# Are some of Discovery and History channels shows staged?



## oldschoolecw

With Ax Men having arrows fly last year and Rygaard logging's Craig Rygaard and Dave Schroeder at it last season it seems it has to be all staged. And now this year you have Craig Rygaard picking fights with DJ this season. If it's real, why hasn't Gabe or Craig Rygaard been arrested?

Then you have Bamazon right after Ax Men and Tim Evans "the boss man" treating his team like crap. What gives with these shows

American Chopper from the Discovery channel is another


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## trh

Not sure any of the 'reality' shows aren't staged. Even the Gator Boys got slammed for recreating a couple of captures they did for their show, so now you'll see a quick disclaimer at the bottom that says just that.


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## Christopher Gould

I say staged/fake because I believe there would be lawsuits for all the violence in the work place. I'm going to cancel axe men soon. The last one was dumb hardly any logs logged.


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## oldschoolecw

Christopher Gould said:


> I say staged/fake because I believe there would be lawsuits for all the violence in the work place. I'm going to cancel axe men soon. The last one was dumb hardly any logs logged.


Same here, I want to be entertained by these types of shows... Not feel sick to my stomach after watching cruelty in the work place.


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## dpeters11

Among others, like A&E. From what I understand, on American Pickers, they have already negotiated everything, and they don't travel together. Dave on Storage Wars has talked about how staged it is. 

I do think Deadliest Catch is at least less staged but the environment is harder to control, for retakes etc.

Survivorman is another that is about as real as you're going to get.


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## oldschoolecw

dpeters11 said:


> Among others, like A&E. From what I understand, on American Pickers, they have already negotiated everything, and they don't travel together. Dave on Storage Wars has talked about how staged it is.
> 
> I do think Deadliest Catch is at least less staged but the environment is harder to control, for retakes etc.
> 
> Survivorman is another that is about as real as you're going to get.


I just cancelled Amish Mafia because it seemed very staged


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## dpeters11

I never watched it but when I heard about it, I came up with a few problems, one of which is that it's generally against their beliefs to have their picture taken or be filmed.

Not to mention the fact that they usually are considered non confrontational almost to a fault.

Or Moonshiners. They aren't actually making illegal moonshine.


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## SayWhat?

Does the Sun rise in the East?


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## oldschoolecw

SayWhat? said:


> Does the Sun rise in the East?


What channel is that on?


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## VDP07

Are some of Discovery and History channels shows staged? 

The list of ones that are not staged would be very short or non-existant.


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## fluffybear

dpeters11 said:


> Survivorman is another that is about as real as you're going to get.


I'm kind of skeptical on that one. I know Les claims he does the show by himself but some of the camera shots are just to good to be true (especially when he is in them). I also am amazed on how sometimes he can claim to go for days without eating and drinking and suddenly find himself a hole full of fresh rain water and a critter hiding in the bushes


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## dpeters11

Well there is still editing. I know he does have a safety team that he can contact, so he's not really all alone with no support of any kind. But I do think it's about as real as you can get with modern TV.


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## SayWhat?

I'd be surprised if at least some of them aren't downright faked; shot on a set somewhere.


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## 456521

Seems pretty obvious they are all staged: Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, etc....

People watch for these shows for the entertainment value so it shouldn't matter that they're all staged.


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## dpeters11

Right. Like with Pawn Stars I like some of the items brought in, learn about them etc. I'm assuming that the actual items are authentic. That's where my real interest is. I really don't care about the family dynamics or if they have negotiated the item beforehand.

I know it's not Antiques Roadshow, which I know some say is also fake, but I know the appraisers have to pay their own way to participate.


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## fluffybear

dpeters11 said:


> Well there is still editing. I know he does have a safety team that he can contact, so he's not really all alone with no support of any kind. But I do think it's about as real as you can get with modern TV.


You can do some great things in an edit suite but some of the camera angles and shots can only from someone holding a camera 

Les may not be as bad as some of those other survival shows (Man, Woman, Wild comes to mind), I still believe his show is staged in a lot of ways.


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## oldschoolecw

I'm kind of ticked, with it possibly being all staged and makes me reconsider watching. Well at least Pro Wrestling is real :lol:


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## tsmacro

oldschoolecw said:


> What channel is that on?


Well it was on Discovery HD Theater (Sunrise Earth) before that channel was renamed and repurposed. Of course that show was also fraught with clever editing that made a two hour period of time showing the sunrise appear to take only an hour! :lol:


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## RunnerFL

Everything is staged... Channels like TruTV even brag about their stuff being fake.

I do agree about Deadliest Catch though, it would be tough to stage that one.


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## RunnerFL

tsmacro said:


> Well it was on Discovery HD Theater (Sunrise Earth) before that channel was renamed and repurposed. Of course that show was also fraught with clever editing that made a two hour period of time showing the sunrise appear to take only an hour! :lol:


As sad as it may sound I actually had a Series Link for that show. :lol:

I found it to have a calming effect on me.


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## tsmacro

RunnerFL said:


> As sad as it may sound I actually had a Series Link for that show. :lol:
> 
> I found it to have a calming effect on me.


I used to work for a small phone office (before it was closed) and we sold Dish there and we recorded Sunrise Earth to show off how good HD looked on the TV, so I'm sure I've seen them all several times myself. It did have the advantage of never having to worry about any inappropriate language or images and yes it was quite calming!


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## dpeters11

"fluffybear" said:


> You can do some great things in an edit suite but some of the camera angles and shots can only from someone holding a camera
> 
> Les may not be as bad as some of those other survival shows (Man, Woman, Wild comes to mind), I still believe his show is staged in a lot of ways.


How are you sure it's someone else holding a camera, and not him with a camera on a tripod braced against his hip or something? Did you happen to see his behind the scenes show?


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## Drucifer

How old are you?

*ALL* Reality Shows are anything but real.


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## RunnerFL

dpeters11 said:


> How are you sure it's someone else holding a camera, and not him with a camera on a tripod braced against his hip or something? Did you happen to see his behind the scenes show?


Wasn't Survivorman revealed as being faked a few years ago? One of those "survive in the wild" shows was.


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## csgo

I wasn't aware that any of them even claimed to be "real". It's entertainment... nothing more.


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## fluffybear

dpeters11 said:


> Did you happen to see his behind the scenes show?


What makes you think that show wasn't faked?


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## Sharkie_Fan

One of the teachers at my son's school was on DIY's "Yard Crashers" last year. She was one of the helpers called in to her nephews house. They were building a cigar smoking pagoda thing in the back yard.

Turns out, her nephew is a pastor of a local church, and doesn't smoke. They applied for the show, and the show contacted him and said "We'd love to do X in your back yard". They had interviews with the wife saying she hated him smoking cigars in the house and he needed some place to smoke, and interviews with him saying how he was going to have such a good time with his friends sitting out in the pagoda smoking cigars with all his buddies.

The work was real - they did the yard in 2 days with the help of the show & the family and friends who were called in to help. Everything else about the show (including "surprising" the family while they were shopping at Home Depot or some such store) was staged.


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## dpeters11

"RunnerFL" said:


> Wasn't Survivorman revealed as being faked a few years ago? One of those "survive in the wild" shows was.


That was Bear Grylls.


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## dpeters11

"fluffybear" said:


> What makes you think that show wasn't faked?


What's next, Amazing Race filmed on a sound stage?


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## fluffybear

dpeters11 said:


> What's next, Amazing Race filmed on a sound stage?


Wasn't the show, "I'm a celeberity, get me the he!! out of here" discovered to have been filmed on a soundstage in Manhattan Beach rather than some jungle locale in Costa Rica. If they can do it, why not Amazing Race?


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## Hoosier205

"RunnerFL" said:


> Wasn't Survivorman revealed as being faked a few years ago? One of those "survive in the wild" shows was.


Survivorman is real. It's just the one guy. He films everything himself. If its a three day process he is really out there by himself for three days. He does have a backup crew elsewhere for safety and such, but they don't interfere unless absolutely necessary. He stopped doing the show regularly because of the toll it was taking on his body.

Man vs. Wild is staged. He has had help building things that he then demonstrates, he has a production crew with him, and he has been known to stay in a hotel overnight rather than how it appears on the show.


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## dpeters11

Yeah, the story he gave about the parasitic worm he picked up made my stomach churn.


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## RunnerFL

dpeters11 said:


> That was Bear Grylls.


Ok, so Man vs. Wild. Same type of show, probably just as fake.


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## dpeters11

Well, there's always Dirty Jobs...no, that got cancelled.


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## Mark Holtz

I'm sure that some of the stuff on Mythbusters is staged.


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## armophob

Hoarders is all real and no one can tell me different.
Don't take my joy from me.

I do miss Sunrise Earth. It was some of the first HD tv I got to enjoy.


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## fluffybear

Hoosier205 said:


> Survivorman is real. It's just the one guy. He films everything himself. If its a three day process he is really out there by himself for three days. He does have a backup crew elsewhere for safety and such, but they don't interfere unless absolutely necessary. He stopped doing the show regularly because of the toll it was taking on his body.


And you probably still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny :lol:

I quit watching Survivorman regularly because of the toll it was taking on my body!


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## RunnerFL

Mark Holtz said:


> I'm sure that some of the stuff on Mythbusters is staged.


That's pretty much the point of Mythbusters.


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## SayWhat?

Mark Holtz said:


> I'm sure that some of the stuff on Mythbusters is staged.





RunnerFL said:


> That's pretty much the point of Mythbusters.


Staged for experimentation and demonstration is one thing.

What these guys do is more like grandstanding or showmanship. Doesn't qualify as 'science' to me.


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## oldschoolecw

All I can say now is, I hope my favorite show Gold Rush is digging up real Gold


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## SayWhat?

^ Probably about as real as the 'ghosts' on the Haunted whatever shows.


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## dpeters11

SayWhat? said:


> Staged for experimentation and demonstration is one thing.
> 
> What these guys do is more like grandstanding or showmanship. Doesn't qualify as 'science' to me.


Well, they generally do it to the myth (though sometimes they do use the term loosely), then see what it would take to actually replicate the results. Either that or just blow the whole thing up. I'm good with that.

Heck, even actual science shows, with actual astronomers have things wrong, on purpose, for dramatization purposes.


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## Henry

armophob said:


> [...] *I do miss Sunrise Earth. It was some of the first HD tv I got to enjoy*.


+1x10


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## renbutler

armophob said:


> Hoarders is all real and no one can tell me different.


I do believe that Hoarders is essentially real, although they do play editing tricks with certain reaction shots.

When somebody says "all reality shows are staged," I would modify that to "all reality shows have some level of staging."

There is quite a range, from subtle influences by producers and spliced-in reaction shots, to downright manipulation and scripting of every part of the show.

My wife was watching Mystery Diners on Food Network, and it was completely obvious to me immediately that it was the latter example of a (poorly) scripted show with actors.


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## Reaper

I watched the season debut of Property Wars last night. There were two occurrences that felt completely staged. In the first there was a small pile of sand neatly located in the middle of the driveway of one of the houses. The buyer found a little piece of PVC and gambled that the house had a new kitchen (wrong). In the second, a dirt bike motorcycle was found in a storage building - but it was a nice storage building and the bike was under a tarp -- why?

I won't be watching again.


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## Earl Bonovich

First: Total forgot Property Wars was on last night, got something to watch later.

Second:

All of these shows, not just Discovery and History all of them.... Are a blend between Rigged, Scripted, and Creatively Edited.

They are blending pieces filmed at totally different times, to make it appear like it happened in one night. These "casts" have to wear the same clothes... all the time.

They are injecting "drama" into some of them for no reason, like the BS with Pawn Stars and the ownership.

Most of these shows to me, are filler.. 30 minutes shows, that I can watch when:
a) My kids are around, my son actually gets into some of them.
b) want to watch that one last show before crashing at night.

Shows that I watch for more in depth entertainment... are some of the one hour action/drama shows... or some of the upcomming mini-series (and some of the recent ones)....

At the end of the day, it is TV.
Ultimately it is edited by someone, produced by someone, to match their vision for what they wanted to present.


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## Hoosier205

"fluffybear" said:


> And you probably still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny :lol:
> 
> I quit watching Survivorman regularly because of the toll it was taking on my body!


Facts are facts. Do your own homework. Man Vs. Wild is staged, Survivorman was not.


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## fluffybear

Hoosier205 said:


> Facts are facts. Do your own homework. Man Vs. Wild is staged, Survivorman was not.


Les may not go and stay at a Motel 6 and have dinner at PF Changs but if you believe Survivorman is not staged, I'll PM you about this wonderful land deal I have going.

"There's a Sucker Born Every Minute"


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## mreposter

If memory serves me correctly, about two years ago there was union action against the studios demanding recognition for some of the writers/producers on reality shows. Many of them started out a low-paying non-union productions and were trying to hide the fact that many of them were heavily scripted and edited. I think it was the Real World/Real Housewives types of shows that were the biggest offenders.

One thing to look at is how many people are on the production crew when you go to their IMDB listing. Storage Wars has a crew 2-3 times as large as Survivorman. And if you look at a show like Real Housewives of Miami the crew includes a lead writer and several Story Producers. Hint, hint, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.


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## Rickt1962

dpeters11 said:


> Right. Like with Pawn Stars I like some of the items brought in, learn about them etc. I'm assuming that the actual items are authentic. That's where my real interest is. I really don't care about the family dynamics or if they have negotiated the item beforehand.
> 
> I know it's not Antiques Roadshow, which I know some say is also fake, but I know the appraisers have to pay their own way to participate.


I do like seeing the appraisals, but makes you wonder if ther is collusion before the price is announced ! Why wouldnt Rick tell his so called " I Have a Friend let me call him" !!!
And in Hardcore pawn it is soooo staged its sickening ! Back when it first aired was alot better. I remember one episode how Ashly defended her self as having a college degree in gemology then a year later a poor girl who's grandmother passed away and she had to pay for it came in with Grandma's bag of precious stones. Ashly looks at them calls them Glass ! and sends her away ! Yep she's a pro LOL Then her rip off scumbag father says wait let me look he wants a professional to look at this one ruby ! As the Appraisal is being announced they cut out his price ! The next scene is LES says to the girl iam so happy to give you $ 10,000.00 dollars for this burmese ruby !!!!!!!!!!! Really makes you wonder was it staged or did we just witnessed a crime ! for a $ 100,000.00 stone !!


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## Rickt1962

dpeters11 said:


> What's next, Amazing Race filmed on a sound stage?


NOPE its better then that ! Remember the movie LOOKER with Susan Dey ! Everyone is CG in the Amazing race on a Green screen LOL


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## Rickt1962

fluffybear said:


> And you probably still believe in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny :lol:
> 
> I quit watching Survivorman regularly because of the toll it was taking on my body!


I had my suspicions back when my wife watched "The Osbournes" she get so excited how cool it was to watch a real hollywood family as how they live ! I kept saying B.S untill the last season as i watched the last episode with her ! at the end of the show they said stay tuned for the bloopers I stood up and said I told you so ! LOL and never believed any crap on TV


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## dpeters11

"Rickt1962" said:


> I do like seeing the appraisals, but makes you wonder if ther is collusion before the price is announced ! Why wouldnt Rick tell his so called " I Have a Friend let me call him" !!!
> And in Hardcore pawn it is soooo staged its sickening ! Back when it first aired was alot better. I remember one episode how Ashly defended her self as having a college degree in gemology then a year later a poor girl who's grandmother passed away and she had to pay for it came in with Grandma's bag of precious stones. Ashly looks at them calls them Glass ! and sends her away ! Yep she's a pro LOL Then her rip off scumbag father says wait let me look he wants a professional to look at this one ruby ! As the Appraisal is being announced they cut out his price ! The next scene is LES says to the girl iam so happy to give you $ 10,000.00 dollars for this burmese ruby !!!!!!!!!!! Really makes you wonder was it staged or did we just witnessed a crime ! for a $ 100,000.00 stone !!


One spin off of Pawn Stars I wouldn't mind is one other Mark, the life of a museum administrator. Something tells me though that if it really was his day to day job, the ratings would not be high enough.


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## oldschoolecw

New TV show 'Southie Rules': Boston Business Owner Claims Reality Show Is 'Scripted'

http://bostinno.com/2013/01/10/southie-rules-reality-show-start-date/#ss__282805_275819_0__ss


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## Earl Bonovich

oldschoolecw said:


> New TV show 'Southie Rules': Boston Business Owner Claims Reality Show Is 'Scripted'
> 
> http://bostinno.com/2013/01/10/southie-rules-reality-show-start-date/#ss__282805_275819_0__ss


Again.... So?

It's TV, It's Entertainment...
There are shows that I expect to be real, and not scripted... DateLine, 20/20, 48hours....

Then there are shows that I don't care if they are scripted or not, aka: everythign else.


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## SayWhat?

Earl Bonovich said:


> There are shows that I expect to be real, and not scripted... DateLine, 20/20, 48hours....


I guess it depends on how you define scripted, but those are FULLY scripted, word for word, start to finish.

Unscripted shows to me are COPS, The First 48, Wild Justice, Alaska State Troopers, and a few others along that line. And even those are heavily edited.


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## oldschoolecw

Earl Bonovich said:


> Again.... So?
> 
> It's TV, It's Entertainment...
> There are shows that I expect to be real, and not scripted... DateLine, 20/20, 48hours....
> 
> Then there are shows that I don't care if they are scripted or not, aka: everythign else.


Well truthfully I thought Reality shows were just that, almost a documentary style of entertainment. Where fools in real life were captured with camera's because they are unique to our society, and not being scripted. I have a lot of shows I will now be cancelling.


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## oldschoolecw

The definition of Reality television is what I thought, after looking into it more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television

Here's more info http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/reality-tv.htm



> By definition, reality TV is essentially unscripted programming that doesn't employ actors and focuses on footage of real events or situations. Reality shows also often use a host to run the show or a narrator to tell the story or set the stage of events that are about to unfold. Unlike scripted shows like sitcoms, dramas and newscasts, reality TV does not rely on writers and actors, and much of the show is run by producers and a team of editors. Because of this, it can be a very affordable programming option from a production standpoint -- and it's why networks are scrambling to add reality content in the wake of the Writers Guild of America strike.


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## SayWhat?

The ones I just listed probably fit that definition far closer than most of the drivel mentioned earlier.


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## TXD16

pdxBeav said:


> Seems pretty obvious they are all staged: Pawn Stars...


When either Chumlee or Corey start speaking authoritatively about anything other than what they had for lunch that day, you can rest assured that it's not only staged, but also well-rehearsed (probably many, many times).


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## BattleZone

oldschoolecw said:


> The definition of Reality television is what I thought, after looking into it more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reality_television
> 
> Here's more info http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/reality-tv.htm


That was the original premise of Reality TV, which largely grew out of COPS (which is heavily edited, but still the closest thing to a true reality show), but it didn't take long for production companies to realize that if they could actively participate and increase the level of drama, as well as RELIABLY create drama on a schedule rather than waiting and hoping something interesting happens, then their show would be worth more. Most of these reality shows have a team of writers, producers, and production assistants who manufacture a lot of the drama and do so on a schedule. This creates a "sure thing" that makes networks feel much more comfortable about their ability to sell advertising (and advertisers more comfortable about buying it).

Also, understand that a large percentage of the people in reality shows, especially prime-time shows, are ACTORS (up-and-coming, unknown actors) who sign up for every reality show that comes down the road. Same with cooking shows: there is a pool of "wanna-be celebrity chefs" who try out for all the cooking shows, and a number of them have been in different shows. The media likes to pretend these are all just random people off the street, but that's almost never the case.

The ONLY safe assumption you can ever make about ANY media is that it has been manipulated by the producers in some way. Maybe it's just to increase the entertainment value or the quality, and maybe it's for a more sinister purpose, but NONE of them are simply a camera that's set up and left rolling, with unedited footage being aired. Remember that.


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## trh

Well said BattleZone.

My "favorite" show that was staged was Last Comic Standing. When Drew Carey basically walked off the set when the semi-final results announced didn't match what the judges had voted for.

Of course we learned later that two of the contestants, Ant and Gary Gulman were managed by the Executive Producer of the show and a third was dating someone from the show.


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## n3ntj

"Amish Mafia" is staged. I live in Lancaster County, PA and can tell you this show is fake.


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## oldschoolecw

BattleZone said:


> That was the original premise of Reality TV, which largely grew out of COPS (which is heavily edited, but still the closest thing to a true reality show), but it didn't take long for production companies to realize that if they could actively participate and increase the level of drama, as well as RELIABLY create drama on a schedule rather than waiting and hoping something interesting happens, then their show would be worth more. Most of these reality shows have a team of writers, producers, and production assistants who manufacture a lot of the drama and do so on a schedule. This creates a "sure thing" that makes networks feel much more comfortable about their ability to sell advertising (and advertisers more comfortable about buying it).
> 
> Also, understand that a large percentage of the people in reality shows, especially prime-time shows, are ACTORS (up-and-coming, unknown actors) who sign up for every reality show that comes down the road. Same with cooking shows: there is a pool of "wanna-be celebrity chefs" who try out for all the cooking shows, and a number of them have been in different shows. The media likes to pretend these are all just random people off the street, but that's almost never the case.
> 
> The ONLY safe assumption you can ever make about ANY media is that it has been manipulated by the producers in some way. Maybe it's just to increase the entertainment value or the quality, and maybe it's for a more sinister purpose, but NONE of them are simply a camera that's set up and left rolling, with unedited footage being aired. Remember that.


I guess I better catch up with the times :lol: Thanks for your great description on the new Reality TV BTW. I feel jilted by what the Discovery and History channels have become. I no longer have a sense of trust with anything these 2 channels put on. Any specials they do "for example" Wooly Mammoths is most likely made up drivel.


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## dpeters11

I'm glad DirecTV is adding H2 so that I can watch things like How the States got their shapes, and The Universe. True reality, unless I guess it's based on history written by the victors.


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## SayWhat?

oldschoolecw said:


> Any specials they do "for example" Wooly Mammoths is most likely made up drivel.


Maybe not entirely drivel, but probably loaded with CG which makes the whole program look faked.



dpeters11 said:


> H2 so that I can watch things like How the States got their shapes,


Another one they ruined. The first season was pretty good. In the second season, they turned it into some kind of game show clone.


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## dpeters11

I was just thinking again about this thread, as I was watching a Piano Guys video. Even if reality shows are faked, at what point do we really care? In this case, I know that the Piano Guys videos are to some extent, faked. It's just in the nature, the audio track has to be recorded separately (though they may actually be playing), you just can't get good audio recording in many areas. But, I don't care, it's entertaining. Would it make any difference in these shows if they had a disclaimer? If they are entertaining or a bit educational if it's all real, how much of that goes away if it isn't completely real?


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## fluffybear

Hoosier205 said:


> Facts are facts. Do your own homework. Man Vs. Wild is staged, Survivorman was not.


I am not saying Survivorman is completely fake but Les is not out there by himself as he claims. There has been more than one time Les has accidentally filmed his "additional cameraman".


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## dpeters11

Any examples you can think of, other than some at the beginning when they leave him, or the episode with Bob Wilson?


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## fluffybear

dpeters11 said:


> Any examples you can think of, other than some at the beginning when they leave him, or the episode with Bob Wilson?


There was an episode in Alaska which comes to mind where Les had a camera mounted on his kayak. Occasionally, Les would move and you could see the person standing on the shore.
There was a another episode (can not remember where he was but something says maybe Georgia swamp) where the cameraman stumbles.


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