Interesting article re Amazing Race
 

Thought I would post this link - interesting stuff about the couple we love to hate. :)
http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/

Thanks for the info, very interesting,I was wondering where they got all that winter gear.
Travelling can be very frustrating at the best of times without worrying about other competitors.
I have been watching the show since conception,I am a big fan of ECO CHALLENGE which obviosly started the whole ball rolling on these reality shows
Looking forward to next season, Tues will not be the same anymore.
Angie

Wow. Great stuff. I think it's interesting to see how the producers intentionally edited the program -- I'm kind of angry with the editing of Christie telling the driver to run over people. I can't believe that they edited in the random people on the side of the road, making it seem like she was telling the driver to run them over, when she was actually talking about the production crew! Well, that's TV for you...

Wow...thanks for posting this cruisin tigger.........And, I am such a believer that everyone tells it like it is. When do you think they do the edits? After the race is over?...making us hate Christie and Colin and love Chip and Kim?

I didn't think they were as bad as the editing made them out to be. It's very disappointing that somebody's true character could be so terribly altered just to make good television. I wonder if C&C could sue?

Thanks for posting that link, very interesting. Barbara, I'm sure their contracts prevent reality TV casts from suing over their depiction--the production company owns the show and their images, and can do what it wants with them. I love reality TV--well, some of it--but I know it's not, well, really real!

E, I'm sure you're right. I'll still be watching the next AR.

Oh, me too!

A very interesting interview. I have always suspected that the post production editors skew the contestant's character by including or excluding whatever they want. BTW this episode concluded taping late last winter. Enough time to skew the contestants.

delph17, Eco Challenge may have started the ball rolling for physical challange reality shows but not for the reality show blitz in general. The current style of reality shows started with The Real World on MTV about thirteen years ago. Eco Challenge was more of an iron man competion, not a reality show.

Editing these shows has to be one of the hugest challenges in the field. There are a zillion hours of tape, and each episode has to stand alone yet also work as part of the whole story arc. So yes, they are skewed to some extent, because you wouldn't want to watch the show if they were not. It wouldn't make "sense."

As for suing, I'm sure the contestants sign away all their rights to everything and anything to do with the show forever and a day.

Thanks for posting, cruisin_tigger--very interesting, indeed! :-)

Just an update, noticed that if you go to that link today, its about Nicole and Brandon, but in the upper right corner there are clickable dates for this week, and tomorrow's is Chip & Kim's interview.

Although not a surprise, still very interesting.
E says it best: Reality TV is not particularly "real." But it is fun to watch, since you can imagine yourself in the same situation. The "What would I do?" part is the actual "reality."
Iceeu2: You're right; nobody tells it like it is. Truly. People must understand that even the news is skewed, and is only a report of what some people have said about a certain something. Everything is a bunch a bunk, but can be entertaining to read/watch - as long as you don't take it as "absolute truth."
Barbara: Yes, peoples character is always altered just to make good TV, newspapers, etc. It's done in politics ALL THE TIME. That's why we have to just use our own common sense, and not jump to conclusions about anyone or anything because it was "on the news."

As disrespectful as Colin and Christie behaved towards some of the locals, I think Brandon and Nicole were insufferable.

How can you see all of that poverty around you and truly believe that "God" cares if you win a million bucks?? Ridiculous.

vespertine, Brandon told Nicole the "the Lord" would let them win if it was his will. "the Lord" must of gotten tired of the constant religious begging and self righteousness. They didn't infer "the Lord" once on the CBS morning show after they Lost!

Dreamer2, I understand completely that editing does present things the way the director wants them to be presented, but I think that this was extreme. In politics there is always spin, but only one side consistently uses it to extremes like this.

It might be that you percieve one side doing it to extremes, because you agree with the other perception. Yes, spin is used by the campaigns, but I'm talking about "impartial" news shows and features. It's really very interesting to me how so much is taken out of context and edited to be very unflattering. And the lawyers in these highly publicized trials - they are the spin meisters!

I happen to think that B&N were sincere in their religious feelings. Remember: the show was heavily edited over 40 days - to include perhaps every last time they mentioned God. I also happen to believe God does care and watch over us, although I'm not very religious.

What I find "insufferable" is the automatic assumption that it must be fake. Maybe just maybe it isn't? Maybe the reason they didn't mention God on the TV interview was because they really felt that it was God's will that they NOT win, and so were content with that.

I really loved Brandon. I thought he was the most patient, encouraging, hard-working, sweetest young guy I have ever seen on any one of these "reality" style shows. Now, was that due to editing, or his belief in the "golden rule" and/or trusting a higher power? I dunno.

I saw a documentary-type show on MTV (I think, but maybe the other popular music channel). They interviewed several reality TV "villains" and it was very enlightening. The one that comes to mind is Jerry Manthe (sp?) who was depicted as quite the shrew on one season of survivor. She said that the producers encouraged certain characters to go over the top. Of course that's what makes "good TV" in their mind and the reason that many of us watch. Would we find these shows as interesting without an antagonist or two?

I also found it interesting that Jerry was portrayed as a totally different, somewhat subdued person on Survivor All-Stars. Were the producers trying to give the impression that her first experience on Survivor humbled her to the point of submission? Or was this the side of her that the editors didn't show the first time around. Who knows.