I think we can all agree that we know reality television isn’t totally real: sometimes coincidences seem just a little too convenient, sometimes your favorite tabloid fixture doesn’t seem convincingly surprised or upset when something extra crazy happens, and sometimes, well . . . we just know better.

However, I didn’t know just how faked reality television shows were until I was involved in a taping for one that I think we’ve all seen or at least heard of.

This show, which revolves around a rather famous family (can’t say which one!), was filming at an event in which a couple of the main family members were performing. I was in on the filming on the day of the big event, as well as the other, non-public parts that had been filmed prior to it, and you know what? Nothing on this so-called reality television show was real! Really. Not one thing! One of the girls on the show was supposed to have been attending pre-event sessions for weeks, but all those training sessions that happened over “weeks” were actually taped in a couple hours: everybody just changed outfits a few times. One of the main reality stars had a double–another girl who wore a wig for anything the star might have gotten hurt doing! Of course she was filmed so you couldn’t see her face. Even things that you would think would be normal and impossible to screw up, like entering a building, were staged: these famous family members had to stand outside for 10 minutes while the shot was set up, then had to do several takes. Of walking through a door. The saddest thing, though? One of the main girls on the show had fake friends. Girls I knew had to pretend like they were BFFs with one of the stars, even though they’d actually never met, and some of them were given lines to say that they would never say in real life.

It gets worse (Or juicier I guess? Your choice). I watched the completed episode with someone who works on the show, and learned even more dirt The show’s famous family got a delivery, and one of the delivery guys ended up to be my buddy’s boyfriend…and the box was, in reality, empty. That lovely chicken dinner one of the stars made? It was a roasted chicken from a grocery store, and the crew ate it after the scene was filmed. I could go on and on and on about the ways reality television shows are faked. It’s insane.

Since then, I’ve been extra critical of every reality show I watch (ok, it’s limited to America’s Next Top Model). Did the models happen to go into the living room when there’s Tyra Mail, or did the crew tell them to go? Did they really not know Tyra was coming over? How much of what they say in the confessional booth is edited out/how hard are the editors working to make the models sound catty? If everyone was getting along, would the crew do something to change that?

I might just stick to scripted shows from now on. At least those admit to being fake, unlike reality television!

Do you watch reality television? Which show do you think I was on the set of? Do you think reality television shows should be honest about what’s real and what’s not? Does it matter to you? Tell me everything in the comments!

Wait . . . Have We Been Talking About The Kardashians?!

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