Term Paper 3: Reality Television
Term Paper 3: Reality Television
Reality Television has captivated audiences for decades, from shows like Survivor, Dancing with The Stars, and my personal favorite Duck Dynasty. While these shows are different in all types of ways, they all have one thing in common: employ specific strategies to keep the audience's interest, employ social media to market and interact with fans, and target specific trends/demographics. Also, with today's advancements in streaming services, reality television can reach even more audiences continuing to spread throughout media. With the comparison of Dancing with the Stars and Duck Dynasty, we can analyze how these strategies succeed or fail, how they are similar/different, and the future of the publics favorite format of television- reality.
Dancing with the Stars, is a reality TV dancing competition show that pairs celebrities with professional dancers to compete in front of judges. While the judges assign points based on the quality of performance, social media allows fans watching at home to vote for their favorite duo to keep them in the competition. The total of votes from both the judges and fans determine the overall rank of the duo, the couple with the lowest scoring each night is eliminated. Dancing with the stars can appeal to really any age group because of the age group of celebrities being brought on the show, some of the celebrity's featured on the show- people from all ages can recognize people that are competing on the show, from the younger celebrities, or the oldest competing contestant, 82-year- old Cloris Leachman who competed in season 7. But in my opinion, Dancing with the Stars appeals to the younger demographic because of the use of social media to promote the show, and getting the fans input on who should be competing in the show. By combining the audience's favorite celebrities, songs, and dances the show creates a continuously engaging experience that sticks with fans to continue voting and watching.
Dancing with the Stars targets a young adult audience but definitely has diversity for any age demographic. The fast pace dancing competition, with relying heavily on the marketing of social media, resonates with its fans because of the world we live in today, with everyone relying on personal media usage for everything.
From the other end of the reality television world is Duck Dynasty. The show first airing in 2012 and ending in 2017 followed the lives of the Roberston family, the owners of Duck Commander. The show offered the inside look of the country family, who although became famous, couldn't leave their Cajun roots of West Monroe, Louisiana. The episodes of each show always began with funny hook, of what the storyline would be for that episode, and what crazy schemes the family would be up to that day. The show is structured at either the Duck Commander office, or at the patriarch of the family's house, Phil Roberston. Viewers were drawn to the down-home family opening up their home to see their real lives. The show appeals to audiences, who enjoy southern hospitality, hunting, and a warmhearted family who loves each other. The show engaged the audience because of how honest, open, and funny the family was about their lives. The family although self-proclaimed, "richest rednecks", created an established brand that is one of the most recognized in the south.
Duck Dynasty predominantly appeals to people who love a country lifestyle, southern humor, and business success stories. The Roberston's once were just normal people living on a river, to running a multi- million-dollar empire. The show upon the family's request stopped filming in 2017, but fans from all over the U.S never forgot the southern hospitality they received while watching duck dynasty.
(Jase sinks his father's boat)
The success of reality TV concepts is often based on relatability, honesty, humor, and engagement. Shows like Dancing with the Stars, succeed and thrive on social media and the audience's engagement, while Duck Dynasty succeeds with down-home, ever-changing story lines and formats.
Although Duck Dynasty, stopped filming in 2017, through social media, and the devoted fans never forgetting about the show, Duck Dynasty: The Revival, aired in 2025 continuing the inside scoop with the Roberston's. Dancing with the Stars and Duck Dynasty: The Revival use social media platforms to engage and sustain viewer interest, in and out of episodes, and to market what is happening on the program. Official accounts or members of the show post updates, teasers, and questions to encourage fan views and interactions.
Although they are from different sides of the reality television world, Dancing with the Stars and Duck Dynasty they perfectly explain the diversity and expectations that are succeeding through reality television by using distinct formats and strategies to maintain views. I might be biased, but these of two are my favorite shows, and I hope that future reality shows could take inspiration from their layout and audience engagement.
Another benefit besides the shows being entertaining, is that they are streamed locally and streaming services so you can watch them wherever. If I had my own reality show, I feel like it would be more along the lines of Duck Dynasty, because that show is more like my life. My reality show would be lighthearted, and a good laugh somewhere along the lines of, Country Living. That is what I like the most about reality TV is that you can get lost in just enjoying the storylines of someone else's life.
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