For years I have been waiting for a juicy, and well-written book about reality TV. Tisdale's The Lie About the Truck might be a close as I will ever get. You see, I always suspected that contestants sign tight "keep-your-mouth-shut-or-you-won't-get-any-money" contracts. I was pretty correct on that one.
To be clear, this book is mainly about "Survivor" that slick show that strands groups of diverse (?) individuals in a an area without the usual creature comforts and requires them to scheme, lie, and trick fellow contestants all the while pandering just enough to not get thrown off the island. Really complex psychological gameplay, and the author sheds much light on that dynamic.
If you are a dedicated reality watcher, no matter how hard you try to redefine "reality," at some point you ask yourself "How is that really possible?' How much editing and manipulation go on behind the scenes to create the drama that ends up in our living rooms each week? Sorry to say, there is a lot. What surprised and saddened me most was how the production crews of this particular show treat the natural inhabitants and the environment of the filming location. Not respectful in many cases.
Little know fact...there is a "Survivor" like show in many countries of the world. The author frequently referenced a show called "Alone". I tracked down this survivor on steroids offering and made it through three episodes. Ten contestants were deposited miles apart from each other in the Arctic and challenged to survive for 100 days. Each built a shelter - one with a fireplace for smoking and dehydrating food; each recorded thoughts using a GO-Pro and standing camera. Lots of babbling to themselves. This was tense stuff and I feared for each person's safety. I bailed after the third episode - after the bludgeoning of a rabbit.
In his poem The Wasteland, T.S. Elliot wrote "Humankind cannot bear too much reality." Right.
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