History of Reality TV
 Reality Television goes back further than Big Brother, American Idol, or even Survivor. Allen Funt and Candid Camera of the nineteen fifties looked at cultural value and social issues of postwar America. Many argue today that the reality television of today is cheap and endlessly recyclable, but in the postwar period Funt filmed record of real people in unusual situations and it was esteemed as art. This assessment made Allen Funt one of the most ingenious sociologists of his time. The television shows and films he made were valuable and educational in studying modern society within mass culture (Murray & Ouellette, 2004).
The reality television of the nineteen fifties was considered to be good, instructive, and socially progressive through the association with social science. The reality television of today is theatrical, voyeuristic, and explosive (Murray & Ouellette, 2004). Social Scientists are still used to screen the people auditioning for the reality shows and as consultants for the shows but it is not as revered as it once was. They have taken on a more “prime time” feel rather than a sociological appeal creating a form of entertainment for mass audiences.
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