1. By: Leah Barnett Mass Media & Society Dr. Gournelos

2. 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.

3. 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’

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. References  Carpentier, Nico and Van Bauwel, Sophie. 2010. Trans-Reality Television: The Transgression of Reality, Genre, Politics. 23- 32. Lexington Publisher.  Dubrofsky, Rachel E. 2005. The Surveillance of Women on Reality Television : watching The Bachelor and the Bachelorette. 168 – 215. Lanham Publisher, Md.  Jersley, Anne. 2002. Realism and 'Reality' in Film and Media. 159 – 164. University of Copenhagen.  Murray, Susan and Ouellette, Laurie. 2004. Reality Television: Remaking Television Culture. 16 – 28. New York: New York UP.  Ouellette, Laurie. 2014. A Companion to Reality Television. 123 – 201. Wiley Blackwell Publisher.  Kjus, Yngvar. 2009. Idolizing and Monetizing the Public: The Production of Celebrities and Fans, Representatives and Citizens in Reality TV. 277-300. International Journal of Communication. Lillehammer University College.