Gladiators, real housewives and the pull of reality TV

People used to say "believe your eyes." But these days that's not so easy to do. What we scroll through every day blurs the line between entertainment and fact. And nowhere is that phenomenon more evident than in reality television. Today on the show, we tackle the genre that takes our most potent feelings – love, hope, anxiety, loneliness – and turns them into profit. This episode originally ran in 2022.

Guests:

Goloka Bolte, reality TV casting director

Dr. Jana Scrivani, licensed clinical psychologist

Racquel Gates, associate professor of film and media studies at Columbia University

Dr. J'tia Hart, nuclear engineer on Survivor (Season 28)

Jeff Jenkins, founder of Jeff Jenkins Productions (JJP)

To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy