Travis Davis

UWRT 1103-021
October 21, 2014
Introduction: Everybody loves a good joke or a good punch line, so why restrict all of that fun
and excitement to your lives outside of work? Why not have a working environment where
employees can open up to one another and joke around while still maintaining a composed
manner, but lighten the mood and relieve some of the stress and tension created within an office
environment? What makes friends so close, you may ask, is that they have broken a barrier
where they can open up to each other and joke around, so why not just incorporate those same
concepts into working environments with coworkers. Jobs that people go to everyday don't have
to be boring and monotonous, there is no crime that states employees can't laugh a little at work;
after all, you only get to live once, so why not make the best out of the circumstances you are
dealt with, even at the office. This idea of humor in the workplace is more commonly seen
businesses filmed for reality television. There is a wide variety of reality TV shows that are on
TV today, some are successful and some are not; So what makes a successful reality TV show?
The problem with having humor in the workplace is that it may be seen as being
unprofessional and unproductive. Speaking from personal experience, I am more productive
when I am enjoying what I am doing, as to being bored or overwhelmed with the tasks placed
before me. Reality television is a good example of incorporating humor into the workplace, as
seen with many of the shows such as "American Chopper," "Pawn Stars," and "Fast N Loud."
All of these shows are based off real businesses ran and operated as any other business, just
available to be seen by the public through television. Though all of these shows show how a
particular profession business operates they also incorporate humor into the episodes to make

Comment [TD1]: I like how you started your

paper with questions. It immediately gets the
readers thinking and it gives them a glimpse about
what is the paper will be talking about. It is a good
way to introduce your topic, also because you can
easily flow into your specific figured world.
(Shannon)

them more interesting and pleasing to the viewers, but all of these businesses are successful,
which raises the question if humor in business is good or bad? Throughout this paper we will
explore the inherent of the term "Reality Television"; more specifically I will assess the appeal
and the formulas that make a successful reality television show. Reality TV show's success can
be measured on many different levels but we are going to look at how reality TV incorporates
humor into either a business situation or into people's lives. We will also be looking at how
reality television presents a need for drama, and how many of the problems and situations

Comment [TD2]: I like your opening paragraph

in your introduction, it has a good hook on it.
Towards the end of your paragraph it might be
more beneficial if you try to reword some phrases. It
seems to go from laughter in the workplace to
reality TV shows quickly with not enough flow. Just
a simple adding of a sentence to make it flow better
would help. (Ashley)
Comment [TD3]: In your second paragraph of
your introduction I thought you did a very good job
with your topic proposal. It wasnt short and brief,
your topic proposal was detailed and good in length.
You can tell you took the time to really expand on it.
(Ashley)

presented in episodes of a show will carry over to multiple episodes to help maintain the viewer's
interest.
Before looking into the body of literature it is important to know where I stand with this
topic and my viewpoints to uncover any bias within the topic. I confess to being a viewer of
reality TV, for I enjoy the humorous skits and business techniques displayed in certain shows
such as "Fast N Loud." As a viewer of the "Fast N Loud" series not only do I enjoy the humor
and shenanigans of the employees there at Gas Monkey Garage, but I also enjoy seeing how
successful Richard Rawlings is with his interesting methods of business. Now I am not saying
that Richard Rawlings has the best sales techniques or that I would want to start a business and
copycat his style, but it has made him very successful in what he does and fits his style.

Comment [TD4]: I like the beginning segment of

your paper. It flowed well and got me thinking
within the first few paragraphs. When you talk
about Richard Rawlings, add some background as to
who he is. Sometimes the reader may not know
who you are talking about so some brief background
info will help. (Gemma)

However, I am interested to see what exactly makes a successful reality TV show and what
qualities are imperative to having a show that can maintain its audience without losing focus of
the intent of the show.
Literature Review: The basis of reality television is to show and depict events that happen in
real life, or at least that's what producers say. So the question present is how real is reality TV?
Sarah Handel writes her account of watching a popular reality TV show "The Bachelor," and

Comment [TD5]: In your literature review

you do a good job of mentioning how reality tv is
not all real. However, it could help you out if you
did a little more research and found out how real
it really is. Maybe a study that gives a percentage
or a list of shows like these are more real than
these (business shows vs. dating shows) (Ashley)

accounts an episode where she questions just how real "The Bachelor" is. In a previous episode,
Jason Mesnick, the bachelor, had proposed to a girl named Melissa. In the controversial episode,
a post-season special, Jason dumps Melissa and asks out another finalist on the show, Molly.
With the unexpected change in events on the show, viewers were left wondering if that was
Jason's decision, or if it was all planned by the producers of the show. (Handel, Sarah, "How
Real Is Reality," March 3, 2009.)
Besides looking at how real reality TV is, we can look at how reality TV affects society
and the general public. For instance shows such as "Jersey Shore," which is filmed in South
Beach, New Jersey, are based in communities and feature popular locations recognizable by

Comment [TD6]: All the sources in your

literature review seem to have really good
information. I would just try to work on organizing
your information a little better. You go from one
source to another with hardly an transition which
can lead to confusion. Some of your sources have
really good transitions between them but others
hardly have any. (Shannon)

viewers. Snooki, a character on "Jersey Shore," get a job at Lecca-Lecca Gelato Cafe in some of
the episodes. After viewers in the South Beach area saw her interaction at the local gelato cafe,
which helped draw in customers to the business. (Asante, John, "Reality TV Benefits...In,"
August 10, 2010.) Some reality television shows portray events that have actually happened in
the past. Though the details of a story may change the general plot is the same, which can be
seen through crime scene investigation shows and other detective shows. These shows deal with
real life events, and the impact it can have on a society can be good and bad. An example of
how reality television can impact viewers is the incident that happened a few years back when a
9 year old kid was swept away in a homemade hot air balloon, and was believed to have gotten
the idea to fly from TV. (Wertheimer, Linda, "When Reality TV Intrudes," January 1, 2009.)
Another writer Ann Powers talks about how when watching reality television, viewer can't
actually escape reality. A lot of times when people watch TV shows in general they try to relax
and get away from reality for a little bit, but when faced with possible stress situations viewers
find themselves in when watching shows such as "The Voice" and "American Idol" they are

Comment [TD7]: In paragraph 2 of your

Literature Review, you seem to address what
researchers have said, one after another. You may
want to think about adding a little bit of what you
think about what they have said after each segment.
If not that, then sentences that connect each
quote/citation together a bit better. (Gemma)

unable to escape the real world, even for an hour show. (Powers, Ann. "Decision Fatigue: The
Reality," February 29, 2012.)
Finally we can look at how humor can affect businesses, which is analyzed in Vuolera's
article that looks at different business approaches. The two business situations analyzed was a
seller's internal meeting and a client negotiation. The seller's internal meeting featured more
humor and irony as well as exaggerations were used to help create a more casual and relaxing
environment for the seller and buyer. The client negotiation took a more professional way of
doing business, and after both deals were completed it appeared that the seller's internal meeting
was more successful than the client negotiation. (Vuolera, Taina. "Laughing Matters: A Case,"
2004.) Humor has been used in business situations for years and many people don't even realize
it. Many companies will use humor in various forms such as sales pitches and advertisements
that are used to promote their products. There can be a science to using humor in businesses and
managers can use it as a tool to relieve stress and make the workplace a more enjoyable place to
be. (Romero, Eric, and Kevin Cruthirds. "The Use of Humor," 2006.) Also the use of humor in
business is seen through the observations and accounts of events that occur within the show "Fast
N Loud," a reality TV show based off an automotive garage in Dallas, Texas, interesting named
Gas Monkey Garage. Owner of the garage, Richard Rawlings, uses sarcasm and jokes to open
up to his clients and customers to break the ice and make the car buying process less stressful
and more enjoyable. The use of humor is also present throughout the entire business with
employees in the office and the shop. Though such use of humor would seem to distract
employees and cause the business to be counterproductive, Gas Monkey Garage is a well-known
and well-respected business that has customers even out of the country to buy cars. Richard's
business may not be founded on typical business strategies, but his use of humor has proven

Comment [TD8]: In your Literature Review, you

mainly only include sources that talk about reality
television. You may want to think about adding a
few sources that give their input on humor in the
workplace and how they feel about it. This will give
your reader a better understanding of why
corporations are against or for a more laid back
work place. (Gemma)

itself success with the success of the business. (Davis, Travis, "Discovery's "Fast N Loud","
2014.)
Entering the Conversation: With the continual growth in popularity of reality TV shows there
has been a great increase in the number of reality TV shows that are being aired on a wide
variety of networks, especially over the past ten years, that I personally have observed.
Naturally, with the increase of the different reality TV shows, it makes sense that there is a wide
variety when it comes to the backgrounds and focuses of different shows, and producers are
willing to take a stretch with a particular topic of interest to see if a community of interest is
present that will be able to maintain a healthy number of viewers. Since producers are looking at
such diverse topics it is viable that some of the shows may have added fillers in the show to draw
more viewers, which raises my first question just how real is reality TV. The first types of
reality TV shows such as "Big Brother" and "Jersey Shore" have given reality TV shows a bad
reputation, but that's not to say all reality TV shares corrupted and repulsive characteristics of the
typical drama filled shows that people associate with reality TV.
Reality TV shows such as Discovery channel's "Fast N Loud," are not like those reality TV
shows that give reality TV a bad name, but instead give viewers a different kind of reality TV.
Shows such as "Fast N Loud" are not solely based on drama and endless feuds between actors,
but instead the show portrays a business and the events that take place in such business. For
example, "Fast N Loud" is based off Gas Monkey Garage, an automotive garage located in
Dallas, Texas, where owner Richard Rawlings runs a successful business specializing in
automotive restorations. Now while the show portrays Gas Monkey Garage business, it also
shows the true character of the actors in the show by adding in shenanigans and Richard's joking
attitude. Richard approaches customers and clients in a laid back sort of way, instead of being

Comment [TD9]: Overall, I really enjoyed

reading your paper. Your writing style flowed
very well and there were very few awkward parts.
I like how you transitioned between talking about
reality television as a whole, and then to humor in
certain reality television shows. I also like your
input, you posed very good statements that really
got your reader to think. (Gemma)
Comment [TD10]: You repeat what you said
about Gas Monkey Garage in both your lit review
and whats new section. While it is good to reiterate
what your topic is, it is redundant in your paper
because you say almost say the exact same thing in
both paragraphs; they are also both very detailed
descriptions. Maybe briefly mention the Gas
Monkey Garage in your lit review and then go into
more detail about in your whats new section.
(Shannon)

proper and professional Richard jokes with the people he comes in contact with and uses
sarcasm, which helps to relax the atmosphere and allows the customers and clients to feel more
comfortable in certain business situations. Richard is not the only one who jokes around in the
shop, all of the employees joke around with one another and Aaron Kaufman, the master
mechanic and shop foreman is right there joking around with everyone else. It would seem that
productivity levels would be low with all of the things that go on within an episode, but the
garage is able to meet there strict deadlines, and the quality of work exceeds the expectations of
customers. So is the humor being used at Gas Monkey Garage good for business or not, what is
evident is Gas Monkey Garage is not your typical hometown auto garage that specializes in oil
changes and tire rotations, but is constantly turning cars for profits near and above the $100,000
range. So you tell me, is the humor used in Gas Monkey Garage hurting their business.
Gas Monkey Garage and "Fast N Loud" is not the only business that incorporates humor into
business strategies, but also reality TV shows such as "Duck Dynasty," what started out as a
mom and pop business creating handmade duck calls, grew into a multi-million dollar family
business known as Duck Commander. "Duck Dynasty" not only incorporates humor into their
business and show, but also family values which can be seen in every episode as the family
comes together for a meal and have a prayer. There are plenty more examples of successful
business that are broadcasted on all kinds of networks that incorporate humor into business
strategies. If all of these businesses that are being filmed for reality TV are so successful, then
why not take those strategies that make those businesses different and use them in companies
everywhere.
Business professionals everywhere, who may even watch shows such as "Fast N Loud" and
"Duck Dynasty," enjoy the humor and unnatural approaches shown in episodes, but would never

Comment [TD11]: Towards the middle of your

paper I felt like you were bouncing between two
major topics, humor in the workplace and how real
reality TV is. Just try to watch yourself and make
sure that one is building off the other and not
competing. This will stop any confusion a reader
may have. (Ashley)
Comment [TD12]: I like your whats new section
a lot because i like what you add to the
conversation as well how your present it. Talking
about Duck Dynasty was a good addition because it
has grown so popular and so many people see how
humor has definitely been incorporated in that
show. You give good examples and good insight in
this paragraph which really adds to your paper as a
whole. (Shannon)
Comment [TD13]: When talking about how
humor has helped businesses such as Fast N Loud
and Duck Dynasty, you could also add how the fact
that they use humor could possibly be why they
were offered reality tv deals by certain television
channels. You could also add how humor makes
these shows more fun to watch, which is what
makes them so popular. Both of these will get your
readers to think why these shows became popular
in the first place. (Gemma)

think incorporate such strategies into their own corporations. Owning a business is all about risk
and reward, the biggest rewards are given to those who take the biggest risks. Although allowing
employees to be a little more relaxed at work and not have to be so serious all the time may not
seem like much of risk, but if a company is not willing to take small risks, how will they be
willing to take larger risks when presented with situations? There are logical benefits to
allowing employees more freedoms, such benefits include but not restricted to, more enjoyable
working environments, less stress, and the ability for employees to create closer relationships,
which when combined together can increase productivity and inevitably profitability within a
corporation.
Businesses have always been known to be professional and proper, with strict rules and
regulations that restrict employees to act a certain way and usually unwavering from the
guidelines. I'm not suggesting that all businesses should not have rules and regulations, certain
protocols are necessary for production and ensuring safety in terms of the health of the
corporation as well as the health of employees. The rules and regulations set by certain
companies is what makes up those companies and they might have a reputation regarding
protocols. Not all rules have to be bad, but too many rules can make environments stressful for
employees who have to stay within the guidelines, and can also be stressful for high ranking
leaders in a business as well since they are the ones who are in charge of making sure all rules
and protocols are enforced. As earlier stated not all rules are bad, but in some cases rules are just
put in place for no apparent reason, and I feel like sometimes it is better to loosen the reins a
little bit and give employees more freedom. Though this paper seems to focus quite a bit on
employees, but even if employers relax a little and open up to employees, then more
relationships can be created which will allow employees to feel less threatened or intimidated by

Comment [TD14]:
I really enjoyed reading your adding to the
conversation part. It would be a neat idea if other
companies chose to take some risk and mock or
use these ideas that some of these successful
businesses on reality TV use. Do you know why
they have chosen not to? You may want to think
about putting in a small part of why businesses are
choosing to not take these risks, is it because they
think its all scripted TV? (Ashley)

higher officials within a company. Creating lower stress environments allow people to feel more
comfortable which can lead to more productivity, and a great way to incorporate these concepts
is to allow humor within businesses.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the topic discussed was taking reality TV and looking at the benefits
and what concepts could be taken from a show, such as humor, and applied to business models.
There are a variety of reality television shows that are based off of businesses and like with
anything else there are pros and cons to the way people choose to do specific things. By looking
at the different ways humor was used in specific situations, I was able to draw some conclusions
and take away some concepts that could be applied to companies everywhere. By appropriately
entering humor in businesses in a respectful manner, it can be used in ways as such to relieve
stress, make employment more enjoyable, and even to strengthen relationships between
coworkers. Many jobs require a lot out of its employees and many of those tasks can be
overwhelming and stressful, so by adding humor to the workplace can potentially reduce the
lingering effects of stress. Creating a lower stress environment and improving employee
relations can not only make the workplace more enjoyable, but can logically improve
productivity and quality of work performed in that environment.
This topic may seem like it may not be that big of a deal, but this topic could affect the
health of employees, the enjoyment an employee can obtain while working in a specific
situation. Stress can take a toll on people's lives and health, so for something as simple as
giving employees more freedoms and allowing the use of humor into a workplace can possibly
improve the health of employees. Also with any good business model productivity and quality
are usually major factors as to how the business is measured in success, and if there was a chance
to improve both productivity and quality at no cost then why not just give it a try. So after

viewing the possible benefits of adding humor into a business, there are still more areas of
further research with the topic. Such areas can include other concepts of reality television or just
television in general that can be applied to business solutions and strategies. Also I mainly
discussed the benefits of introducing more humor into businesses, what are some other ideas that
can be introduced to business, and why might businesses not have already put more humor into
their business strategies.

Comment [TD15]: You do a good job of

summing up everything in your conclusion. You hit
all your points again which gives just information to
sum up your paper. However, I would suggest
adding some questions to the end to open up room
for thinking and discussion. This will be good
because it gives readers a chance to reflect on your
paper as well as think about how humor is, in fact, a
good thing in the workplace. (Shannon)

Bibliography:
Vuolera, Taina. "Laughing Matters: A Case Study of Humor in Multicultural Business
Negotiations." Negotiation Journal 21, no. 1 (2004): 105-30. Accessed September 25, 2014.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1571-9979.2005.00049.x/abstract.
Davis, Travis. "Discovery's "Fast N Loud"" Assignment 1, 2014.
Handel, Sarah. "How Real Is Reality TV?" National Public Radio. March 3, 2009. Accessed
October 1, 2014.
Wertheimer, Linda. "When Reality TV Intrudes Into Real Life." National Public Radio. January
1, 2009. Accessed October 1, 2014.
Asante, John. "Reality TV Benefits...In Reality." National Public Radio. August 10, 2010.
Accessed October 1, 2014.
Powers, Ann. "Decision Fatigue: The Reality Of Reality Television." National Public Radio.
February 29, 2012. Accessed October 1, 2014.
Romero, Eric, and Kevin Cruthirds. "The Use of Humor In The Workplace." Academy of
Management Prospectives 20, no. 2 (2006): 58-69. Accessed October 1, 2014.
ttp://www.jstor.org.librarylink.uncc.edu/stable/4166232.