I think that's right in line with what I'm talking about, MJG. I wondered right off when I watched the video how "real" it was. Were some of the people plants to push the thing along? Were they all acting? Last summer I spent the weekend in New York with a guy that produced and directed reality TV shows. We talked about how the shows come about, how they are made, how much is real, who the people that go on these shows are and it was pretty interesting. At the time he had just finished shooting the final episodes of what he was calling an "argument show", I don't think at the time it had a name. The show had been requested by some tv network, which is generally how his company came to making them.

It's a copy cat thing where they see another network have success with a type of show so they sit down with people from his company and tell them they want a show like it. He would then get the orders to do this and then a group would brainstorm some ideas for the show. In this case they had decided to follow around some different people that worked jobs that would likely entail them getting into some nasty arguments. So, they picked a guy that worked at a tow lot, an amusement park security guard, and I forget what else.

They then followed them around with the cameras and hoped that something would happen but he noted that this was costing them money so if they felt there was nothing happening a line producer would then try to make something happen. Meaning he would wander off and offer cash to somebody to say, go start an argument or a fistfight with the amusement park security guard they were following without the guard knowing it. So, at least the mayhem that ensued appeared real. The show had been suspended because they got a little more than they had bargained for when a guy pulled out a gun and started shooting when they were filming the poor bastard that worked at the tow lot. A legal team was sorting out whether or not the shooting footage could be used or how much of it could be used.

In the meantime he was given a funnier and what at least sounded like a more interesting but no less bizarre assignment. You may or may not know who Zahi Hawass is but suffice to say if you have ever watched a tv show dealing with Giza and the Pyramids you've seen this guy before. He is pretty much the Egyptologist of note around the world. Well, the History Channel decided they wanted a reality show about Dr. Hawass and so dreamed up this idea that there were 5 young archaeologists competing to "replace" him. Problem is Dr. Hawass is not going anywhere and I guess they failed to tell him anything about this other than they wanted to film a show where these 5 guys follow him around Egypt. So, this guy I was chatting with tells me his job is to go to Egypt and film this "reality show" without letting Dr. Hawass know what they are doing. I asked if the 5 guys that would be following him around were in on the joke and he said at the time he did not know that yet. He thought they may have been told that they really were competing for his job. All this from the History channel, ha!