Producing Reality Television

Producing Reality Television

This article relates to Escape!

Since its inception, reality television has asked the same question of its viewers: how much of this is real? The answer isn't exactly straightforward, and it forces us to ask a second question: what does "real" even mean?

Looking back through television history, it's difficult to determine the first ever reality show, as the genre has evolved and taken on so many different forms, but one that's often cited as the beginning is Candid Camera, a hidden-camera prank show that started in 1948. Other twentieth-century reality shows include Queen for a Day, which interviewed female contestants about their hardships in order to award one of them the title of Queen for a Day, and An American Family, the first documentary-style show that followed the life of a real family.

But it wasn't until the early 2000s that the genre really exploded, with breakout hits like Survivor, Big Brother, American Idol, and The Bachelor that were bringing networks millions of viewers every single week. These shows cast ordinary people and put them in extraordinary situations, all with the promise of glory, which would usually take the form of either a contract or a substantial cash prize. Reality television gained so much traction that some of its stars became celebrities in their own right—noted figures like Kim Kardashian, Boston Rob, Snooki, and Kelly Clarkson became household names and went on to have prominent careers. But none of that would be possible without the people behind the camera—the producers.

Producers' responsibilities are varied, but most fall into one of two categories: field producers and story producers. Story producers edit footage after it's been shot, and field producers are the ones filming. They're talking to contestants, asking questions, and tracking the storylines that are unfolding on set. It's this type of production that interests Survivor-contestant-turned-author Stephen Fishbach in his debut novel Escape!, which focuses on a producer of a reality television show as she tries to manipulate the narrative to frame an underdog contestant as a hero. When the novel shifts to her point of view, we see her ask leading questions, stage interactions between contestants, and manipulate players into making certain decisions that will benefit the story she's trying to tell.

But does this really happen? Do producers simply film what's already happening, or do they shape it?

The answer will vary, depending on who you ask. In an interview for a University of Cincinnati publication, professor and former producer Marjorie Fox says, "Reality TV is a misnomer. In many cases, there is nothing remotely real about it." She goes on to explain that the role of producers is to put contestants into "contrived scenarios" in order to get a reaction. Because contestants know that the more dramatic their reaction, the bigger their air time, they may play up their emotions—it's not scripted, but it turns into a form of acting. Fox also states that producers will often ply contestants with alcohol in order to get them to act foolish.

Emmy-nominated producer Mark Cronin is less cynical about the authenticity of his profession. "There's definitely a spectrum of reality shows from extremely authentic, to extremely fake." Of his time working on Below Deck, a reality series that profiles people working on yachts, he says, "[We're] trying to capture everything that happens. And it's not so simple. [...] It's constant resource management and being a field general. [...] When you're in the field, you have an idea of what the big stories are. You know what the love affairs are, you know who's having trouble in their job, you know the stories and you're trying to make sure that you have all the pieces to tell those stories."

This fine line between observing and participating is one that all field producers have to navigate. Viewers enjoy watching ordinary people navigating extraordinary situations, and too much production interference can turn something that should feel natural into something that feels phony. Not enough production interference, and viewers can be left with a boring, lackluster series of events that doesn't cohere into a satisfying narrative.

So how much of it is "real"? It's undeniable that producers have a hand in coaxing contestants into broaching certain topics, or suggesting that contestants have certain conversations with one another. But at the end of the day, the appeal of reality television is the broad array of personalities on our screens, showing to the viewer, in these contrived scenarios, at least some part of their authentic selves.

Survivor finale, Gabon (2008)
Photo by Kristin Dos Santos, CC BY-SA 2.0

Filed under Cultural Curiosities

This article relates to Escape!. It first ran in the February 11, 2026 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.