The Bizarre World of Reality Television

Stuart Lenig, PhD, is professor of media studies at Columbia State Community College in Columbia, TN.

Introduction
Chapter 1: Transformation—Self-Improvement, Home Improvement, and Makeovers
The Makeover and the Modern Narcissus
American Restoration
Ask This Old House
Clean House
Dr. 90210
Extreme Makeover
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (EMHE)
Hell's Kitchen
HGTV
How Do I Look?
I Want a Famous Face (IWAFF)
LA Ink
A Makeover Story
Pimp My Ride
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares
Restaurant: Impossible
The Simple Life
60 Minute Makeover
Style by Jury (SBJ)
The Swan
This Old House (TOH)
TLC
Trading Spaces
What Not to Wear
Chapter 2: Competition and Talent Programming—Chefs, Singers, Survivors, and Every Man for Himself
The Gamification of American Culture
The Amazing Race
American Idol
American Ninja Warrior
America's Got Talent (AGT)
America's Next Top Model (ANTM)
The Apprentice
The Assistant
The Biggest Loser
Anthony Bourdain
The Challenge (Road Rules vs. Real World)
Chopped
Dancing with the Stars
Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives (DDD)
Guy Fieri
Food Network (Food Network Challenge, The Next Food Network Star)
Game Shows
Ghost Hunters
Iron Chef America
Naked and Afraid (NAA)
Ozzy and Jack's World Detour
Project Runway
Queen for a Day
Rachael Ray
So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD)
Star Search
Storage Wars
Survivor
Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour
That's Incredible!
Toddlers and Tiaras
Top Chef
The Voice
Wipeout
The X Factor
Chapter 3: Friends, Family, and Frenemies—Personal Lives of People
Unfriending Television: Intersecting Reality Programming and the Web
An American Family
America's Funniest Home Videos (AFV)
America's Most Wanted
Basketball Wives
Cake Boss
Candid Camera
Duck Dynasty
Bethenny Frankel
The Girls Next Door
Giuliana and Bill
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo (HCHBB)
The Hills
Jackass
Jersey Shore
Kate Plus 8 (and Jon and Kate Plus 8)
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Khloé and Lamar
Kourtney and Kim Take Miami (KKTM)
Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County
The Little Couple
Little People, Big World (LPBW)
Mob Wives
MTV Cribs
My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (and My Big Fat American Gypsy Wedding)
My Super Sweet 16 (MSS16)
19 Kids and Counting
The Osbournes
Punk'd
The Rachel Zoe Project
Real People
Real World and Road Rules
Ridiculousness
Rob and Big
Rob Dyrdek's Fantasy Factory
Say Yes to the Dress (SYTTD)
Sister Wives
16 and Pregnant
Swamp People
Teen Mom
This Is Your Life
Top Gear
Chapter 4: Finding the One(s)—Dating, Matchmakers, and Hooking Up
A History of Romance
The Bachelor
The Bachelorette
Beauty and the Geek
The Blame Game
Blind Date
Catfish: The TV Show
Cheaters
Date My Mom
The Dating Game
Dismissed
The Hook Up
Joe Millionaire
Love Connection (LC)
Married by America
Megan Wants a Millionaire
Millionaire Matchmaker
The Newlywed Game
Next
Parental Control
Rock of Love
Room Raiders
Score
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila
Singled Out
Taildaters
Tough Love (and Tough Love Couples)
Wanna Come In?
Chapter 5: International Reality Television—America's Reach
Going Global: Reality Programming on a World Stage
Ainori (Japan)
Amaan Ramazan (Pakistan)
Dating in the Dark (Netherlands/UK/United States/Others)
Dragons' Den (Japan) and Shark Tank (Elsewhere)
Epic Knitting (Norway) and Other Slow Television Fare
Fool around with … (Britain)
Most Haunted (UK)
The Night Bus (UK)
Ready for Marriage (Zambia)
Sex Box (Britain)
Susunu! Denpa Shonen (Japan)
Takeshi's Castle (Japan)
Conclusion: Reality's Future
Bibliography
Index