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CNN Live At Daybreak

Fall Television Preview

Aired September 05, 2001 - 07:55   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
VINCE CELLINI, CNN ANCHOR: Well, reality television, just like this, we're live.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Just like this.

CELLINI: It's all real. It's very, it's become very popular these days. Those are shows where folks like you and me try to do things that they normally wouldn't do.

LIN: So let's turn to our Los Angeles bureau to get a preview. Getting up very early because he's living on Bali time -- no, just kidding -- "TV Guide's" Mark Schwed. Good morning, Mark.

MARK SCHWED, "TV GUIDE": Hey, good morning.

We, you know, it's California. We've already had our sprouts and tofu out here and climbed a mountain.

LIN: Yes, and cappuccino.

SCHWED: Yes.

LIN: All right, something you don't find when you're lost, why don't you give us a preview of these two shows that are debuting, "Lost" and also something called "Amazing Race."

SCHWED: Well, they're two pretty cool shows. "Lost" is on NBC. This is a show where they take six people, divide them up in teams of two and dump them somewhere in the world. And you can see there, I mean you have absolutely no idea where you are and it's your job to get home. Not only do you have to find your way home, but you've got to find things like water. Believe me, I can't tell you where they dumped these people, but it's a place where you and I have never been and 99 percent of Americans, either. And they've got to kind of use their ingenuity and other skills to wind up back home. And the first team that comes back gets, splits $200,000.

LIN: Wow.

SCHWED: On the "Amazing Race," it's produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, who does all those movies like "Top Gun" and the "Amazing Race" on CBS, they basically get 22 people, divide them up into 11 teams of two. There are all kinds of interesting teams like mother and daughter, a couple of young lawyers, a couple that's pretty much almost going to divorce and another couple that's engaged. And they send them on this amazing race around the world.

LIN: It sounds like a family vacation.

CELLINI: Hey, Mark, you know, we talk about reality TV, but in a way it's not real because it's kind of unstructured structure and it's also edited for television. So it's been shaped as reality TV.

SCHWED: Well, the only thing, you know, the definition of reality TV, as you just pointed out, the news is reality TV. What we're talking about really with reality TV is real people. Other than that anything...

LIN: We're not real people?

SCHWED: You're real people.

LIN: Just kidding.

SCHWED: You're news...

LIN: Just kidding, just kidding.

SCHWED: The news is reality TV. And these are real people and, of course, when Hollywood gets a hold of it it's real people with a twist. They've got to make them do something.

If you watched "Survivor," for instance, without the editing, without the challenges, without the game, it would be the most boring show on television because all they'd do is sit around on a beach and do nothing waiting for the next challenge.

LIN: Yes, all right. Well, you just wonder how far these guys are going to go, you know, jumping into pits of rats and getting lost on mountain ranges. We'll see what happens. But I guess that's part of the adventure.

CELLINI: Absolutely.

SCHWED: These are pretty, these are two pretty cool ones.

LIN: All right, thanks, Mark Schwed.

SCHWED: OK.

LIN: Good to see you.

CELLINI: See you, Mark. Thanks a lot.

SCHWED: Good to see you. Good morning.

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