Chapter | eleven

Reality Baggage

What comes with success in reality television? What comes with failure? No matter how you slice it, reality television comes with substantial baggage, whether you ultimately succeed or fail. Merely toiling in the genre itself will result in others perceiving you in a different way. But how that “different way” is interpreted, of course, depends on the beholder’s opinion of reality television—a format that in many ways divides as much as it unites.

To be honest, a lot of folks, including numerous heads of studios and major production companies, berate the reality genre as a malicious, trivial, and altogether worthless entity that taints its producers and participants by association alone. Others, conversely, view reality TV as an artistic wonderland that, though silly, provides quality entertainment that is consistently bankable and elevates the status of producers who excel in the medium.

Perhaps the most compelling evidence of reality television’s ability to stain even the most beloved or wholesome of icons resulted from the nightmarish publicity fallout from Oprah’s Big Give, a 2008 reality series that, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is “a profoundly hyperkinetic and unwieldy adventure in product placement, in Oprah-as-Messiah hype and, ultimately, in what’s so utterly fake and insidious about reality television itself.”

Though I have no doubt that Oprah’s intentions were genuine and legitimately directed toward helping others, the reality television platform itself likely corrupted the valid sincerity behind the series concept. The unintended consequence, of course, was Oprah getting smeared as a wannabe savior seeking every opportunity possible to glorify her almighty benevolence. “Shallow as a birdbath,” the scathing article continued, “the program would appear to exist less as a true philanthropic exercise than yet another self-aggrandizing vehicle in Oprah’s divine quest to become synonymous with all that is virtuous and good on Earth. We might well refer to this as ‘Touched by a Talk Show Host.’”

In retrospect, Oprah actually got off easy. Since she is one of the most adored and respected personalities and humanitarians of our time, even reality television’s nefarious aftertaste couldn’t long impede Oprah and her sundry multimedia endeavors. Others, though, have been less fortunate. From former reality show contestants subsequently losing their jobs back in the real world to producers having difficulty finding decent work after a reality series went down in flames, there are indeed potentially serious consequences to associating yourself with this industry.

Even though I had aspired to host my own television series since I was old enough to possess any aspiration at all, there was certainly more to my human existence than that well-publicized desire. While in college at Valparaiso University, for example, I studied public administration in the department of political science, graduated with high honors, and was inducted into several political science honors societies. Since childhood, I had also hoped to follow the community-minded lead of my immediate family and one day serve my neighborhood, start a nonprofit organization, or maybe even run for local public office if the inspiration and opportunity ever arose.

Four years after domestic production of The Michael Essany Show wrapped, I was heavily involved in low-profile community politics in my relatively quiet hometown of Valparaiso, Indiana. As a college graduate, a newlywed, and a successful nationally published writer, I decided to run for City Council in Valparaiso.

Although the position I sought was largely of limited responsibility and provided a scant $5,000 annual salary, I passionately fought for the issues I had publicly championed for years. And despite my local popularity and political credentials, my opposition blasted me as that “kid from reality television” who had no business ever doing anything of serious importance. The supposed “mark of disgrace” resulting from my work on and association with unscripted television was relentlessly thrust upon me.

Although the election was one of the closest in Valparaiso history, I missed winning a seat by only 138 votes out of more than 9,000 votes cast. To be sure, I’m not blaming reality television for my loss, but it certainly didn’t help. Even though it conflicts with the notion that name recognition means everything in politics, anonymity would have likely afforded me a greater opportunity to talk without distraction about the issues and ideals that motivated my campaign in the first place. Unfortunately, my run was clouded by images from my youthful but otherwise harmless escapades on reality TV.

As I learned the hard way, reality television comes not without unavoidable baggage, particularly when you’re trying to secure a foothold in a new field or industry. And despite common misperceptions, those behind the scenes are just as likely as on-camera talent to find reality TV a veritable albatross later in life.

Reality Television: The Flapdoodle of Modern Broadcasting

Since early 2000, pop culture in the United States and Great Britain has been robustly dominated by reality television. Emerging along with the popularity of reality television has been its corresponding canon: an unofficial but widely accepted dogma that anything connected to or associated with reality television is inherently frivolous.

As both an adjunct professor in the department of communications at Valparaiso University and one of the most respected entertainment journalists in the Midwest, Phil Potempa is exceptionally familiar with the frivolity of reality television, including the ramifications of success and failure in the world of unscripted programming.

“The most noted of reality stars I’ve interviewed over the years,” recalls Potempa, “include Tammy Faye Baker and Vanilla Ice (The Surreal Life), Reichen Lehmkuhl (The Amazing Race), Richard Hatch (Survivor), and Jeri Manthey (Survivor: Africa 2001).”

WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT REALITY TV?

Although most will argue that there is nothing inherently bad about reality television, they will also concede that reality television can do some pretty bad things to people.

Apart from the ethical quandaries born of the genre and the exploitive tendencies it encourages, the abstract baggage associated with reality television can be comparably detrimental, even to producers.

It’s been my experience that reality television’s baggage is perpetuated by two distinct factors: the myth and the legacy.

The Myth

An acquaintance of mine, a former reality television star who shall remain nameless for his own good, recently shared with me the reason a potential employer opted not to bring him on board his law firm: “I was told that my professional background in reality television—notwithstanding my law degree—was unbecoming of one expected to provide sober counsel to clients within the field of family law. The managing partner was concerned that if word got out that an attorney for his firm once worked in reality TV, current and potential clients may be turned off. I got the feeling they were concerned that a hidden camera might be escorting me around the office all day.”

Numerous individuals either in front of or behind the cameras have been burned by the reality television business. From those who dabble in new arenas to others trying to leapfrog into more “traditional” broadcasting formats, the unscripted genre of television programming has produced many cases where the ghost of reality TV past came back to haunt future endeavors.

Speaking to the prevalence and power of rumors and myths, Winston Churchill once observed, “A lie can make it all the way around the world before the truth can even get its pants on.” Although it’s unlikely that the former British Prime Minister had reality television in mind when articulating this memorable observation, the biggest myth that harms former producers or performers trying to embark on a new professional enterprise is that people who have worked in reality television are supercilious buffoons incapable of commanding respect and typically worthy of scorn. It’s likely that the managing partner of the firm to which my friend was applying had eagerly bought into this broadly absorbed theory.

At the end of the day, however, we must at least acknowledge the substantive morsels of truth that hastily inspired the origins of this universal presumption. In other words, we have to face the fact that a few truly bad apples have rapidly spoiled the whole orchard. Let’s face it: The “talent” of many reality show participants is suspect. In some cases, obviously, such suspicions are warranted. In others, genuinely gifted performers are incorrectly lumped into the vast pool of supposedly talentless “reality show bums.”

As a former reality television star, I learned early on that the masses don’t wholly correlate legitimate talent with reality television participants. Remarkably, in fact, I have also attended more than a few cocktail parties in Los Angeles where upcoming producers within the reality realm cringed when asked what they do for a living. Apparently for some at the bottom of the reality show food chain, simply being linked to the medium has already placed negative baggage on their professional carousel.

Though a distant and largely irrelevant memory today, there was a time in a bygone era when people working in the film industry looked on television actors with utter contempt and blistering disdain. In its infancy, the medium of television was viewed by some in show business as inherently lowbrow and beneath the standards of legitimate entertainers. In an ironic twist of circumstances, it can now be difficult to separate the film stars from the television stars. The mediums have traded so much talent in recent years that it’s safe to presume that television is no longer the redheaded stepchild of show business. Strangely enough, it could now be said that some within the mainstream world of scripted television cast the same aspersions on the reality television genre that the film industry once cast on television. Naturally, some are hoping that reality television will grow into a more respectable medium in the years to come and ultimately be recognized for its quality work, talented participants, and indispensable producers. For the time being, though, if you have a lot of talent—as a producer, a writer, or even an entertainer—reality television might not be an appropriate forum for you if you consistently need to be told just how talented you really are.

Unfortunately, the words talent and reality television are rarely if ever used in the same sentence. The enduring myth that anyone can be on or produce reality TV has diluted an appreciation for the myriad skills and time-honored talents that the format consistently demands and would surely founder without.

Overall, the “myth” alluded to has actually inspired many people to never toil in reality television alone. As a result of the subsequent professional ramifications illustrated by some, a growing number of aspiring producers are branching into scripted television, film, and even theatre to offset the potential long-term consequences of being linked solely to reality television.

The Legacy

Despite every positive aspect of reality television’s existence—including, to no small extent, providing big-break opportunities to singers, actors, comedians, and others who otherwise might have never gotten that opportunity—the “legacy” of reality TV or its recognized body of work and cultural influence is not widely regarded in high esteem.

For the most part, the legacy of reality television is perceived as an expansive collection of flash-in-the-pan programs and participants that did remarkably little to enlighten or inspire the masses.

Just as one would receive immediate respect and adulation for revealing that one works as a scientist for NASA, the opposite can sometimes be true for those who reveal their exploits in reality TV. Instead of being hailed as a brilliant, innovative pioneer of technologies enabling humankind to reach new worlds and explore uncharted frontiers, they’d probably be regarded as one of the lowbrow types who introduced the world to Joe Millionaire. Congratulations.

Although I’ve always told students of film and television to ignore the tenuous legacy of reality television and instead work to create their own, it’s important to know what has spoiled the respectability of reality television in the eyes of many people. As we’ve seen in recent years with the reduction of sleaze-oriented reality and the emergence of more intellectually appealing reality programming, a coalition of producers is increasingly working to elevate the status of its beloved genre. And in this worthwhile endeavor, there’s always room for more helping hands. You just have to be willing and able to endure what is for the sake of what could ultimately be: a reality television empire that is respected in return for respecting others.

Too idealistic? Perhaps. But there’s an excellent possibility that the genre won’t ascend to greater heights unless it embraces a more mature and sophisticated posturing in the years ahead.

CARRY-ON BAGGAGE

Though it’s unfortunate that we should need to approach the reality television industry with a guarded if not cynical mindset, it’s imperative for aspiring producers to take necessary precautions, particularly if they ever plan to practice law, run for office, or embark on any endeavor unrelated to show business that could eventually be fatally impaired by their experience in this genre.

Without question, there are many worthwhile reasons to pursue a career in this exciting and infinitely rewarding business. There are, however, substantial reasons to avoid it at all costs. Regrettably, most books serving as a primer to reality television production assume that your path has already been set in stone; come hell or high water, you are going to work in reality television in some capacity. My hope is that this book will, if nothing else, remind you that despite the momentum you might already have built, you still have a choice. To be sure, there’s no shame in deciding not to pursue a career in reality television, either as a producer or a performer. It doesn’t make you a quitter or a coward. In fact, if an honest assessment of your future goals and personal traits reveals that reality television might not be worth the potential baggage you’ll acquire along that road, you could very well be making the smartest professional decision of your life in opting out.

Despite my occasionally dreary outlook, I am certainly not advancing the notion that reality television is a zero-sum game. There are, indeed, outcomes from working in this business other than simply making it big or failing miserably. You could very well fall somewhere in between those two extremes. Perhaps you’ll produce quality work, earn a substantial living, and never be injured, embarrassed, or professionally limited by the reality television genre. Many, after all, have managed to do so. How? For starters, they never picked up any more “baggage” than they could, or should, handle.

Those best equipped to survive and thrive in reality television employ a quasi-Socratic approach to the business—that is, they never stop asking the right questions. Producers inclined to protect themselves as well as their work analyze potential projects like a butcher selecting the finest cut of meat for his favorite patron. The reality television novice takes what’s available. “Any work is good work,” proclaims the rookie, who believes that his or her career will be furthered by experience wherever it is gained. Although this is the quickest way to the climb the reality TV ranks, it certainly isn’t the safest.

Before creating, pitching, or jumping on board any project, try to see the big picture. Are you working on a Temptation Island or an Apprentice? Both became internationally famous, but only the latter is “respectable.” Trying to hold out for projects that serve a greater purpose than to shock and awe is one of the savviest ways of protecting your professional credibility and reducing the baggage born of reality television.

Needless to say, however, shows like Temptation Island are easier to find than The Apprentice. And even though it could be powerfully tempting to tackle an island-based series featuring an assortment of sexy cast members, it’s important to remember that “no” isn’t a dirty word. You can and should be selective. Will doing so initially limit your opportunities for work? Probably. But if you’re trying to play it safe, it is better to limit your work than it is to limit your future.

In the final analysis, no matter how well you fare or which projects you produce, the business comes with certain unavoidable baggage, at least in the minds of those with preconceived notions about reality television. And even though there is no guaranteed method to ensure a clean break from the business if and when you ever opt to pursue a new professional course, being aware of the baggage that comes with reality television is a healthy first step to ensuring it never becomes too unwieldy to manage.