Edge of Reality: Journeys Through the Rabbit Hole of Reality Television

by Jacques Peretti

Go behind the scenes of the most shocking, hilarious, controversial genre of reality television.

Reality TV's influence is twenty-five years ago, the concept didn't exist. Yet today, it is one of the most powerful cultural forces on earth; a multi-billion-dollar machine. Despite that, it is often derided as "trash"; a cultural McDonalds not worthy of examination. The truth is that reality TV offers a profound insight into who we are as human beings, questioning the very nature of what we deem to be entertaining.

Writer, broadcaster and reality TV-obsessive Jacques Peretti goes behind the scenes of a world that has entranced and consumed him for two decades. Meeting with people at every level of the reality TV machine, from those responsible for coming up with ever-more extreme formats, to the contestants and participants at the heart of some of the most iconic moments in television, who felt that their lives and their vulnerabilities were being exploited in the name of entertainment.

This is reality TV as you've never seen it before.

Please be aware that this audiobook discusses suicide, trauma, mental health, and sexual abuse, which some listeners may find upsetting.

About the Jacques Peretti is an investigative journalist, author and broadcaster. His award-winning TV shows include The Men Who Made Us Fat, The Super Rich & Us, and Trillion Pound Island. He is also the author of two The Deals That Made the World (2018) and Little Bird of Auschwitz (2022).

2023 DK Jacques Peretti 2023 DK Audio

Genres: Nonfiction, Adult

Audible Audio

Published October 31, 2023

Reviews

[Shilo Parcel · Rating 2 out of 5]

'Edge of Reality' by Peretti explores fascinating insights into the realm of reality television. While the book sheds light on the manipulation tactics employed by producers, its attempt at a conversational tone makes the narrative feel disjointed. The inclusion of tangential storylines detracts from the main focus, making it a challenging read at times. While it may provide some diversion, a more structured approach would have enhanced the overall experience.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently reality tv didn't exist until the author started watching. MTV's The Real World got a brief mention maybe an hour in, but it apparently doesn't count as reality television. I hope I misheard, but it sounded to me like the author got the year of 9/11 wrong. I was going to go back and re-listen, but that's a lot harder with audiobooks than with print or e-books, so I didn't.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good but I noticed a few minor inaccuracies that made me question the validity of the whole book. The author’s opinions were thought provoking though and I thought the interviews provided some interesting context for what happens behind the scenes of reality tv.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peretti's "Edge of Reality" is promoted as a deep-dive into reality tv casting and production. Unfortunately, it's not quite as detailed as the description promises.

Peretti focuses on a few shows and a few aspects of the reality tv production experience - casting and psych exams, manipulation by producers, and the suicide epidemic among reality tv contestants. He bounces around between Survivor, Big Brother, Fantasy Island, and the Bachelor Franchise but keeps going back to the same psychiatrists and cast members who were willing to speak to him.

Other journalists have been able to get more information and perspectives out of producers and cast members in recent articles and books. This makes me think that either Peretti burned a lot of bridges throughout his time as a reality tv producer himself or people still employed in the area don't trust him. For this reason, the book doesn't give too much information that isn't already known or speculated about.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking read about the darker ramifications of reality television fame and production, I learned quite a bit about the European History of this television genre. For instance, I did not realize that even in the US, many reality television production teams aren't unionized or part of any of the entertainment unions. I was unaware that there have been many suicides of past reality show contestants (the only one I'd heard of was Gia from the Bachelor franchise). I had never heard of several of the European and Asian/Arabic shows the book details, and I knew pretty much nothing about the importance of Love Island in the UK. I liked the global perspective and research this slim book offered, and found it entertaining and educational, if the writing a little weak. 4 stars.

[Caroline Mathews · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the topics in Peretti’s ‘Edge of Reality’ are both interesting & actually quite insightful into the world of reality television, I found that the book was written in a way that is difficult to follow. I imagine the intent of this was to create a pseudo-conversational tone where the reader felt as though the author was telling them an interesting story at a party. However, this lack of structure & inclusion of tangential storylines within each chapter made the book difficult to get through and left me often thinking, “can we just get to the point?”

[Cara Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not really a big fan of reality TV, so I went into this knowing nothing other than people are obsessed with the genre. Peretti does a great analysis on how producers and executives get people addicted to it by making “great tv”. I was truly shocked by how manipulative these shows can be, and the total disregard to contestants’ safety and mental health. This books was an excellent and engrossing piece of journalism.

[AnnieM · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book offers and interesting take on Reality TV - particularly on shows that originated in the UK and then were transplanted and adapted for US audiences. He makes interesting points about the manipulation and gimmicks that reality TV show producers use on its contestants and in the end, I am not sure if I learned anything particularly new but it still made for an interesting, diverting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and DK for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

[Brock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hm. I didn’t love this. I was intrigued by the behind-the-scenes stories of reality TV contestants that I hadn’t heard before. On the flip side, I was surprised by the lack of even a page devoted to Real Housewives, arguably one of the biggest reality TV shows. I also found the writing a bit…bad? I’m sorry to say this reads like a college term paper. Many references are also to British TV shows you may not have heard of. Overall, this was a let down. I admire the thought though!

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts of this book I really enjoyed and I uncovered a lot about reality tv that I didn’t know. However, I feel like the author missed an opportunity to highlight some other important topics. If people are looking for an more analytical and engaging account I’d recommend the BBC radio 4 podcast “unreal - a critical history of reality tv”

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

He’s right, Philip Zimbardo would’ve loved reality TV

[Lee Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equally riveting and disturbing.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written readable primer about the history of reality TV.

[Feed The Crime · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy reading and learning about our obsession with reality TV. I’d already listened to Peretti’s podcast with the same title. If you are interested in what happens behind the scenes of reality TV programmes such as The Bachelor, Big Brother and Survivor then I would definitely recommend reading this. There are some shocking and eye-opening accounts from people working in the industry.