Here’s what people said, along with some members of theBuzzFeed Community.
Note: These stories have not been verified.
The people who submitted stories are supposedly speaking from their own experiences.
“I was onMasterChef, and it’s completely staged.
They even go so far as to have handlers with every cook doing most of the plating.
It’s all a ruse.”
“I dated a guy who was onChopped.
u/throwawaymyanalbeads
3.
“Wife and I tried out forSupermarket Sweepin 2021.
We did a Zoom call with the casting people but didn’t get the job.
I think we got too many answers.
We weren’t ‘enthusiastic’ enough.
It was exhausting.”
“I was on (and won) Chopped!
In my episode, the clock was mostly real.
I’m not sure why.
u/WarriorChef
5.
“No one hails theCash Cab.
Its all a setup, though the contestants dont necessarily know theyre about to be on the show.
You also get a check, not actual cash.”
“I had a cousin win my countrys version ofSurvivor.
But I guess thats to be expected with reality TV.”
u/Tjobi
7.
“I won the Showcase Showdown onThe Price Is Rightin 2012.
The day is LONG.
Start standing in line around 6 a.m.; then you’re put through quick interviews.
They ask your name, where you’re from, and what you do for work.
I guessed that I was a young 23-year-old woman with okay legs.
You truly do not know if you will be called to ‘come on down’ until now.
Yes, the wheel is heavy.”
“I worked with someone who organized his wedding and got married onDon’t Tell The Bride.
The whole thing was scripted right down to how they met and fell into a love story.
The only real thing was they were really a couple.”
GussieRD
9.
She said people were literally going in and out like a revolving door.
No banter, no funny talk, nothing they do for the cameras.”
“Mystery Dinerswas completely staged.
On the episode I was hired to film, I recognized the wait staff from the auditions.
emma1515
11.
“I was in the audience forDeal or No Dealonce.
A couple of running gags didn’t make the TV cut.
They also took the secrecy of the briefcase contents very seriously.
One of the briefcases got dropped, and it opened.
u/Monoplex
13.
“As a phone-a-friend onWho Wants to Be a Millionaire, there is no rule against Googling.
Instead of studying, I practiced googling all kinds of esoteric subjects for a few weeks.
I helped my friend win $50K.”
“I was onThe Price is Right.
They took my SSN in case I was picked, for tax purposes.
Everyone said to act enthusiastically to get picked, but I couldn’t fake it not my personality.
Despite that, I got picked.
I must have been wearing a good outfit for TV or something.
I ended up winning a lot of money on Plinko.”
u/Jacsmom
15.
“OnJeopardy, tiny lights surround the game board that aren’t visible on camera.
That’s why you see people rapidly clicking the signaling unit.”
They mostly shot five episodes each day, so it’s a long day.
They start with reviewing rules, your wardrobe, signing contracts, etc.
Eventually, you play practice games on the actual set.
Food is provided all day long.
Of course, you pay taxes on any prizes or cash, and you might refuse any as well.
I declined a trip to Australia.
Most travel prizes are for the off-season, and the window was only two months.”
u/mgoflashmgoflash
17.
“Not a game show, but I know a couple on one of those HGTVHouse Huntersshows.
Everything about it was fake.
They already had a house and had no intention of buying one.
“I was onLet’s Make a Deal.
This makes everyone there stay energetic the whole time, which I thought was clever.
Lastly, I know this makes me sound weird, but Wayne Brady smells amazing.”
u/fallingoffdragons
19.
“I went to a taping ofWheel of Fortune.
They taped three shows, and I was exhausted by the end.
You never realize how much the audience has to clap during that show until you do it.”
“I was an audience member with my class forAmericas Funniest Home Videos.
They literally had empty plates and cups at some tables and a light-up sign telling us when to laugh.
Sometimes they would even move audience members, depending on how well they laughed.”
u/Horriblynice
21.
“I’ve been onMasterChef.
The judges have a ton of stylists following them around, so they look the same between takes.
Also, all the timers were fake.
They recorded them when the lighting was OK. Also, nothing is a surprise.
you might practice your dish for a week or more before the episode.
There are no ‘surprise ingredients.’
They also train you in presentation.
Sometimes your dish gets moved around the plate by the personnel for lighting reasons or whatever.”
Steve Harvey changes clothes between each episode to make it look like it’s not the same day.
u/survivor39
23.
“I went to a taping for a reality singing competition.
Each taping had a nightly ‘winner’ who moved on.
They filmed the results SEVERAL times.
I felt bad for the person who got second place and had to keep refilming their loss.”
