Psychology of Popular Media Culture © 2015 American Psychological Association 2015, Vol. 5, No. 1, 000 2160-4134/15/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000103 Exploring Viewers’ Responses to Nine Reality TV Subgenres Mina Tsay-Vogel K. Maja Krakowiak Boston University University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Reality TV is a genre that places nonactors in dramatic situations with unpredictable outcomes. The influx of reality TV dominating network and cable programming has been highly reflective in its expansion of formats, evident from the variety of narrative themes embedded in reality-based shows. Findings from this exploratory study (N ϭ 274) reveal significant differences in the way college students affectively, cognitively, and behaviorally engage with reality TV. Specifically, identification, interactivity, enjoyment, perceived realism, and perceived competition across 9 reality TV sub- genres: dating/romance, makeover/lifestyle, hidden camera, talent, game show, docu- soap, sitcom, law enforcement, and court significantly differed. Data provide strong support that programs commonly defined as reality-based offer qualitatively distinct affective, cognitive, and behavioral experiences and gratifications for viewers. Keywords: reality TV, reality programs, subgenres, TV formats, gratifications The unscripted and inexpensive nature of re- (Cavendar & Fishman, 1998). Shows such as ality TV programs continues to make them pop- The Bachelor, Survivor, The Voice, Duck Dy- ular commodities in the entertainment industry nasty, Love and Hip Hop, and The Real House- (Essany, 2013; Ramdhany, 2012). Evidence wives have generally been regarded as a single supporting reality TV’s appeal has been docu- and collective genre, assumed to convey homo- mented as a function of motives for self- geneous messages and themes (Kavka, 2012). importance (Reiss & Wiltz, 2004), mechanisms However, with the consistent flood of reality- for escape (Javors, 2004), perceived realism based programs on network and cable TV rep- (Potter, 1986), surveillance (Andrejevic, 2002), resenting 56% of the top 10 TV shows in the curiosity about the lives of others (Nabi, Biely, 2010–2011 season (Nielsen Company, 2011), it Morgan, & Stitt, 2003), audience interactivity is likely that the largely distinct narrative prem- (Griffen-Foley, 2004), romance and competi- ises of such shows may elicit varying degrees of tion (Nabi, 2007), and habitual entertainment audience responses. Indeed, its increasing ex- (Papacharissi & Mendelson, 2007), to name a pansion of formats or subgenres makes this TV few. Although scholars have provided ample genre both complex and worthy of further in- support for reality TV’s widespread interest, vestigation (Murray & Ouellette, 2009; Ouel- programs characterized as reality-based have lette & Hay, 2008). commonly been defined as those showcasing In their work, Murray and Ouellette (2009) nonactors in unscripted scenarios (Hill, 2005; classified reality shows across the following Nabi et al., 2003) and claiming to portray reality subgenres: dating, makeover/lifestyle, docuso- This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. aps, court, gamedocs, and reality sitcoms, This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. whereas Nabi, Stitt, Halford, and Finnerty (2006) categorized them in the context of ro- mance, competition and game, crime, talent, Mina Tsay-Vogel, Department of Mass Communication, Advertising & Public Relations, Boston University; K. Maja informational, and reality drama. Taking into Krakowiak, Communication Department, University of account the extensive range of reality-based Colorado, Colorado Springs. programming in the current entertainment cli- Correspondence concerning this article should be ad- mate, the present research offers an exploratory dressed to Mina Tsay-Vogel, Department of Mass Commu- nication, Advertising & Public Relations, Boston Univer- look at whether these reality TV subgenres elicit sity, 640 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215. a host of affective, cognitive, and behavioral E-mail: [email protected] experiences for viewers. Five primary audience 1 2 TSAY-VOGEL AND KRAKOWIAK responses—identification, interactivity, enjoy- 1) people portraying themselves (e.g., not actors or ment, perceived realism, and perceived compe- public figures performing roles), 2) filmed at least in part in their living or working environment rather than tition—are examined across nine subgenres of on a set, 3) without a script, 4) with events placed in a reality-based programming: dating/romance, narrative context, and 5) for the primary purpose of makeover/lifestyle, hidden camera, talent, game viewer entertainment. (p. 304) show, docusoap, sitcom, law enforcement, and Findings indicated that the distribution of court. These subcategories of reality TV have programs was largely explained by the degree been readily documented on the basis of their of realism and suitability for prime time. Inter- contextual and narrative themes (Deery, 2004; estingly, the program classifications suggest Hill, 2005; Murray & Ouellette, 2009; Nabi et that although a genre of reality-based TV exists al., 2006; Ouellette & Hay, 2008). By taking in the mind-set of viewers, it may be compli- into consideration the diverse nature of reality- cated by its variety of subgenres. based programs, we gain a theoretically richer understanding of how reality TV provides qual- itatively unique entertainment experiences and Nine Subgenres of Reality TV gratifications on the basis of exposure to distin- guished formats. Furthermore, this study raises To date, reality TV’s prevalence and popu- the importance of acknowledging that reality larity are reflected in its dramatic increase in TV programs should not be examined under a specialized formats. Their salience in the enter- unidimensional lens and that future scholars tainment market has sparked the interest of should consider its multidimensional nature scholars attempting to construct a typology of across affective, cognitive, and behavioral do- these shows. Although reality TV provides au- mains of audience involvement. diences with access to the private lives of real people, these formats clearly have their own Reality TV as a Genre functionalities and potentially provide distinct media experiences for viewers. On the basis of One of the paramount issues raised by the extant literature from both interpretive and em- emergence, development, and proliferation of pirical research traditions (Deery, 2004; Hill, reality-based programs is rooted in the concep- 2005; Murray & Ouellette, 2009; Nabi et al., tualization of the genre. On the basis of textual 2006; Ouellette & Hay, 2008), the following components (e.g., narrative, language, and pro- reality TV subgenres have been documented as duction), reality-based programs have com- having unique contextual and narrative themes: monly been described as having certain funda- dating/romance, makeover/lifestyle, hidden mental characteristics—“non-professional camera, talent, game show, docusoap, sitcom, actors, unscripted dialogue, surveillance foot- law enforcement, and court. age, hand-held cameras, seeing events unfold as Dating and romance shows (e.g., The Bach- they are happening in front of the camera” (Hill, elor) center on themes of love, often placing 2005, p. 41). Earlier conceptualizations of real- contestants in positions of vying for the heart of ity TV stemmed from its affordance of realistic a single man or woman. Makeover and lifestyle representations in which programs are discrim- programs (e.g., Extreme Makeover) showcase inated by their claim to portray reality (Caven- dramatic transformations of ordinary people as dar & Fishman, 1998). they undergo either simple procedures, such as This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. Whereas the depiction of reality helps to es- fashion makeovers, or major life-altering plastic This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. tablish a generic boundary for the genre, other surgeries. Hidden camera shows (e.g., Candid program features may be discounted. One of the Camera) feature staged situations in which hid- challenges faced by researchers attempting to den cameras capture random or chosen pass- conceptualize reality TV is to determine the ersby who are unaware that they are being ob- distinguishing features that permit membership served. Talent shows (e.g., Dancing with the into this genre. Conducting a multidimensional Stars) are based on the search for talent and space analysis using reported categorizations of unique skills, often premised on finding the next 48 TV programs, Nabi et al. (2003) defined superstar, singer, model, inventor, or designer. shows in the reality-based programming cate- Game shows (e.g., Survivor) place characters in gory as those with often enclosed environments and situations in REALITY TV SUBGENRES 3 which their primary objective is to win a prize, celebrity on TV. Docusoaps showcase individ- either in the form of prestige or money. Docu- uals who are simply reacting to their natural soaps (e.g., The Real World) document the lives environment, capturing real-life events that are of real people and actual events and are some- edited similarly to soap operas (Brenton & Co- what comparable to daytime serials. Reality sit- hen, 2004). Through such