reality TV - The Art of the Prank

December 18, 2014December 15, 2023

TV Viewers Disappointed to Not See Host Eaten Alive

Promotional materials for the Discovery Channel program Eaten Alive led some viewers to expect that they would see host Paul Rosolie devoured by a wild anaconda. When he wasn’t, animal-rights activists and passive sadists alike expressed dismay.

‘Eaten Alive’ Watched by 4.1 Million Viewers
by Lynn Elber
ABCNews
December 8, 2014

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Discovery Channel’s “Eaten Alive” special that pitted snake against man drew more than 4 million viewers, but not all considered it time well spent.

Although the title and a promotional video indicated that naturalist Paul Rosolie would be swallowed by a giant anaconda, Sunday’s pre-taped special didn’t go that far.

Rosolie, described by Discovery as a snake researcher and conservationist, ended his Amazon jungle encounter with the snake after it encircled his body and began squeezing. Wearing bulky protective gear, Rosolie escaped with a sore arm but uneaten.

Online, some viewers jeered the show for falling short of its promise. One posting showed a photo of a mild-looking dog nibbling on a person’s finger, accompanied by a request for their own Discovery show. Continue reading “TV Viewers Disappointed to Not See Host Eaten Alive”

October 21, 2014December 15, 2023

Reinflating the Balloon Boy Hoax

Reality-TV-obsessed Richard Heene, whose theatrical Balloon Boy hoax transfixed the nation back in 2009, is back in the media. His son Falcon (the one everyone thought was accidentally in the homemade “flying saucer” when it took off) and his brothers have formed a band and written a song called “Balloon Hoax No Hoax.”

When you’re out of helium, try hot air…

Watch the video:

Read an interview with the family from qz.com, “Catching Up With Balloon Boy and His Family, Five Years Later”

June 6, 2013December 15, 2023

The Reality of Reality TV?

Ken Tarr Launches a Hoax Campaign on an Industry Immune to Shame
by Graham Rayman
Village Voice
June 5 2013

Reality TV Insurgent

villagevoicekentarr The packed midtown television studio of The Bill Cunningham Show was pimped out in the fake wood paneling and industrial gray paint of a Jersey office park. On its stage sat a geeky white guy, his hair moussed in a dated faux-hawk. He was furious.

He called himself K.T., claiming to be a prince of the Gypsies, which entitled him to certain extracurricular liberties when it came to romance. His essential theory: He could cheat on his girlfriend, Cynthia, as much as he wished. Cynthia, on the other hand, should be strictly bound to Victorian rules.

Then came the twist: K.T. had recently discovered that the wealthy Cynthia was cheating on him with his boss. Now all three sat onstage, prepared for the cathartic confrontation that only reality talk show hosts like Cunningham could provide.

“I cheat on her but she can’t cheat on me,” K.T. announced in a Southern accent of mysterious origin. “I am a Magyar Gypsy and leader of my caravan. All Gypsy men are allowed to cheat, as long as they are honest about it.”

The crowd booed lustily. Cunningham, a man of alarmingly hawk-like features, perched at the edge of his leatherish chair like an eager child watching a car accident.

Despite his fury, K.T. admitted that he was only using Cynthia for her money.

At that, she jumped from her chair, reached down her blouse, ripped a gel pad from her bra, and shook it at the audience. “If I was so rich,” she bellowed, “why would I be wearing one of these? I’d have my boobs done!”

The audience gasped. Cunningham had once again lived up to his show’s motto: “Real stories, real emotion, real drama. It’s daytime talk for real.”

Or maybe not. Continue reading “The Reality of Reality TV?”