The Reality of Reality TV

What is reality TV really; there are many different views on this subject. Some say its dating and game shows. Some say it’s a way for ordinary people to become famous. The formal definition of reality is that it is the quality or state of being real. The definition of real is something that is genuine. However this is what I find ironic about reality TV shows. The name suggests that reality TV shows are shows about real life and real people. Yet most of the shows such as “Joe Millionaire”, “The Bachelor”, and “Paradise Hotel” just to name a few, are anything but real.
Early reality TV shows such as dating shows and game shows, for example “The Dating show” and “Jeopardy”, pioneered the way for a new kind of TV. This new style consisted of taking actual people, not actors, and putting them on TV and having them participate in contests. The enthusiasm of these shows slowly started to die down a bit, but then a new show called “Survivor” spawned a ne...