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American Morning

Real Deal On Reality TV

Aired December 17, 2002 - 07:43   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: For a lot of people, reality television is now here to stay. Millions of viewers in America consider "The Bachelor" and "Survivor" must-see TV, and no matter what you think of new shows like "Extreme Makeover," which has done quite well actually, reality television has never looked so good.
Janice Min, executive editor of "Us Weekly" magazine is live with us here in New York to talk about it.

Good morning to you.

JANICE MIN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning.

HEMMER: So, we went to bed one night and said it's just going to be a passing fad, it's here today, gone tomorrow, and we were wrong.

MIN: We were totally wrong. Reality TV has just grown bigger and bigger, and they're finding new and stranger concepts to do and getting bigger and bigger ratings.

HEMMER: Now, the Europeans, they led the way on this, right?

MIN: Yes.

HEMMER: How many ideas is American television stealing from the Europeans right now?

MIN: A lot of ideas, but then we're starting to do things that are uniquely American shows, like "Are you Hot?," which are debuting next year. These are so American, and they really feed into our sense of competition there.

HEMMER: Two things -- we can roll some videotape of some of the ones that we know the best of. The networks have essentially found a way to produce this cheaply, have they not?

MIN: These shows are really cheap to produce. For example, a season of "Survivor" costs the same to produce as just three episodes of "Friends."

HEMMER: Wow!

MIN: So -- and you know, it gets ratings almost as big.

HEMMER: Yes, the other point you made quite well I think is that the talent pool is extensive in this country.

MIN: Yes.

HEMMER: We have 280 million Americans, a good handful of them want to be rich and famous, and they're willing to do what it takes, right?

MIN: Exactly. You know, everyone in America wants to be a celebrity, or at least wants to watch people try to be celebrities. So, the talent pool is limitless. The audition process is brutal for these shows.

HEMMER: Do you have a timeline right now for how long they stay popular? What's our appetite right now?

MIN: Well, we see with "Survivor," you know, they're already on "Survivor V," it's still a top five show. I think the appetite is enormous. As long as the spirit of the show stays intact, if there's a lot of competition, if there's a money prize, there's love, lust, greed, competition, these shows will stay hot.

HEMMER: It sounds like a soap opera.

MIN: Exactly.

HEMMER: It probably is, actually. "Extreme Makeover" has done quite well. Essentially, the story line goes like this: Three people get together -- and this isn't just your regular hair and makeup, right?

MIN: No.

HEMMER: This goes deep.

MIN: This show is very bizarre. It didn't get great reviews, but it had enormous ratings. Basically, you have three people who didn't like something about the way they looked, and they changed them through plastic surgery. But you had one woman who didn't like her nose, and she walked out with breast implants and liposuction. And, you know, it was just sort of...

HEMMER: She went for it.

MIN: She went for it totally.

HEMMER: Down the road now, let's talk about a couple of things. What should we be on the lookout for? A couple of the ones you mentioned, "Are you Hot?," you already said that, a great title. "The Will," and "Married by America."

MIN: These are crazy shows. They're currently auditioning people right now. "The Will," they're looking for a family to compete in mental and physical games to win a relative's inheritance. You have...

HEMMER: How much?

MIN: It just depends. They're auditioning families right now, so it depends on the amount they have to give.

HEMMER: OK.

MIN: And then you have a show, "Married by America," where viewers vote on who should get married on the show.

HEMMER: And they have to follow through with it.

MIN: Not necessarily.

HEMMER: Oh, really?

MIN: But there's a cash prize if they do.

HEMMER: A shocker.

MIN: Yes.

HEMMER: What does it say about Americans right now that says, you know, we have an appetite for this right now and the millions and millions of people who tune in and watch it? We mentioned must-see TV for a lot of folks. It's just that.

MIN: Well, I think these shows, in many ways, are much more engaging than sitcoms and dramas, because if Rachel gets married to Ross, there's no real consequence there. With these shows, we know that there are actual results. We know that those tears that the women are shedding in "The Bachelor" are real tears. They actually are upset. These just appeal to our most basic and ferule instincts.

HEMMER: And I've got to think a lot of people are watching and thinking, you know, I wonder what I would do if I were inserted into that role right there?

MIN: Exactly, we get to feel very superior.

HEMMER: Thank you, Janice.

MIN: Thanks.

HEMMER: Janice Min from "Us Weekly," nice to chat with you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.







Aired December 17, 2002 - 07:43   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: For a lot of people, reality television is now here to stay. Millions of viewers in America consider "The Bachelor" and "Survivor" must-see TV, and no matter what you think of new shows like "Extreme Makeover," which has done quite well actually, reality television has never looked so good.
Janice Min, executive editor of "Us Weekly" magazine is live with us here in New York to talk about it.

Good morning to you.

JANICE MIN, EXECUTIVE EDITOR, "US WEEKLY": Good morning.

HEMMER: So, we went to bed one night and said it's just going to be a passing fad, it's here today, gone tomorrow, and we were wrong.

MIN: We were totally wrong. Reality TV has just grown bigger and bigger, and they're finding new and stranger concepts to do and getting bigger and bigger ratings.

HEMMER: Now, the Europeans, they led the way on this, right?

MIN: Yes.

HEMMER: How many ideas is American television stealing from the Europeans right now?

MIN: A lot of ideas, but then we're starting to do things that are uniquely American shows, like "Are you Hot?," which are debuting next year. These are so American, and they really feed into our sense of competition there.

HEMMER: Two things -- we can roll some videotape of some of the ones that we know the best of. The networks have essentially found a way to produce this cheaply, have they not?

MIN: These shows are really cheap to produce. For example, a season of "Survivor" costs the same to produce as just three episodes of "Friends."

HEMMER: Wow!

MIN: So -- and you know, it gets ratings almost as big.

HEMMER: Yes, the other point you made quite well I think is that the talent pool is extensive in this country.

MIN: Yes.

HEMMER: We have 280 million Americans, a good handful of them want to be rich and famous, and they're willing to do what it takes, right?

MIN: Exactly. You know, everyone in America wants to be a celebrity, or at least wants to watch people try to be celebrities. So, the talent pool is limitless. The audition process is brutal for these shows.

HEMMER: Do you have a timeline right now for how long they stay popular? What's our appetite right now?

MIN: Well, we see with "Survivor," you know, they're already on "Survivor V," it's still a top five show. I think the appetite is enormous. As long as the spirit of the show stays intact, if there's a lot of competition, if there's a money prize, there's love, lust, greed, competition, these shows will stay hot.

HEMMER: It sounds like a soap opera.

MIN: Exactly.

HEMMER: It probably is, actually. "Extreme Makeover" has done quite well. Essentially, the story line goes like this: Three people get together -- and this isn't just your regular hair and makeup, right?

MIN: No.

HEMMER: This goes deep.

MIN: This show is very bizarre. It didn't get great reviews, but it had enormous ratings. Basically, you have three people who didn't like something about the way they looked, and they changed them through plastic surgery. But you had one woman who didn't like her nose, and she walked out with breast implants and liposuction. And, you know, it was just sort of...

HEMMER: She went for it.

MIN: She went for it totally.

HEMMER: Down the road now, let's talk about a couple of things. What should we be on the lookout for? A couple of the ones you mentioned, "Are you Hot?," you already said that, a great title. "The Will," and "Married by America."

MIN: These are crazy shows. They're currently auditioning people right now. "The Will," they're looking for a family to compete in mental and physical games to win a relative's inheritance. You have...

HEMMER: How much?

MIN: It just depends. They're auditioning families right now, so it depends on the amount they have to give.

HEMMER: OK.

MIN: And then you have a show, "Married by America," where viewers vote on who should get married on the show.

HEMMER: And they have to follow through with it.

MIN: Not necessarily.

HEMMER: Oh, really?

MIN: But there's a cash prize if they do.

HEMMER: A shocker.

MIN: Yes.

HEMMER: What does it say about Americans right now that says, you know, we have an appetite for this right now and the millions and millions of people who tune in and watch it? We mentioned must-see TV for a lot of folks. It's just that.

MIN: Well, I think these shows, in many ways, are much more engaging than sitcoms and dramas, because if Rachel gets married to Ross, there's no real consequence there. With these shows, we know that there are actual results. We know that those tears that the women are shedding in "The Bachelor" are real tears. They actually are upset. These just appeal to our most basic and ferule instincts.

HEMMER: And I've got to think a lot of people are watching and thinking, you know, I wonder what I would do if I were inserted into that role right there?

MIN: Exactly, we get to feel very superior.

HEMMER: Thank you, Janice.

MIN: Thanks.

HEMMER: Janice Min from "Us Weekly," nice to chat with you again.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.