storagewars.jpg
This 2011 photo released by A&E shows Dave Hester in front of the Rags to Riches thrift store in Costa Mesa, Calif. Hester sued A&E Television Networks on Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2012, claiming he was fired from the show after complaining that producers had planted valuable items in some of the lockers featured on the reality series. (AP Photo/A&E)

How 'real' are reality shows?

BY Chris Sullivan  on December 13, 2012 @ 5:52 am (Updated: 8:21 am - 12/13/12 )

This might sound like a stupid question. Of course, everyone knows "reality" shouldn't be taken at face value when it comes to reality shows, but I guess I expected a little more from the shows I enjoy.

These shows are more of a guilty pleasure for me. I don't like "Survivor" or "The Bachelor" or "Big Brother," but for some reason I love shows like "Pawn Stars" and "Storage Wars." Maybe it's because I get to see cool items or I like to watch people search for hidden treasure.

But this week, one of "Storage Wars" biggest players, Dave Hester, sued A&E for wrongful termination and claimed the show is faked. Hester is know as being a jerk on the show and for his ubiquitous "yuuuuppp" when he bids on the abandoned storage lockers.

Hester claims the network hides cool items in the lockers for the auction hunters to find, and the producers routinely fake scenes.

So if producers of "Storage Wars" are faking their reality, is "Pawn Stars" planting people with cool stuff to pawn? Is the "Deadliest Catch" above board? We posed that question to Variety Magazine critic and columnist Brian Lowry.

"I would watch most of what I see that's billed as reality very skeptically," said Lowry.

He said these shows routinely create controversy, which I guess I can understand, but I had hoped they weren't faking the items. I hoped there was a little more reality in these shows than the shows like "Keeping up with the Kardashians" or "The Bachelor."

Not so, said local reality show producer Andrea Matzke. "The story lines are contrived," she said. "Whether or not the character is based on a lie it just depends on the show."

Both Matzke and Lowry said most people watch these shows knowing there is a certain bit of fudging on the reality and that some events are reenacted or staged, but they're popular because people enjoy the characters, and that is not going to change.

"If reality was going to be damaged by revelations that things in it were set up, it would have been damaged long before now," Lowry said.

Just look at professional wrestling. Everyone knows it's fake, and it's popularity hasn't waned.

I guess I just expected more from the shows I like, but yes I'm still watching.

Chris Sullivan, KIRO Radio Reporter
Chris loves the rush of covering breaking news and works hard to try to make sense of it all while telling stories about real people in extraordinary circumstances.
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Comments (9)


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  • hpygolkyone wrote...
    My Two Cents..............
    December 13, 2012 6:48 am
    I think these shows started off with great intentions, but as the market started to become saturated, they needed greater and greater "drama" to keep the viewers watching their show and not the competition.

    From my personal experience of being a Bering Sea crab fisherman for seven years....you can't script storms, people being crushed and cut by 1000 lb. crab pots, vessels sinking and people dying. The high-fiving and the celebrations are a little over the top, but the fights and the tensions and the anger and the exhaustion and the CONSTANT DANGER are the real deal.

    I was there....trust me, it's the most realistic of the "reality" shows.

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  • justanotheridiot wrote...
    It's not reality...
    December 13, 2012 8:10 am
    My son's mother was on a show called Elimidate 6 or 7 years ago and said the producers tell them exactly what to do and say. We were trying to work things out until then. That ended it with that f'in C. Too bad I have to deal with her (and pay her) for 8 more years
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  • flipper wrote...
    You really think this stuff is real?
    December 13, 2012 8:55 am
    Come on...all these shows are faked.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Ron_Spins wrote...
    Restaurant Impossible is real............................LOL
    December 13, 2012 11:17 am
    .
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Oly80 wrote...
    "Just look at professional wrestling. Everyone knows it's fake, and it's popularity hasn't waned. "
    December 13, 2012 9:40 am
    yep, it's still quite popular with kids and undereducated hicks/yokels.

    at least when i was a kid the wrestlers like Hulk Hogan came with a good message and were good.

    now, it's basically a REALLY terrible telenovella.

    sigh.

    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Eta Huinya wrote...
    Most are faked but not all
    December 13, 2012 10:42 am
    Deadliest catch is not faked, how could it be? As a retired crab fisherman I can tell you all with full certainty that it is real, but that is simply because there really is no way for the TV producers to fake any of it. As for most of the modern "reality shows", isn't it obvious they are as fake as the WWE?
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • Sean wrote...
    Deadliest Catch
    December 13, 2012 2:26 pm
    ...is probably the MOST real of these shows, but you put a camera in front of anyone and "reality" changes quickly. Add a producer encouraging the on-camera people to pump-up the drama for the ratings (or there will BE no ratings!) and of COURSE things change even more. Most reality shows are just a bunch of average schmoes trying to maintain their time inn the limelight and taking cues from the directors and producers...
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  • Stevebo wrote...
    "Real" or "faked" aside...
    December 13, 2012 3:44 pm
    I've watched some episodes of the show.

    The guy that was fired (Dave Hester) is a major D-bag. I'm not sorry to see him go.

    As to the allegations being made... I hardly doubt this is the "scandal" that he's trying to make it... but he did accomplish one thing... many news outlets are talking about it.

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  • Loving Life wrote...
    Mr Yuuuup! Got his 30 pieces of silver, now he’s suing to get more. Once a horse’s patoot, always a horse’s patoot.
    December 13, 2012 3:57 pm
    I used to inventory storage units. You would find some good things, but mostly bad things. In the past I gave away tons of pretty good furniture and other household items. I would even haul them over to peoples houses. No cost. Who knew you could charge for them? While the shows prices seem high, they are not crazy high. As for finding valuable items, absolutely.
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