Audiences have been following Judge Judy and her myriad of strange and cringe-inducing cases for over two decades. The show turned this judge into one of the most famous people in the United States.
While the cases are as real as they get, the actual outcomes of each case are always decided before the filming begins. Also, both sides get paid for participating. The court dates? Fake!
Ghost Hunters
We don’t really know how to describe the fact that a reality show about ghosts is fake, it pretty much goes without saying. But we’ll do our best. Basically, many people accuse 'Ghost Hunters' of being mostly scripted and not very realistic.
We really hope that this is true, as the only other option is that these guys actually believe they’re running around encountering ghosts. Nevertheless, it’s definitely entertaining. Ghostly and fake, but entertaining.
Pawn Stars
The show 'Pawn Stars' might as well be called Acting Stars, as most of its scenes are completely fake and scripted. The pawn store is actually owned by the Harrison family but functions mostly as a tourist attraction rather than an actual business.
The items on the show are usually researched with prices agreed ahead of time, and the stars don’t even work the counter when cameras aren’t filming, due to various Nevada privacy laws. Pawned and fake.
Project Runway
'Project Runway' is quite a popular show, and gives a supposed behind-the-scenes look into the work that goes into runway fashion shows. Unfortunately, the show has been outed by many of its former participants, including Jack Mackenroth and Daniel Esquivel.
These designers claim that scenes are extremely sensationalized and that the reality is much more boring. This one was designed to be fake!
Restaurant Stakeout
The premise behind 'Restaurant Stakeout' is seeing Restaurateur Willie Degel get behind the counter in unsuccessful food establishments and fix their broken businesses. He does this by firing inadequate staff members in a highly dramatic fashion, which is quite a tall order for a weekly TV show.
One of the show’s participants admitted the studio contacted him and screened for bad employees. They also asked the restaurant's staff to act as horribly as possible. Horrendously fake.