'Reality' shows often aren't real

My husband and I were on House Hunters. One thing you didn't see on air? We were already living in the great houses we "found" on TV.

House Hunters International.
(Image credit: HGTV)

This article originally appeared on Slate, and it is used with permission.

When people learn that my husband and I have been on House Hunters not just once but twice, they always have a million questions. Once we are done explaining, though, they never like my answers and wish they'd never asked. This is because even though smart viewers know that reality TV is created and edited just as carefully as scripted TV, they still, in the back of their minds, think that there must be some baseline rules about the "reality" that's portrayed. But there aren't!

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