Authenticity in Reality Television

By annabelfrank

  • Keeping Up With the Kardashians (2 out of 2)

    Keeping Up With the Kardashians (2 out of 2)
    By acknowledging this control, Kim disrupts the assumption that her show presents her family’s unfiltered life. This podcast episode shows how reality television is not always as real as it seems. Instead, it reveals how much of it is about performance, presentation, and self-authorship. It leaves the audience questioning what’s real, what’s edited, and how much control celebrities really have over their public image.
    Interview

  • Keeping Up With the Kardashians (1 out of 2)

    Keeping Up With the Kardashians (1 out of 2)
    • Ashley Graham – Host of the Pretty Big Deal Podcast
    • Kim Kardashian – guest on the podcast and star of Keeping up With the Kardashians (2007-2021)
    • Interview aired October 2018
    In an interview from Ashley Graham’s podcast Pretty Big Deal, Kim Kardashian shared insight into the nature of her and her family’s public persona. She admits that she has final approval over edits on Keeping Up with the Kardashians, a power that challenges the perceived spontaneity and authenticity of reality TV.

  • Dance Moms (2 out of 2)

    Dance Moms (2 out of 2)
    This is significant because it challenges the idea that Dance Moms was a true reflection of the girls’ personalities and interactions. If the interviews were scripted, it is likely that much of the rest of the show was too. What viewers once considered as innocent and unscripted is now understood as part of a production process designed for monetization. Ziegler’s Tik Tok sheds light on the manipulation of reality TV, urging audiences to question the authenticity of what they are watching.

  • Dance Moms (1 out of 2)

    Dance Moms (1 out of 2)
    • Tik Tok posted January 2025
    • Mackenzie Ziegler – Dance Moms Star (2011-2016)
    In January of 2025, Kenzie Ziegler, star on Dance Moms (premiered 2011), revealed that all of her interviews were scripted. This included one of her most iconic lines “I just want to stay at home and eat chips,” which many viewers remember as a line of unscripted humor. Ziegler revealing this information informed viewers that many of these humorous moments were planned by producers to entertain the audience.

  • Love Island (3 out of 3)

    Love Island (3 out of 3)
    This interview is an example of the kind of manipulation that cannot be seen just by watching a reality television show. It shows that Love Island is not purely about spontaneous relationships, but rather a calculated production process for the sake of drama and ratings. Interview

  • Love Island (1 out of 3)

    Love Island (1 out of 3)
    • Alex Cooper – host of Call Her Daddy
    • Robert Rausch – guest on podcast and star of Love Island USA Season 6
    • Interview aired March 2025 In Rob’s interview with Alex Cooper on her podcast Call Her Daddy from March 2025, the Love Island star spoke about the dynamics of the show. While he confirmed that the show was not scripted, he revealed how the producers were able to manipulate situations and shape the narrative to depict the participants in a way that would boost viewer engagement.

  • Love Island (2 out of 3)

    Love Island (2 out of 3)
    Rausch shared that during times of high stress and big decisions, male and female contestants were kept seperate, preventing any interaction. For example, this isolation contributed to Rob being labeled as a “villain,” for not being able to openly communicate with his partner. The pressure of rapid decisions and manipulation of producers led contestants to act in ways that they may not have in a more authentic environment.