Top 10 Times Reality TV Shows Were FAKED

#10: Pretty Wild (2010)

The makers behind this E! reality show had no idea what they had. Pretty Wild was already in production when Alexis Neiers was arrested for her involvement in the Bling Ring, a group of rich teens who broke into various celebrity homes in 2008 and 2009. Thats the kind of thing you need to get on camera if youre filming a reality show. Unfortunately, they didnt. As revealed in the Netflix docuseries, The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist, the scene where cops arrived with a search warrant actually happened off-camera. Producers took it upon themselves to restage the scene with creative editing and no actual glimpse of the so-called cops. After all, it did happen, didnt it?

#9: Breaking Amish (2012-14)

Scenes and situations are often played up for cameras in the unscripted sphere. But the entire premise of Breaking Amish ended up being called into question. The show followed several young people trying to decide if they want to stay with their Anabaptist communities or pursue life in New York City. However, the cast members chosen were not exactly welcome in the communities they were presumed to represent. Producers didnt hide all of these facts, but the revelations of past indiscretions and violations of their communities cultural customs seemed to bump against the shows stated premise. Were they breaking Amish or had they already broken Amish?

#8: The Simple Life (2003-07)

From the very first episode, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie knew what the job was and they got it done. The Simple Life saw the two rich socialites getting a taste of a working class American existence. Years afterward, Hilton opened up about playing up the airheaded rich girl archetype for the cameras. You mean to tell us she didnt really think Wal-Mart was just a place where people buy walls? We cant say we feel cheated. The amount of laughs she gave us proves she has some of the best acting chops in the genre.

#7: Next (2005-08)

If you thought this MTV dating series sounded awkward and stilted, theres a good reason for that. Most of it was scripted. The series saw five young people on a makeshift bus each getting a chance to go on a date with a special someone waiting outside. If that sounds cute, rest assured, its not. Those who didnt measure up were nexted in brutal fashion. Most of the introductions and banter were delivered with all the gusto and believability of a middle school play. And lets not even talk about how badly its aged. Were done with this entry. Next!

#6: The Osbournes (2002-04)

Arguably the first famous family to do reality TV, Ozzy Osbourne and his eccentric brood were accused of staging outrageous moments from the start. Siblings Kelly and Jack Osbourne later confirmed some of the situations were staged. But the show did some ultimate trolling with episode twenty of season two. At this point the show becomes wall to wall fiction. Full of soap opera melodrama and a truly macabre storyline involving the death of the family dog, the last scene reveals the entire half hour to be staged. Further, the episode pretends the entire show has been staged up to that point, even going so far as to have famously foul-mouthed Ozzy remark that hes relieved not to have to pretend to swear anymore.

#5: American Idol (2002-)

While many viewers upset at the results of eliminations always resort to the it was rigged conspiracy theory, American Idol has been pulling a fast one on its audiences for decades. During auditions, its panel of judges were exposed to all levels of vocal talent, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. What the show doesnt tell you is there is a pre-audition process. Have you ever wondered who told those really bad singers they could sing? Well, the answer is American Idol producers. The only reason we get to see them is because their failure would make good TV. Thankfully, the ABC revival series has curbed the amount of embarrassing auditions.

#4: Catfish: The TV Show (2012-)

Have you ever wondered why these nefarious catfish never run from Nev Schulman, Max Joseph, and Kamie Crawfords questioning? Theres a good and potentially show-breaking reason. The catfish are often the ones who contact the show first. Episodes are then conceived from their victims perspective. From a production standpoint, it makes sense. Why risk all that time and money on an episode that might not have a willing participant for the climactic meetup scene? But then, it really blows a hole in the altruistic bent of trying to help people who have been misled by someone who isnt who they say they are.

#3: Storage Wars (2010-)

The appeal of found items was the whole point of this A&E series about competitors going head to head in buying real, abandoned storage lockers at auction. But were these storage lockers as real and untouched as they were purported to be? Not exactly, claimed fired cast member Dave Hester. The fakery employed was later confirmed by producer Thom Beers, who admitted that some items would be moved between containers. The gulf between Hesters contention that the whole show was fake, and Beers that only some of it was fake, is wide. But whether a little or a lot, its still not total reality.

#2: House Hunters (1999-)

Airing on HGTV since 1999, this real estate-based series focuses on people shopping for a new place to live. But this so-called hunt is largely put on for the cameras. Former participants broke the illusion by saying the show didnt even touch their story until they had already closed on a house. So, all that house hunting, where the buyers look at different places, is full of houses that they may have seen in the past, but their reactions and debate about them are totally inauthentic. HGTV essentially admitted this. Buying real estate is a lengthy process with a lot of potential hiccups. To produce an hour of TV based on it, it requires short cuts.

#1: The Hills (2006-10)

Always ahead of the curve when it comes to reality, MTV really broke the mold with this Laguna Beach spinoff. Dogged by allegations of fakery and pre-planned storylines for its entire run, the finale lifted the lid off the whole enterprise. As Kristin Cavallari and Brody Jenner share their final goodbye, suddenly, the entire scene is revealed to be a Hollywood set. Its a deliciously meta and totally brazen confession played out like a magic trick. If anything, it almost makes it more impressive that this cast and crew could straddle the line between reality and artificiality for so long and still keep us watching.

Whats a reality show you think fakes it for the cameras? Let us know in the comments.