<P> Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents supposedly unscripted real - life situations , and often features an otherwise unknown cast of individuals who are typically not professional actors . Reality television exploded as a phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the global success of the series Survivor , Idols , and Big Brother . These shows and a number of others ( usually also competition - based ) became global franchises , spawning local versions in dozens of countries . The genre has various standard tropes , including `` confessionals '' , or interview segments , used by cast members to express their thoughts , which often double as the shows ' narration . In competition - based reality shows , there are other common elements , such as one participant being eliminated per episode , a panel of judges , and the concept of immunity from elimination . </P>
<P> Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents supposedly unscripted real - life situations , and often features an otherwise unknown cast of individuals who are typically not professional actors . Reality television exploded as a phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s with the global success of the series Survivor , Idols , and Big Brother . These shows and a number of others ( usually also competition - based ) became global franchises , spawning local versions in dozens of countries . The genre has various standard tropes , including `` confessionals '' , or interview segments , used by cast members to express their thoughts , which often double as the shows ' narration . In competition - based reality shows , there are other common elements , such as one participant being eliminated per episode , a panel of judges , and the concept of immunity from elimination . </P>
reality television is a genre of television programming which
reality television is a genre of television programming which
that documents supposedly unscripted real - life situations , and often features an otherwise unknown cast of individuals who are typically not professional actors
that documents supposedly unscripted real - life situations , and often features an otherwise unknown cast of individuals who are typically not professional actors