Couples of various relationships and backgrounds go on a journey around the world and compete against each other in different challenges. The winning couple receives a very real million-dollar cash prize.
While the challenges in the show are genuine, there is some fakery going on in the casting process. Favoring people who are already financially settled.
The Island
Surviving on a deserted island is hard. Just ask the participants of "The Island". Or maybe don't.
The production had to make sure the island had enough food and water for the duration of the shoot. As it turns out, they just created a freshwater pool and imported animals for the men to hunt. Survival is a lot easier when it's fake.
The X Factor
The songs are real, the singers are real, and the audience is real. Simon Cowell is definitely real. However, there is something they don't tell you about the auditioning process.
The auditions you see on TV are essentially moot because the contestants are pre-screened. What about the contestants who can't sing? Well, they were picked in advance, as 'filler' candidates for entertainment value and supposed credibility.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
The people of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" actually did live up to their promise. They indeed take families in need and built them a new and improved house in a mere week. So far, so good.
The thing is, once the house is upgraded, it also increases in value. Sadly, that resulted in many of them having to sell their dream, custom-made homes.
Love Is Blind
"Love Is Blind" is a delicious little show, but was any of it real? Well, it turns out that at least some of it was fake. Season 1 contestants said they got to talk to each about the fact they would refuse the marriage proposal, before the actual proposal ceremony.
Still, in the ceremony itself, when the girl says no, the guy acts surprised. That sounds fake to us!