By: Leah Barnett Mass Media & Society Dr. Gournelos

Topic & Focus Reality television: The Real Housewives of New Jersey  Season 6, Episodes 8 to 14.  Attracts an audience from the advertiser – coveted 18 – 49 demographics.  Each year, the average viewers in that demographic is 1.5 million.  Salary depends. Teresa Guidice is the highest paid at 650K per season.

Literature Review Laurie Ouellette’s A Companion to Reality Television (2014)  Reality TV remains an effective resource for ongoing cultural study.  Idea of ‘Reality’ versus ‘Realism’.  Reality TV blurs the the boundaries that separate the realm of cultural production from the daily lives of viewers.  Viewers search for moments of authenticity. Nico Carpentier’s Trans-Reality Television (2010)  Reality television offers another version of the effort to represent anxieties of social stability and mobility.  Reality TV provides a safe haven and a pathway to another reality.  ‘What could be’ versus ‘What actually is’

Methods Focus Group  Sample: Friends & Family, 2 groups of 4 participants  Group 1: Ages 45 to 52  Group 2: Ages 20 to 22 In-depth Interviews  Participant 1: 23 year-old college student (Male)  Participant 2: 19 year-old college student (Female)  Participant 3: 48 year-old working adult (Female) All participants were chosen specifically for this case study because they actively watch the show.

Results: Focus Groups  The importance of scandal and the editing of scandal.  Daily life  Construction of scandal.  Perceptions of housewives have change over the years. But there’s a common belief that The Real Housewives Franchise is not an accurate representation.  Issues of what is “real vs. fake” are more important than people think.  Improvements should be made to how social and cultural influences.

Results: In-depth Interviews  There was more emphasis on societal issues because that’s what my participants could relate to.  It is agreed that there are issues with the family relationships in the past season, regarding how the scandal unfolded.  All participants agreed that they were attracted to this season more because of the specific scandal, and it really opened their eyes to many issues including reality versus realism.

Discussion  There is a discussion how reality TV uses scandal as a construction of interest on these shows.  The definition of realism that connects it to the everyday and how we use media for our own needs and gratifications pose an interesting question of value.  Many reality television programs emphasize the importance of inviting viewers into the scandals that are presented and maintaining that connection.

References  Carpentier, Nico and Van Bauwel, Sophie Trans-Reality Television: The Transgression of Reality, Genre, Politics Lexington Publisher.  Dubrofsky, Rachel E The Surveillance of Women on Reality Television : watching The Bachelor and the Bachelorette. 168 – 215. Lanham Publisher, Md.  Jersley, Anne Realism and 'Reality' in Film and Media. 159 – 164. University of Copenhagen.  Murray, Susan and Ouellette, Laurie Reality Television: Remaking Television Culture. 16 – 28. New York: New York UP.  Ouellette, Laurie A Companion to Reality Television. 123 – 201. Wiley Blackwell Publisher.  Kjus, Yngvar Idolizing and Monetizing the Public: The Production of Celebrities and Fans, Representatives and Citizens in Reality TV International Journal of Communication. Lillehammer University College.