll be great!"

:drink:

Bong comment in 3...2...1...

:wink:

Hey, Mr. Bong! I've killed my T.V., now what?
:D

Wow, Bong, that's some kinda restraint when both Survivor AND Anna Nicole are mentioned in a tv thread.
For that you get: