Popular Reality Shows that Viewers Don’t Realize Are Fake

Ah, reality shows! You just can’t get enough of them. From the moment you start channel surfing, you’ll be hard pressed not to run into a commercial about what’s coming up on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “Too Hot to Handle” or “Love is Blind.”

But the problem with some reality shows is that there’s very little about them that’s actually real. In fact, your favorite reality shows have tons of scripted scenes and are pretty much as fake as TV gets.

“Man vs. Wild”

In “Man vs. Wild,” Bear Grylls must face the elements alone and prove he has the techniques necessary to survive. But Grylls is not a survival expert.

In fact, real survival experts who worked as advisers claimed that Grylls stayed in a resort instead of the wilderness while shooting some episodes. He even spent his nights at a hotel during an episode where he was supposed to be stranded on a desert island.

“Pawn Stars”

In “Pawn Stars,” Rick Harrison and his family run the Gold & Silver Pawn Shop in Las Vegas and buy, sell and evaluate items.

But according to shop manager Travis Benton, his brokers “spot unique items and show them to producers who decide if they are worthy of broadcasting.” And another shop employee named Rocco Landi claimed that if an item is given the green light, the seller gets coached on how to act in front of the camera.

“Long Island Medium”

“Long Island Medium” follows Theresa Caputo, a self-proclaimed psychic who approaches strangers and gives them psychic readings. But private investigator Ron Tebo claims that she often preys on the most vulnerable subjects she can find.

She uses old school psychic techniques such as shotgunning (asking tons of questions) to her guests, and waiting for a positive response to confirm a vague statement.

“The Voice”

“The Voice” offers singers the chance to compete against other talented contestants in the hopes of becoming international pop stars.

But one potential competitor named Adam Weiner claimed that the competition is pre-cast and that producers decide the style of music that needs to be performed before a contestant gets on stage, so he declined the offer to appear when the show asked him to compete.