CBS’s “Big Brother” is the ultimate reality show. It features strangers in a house with 24/7 cameras and different weekly challenges and public eliminations.
Yes, the participants are being constantly filmed, which makes completely faking it a little hard. However, the footage used in the regularly scheduled episodes is edited to favor some of them and make the others look insane.
Famously Single
E! Networks' "Famously Single" brings together celebs who haven't yet met their match and tries to set them up with various romantic prospects.
The show features the stars' dates, recaps, and therapy sessions to help maintain the feeling of reality. However, the celebrities aren't exactly talented actors, and the dramatic happening depicted in the show are often artificial.
Wife Swap
"Wife Swap" was incredibly popular. The format involves two households swapping matriarchs with viewers watching the dramatic conflicts ensue.
Changing house rules for a family is bound to create some conflict, but the producers amped those conflicts. Production meddling has gone as far as targeted editing and even showing supposedly married couples who weren't partners in real life!
Dancing With the Stars
"Dancing With The Stars" has been on for more than 20 seasons and it keeps raking in some serious viewership. You may have noticed that some of these stars appear pretty professional prancing on the dance floor.
Some reports claim that the producers regularly interfere with votes and use elimination as a threat held over the heads of participants who don't follow directions.
American Pickers
Watching "American Pickers" on the History Channel will have you thinking people are natural-born hagglers. You might be surprised, however, to learn that most of the items featured on the show have a price that was agreed upon off-camera.
There is an actual screening process involved designed to make sure that the items aired have some sort of entertainment value.