The new CBS show "Undercover Boss"

Mamoosh said:
^Too gay even for me.

WOW.. The bar has been set.

Hopman said:
There is some decent reality shows out there. "Ax Men," Deadlist Catch & Ice Road Truckers come to mind.

Except that those shows are all essentially identical - people doing crazy dangerous jobs. Sure, it's interesting to see the details of how certain things get done, but beyond that... meh.

I appreciate those shows actually .. Mostly because it makes me thankful as I sit in my office, overlooking the golf course (that I will be out on once we warm up), surfing CoasterBuzz Posts.

I chose my career well.. :)

I consider shows like that (effectively documentary) to be completely different from contrived "reality" like survivor or apprentice.

ridemcoaster said: WOW.. The bar has been set.

It has...but its still set pretty low : )

ApolloAndy said:
I consider shows like that (effectively documentary) to be completely different from contrived "reality" like survivor or apprentice.

Except that a key aspect to a documentary is non-interference on the part of the film crew. With these shows, they're practically scripted.

There are so few shows that are truly documentaries anymore, and that's a damn shame. In the first season of The Real World, the approach was drastically different and much more documentary based. They put diverse people in there, but they really didn't come up with intentionally conflicting roles like they did later (the country girl, the angry black man, the militantly "out" gay guy, etc.). Reality crap is now designed to guarantee conflict, which is why it's so contrived and stupid.

That's the big part of it, Jeff, but I also think that now that the genre has matured, that people go on these shows knowing they have to play a character.

Your example of the Real World is perfect. There was no standard those first few seasons. After a decade you had kids going on these shows who grew up watching them. Expectations are created.

I think that applies to most 'reality' TV in it's current form.

Manufactured emotion and storylines done by people who know how to 'act' on a reality show.

It's not about being real (and I don't think even tries to be anymore) - it's just a genre label. Sitcom, Drama, Reality - it's all just a word to describe the style and content of a show.

You mean people like that don't really live together? Next you'll be saying that children's behavior can't be totally changed within a week.

Once you put a film crew in front of people, they don't act "real." And what's real about putting casting calls out and holding auditions to fill roles? Even many of the nature quasi-documentaries can be slanted so you either root for the zebra to get away, or you root for the lions to catch it so they can feed those cute little cubs. And don't even get me started on those guys who sit in the plexiglass cube in the middle of the Serengeti.

Jeff said:
(the country girl, the angry black man, the militantly "out" gay guy, etc.).

Did you just describe CoasterBuzz?

:)

Which one are you, Ken? :)

Depends on what Gonch says to me... But Easily rule out 1 and 3..

On one of those wife swap shows, I saw them switch a wife/mom who was an evengelical with one who was a witch. Yeah like that wasn't picked to spark controversy.

I have watched a couple of the history channel reality shows. Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers were ok but only for a few episodes. I watched Deadliest Catch for a couple of seasons but now its old. Not sure what they will do now that one of the captains has died. Right now I am watching Pawn Stars. I suspect that will be short lived as well. Interesting to provide some entertainment for a while and then move on.

Boss show seems too contrived to me. Getting the boss to see whats its like on the line doesn't make a lot of sense because more often than not, the boss work his/her way up and already knows what its like. Seems to me real purpose is to get the line folks to say negative things about management, to screw off, etc. all with the boss there. Not very interesting to me though I find little on TV at this point I have any interest in watching even though much of it is apparently popular with somebody. In that way, I have become my parents I guess.

I like the shows that have external connections, where it's not strictly about the regulars. Ace of Cakes is like that. I live the cute decorators, bit there are also stories for all of the customers. There's even a little of that in the tattoo shows.

I'm an Ace of Cakes fan too.

I also enjoy both Project Runway and Top Chef but not because I'm into fashion or cooking. Rather, what I enjoy about those two shows is watching how each participant, given the same challenge, comes up with their own unique solution. Some succeed, some don't. It's fascinating.

Jeff said:They put diverse people in there, but they really didn't come up with intentionally conflicting roles like they did later (the country girl, the angry black man, the militantly "out" gay guy, etc.).

You sure about that Jeff? Look again at the cast of tthe first Real World. Every one of those people *were* on that show. MTV found that that particular mix was great for creating drams and has simply been recasting those roles in each successive season.

The contrivance on the reality shows has been the concept of "voting off" cast members. This is something that happened organically during season 2 or 3 (cant remember) of The Real World when they told Dave (and in a subsequent season Puck) that they had to go. Now it's a crucial part of most "reality" shows (why dont we just call them Game Shows, that's what they are).

Mamoosh said

Which one are you, Ken?
[/image="http://coasterbuzz.com/Forums/images/smile.gif"]

Since CoasterPlaya/Captain Obvious hasnt been sighted lately, can I be the "Angry Black Man"?.....Wait a true ABM wouldnt ask. I DEMAND to be cast as the Angry Black Man! Where's my 40 Acres and a mule damnit! (do I really have to add a winky ;))

Don't say his name. Uuuggh. :)

Although I loath most reality shows that are about love relationships and friendships and such, like The Real World and The Bachelor, I have found myself really enjoying Little People Big World. That family has done a great service in helping people better understand people with disabilities. I kind of feel like the Rollofs are friends of mine, and it is really fun to watch the kids grow up.

I suppose that I enjoy American Idol every once in a while, but that's because I am a vocalist myself.

Maybe Supernanny is okay, sometimes.

I really like Extreme Makeover Home Edition. I love figuring out the tricks they pull, like music queues and choice of words, to make me feel emotional, and Ty is super hot. lol

I saw the preview for Undercover boss, and it looked interesting. I'll have to watch it sometime.

^I encounter Ty in our elevators every once and a while. Not sure why he's in our building...must have an agent or PR rep or therapist on one of the floors. In person he ain't so hot. Looks a lot older than he does on TV.

Mamoosh said:
In person he ain't so hot.

Its because hes not holding a circular saw isnt it Moosh? Rooooarrrrr.. ;)

True, Ken...I certainly wouldn't mind helping Ty with his power tool.