VH1's Reality Check

         I believe I'm like millions of viewers who have ever wondered if Reality Television was real or fake. I've always assumed a camera followed a group of "interesting" people around and brought back an explosion of drama. It wasn't until watching Vh1's Love & Hip hop that I had an epiphany. I came to realize that there's no way anyone's life could be as juicy and as exciting as the lives of the cast of the hit reality show.
      Well I caught up with the latest episode titled Reality Check. This episode featured the show's stars giving their own unscripted views of their lives, the lives of their cast mates and the show. First up was Chrissy Lampkin. Homegirl was livid about the fact that the show painted her in a negative light. Chrissy got so mad as to quit the show when cameras weren't running. Her reason? She feels as if the show instigated and fueled the ongoing beef between herself and cast mate Yandy Smith. Tonight's episode gave viewers a first hand experience of Chrissy's real emotions. "The reality about this show is, a lot of this show isn't real." said Somaya Reese. Erica Mena feels as if "the show was edited to make her look bad." After plenty of untold drama and behind the scene clips, the episode wrapped with the producer, Mona Scott Young wrapping her hands around a crying Erica and reminding her that, "Life is about growth, and these shows don't represent everything you are."
     I think that about sums it up for the viewers. While reality shows feature real people instead of actresses and actors, the story line and focus of the show is heavily scripted and edited thus taking away from the authenticity of real life. This leaves me with the question: Is Reality TV [really] keeping it real? You be the judge.