meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Marketplace All-in-One

The real costs of reality TV

Marketplace All-in-One

Marketplace

News, Business

4.81.3K Ratings

🗓️ 22 December 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Golden Bachelor reality dating series has been a big hit this Fall. These kinds of reality TV shows are relatively cheap to produce, but at what cost? Today we’re bringing you an episode of Marketplace’s “This Is Uncomfortable” that gets into the economics of the reality TV industry for contestants and creators alike, and the real life financial and emotional consequences for the stars of the show.

Give now to support Make Me Smart in the new year and beyond!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey Make Me Smart listeners. It's Rima Hays. I've had the pleasure of guest hosting a few times this year.

0:06.0

Make Me Smart is taking a break for the next couple of weeks. So today we're bringing you something from my podcast, This Is Uncomfortable.

0:14.2

And I really think y'all are going to like it.

0:16.2

You've heard Kai and Kimberly joke about the Golden Bachelor.

0:20.3

So we thought you might like to check out this story from This Is Uncomfortable,

0:24.0

all about the reality TV industry, and the toll it can take on both contestants and creators.

0:30.0

Now, before I share, the reality TV industry makes money, of course, from advertisers.

0:35.0

But as you know, Marketplace and all of our podcasts, like Make Me Smart and This is Uncomfortable,

0:41.0

are supported in part by donations from listeners like you.

0:45.2

If you're able, please consider making a tax deductible year-end donation to marketplace.

0:50.6

Your support keeps our non-profit newsroom and podcasts going and helps us keep bringing you the journalism and stories that are part of your daily routine.

0:59.0

Contribute what you can today over at marketplace.org

1:02.6

slash give smart.

1:05.1

We really appreciate it.

1:07.1

All right, here's the episode.

1:09.5

When Michael Carroll started working as an assistant for The Bachelor in the early 2000s,

1:17.8

reality dating shows were still a relatively new concept.

1:21.5

Producers were mostly winging it, experimenting with different ways to make compelling TV.

1:26.8

Michael was intrigued by how they would create all this drama between contestants.

1:31.3

Just pulling emotion out of people and making people do things or planting seeds to make people think

1:38.8

or do things.

1:39.8

I was like, wow, this is fascinating.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Marketplace, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Marketplace and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.