What's more real than a reality TV show?
Well, just about everything.
Sure, we know that reality shows have to bend the truth about things now and then—that's
just entertainment.
But when you get right down to it, some of your favorite reality shows are nothing more
than great big hoaxes.
Here are the worst of the bunch.
Dinner: Improbable
Dinner: Impossible star Robert Irvine is always up for a challenge...even if it includes making
up an entire backstory for himself.
In 2008, the St. Petersburg Times did a little digging and discovered that a slice of Irvine's
résumé had been greatly embellished.
He never attended the University of Leeds, as he'd claimed.
He didn't help make Princess Diana's wedding cake, as he'd claimed.
And he definitely isn't a knight.
The Food Network fired Irvine from the show shortly thereafter.
Despite the embarrassing scandal, Irvine actually returned to the Food Network later that year.
In 2009, he was reinstated as host of Dinner: Impossible for several episodes.
Two years later, Irvine began hosting his current gig, Restaurant: Impossible.
So good news, kids: lying about everything apparently has no repercussions in the real
world!
Man vs. Room Service
In 2007, the United Kingdom's Channel 4 conducted an investigation into Man vs. Wild in response
to claims that some of Bear Grylls' stunts were set up by a production crew.
The examination revealed a long list of misleading information, including instances of Grylls
staying at a hotel while claiming to be in the wild.
"It's like I'm not even camping.
This is actually a dog couch, but it's super comfortable."
In light of the scandal, some of the episodes in question were re-edited for British and
American audiences.
The show also made adjustments to become more transparent to viewers.
House Hoaxes
Millions of Americans' Saturday afternoons were ruined in 2012 when a former participant
on HGTV's House Hunters claimed her experience on the show was fixed by producers.
The participant, Bobi Jensen, told the Hooked on Houses blog that she and her family had
already picked a home before taping the show, and the rest of the "hunt" was scripted.
"The ones we looked at weren’t even for sale…they were just our two friends’ houses
who were nice enough to madly clean for days in preparation for the cameras!"
HGTV responded to Jensen's claims in a statement to Entertainment Weekly, admitting, "We’re
making a television show, so we manage certain production and time constraints."
That makes sense, but we still expect at least some hunting on a show called House Hunters.
Theater Moms
If you assumed all the fighting and drama on Dance Moms was for the cameras, you'd probably
be right, at least according to co-star Maddie Ziegler.
Speaking to USA Today in 2015, the adorable youngster revealed that some of the show's
most dramatic moments aren't exactly, you know, real.
"It's hard to do a reality show when there's so much crying and drama.
The producers set it up to make us all yell at each other…The moms have a fake fight
sometimes.
Afterward they just start talking and laugh about it."
Survivor: Outwit, Outlast, Outhoax
The reality of Survivor first came into question in 2001 after executive producer Mark Burnett
admitted to reshooting parts of the show.
According to ABC News, Burnett said he recreated a river swimming race from season two using
body doubles and then spliced the footage into the real race.
In another instance, Survivor contestant Dirk Been accused Burnett of swaying the votes,
which, as he put it, "affected the outcome of the show in an unfair manner."
No Voice In The Matter
One of the big selling points of NBC's hit singing competition The Voice is that, after
the celebrity judges weed through the season's hopefuls, the viewing audience then gets the
chance to decide a winner.
If your favorite contestant finds themselves in the bottom three, there's even a "fail
safe" in the form of a last-chance performance and Twitter hashtag.
Voice fans may think they have a lot of say in how the competition goes, but the truth
is, they probably don't.
According to a contract obtained by the New York Daily News, the show's producers reportedly
have the ultimate say in how things progress.
The report claims that the show can "eliminate contestants at any time, even if they are
'winning' with the public," and "ignore the show's voting system, which includes sales
figures for contestants' songs on iTunes, in the event of problems."
But, hey: happy voting!
"(Evil laugh)"
Not Born Wild
The Discovery Channel series Alaskan Bush People makes a big deal about how the Brown
family was "born wild" and now survive on their own in the wilderness of Alaska.
The premise sounds convincing enough, but a bit of digging proved that the "Wolf Pack"
doesn't exactly abide by the pioneer spirit.
According to CNN, the Browns received more than $20,000 from an Alaskan residency fund,
despite not meeting all the requirements.
So much for getting by exclusively through isolated wilderness living.
Another revelation came by way of an interview with a former girlfriend of Alaskan Bush People
star Matt Brown.
She admitted to being puzzled by the family's reality TV claims, since they didn't match
up with what she knew about the Brown family before they were famous.
Well, we can't say we're surprised.
"I basically just use all my natural skills when I'm tracking deer.
I think like a wolf.
As far as I'm concerned, I practically am a wolf."
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