logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
41m 35s

A Ridiculous History of Reality TV, Part...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

However you define it, reality TV is a giant in the world of entertainment. From soap operas to game shows and the hazards of dating, it seems almost any genre can find a home in reality television. But how did we get here? How did this global phenomenon begin? In part one of this two-part series, special guest Anna Hossnieh joins Ben, Noel and Max to explore the evolution of unscripted programming -- and what it teaches us about humanity. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
CLASSIC: The Strange and Spectacularly Disgusting Story of the Great Kentucky Meat Shower
On March 3rd, 1876, residents of Bath County, Kentucky were startled to see what appeared to be chunks and flakes of meat falling from the clear, cloudless sky. The rain, which only lasted a few minutes, captured national attention. People across the country proposed various theo ... Show More
35m 55s
Aug 22
The Ridiculously Energetic History of Energy Drinks!
This episode is brought to you by our favorite cohost: coffee. These days, if you stroll into any convenience store across the planet, you're going to run into a selection of energy drinks -- whether we're talking Red Bull, NOS, Monster, or our favorite pal, the humble cup of joe ... Show More
47m 1s
Aug 19
Japan is Overrun By Raccoons Entirely Due to a Single Cartoon
While the legendary Japanese raccoon dog -- or tanuki -- may look like a raccoon, it's a very different beast. However, these days Japan is home to actual raccoons: they're considered an invasive species, wreaking havoc across the country as they destroy temples, consume crops, a ... Show More
40m 57s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
The Reality of Reality TV
Love it or hate it, there's no denying that reality TV -- also known as unscripted television -- is a titan of the entertainment industry. In fact, if you have cable and turn on your TV right now, you'll probably find a reality show of some sort playing on multiple channels. Most ... Show More
1h 17m
Apr 2024
Gay Girl Gone Introduces: Split Screen: Kid Nation
The controversial reality TV show known as ‘Kid Nation’, which borrowed its premise from Lord of the Flies, was cancelled shortly after its 2007 debut. Producers took 40 kids into a makeshift desert town to fend for themselves and create their own society. Was the series an oppor ... Show More
36m 49s
Apr 2022
MTV's The Real World and the rise of reality TV | 67
In the early 1990s reality TV as we know it today didn’t yet exist. Then everything changed when a cable channel known for music videos put cameras inside a New York loft with 7 strangers. The Real World which premiered on MTV in 1992 set the stage for the scores of reality shows ... Show More
38m 16s
Jan 2021
Spectacle: An Unscripted History of Reality TV Trailer
Reality TV is dismissed as guilty pleasure, low brow... even trash. But whether you want to admit it or not, you probably have heard of Snooki, Lisa Vanderpump or Kim Kardashian. Over the past 30 years, reality TV has become a place to see the social and political moment play out ... Show More
3m 13s
Dec 2023
Editing Reality (2023)
We live in divided times, when the answer to the question 'what is reality?' depends on who you ask. Almost all the information we take in is to some extent edited and curated, and the line between entertainment and reality has become increasingly blurred. Nowhere is that more ob ... Show More
52m 20s
Mar 2023
Perfect Match Episodes 1-2 Recap and Review
What can episodes 1-2 of the new Netflix dating show Perfect Match tell us about human nature? More than you'd think! Overanalyzing human behavior by watching reality TV dating shows. Erika and Josh overanalyze human behavior by watching reality TV dating shows. No aliens we ... Show More
1h 11m
May 2011
Are soap operas underrated in TV history?
It's no secret that some people think soap operas are just junky TV for housewives. But is that true? Join Cristen and Molly as they trace the history and evolution of soap operas and see how these shows have influenced most of what we watch today. Learn more about your ad-choice ... Show More
23m 47s
Jun 2023
L'Histoire de la Téléréalité
Commentée, adulée, décriée mais jamais vraiment racontée… la téléréalité est l’un des phénomènes média qui a le plus impacté notre société ces dernières décennies. Voici l’Histoire de la Téléréalité. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations. 
27m 44s
Aug 2022
Reality TV
In this episode of High Theory, Olivia Stowell speaks with Saronik about Reality TV.In the episode she talks about the genesis of the genre in Candid Camera, An American Family, COPS and America’s Most Wanted, before the watershed moment of The Real World in the 1990s. She refere ... Show More
16m 59s