Q: A number of readers have asked the same question in different ways: Why are reality-show casts so nondiverse?
A: Andy says:
Despite the diversity of reality TV shows, their casts are strikingly similar. "The Biggest Loser" stands out largely because the cast is different from other shows. But regardless of the type of show, the casts are largely composed of white, 20- and 30-something, middle-class, heterosexual people.
Whenever a black person or a gay person or an old person is added, producers look guilty of tokenism or of filling a certain "role." The problem is that when you have, for example, 17 white people acting like idiots, and one black person acting like an idiot, the audience sees 17 idiots and one black idiot. We shouldn't be looking to reality TV cast members to represent any individual group. It's impossible for 18 people (the latest seasons of "The Apprentice" and "Survivor"), never mind seven (a typical "Real World" season), to be representative of anything, especially not the diverse range of people that make up the United States.
Many casts are self-selecting. "The Real World" is the worst offender. The people on the show grew up watching the casts before them, and some of them applied because what they saw looked familiar. Those who apply for shows are themselves a narrow slice of the population. And judging by the recurrences of people like Toni "Oh My God Her Eyeballs Just Popped Out of Her Head" Ferrari on multiple shows, there aren't a whole lot of people clamoring to be cast for some series.
Ultimately, casts represent producers' desire to cast interesting characters who will react in dramatic, cinematic ways. In other words, they generally want people who will tear each other's eyes out at the earliest possible opportunity.
Gael says: Andy mentions "The Real World" — one of my favorite shows (though I've ). "RW" used to be a bit of a diversity leader. Rapper Heather B. from the first season, one of my all-time favorite cast members, was no Barbie doll. She was a regular-to-large-sized African-American woman, with a real career and personality. In fact, it wasn't until the Chicago cast that "Real World" really focused on casting seven strangers who were more concerned with their concealer than their career. Has "Real World" gotten better with more beauty? No, it's gotten worse, and decidedly less real.
"America's Next Top Model" naturally self-selects for looks, but the most interesting model this year was plus-size Toccara. I had some hopes for "The Bachelor" when the show cast overweight, goofy-looking Bob Guiney as a Bachelor, but Guiney lost weight, bought some hair mousse, dumped his Bachelorette and married a soap-opera actress.
"The Apprentice" casts as much for awesome looks as it does for awesome resumes, and the cast members have shown themselves as willing to as they are their brains. I'd argue that "Survivor" is an exception. Besides the fact that no one looks good after 39 days on an island, the show has repeatedly cast older folks (Scout, Rudy, Rodger) as well as ones who don't look like models (Twila, Chris, Rupert).
Reality show casting directors seem to be under the impression that viewers don't want to look at anyone who's large or plain, and they also are cautious about casting too many non-white participants. Maybe they'll wake up, or maybe it will take letter-writing campaigns and viewers just speaking up to say: Get real!
Q: Will ‘The Biggest Loser’ stay on TV, or is it too harsh for most people’s tastes? I’d like to know how to get an interview to be on it. —Bill
A: You're in luck, Bill: NBC's weight-loss reality show "The Biggest Loser" has announced plans for a second season, and the show is now The network is especially interested in family members who want to lose weight together.
The show's ratings have , and it actually beat the premiere of the Emmy-winning "Amazing Race" in Nielsen ratings.
Success hasn't come without controversy. Many reality shows humiliate their contestants, but "Biggest Loser" once required the contestants to build a pyramid of fatty foods that the competitors had to pick up and carry around in their mouths. , pointing out that "these contests are billed as a chance for the participants to strut their spunky self-esteem, but for all the carefully rehearsed pride, there’s no question that the show’s organizing principles are voyeurism and humiliation."
One MSNBC.com reader was more blunt: "What a farce! How can people who weigh that much do the exercise regimes they have been given? It is a wonder no one dropped dead after the first show. Why is the hostess [Caroline Rhea] overweight? This has to be one of the worst reality shows ever."
I've watched the show, and while it can be encouraging to see the delighted contestants drop pounds, the show does come off as mocking competitors' weight issues while at the same time pretending to embrace them. There's no doubt that the issue of excess weight is a minefield, and it would be interesting to see it handled in a thoughtful way. Still, for every e-mail we get decrying the show's cruelty, we get five more from readers who confess their weight and height and beg for information about auditioning. Hope springs eternal. —G.F.C.
Gael Fashingbauer Cooper is MSNBC.com's Television Editor. Andy Dehnart is a writer and teacher who publishes reality blurred, a daily summary of reality TV news.