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RealityPatterns.org

Inspired by John Allsopp's webpatterns.org, I thought it was high time somebody invested some effort into categorizing the different patterns of reality television programs that were forming in our media landscape.

Feel free to add to this list in order to help TV creatives push the envelope of this important medium.

Pattern Name:

Internal Elimination

Description

Participants are eliminated purely based on decisions and voting by other participants. The audience has only a passive involvement.

Examples:

Survivor, The Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser

Pattern Name:

External Elimination

Description:

Participants are eliminated based in part or wholly on votes from viewers. While the Web is the obvious medium of choice for viewers to cast this vote, telephone voting reigns supreme because of the large amounts of revenue it generates for the show.

Examples:

Australian Idol (American, Canadian etc), X-Factor, Big Brother, My Restaurant Rules, Dancing with the Stars

Pattern Name:

Sole Determinant

Description:

Participants are eliminated by the decision of one person, rather than by each other or by the audience.

Examples:

Outback Jack, The Bachelor, Australian Princess, I Want To Be A Hilton, The Apprentice, Temptation Island

Pattern Name:

Rinse and Repeat Education

Description:

No elimination occurs, but a message on how to do something is reinforced until the participants change their behaviour. The message is hit over the viewers head over, and over, and over again.

Examples:

Nanny 911, Super Nanny, You Are What You Eat, Extreme Makeover, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

Pattern Name:

Along For The Ride

Description:

No elimination occurs, but cameras are placed on participants as they go about their regular day, often oblivious to the fact that they are being filmed, and certainly without their permission.

Examples:

The Simple Life, Newlyweds, Cops, Border Security, Airline, Airport, Hot Property

Pattern Name:

Performance-Based

Description:

Participants are eliminated purely based on how they perform in a certain task or tasks.

Examples:

The Block, Beat The Chef, Iron Chef, The Mole

Pattern Name:

Satire

Also known as:

Mockumentary

Description:

While filmed as if capturing real life, in fact all events are fictitious.

Examples:

Series 9: The Contenders, Battle Royale, Russell's Coit's Outback Adventures

Pattern Name:

Feature Length

Description:

Reality TV hits the big screen!

Examples:

Super Size Me

Tags: aprilfools, webpatterns, reality, TV