ENTERTAINMENT
Really bad? //KELSEY CIPOLLA
What happens when students stop being polite and start getting real about reality television
In Spanish, reality TV is referred to as "telebasura," a word that literally translates to "television trash." Erin Carlson, a senior from El Dorado, learned the word in a Spanish class and says it pretty tidily sums up her feelings on the reality TV genre.
"It's sad when we have to watch other people do crap to feel better about ourselves," she says.
Despite the harsh words, it doesn't look like reality programming is losing any steam. Since the first season of the "Real World" debuted in 1992, shows that capture people's daily lives, put us in the shoes of weird and fantastic people, and dare us to compete for lavish prizes have become mainstays of network and cable television stations.
They might be trash to some, but many people are still tuning in and trying out, University students included. Last Friday, MTV casting directors came to the Kansas Union looking for prospective stars of "MADE," a show that provides young adults an opportunity to radically transform their lives by setting a goal and trying to reach it with the help of a coach.
One student has already made a successful career out of appearing on reality TV.
For Cassie Rupp, a 2010 graduate who grew up in Dighton, being on a reality show was a once in a lifetime experience. Rupp appeared in the CMT dating show "Sweet Home Alabama" last year. A few months after taping that show, she was approached to be part of a spinoff, "Southern Nights," which features former cast members living and partying together in Savannah, Ga.
Rupp said that the shows were not staged and really do reflect what life was like during that time.
Rupp recalls the only piece of direction the cast received was, "We need you all to be brutally honest with each other and with yourselves. We need you to open up and have
a lot of fun. We just want our viewers to have fun watching you have fun."
Having fun is something that comes naturally to the 25-year-old, who says filming "Southern Nights" involved lots of drinking and partying. So far, there haven't been any moments she is embarrassed to have televised, although Rupp does admit that in one episode of the show she saw herself delivering a speech that she had no recollection of after a night of heavy drinking.
"The next day you wake up and say 'Shit. That was filmed. That was on camera.'" Rupp says.
She doesn't think being constantly on camera is something she will ever get used to, but Rupp didn't worry about what she said or did during filming.
"They filmed, literally, us every second," Rupp explains. "There were cameras, hidden cameras, mics in the beds. There was absolutely no way to get away from the cameras."
Sarah Weaver, a senior from Overland Park, said that she watches "The Amazing Race" and "The Biggest Loser," but tries to stay away from getting sucked into the drama that characterizes most reality television.
"It's like watching a train wreck." Weaver says.
The genre might be wrecking our psyches as well. The psychological effects that reality shows have on us haven't fully been explored, but a study released last year by the Girl Scout Research Initiative said that teenage girls who watched reality TV shows expected life to be more dramatic and were more accepting of using underhanded tactics like cruelty and lies to get ahead. Some of the study's results suggested that reality TV was actually empowering too — 68 percent of girls felt like they could achieve anything in life after watching reality shows. Maybe that includes achieving reality show stardom.
Southern Nights cast photo. Cassie Rupp is the last woman to the right.
KANSANS GET REAL
These Kansas natives have made big waves on popular reality shows CHRIS MANN NRC'S "THE VOICE"
CHRIS MANN, NBC'S "THE VOICE"
Mann, a Wichita native and opera singer, impressed vocal coach Christina Aguilera during the show's blind auditions in February this year. He has now advanced to the semi-final round thanks to his performances of songs like Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" and a rich, powerful voice that draws comparisons to Josh Groban.
CORRI MCFADDEN, VH1'S "HOUSE OF CONSIGNMENT"
JENNIFER BERTRAND, HGTV'S "DESIGN STAR"
A love for luxury clothing at discount prices inspired McFadden, originally from Olathe, to start her own online, high-end consignment store. Her company, e-Drop-Off, is the subject of "House of Consignment," which shows McFadden and her employees sorting through the massive closets of her clients.
Another Olathe native, Bertrand competed on season three of "Design Star," a reality competition where interior designer compete to get their own show. She won and now stars on her own show "Paint-Over! With Jennifer Bertrand."
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