( in full reality television )
a type of television programme which is based on filming ordinary people in ‘real’ situations instead of actors. The first reality TV shows were documentaries which filmed the lives of ordinary people. These were sometimes called fly-on-the-wall documentaries. Later came shows such as The Real World on MTV which films the daily lives of a group of people who have agreed to live together in a house, and The Osbournes and The Anne Nicole Show which film the lives of famous people. Some reality TV shows use hidden cameras to film the reactions of ordinary people to different, often strange or embarrassing, situations. The best known of these was Candid Camera and more recent shows include Trigger Happy TV in the UK. Reality game shows such as Big Brother and Survivor film a group of people who are put together for a period of time and have to compete to win a prize.