1. Reality TV
Introduction
Reality television is defined in many ways . The closest if not the clearest definition given to this
genre , is that it is a show with no scripts and no real actors but only ordinary people placed in
different and sometimes , funny situations . No one has come close to tracing back its true origin ,
though some claimed the genre already existed back in the early years of television . However , the
first television show made known as reality tv was Candid Camera (Rowen 2000 . It first came out in
1948
and the idea of the show sprang from its creator and host Allen Funt 's similar radio show , Candid
Microphone in 1947 . Labeled as the granddaddy of reality tv , the show played pranks on ordinary
American people and have quite enjoyed showing their funny reactions on television . The
entertaining and comical format of Candid Camera was a big break from the gore and pain viewers
used to watch during the years of war . Similar radio shows also made it to the television in the
1950s . Truth or Consequences , like Candid Camera surprised contestants by putting them in
situations where they never knew what would happen to them . Both shows have been successful in
catching people unaware and surprised
Brief history of Reality TV
Perhaps the first contemporary reality show aired was An American Family . It was a
documentary of the Loud family , Bill , Pat , and their children (Reality TV , Introduction , 2006 .
Week after week viewers have followed the family 's travails and witnessed the dramatic secrets
within the family unfold . The most sensational footage of the family 's drama was the divorce of Bill
and Pat and the decision of their son , Lance , to admit in public that he was gay . It was that
particular shocking television moment that the show was finally named a reality tv
During the late 1980s , a new type of reality television emerged . Cops became a hit because it
showed real police officers on duty arresting criminals . The show , which aired in 1989 , followed
cops on duty as they track down suspects and chase after drank drivers . Cops was the first show to
use camc , its small and light built making it easier to be on the cops trails the entire time . Despite
the presence of violence on some episodes , viewers watched the show because it served as an
emotional protection for them , being fully aware those criminals and society 's lawbreakers were
being caught
The early 1990s brought different formats of reality television . These include game shows , talent
competitions , dating contests , home and self-makeover , job competitions , and talk shows . The
idea of placing complete strangers in one house stemmed from The Real World , an MTV production
, in 1992 . The participants were monitored through microphones and cameras set up all around the

2. apartment where they lived (The Real World : New York , 2006 . Similar to the experiences of the
Loud family in An American Family , The Real World had its shares of twists and turns...