For many people, “reality television” feels anything but real. Overproduced and manufactured social experiments feel inauthentic. Ironically, having entirely digital artificial worlds has the power to elicit more authentic emotional reactions and honesty than a plywood set house.
In order to reclaim the “reality” part of reality TV, producers must actively enable participants to be their most authentic selves. A number of new shows are pushing forward formats that elevate the importance of character and capability above confounding variables such as physical appearance. Both “Love Is Blind” from Netflix and NBC’s “The Voice” have explored how to extricate people from external biases, but this approach has yet to be pushed to its fullest potential.
Artificial worlds, real people
In order to elevate this premise of complete authenticity to its greatest potential, it’s imperative to remove any and all obstacles that people may face from the real world.