Morgan McGinn

How Reality TV Compares to Real Life

Introduction
There is a long pause and the dancer steps out on the stage. The audience is in awe of the
brightly colored two-piece costume that she is clothed in. As the music starts to play she moves
towards the center of the stage, dancing so elegant that the audience can not keep their eyes off
her. The contemporary music seems to be in perfect unison with the dancer. It is until she takes
the final step that the audience feels pulled in to exactly how and why she is dancing. She fell
out of a turn then finding herself running off stage in tears. Her biggest concern is what the
media will say about her next. As a young dancer on a reality TV show she comes with anxiety
and constant worry of her image.
Within all of my sources I found that they all have in common that they all discuss the

Comment [MM1]: I really like your first paragraph. It

really pulls me in as a reader who has not watched this
show. They way you entered your topic is very smooth.
Good job!
- Gwendolyn Steslicke

ethical issues of reality TV shows and how the show compares to real life. In reality TV shows
there are many different ways that people perceive what is actually happening in the show. Some
people find what is happening to be exactly how the stars in the show are living even behind the
cameras and others know that what happens on the show is completely opposite from what their
real world is like. The media tries to make more of the reality TV show than what reality is really
like for the people staring on the show.
As a dancer I fit into this figured world because there is a fine line between what should
and should not happen in the dance place rather it is on TV or not. Dance Moms uses Abby Lee
Miller as the dance teacher which then represents dance teachers all across the world, which is
not the case. There are also often times that the producers will make more out of a situation just
to get better reviews out of the audience.

Comment [MM2]: I really like your explanation of why

you picked your figured world. I thought it was
interesting that you brought in how Abby Miller being
the eye of dancing when in reality she isn't. A lot of
times, I have based dancing on "Dance Moms"
because that is what it is in the media. -Brianna Booth

Morgan McGinn

Dance Moms is a reality TV show that is supposed to focus on the aspects of the
competitive dancer and their life. As the TV series has developed it has become a show more
about how the moms can argue with the dance teacher and each other. This is where the show
has problems with ethical issues and creates a bad image for the surrounding dance communities.
The reality TV world has created a stigma about dancers that should now be exactly like the
dancers that are featured on Dance Moms. When the girls are required to say different things
because of the producers is when the show has no longer become a reality TV show.
Literature review
In two of my sources from my annotated bibliography the articles focus was on the
ethnical slurs and influence that is seen on reality television shows. On Dance Moms one of the
dancers, Nia, is often singled out because of her race. These two articles discuss the problems
with how different races are portrayed on national television. There are often ethnic slurs used
that receive more attention to a show, which is exciting to an audience that wants to keep
watching the show. Having these two sources helped me to construct my paper because they
allowed me to expand my knowledge on the different slurs that are used on reality television
shows.
For majority of my sources they discussed how reality television is turning young girls
into monsters because of all the fame and attention they are getting. Most of the sources talk
about how the attention they are getting is mostly negative because it is turning them into people
that they would not have been otherwise. On Dance Moms the stars in the show are young girls,
therefore their lives have completely changed due to the attention they have received from the
show. Most audience members can say that the girls look pretty old for their age. But this is

Comment [MM3]: Make sure you do in-text citation for

at least 8 sources. This will also help the reader to
understand where your information came from. It could
also make it clearer for you to form paragraphs. :) Brianna Booth
Comment [MM4]: Maybe you could go a little more
depth about what different problems their are. Try and
expand our knowledge on the subject like it expanded
ours. Seeing that race is a big issue in society, I like
how you implemented that in here. Showing that even
on national television that people are being singled out
because of their race.
-Gwendolyn Steslicke

Morgan McGinn

considering that they are being exposed to a whole other world way before the average 12-yearold should be.
In the source titled Assignment One, there is exact examples of how each show is done
each week. Also featured in this source is definitions of who each character is and how they act
as a star on the show. This is a good source because it goes through three different episodes of
the series to describe what happens and when exactly on Dance Moms. With out this knowledge
it would be hard to write this paper because I would not know the ins and outs of the series.
The other sources that I used talk about how reality TV influences the other dance studios
and companies around the world. Dance Moms has become a very influential show for the dance
world. For example, they talk about the influence that dance teachers have on each dancer
throughout their studio. With this said, audience members that teach dance will often try to
mimic what is seen on television. This proves that reality Television does have an effect on the
surrounding dance communities all over the world.
Entering the Conversation
Reality TV is filled with fake scenarios that are made to entertain the audience. As Dance
Moms has revolved there are several aspects to the show that would be considered scripted in
order to get higher rates and reviews. I will create a convention that teaches TV producers how to
make the reality show as morally and ethically correct without turning away viewers. It is very
easy to get carried away with the racial slurs that attract attention. There is a fine line between
using racial slurs to attract attention to the show and just having an entertaining television show.
I would focus on the major television producers around the nation such as Fox, Abc, Fx, and
many more.

Comment [MM5]: I really enjoyed reading the entering

the conversation, it is very well put together. I would
suggest putting in a other example from a different TV
show. To show that its not just dance moms.
-Gwendolyn Steslicke

Morgan McGinn

During this convention there will be different speakers that will come to speak about why
there are ethical issues with the reality television today. The guest speakers that will come to
speak will be the CEOs from various TV producers such as Mark Scott from ABC. In his speech
he will discuss the goals for his cooperation. When talking about this the audience will take notes
on how to improve the reality TV shows that they are currently shooting and the shows they are
considering starting.
After the speech part is over the producers will break out into their individual
cooperations where they will discuss the new way they will incorporate entertainment within the
reality tv shows. This will help them to know exactly how to avoid racial slurs and ethical issues
during the show. It might be hard to find the truth in the subject that the reality show focuses on
because most of the time there is always a script for the actors to go by, even when it is all
supposed to be honest. In the smaller groups there will be hired professionals that will discuss
the ethical principals for reality TV, form ideas to better their cooperation, and assist the
employees with how to stray from using degrading lines while keeping the show entertaining. As
a TV producing company many might believe the information from this convention would lower
their rate of viewers but it would actually help bring reality TV back where it should be.
As the convention progresses the cast from a reality TV show from each production
company would come to the convention center where fans could come to hear the cast talk about
what it is like to be a part of a reality TV show. This part of the convention would be used to
help the audience understand what exactly the cast goes through in order to be part of the show.
As people know there is a lot that goes into airing a television show and this would increase the
number of viewers that actually believe in what the show is actually there for. The cast members

Comment [MM6]: Maybe you can introduce your idea a

different way. The way it is now, it just kind of hits you.
You don't really introduce what it is going to be, you
just state that it will be a convention. Maybe have a
little intro sentence. I like the whole concept though!
very nice!
-Gwendolyn Steslicke

Morgan McGinn

would have to do an interview in front of the audience, where they would not know which
questions were going to be asked and the answers would not be scripted.
This will relate to Dance Moms because the girls will have to come to the convention to

Comment [MM7]: I really like your entering the

conversation. Your convention that you are suggesting
is a excellent idea! This was easy to read and very
interesting.
-Gwendolyn Steslicke

express their feelings about the way the producers make the show all about the drama. As far as
ethical issues are concerned Nia, one of the African American dancers, would be asked questions
about how she might feel degraded on the show because of her race. When talking to the
producers and fans about how the shows ethical issues, the audience will better understand how
much of an impact the reality TV really has on the people that star in the shows.
Conclusion:
In this paper the focus is based on the reality TV series Dance Moms. The paper stresses
how reality TV has influenced and is influences the real world outside of reality television. It

Comment [MM8]: You bring up a good point with the

ethical issues. I like that you put it in there, I just think if
you are going to mention it, go more in depth about
how you are going to fix the ethical issues. Ethical
issues normally turn viewers away so maybe during the
convention that you want to have, you would also talk
to them about how to stay away from ethical issues.
Great Job though :) -Brianna Booth

also discusses the problems with ethical principles on reality TV. The paper focuses on how the
reality TV industry can be improved yet still keep the entertaining and viewers high. Thus far the
conversation is that there are definitely lines that have been crossed in reality TV. There is
nothing that TV producers have done to fix the ethical issues with the reality TV show because
of the amount of people that watch the shows. In adding to the conversation I decided it would
be best if I came up with a type of convention that stressed the ethical and moral issues of reality
TV in order to better relate the shows to actual real life. Dance Moms is a reality show that
strongly correlates with this convention because it is a dance show that millions of dancers take
time to watch. Dancers focus on this show because they want to be like the girls that are featured
on the show. With this convention there will be ways in which the girls that are on the reality
series Dance Moms will learn how to be themselves on the show rather than acting out to get
attention. This issue matters because there is no one now that is stressing how much influence

Comment [MM9]: I really like you conclusion and the

statements you make within it, is great. I just think that
you should restate what the convention is exactly so
readers can really understand what you mean by the
convention. Though you do mention is, just giving a
brief (like an extra sentence) description of it and that
would be great. Great Job with concussion though :) Brianna Booth

Morgan McGinn

the actors on reality TV have on the public eye. It is easy for producers to get carried away with
the excitement of what drama is going on rather than if it is ethical or not. Whether it is ethical or
not plays an important role in the number of viewers a show gets and the number is what the
producers looks for. This is why my adding to the conversation is very important because the
producers need to realize there is boundaries they need to have when planning the reality TV
series. When thinking about how a reality show influences the outside audience, there should
always be a good impact rather than one that will change the minds of the viewers. There are
many things in Dance Moms that the audience sees that should not be there. The racial slurs that
have been used to describe one of the dancers is neither ethically or morally correct so there
needs to be some regulation when the script is made. Another issue that could be fixed by
having this convention that I added to the conversation is that there is no reason to script a reality
show. As an audience member they want to know that what is being said is actually what the
actor is feeling at the time, rather than something that the producer wants the actor to say in order
to create drama in the next scene. There are many ways that this topic can be researched and
added on more. Such as what are the ethical principles that the producers should focus on when
filming a reality TV show? Or another question that could be asked is how do you think you
could incorporate entertainment without offending the viewers of the show?

Comment [MM10]: Overall, I think that your paper was

great. I really like how you end it with questions to keep
the reader thinking even after the paper is over. Also,
your introduction was great. Your story really got me
interested into your paper. Great Job! -Brianna Booth

Morgan McGinn

Sources
"'Dance Moms' Star Abby Lee Miller Gets Feisty Before Court Appearance." YouTube.
YouTube. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
"Viewer Beware: Watching Reality TV Can Impact Real-Life Behavior." NPR. NPR. Web. 20
Oct. 2015.
Institute, Luna. "Where Does Dance Live in Our Society?" The Huffington Post.
TheHuffingtonPost.com. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
"Scholarly Commons." Electronic Doctoral Dissertations. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
http://repository.upenn.edu/dissertations/AAI3246216/
"A Rational Conversation: 2014 Through The Eyes Of A Choreographer." NPR. NPR. Web. 20
Oct. 2015. http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2014/12/23/371942258/a-rationalconversation-2014-through-the-eyes-of-a-choreographer
"Intervening in the Media's Influence on Stereotypes of Race and Ethnicity: The Role of Media
Literacy Education." Wiley Online Library. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
<http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josi.12103/full>.
Assignment one, Morgan McGinn
"Reality TV Turning Young Girls Into Fame Monsters?" NPR. NPR. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
<http://www.npr.org/2011/10/19/141508287/reality-tv-turning-young-girls-into-famemonsters>.