reality TV
Cameras follow contestants
Reality TV is television programming that presents unscripted situations featuring ordinary people or celebrities rather than professional actors following a script.
The genre encompasses competition shows, documentaries following daily life, dating programs, and talent contests.
Despite the name, reality TV is often heavily edited and sometimes staged to heighten drama and entertainment value.
I got sucked into watching reality TV all weekend.
The term can carry dismissive connotations, implying lowbrow or trashy entertainment.
Not pre-written
- footageRecorded video material
- confessionalBooth for admitting sins
- producerOne who makes things
- editModify written material
storyline · arc · casting · format · host · network · ratings · primetime
Systematic observation of subjects
- curiosityDesire to learn
- pryingIntrusively inquisitive
- snoopingSecretly investigating others
- observationAttentive watching or remark
rubbernecking · guilty pleasure · trainwreck · schadenfreude · exhibitionism · oversharing · intimate · fly-on-the-wall
Opposition between parties
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
- betrayalBreaking of trust
tension · feuds · villain · meltdown · confrontation · alliance · showmance · love triangle
Test of ability
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- contestantsCompetition participants
- judgesLegal proceeding overseers
- prizesAwards for achievement
winner · audition · tasks · voting · teams · immunity · alliance · tribal council
unscripted
Not pre-written
- footageRecorded video material
- confessionalBooth for admitting sins
- producerOne who makes things
edit · storyline · arc · casting · format · host · network · ratings · primetime · syndication
surveillance
Systematic observation of subjects
observation · rubbernecking · guilty pleasure · trainwreck · schadenfreude · exhibitionism · oversharing · intimate · fly-on-the-wall · hidden camera
conflict
Opposition between parties
- cliffhangerSuspenseful unresolved ending
- twistRotating motion or surprise
- backstabbingCovert betrayal of trust
betrayal · tension · feuds · villain · meltdown · confrontation · alliance · showmance · love triangle · catfight
challenge
Test of ability
- eliminationAct of removing entirely
- contestantsCompetition participants
- judgesLegal proceeding overseers
prizes · winner · audition · tasks · voting · teams · immunity · alliance · tribal council · rose ceremony
fame
Public recognition, widespread
- tabloidsSensational gossip newspapers
- gossipInformal talk spreading rumors
- publicityMedia-driven awareness
influencer · star · notoriety · scandal · fanbase · trending · followers · persona · exposure · Kardashians
- genresaction, comedy, detective fiction, fantasy, horror
- mediatelevision, mass media, news, broadcasting, video
- TVcomedy series, drama series, talk shows, game shows, soap operas
- TV showsTV shows, sitcom, The Office, cartoon, Modern Family
- videosvideos, clip, clips, video clip, films
- Television Historygolden age, broadcast networks, network television, color TV, live broadcasts
reality TVsitcom
Episodic TV comedy series
prestige drama · soap opera · miniseries · procedural drama · anthology series
reality TVdocumentary
Factual film about reality
cinéma vérité · documentary film · journalism · investigative reporting · docuseries
real, really, reality, unreal, surreal, realities, unreality, realness, reals