Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV

In an attempt to shut out the worries of the world with a little mindless entertainment, my wife and I have watched the last few cycles of America's Next Top Model. A few cycles back, there was a contestant named London, a pretty girl and a capable model who happened to gain a few pounds as the season progressed. At no time did we consider her fat, but we also had no reason to doubt the show's conclusion regarding this contestant, that she was unable for whatever reason to discipline her eating as well as her competitors. London was eliminated from the show mid-season.In Reality Bites Back, Jennifer L. Pozner fills in certain details about London - she had suffered from eating disorders throughout her life, which had become increasingly severe right before she was cast on ANTM. When her eating habits became somewhat normal during the show, her body reacted normally and she gained a few pounds. London had spoken frankly to fellow contestants about this issue, but the footage never made it to air. The show's producers knew about her issues, but allowed the judges to knowingly portray her as unprofessional due to overeating during the season.I focus on this example because it shows perfectly how Pozner is true to the subtitle of this book - this is The Troubling Truth About Guilty Pleasure TV. There is a wealth of new information about shows we've all either watched or experienced as cultural wallpaper, such as The Bachelor, Flavor of Love, and Wife Swap. And not just backstage details and descriptions of editing tricks either; the book fires sharp arrows at the networks, sleazy producers, and sponsors of these shows and explains why they are uniquely damaging to our culture and our image of ourselves and others. Readers will appreciate Pozner's "Happy Warrior" writing style and her tips for fighting back, which include tips from a wide range of media experts.This book belongs on the bookshelf, not next to the dense cultural studies tomes, although it would stand out well there. Instead, I would classify it with Food, Inc., Fast Food Nation, and Maxed Out, readable, engaging books about things we all knew were bad for us, (factory farming! Debt! Reality Television!) but didn't realize what cesspools they really were until we got the whole story. I can't wait for the movie...

I enjoyed Reality Bites Back, though at times it felt overwritten and Pozner's snark became tiresome. The amount of research she put into this is staggering, and she lays out the sexism, racism and classism rampant in reality TV in a way that surprised me-- and I didn't exactly have a high opinion of reality TV to begin with. A major focus of the book is product placement: it's not just that product placement exists within the shows, but that episodes and even entire series are built around products. Many shows are basically long, sneaky commercials. I had never watched Real Housewives or Jersey Shore, but didn't see any harm in What Not to Wear. Pozner points out the distorted views that such shows push.Pozner doesn't shame people who like reality TV, but rather asks that we all become more media-literate, savvy, critical viewers. That we become aware of things like product placement, manipulative editing, and stereotypical casting.The book came out a few years ago and the TV landscape has changed in that time. Scripted television shows are doing extremely well now-- better than ever, some might say. It no longer feels like television is rushing towards an inevitable future as a reality-show wasteland. However, many of the harmful practices outlined in this book are still going on.Definitely worth a read.

I worked briefly for a reality television production company, and Pozner's take on the issues of reality television are spot-on. She's been writing media criticism for decades, and this book is the result of her interest in the rise of reality shows. This book is meticulously researched and cleverly written. Pozner's sense of humor and razer-sharp focus come through here, despite the expansive topic.

Overall, I think the author did a great job showing the dark side of what today is know as reality TV. Throughout the book, Pozner balances humor with her evaluations of the subject well enough to make some of the repetition easier to digest. With the prevalence of reality shows today, I believe that it is a topic definitely worth being analyzed. I've personally never been a fan of reality shows but never could quite give a definitive answer to why. That has changed after reading this book. Reality programming is designed to trigger emotional responses in its viewers in order to sell more products. There is nothing inherently wrong with trying to sell products. The problem is that these shows also promote harassment, prejudices, sexism, and stereotypes among other things. This book will help the reader become more conscious of the programming they choose to view.

Brilliant points made throughout book. A very well-researched, interesting read. Truly makes you think and makes you a more informed television viewer.

This should be mandatory in high schools. The only reason I don't give this book 5 stars is because it does become redundant. I see so little of media literacy, even now - ten years or so after this book. I think it's excellent.

Had to get this for an English class, worst thing I have ever forced myself to read. This is an extremely dry read but she does make very valid points on reality tv.

Do you know what a "frankenbite" is? Me neither! Then I read this eye opening exposure about so-called reality tv. Producers can take anything you say and edit it to suit their needs! You "love" pizza? Guess what America is gonna hear, "You love ASS." Her writing takes down the soft core producers who have directed programming directly for your titillation. Fascinating and appalling, this book will be lent out to all of my Jersey Shore friends!

Good book

I bought this book for my Master Thesis and I ended up reading the whole thing. It is easy to read, I really appreciated the style. The book gives quite an inside into the harsh world of TV-production.The only thing that bothered me a bit - the author is not always objective, she is a bonafied feminist and she trashes all the good-looking females who spend a bit more time in front of the mirror.