Part One: The Bastards of Reality Television | BEHIND THE BASTARDS

Love from a ColdCuts and Vaush fan!

"The Real World" may not have, as Robert states "set the world on fire", but it did do well enough to start the slow shift by MTV to move from being dominated by Music to having the entire channel dominated by Real World, Road Rules, Jackass, and all the derivatives of those shows. It was such a drastic needle mover that they eventually started MTV2 a few years later with the thought that all the displaced videos and reruns of other "lesser" hits like Beavis and Butt-Head or Celebrity Deathmatch would air there; up until all THAT was replaced by older seasons of the reality shows that had led to the need for the offshoot channel to begin with.

And Real World supposedly came by from a previously unmade show that was set to be a scripted soap opera; the production which was supposedly a huge disaster. All the actors/actresses cast were perported "divas" before any sort of actual fame hit them, everyone was hooking up with everyone else, from cast to crew, and there was more drama, fighting, and overall conflict behind the scenes than in the script. Allegedly, someone said something akin to: "We'd have been better served filming them backstage instead of on it!" ... and that was supposedly the genesis of what would become The Real World (with a completely different cast and crew, but the idea of filming them living together and catching what they "missed out on" from that soap opera).

The Iraqi show Robert is talking about is called ramez underground

Unscripted podcast on the perils of unscripted content? 😂
Watching you on YT saying "who gives a fuck" about IP theft was a spicy moment tho...
Love your work ❤

"An American Family" was considered at the time (1973) a continuation of the "Up" series of documentaries by Michael Apted, a window into normal people's lives. That and a sort of "Candid Camera" where there is no laugh track and no stupid gimmick to get quick laughs.

After binging the Kissinger smear campaign, this was equally if not more entertaining.

does anyone else remember that show which was disguised as an american idol type show but all but the finalist were paid actors and teh finalist was a terrible singer but the audience had been told that he was a terminal cancer patient so they were being nice and cheering and then when the finalist wins it is revealed that they had been duped? Another one is where a bunch of american women were told they were on a dating show with prince harry but it was actually just some brtish guy with a passing resemblance to harry? And the one where a trans woman is on a dating show with a bunch of men who have no clue that she is trans.

Funny you start with gags on books driving your choices.

I read The Running Man in the 80s, and from that I stuck with a lifrlong aversion to reality TV. It takes advantage of the weak and desperate, and I feel ghoulish if I even see clips

ROBERT: listen you gotta go to jail for a day
ME: Huh? Why?
ROBERT: there was this reality TV show 15 years ago-
ME: say no more, lead the way

Judge Judy sends her regards.

'a bit of prince andrew and a bit of a bad boy' - so, terrible

I thought what we had in the UK was bad enough but this shit just makes my skin crawl. Why anyone is entertained by this boggles my fucking mind.

Hate reality TV; knew it had to be full of bastards. (Actually I don't hate all of it)

I came down here for the name of the show. I want to know who was harassing rich people dressed like a komodo dragon.

I was actually once approached for the German version of the Beauty and the Geek. I have never felt that insulted in my life.

Reality TV went a long way in a decline of the serious documentary, because it's just so much more profitable - it costs little to make, and can generate high viewing figures. There's a reason that so many channels that used to be well-known for producing and showing high quality documentaries switched to a reality-TV-heavy format: It's just so much more profitable. TLC, the History channel, A&E.

There aren't many stdios making serious educational TV now, and those are mostly public-service organisations like BBC, PBS and DW which are not as subject to the demands of commercial pressures.

It's crazy how many of these I remember from advertisements but never watched.

It's always Glargon V with you.

The awkward period where someone asks if you like reality TV and you have to figure out whether there's someone in earshot who's going to get offended by your "elitism" if you say that it's all shit and anyone who likes it is a terrible person.

Not a word out of Sophie during that child hunting and linen harvesting rant.

The Mozart comment, as a classically trained musician, TOOK ME OUT 😂😂😂

Somebody please tell me there's a channel where this is animated❤

Robert could do an entire episode about The Bachelor alone.

Bobby boy missed a GIGANTIC opportunity for a joke when talking about UPN because the Dilbert cartoon was on UPN at the time of the millionaire show airing.

Was that Richard Cheese doing the Megan theme?

"Kid Nation" (CBS, 2007). 40 children are deposited into the high desert wilderness near Santa Fe, New Mexico with no adult supervision. Hilarity ensues.

I watched a lot of star trek on UPN

Canadian here... You are absolutely right about poutine!!!

I blame Big Brother for a lot of the b.s. we're seeing today. A whole generation of kids were taught to be narcissistic sociopaths from being baby-sat by the TV.

Ryaaan Jeeenkiiins

Reality tv; the professional wrestling, of drama.

"you're going to luv Canadian bacon"
And then he shows her the 1992 John Candy movie.

One fierce beer coaster!

3rd. 😊

Tbh, you could also do a Bastards of Realty Television episode too. House flippers are a damn plague.

Finally an episode about that bastard Wil Wheaton.