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Showbiz Tonight
Reality TV Secrets Revealed; Plus Jermaine Jackson Opening Up About the Conrad Murray Trial
Aired September 23, 2011 - 23:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
A.J. HAMMER, HOST: Tonight, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Reality TV Secrets Revealed." SHOWBIZ TONIGHT blows the lid off the secrets behind TV`s biggest reality shows. From the Kardashians -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROB KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: People who watch our show - they don`t necessarily know me or my family.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: -- to "The Hills" and "Dancing with the Stars."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KRISTIN CAVALLARI, REALITY TV STAR: I have to bring my A-game and the other one was just like basically filming a soap opera.
KELLY MONACO, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" CHAMPION: Lots of glitter. Lots of double stick tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, are reality shows really fake?
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT breaks news about the Michael Jackson death trial. Jermaine Jackson`s remarkable new revelations to us about Dr. Conrad Murray`s trial for allegedly killing his brother.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAREEN WYNTER, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT CORRESPONDENT: How confident are you that Murray will be convicted?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, Jermaine`s surprising answer and what he revealed about whether Michael`s children will attend the trial. It`s the must-see headline making SHOWBIZ newsmaker interview.
TV`s most provocative entertainment news show breaks news right now.
(MUSIC)
Hello, I`m A.J. Hammer in New York with big breaking Jackson news tonight and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT is breaking it.
Tonight, Jermaine Jackson is opening up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT about the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who was accused of causing Michael Jackson`s death.
Just days before opening arguments in the trial, Michael`s brother Jermaine is revealing to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he`s not 100 percent sure that Dr. Murray will be convicted.
But why would he say that? And Jermaine is also setting the record straight about all of those conflicting reports over whether Michael`s three children will be at the trial.
Jermaine Jackson has just written a book about Michael. It`s called "You`re Not Alone, Michael: Through a Brother`s Eyes." Jermaine just opened up to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter and no question was off limits.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
WYNTER (on camera): Well, Jermaine, first of all, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us. What`s going through your mind on the eve of this trial?
JERMAINE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S BROTHER: What`s going through my mind is hoping that we`ll get answers to a lot of questions we have.
WYNTER: The photo the world saw of Michael in a wheelchair, looking frail just months before he announced his big world tour. And you wanted to clear things up to let people know this was part of the act.
But what do you say to critics who are buying that, who are saying this is man who was sick, who was frail and who was broken?
J. JACKSON: it`s not true. He was dancing four hours a day, every day with (UNINTELLIGIBLE). It was Michael getting the last laugh.
All of a sudden, he made this incredible comeback. And so he`s never had the problems with all the things they say, with lungs and this and that and all that stuff. He was very healthy. He was looking forward to the show.
WYNTER: Jermaine, you make a lot of references to Michael`s physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, in this book. And one thing that struck me was a section I want to read her where you wrote, "Was this doctor giving Michael so much anesthetic that it was slowly poisoning his system?"
"And could my brother know how much Propofol was being injected into his system?" Do you believe Murray poisoned Michael?
J. JACKSON: I`ll say this, Murray was the doctor and he trusted the doctor. Murray`s job was to keep him healthy, not to do away with his life.
If it was Propofol, even if Michael asked for it, he only asked for it to sleep, not to be killed. And at the same time, you take an oath as a doctor to do the right thing.
For him to even administer Propofol to Michael, whether he asked or not, he should have said, "No, we`re not in a hospital setting. We don`t have the right medical equipment."
Murray is not an anesthesiologist. He`s a cardiologist. So all of these things are wrong.
WYNTER: But how confident are you Murray will be convicted?
J. JACKSON: I would trust the system and I`m going to trust the system, but we don`t know because the charges are very light starting up where - (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is about four years or five years and he`s out in one and a half or two. What is that?
WYNTER: Have you allowed yourself to go there, to think what would happen if this man were acquitted?
J. JACKSON: Put it like this, we`re prepared as a family. We wouldn`t be surprised.
WYNTER: You wouldn`t be surprised at all?
J. JACKSON: We wouldn`t be surprised even to try to say my brother was a drug addict. He wasn`t. He wasn`t.
WYNTER: Katherine told me a few weeks ago, "I`m going to be at the trial every day." You just mentioned La Toya, Janet. Will they be front and center at the trial? Will you be there?
J. JACKSON: Yes. We only have eight seats, so that`s going to be hard. But we will definitely be there, because we`re a family and we have to be there to support.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: So Kareen, the family is going to be there, but there have been conflicting reports about whether or not Michael Jackson`s three kids will be attending the trial. What did you find out from Jermaine about that?
WYNTER: You know, A.J., that is a big burning question. What will it be like for Michael`s kids to be just a few feet away from the man accused of killing their beloved dad?
I asked Jermaine Jackson that very question and will have that answer in just a couple minutes, A.J.
HAMMER: We`ll look forward to that. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter, we`ll see you back here in just a few.
Well, another big burning question about this trial is whether or not Dr. Conrad Murray could actually beat the rap. Jermaine Jackson tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT he actually thinks it`s a possibility.
Let me go right to the courthouse in Los Angeles. Beth Karas is right there. She`s a correspondent with "In Session" on Tru TV. Vinnie Politan is in Atlanta tonight. Vinnie is the host, of course, of "HLN SPECIAL REPORT" every weekday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern here on HLN, followed by "PRIME NEWS" at 6:00 p.m.
So one of the big headlines from the interview with Jermaine Jackson is that he thinks that Dr. Murray could beat the rap. Vinnie, does it at all seem to you that a conviction is not a sure thing here?
VINNIE POLITAN, HOST, "HLN SPECIAL REPORT": Well, it`s never a sure thing. Didn`t we learn that this summer, A.J.? My goodness.
Here it is - and from my perspective as a prosecutor, the toughest thing about this case is that it`s not a case about someone who planned and plotted to kill someone, OK? It`s about someone who did something very negligently, very carelessly, very recklessly.
And those, generally speaking, are more difficult crimes to prosecute inside a courtroom, in a criminal courtroom. Civil cases would be an easy one, right? Malpractice - criminal case I think it becomes a little bit more difficult.
HAMMER: Let me go to Beth Karas. Beth, you`ve been covering these types of trials for years, but certainly never with a celebrity involved as big as Michael Jackson. What`s your take? Could Conrad Murray beat the rap?
BETH KARAS, CORRESPONDENT, "IN SESSION" ON TRU TV: Well, yes. It is always possible that a defendant can beat the rap. And the defense is going to try to highlight Michael Jackson`s drug use and drug abuse.
And they`re going to argue that he gave himself the fatal dose of Propofol, the anesthetic that ultimately killed him. However, the law is that if the jury finds Conrad Murray played a substantial role in the death of Michael Jackson - doesn`t have to be the only cause - a substantial role, then that is involuntary manslaughter and jurors promised to uphold the law.
HAMMER: And I think we got a lot of unique insight from Jermaine Jackson. He certainly had a lot to say about the trial in an interview with SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, especially about something that he said he thinks will definitely come up during the trial. Watch what he told us.
J. JACKSON: They`re going to try to say my brother was a drug addict. He wasn`t. He wasn`t. There was a thing with Demerol in 2002, but that was for pain. Demerol didn`t kill Michael Jackson; Propofol did.
And Propofol in the right hands is OK. In the wrong hands, it`s like a lethal gun. And it was in the wrong hands because he wasn`t an anesthesiologist, and it wasn`t in a hospital setting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Vinnie, what do you think? Is there any doubt in your mind that Dr. Murray`s defense team will indeed argue that, hey, Michael was a drug addict?
POLITAN: They`re going to try to get as much of that in as you can. And what you do as a criminal defense attorney is you try to place the blame somewhere else.
In this case, there`s only one other place to go because there`s only two people in the room. So you`ve got to go after Michael Jackson. You want this jury to think that Michael Jackson was so desperate for the drug, so desperate for sleep that he could have taken this stuff himself.
And the way you do that is painting the picture of who Michael Jackson was in their eyes, which is someone who was addicted to drugs.
HAMMER: And it`s going to be so interesting to see how that could impact Dr. Murray`s net result here. What do you think, Beth? If the defense goes down that road, do you think it will help get Dr. Murray off the hook in this case?
KARAS: Well, it could, but the judge has curbed some of the evidence the defense wanted to show that they believe would indicate Michael had a drug problem.
Now, they`re also going to go to his state of mind at that time that he was kind of upset that he had to do 50 shows and may not have had the stamina to do it.
And he really needed a good night`s sleep and out of desperation for a good night sleep, he gave himself the Propofol when the little bit Conrad Murray gave him didn`t keep him under for long. That may be one of their arguments because the judge is not letting a lot of the drug use come in.
HAMMER: We are all eagerly awaiting whether or not they will play at that card. Beth Karas, Vinnie Politan, I thank you both.
Of course, HLN and SHOWBIZ TONIGHT right there covering the Conrad Murray trial like no one else. Everyone on HLN is a part of it - Nancy Grace, Jane Velez-Mitchell, Dr. Drew, Joy Behar, Vinnie Politan, me, too. It`s justice for Michael. Be sure to keep it here on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT and HLN.
And tomorrow you are not going to want to miss HLN`s own Nancy Grace`s documentary. Nancy, leading a pretrial investigation into the death of Michael Jackson. "Dr. Conrad Murray on Trial" - don`t miss it, Saturday night at 9:00 p.m. Eastern.
As we move on, are reality shows like "Real Housewives" fake?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact they throw you in a room full of women that normally you wouldn`t want to be with. They`re not your type of people. They don`t enjoy the same things you do. So that`s a recipe for disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT blows the lid off reality TV secrets. Are reality shows real or really fake?
Girl next door Kendra Wilkinson spent most of her 20`s on reality TV from stripper to "Playboy." Come on. Kendra right here to reveal how reality TV shaped her life.
The original champion of "Dancing with the Stars" Kelly Monaco uncovers her "Dancing" reality secrets.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KELLY MONACO, "DANCING WITH THE STARS" CHAMPION: There`s lots of glitter, lots of tanning cream, lots of hairspray and lots of double-stick tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: We`ve got the good, the bad and the double-stick tape. SHOWBIZ reality secrets revealed, next. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Now, the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Black Eyed Peas added to Michael Jackson tribute concert in Wales next month.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Prince Michael goes solo. This is pretty cool news. Michael Jackson`s now 14-year-old son, Prince Michael, is about to make his very first solo public appearance for charity.
"People.com" is reporting that Prince Michael will walk down the red carpet in Berlin and help the sale of the manuscript for the song "Bad," handwritten, of course, by his famous dad. The proceeds will benefit the Tribute to Bambi Foundation for needy children.
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York.
And everyone is buzzing about the upcoming trial of Michael Jackson`s doctor. But what about Michael`s kids? Where are they going to be during the trial?
Well, Jermaine Jackson just set the record straight today to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter, who is right there at the L.A. courthouse where Dr. Murray is on trial. Kareen, what did Jermaine tell you?
WYNTER: A.J., that, is the question of the moment. Will Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket be in the very same room as man accused of killing their dad? Here`s what Jermaine just told me.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WYNTER (on camera): I`m looking at Michael`s kids, Paris, Blanket, Prince here. They`re so young. How are they dealing with all of this and will they be attending the trial?
J. JACKSON: I don`t think so. We don`t think it`s good. We don`t think it`s proper to put them through that. They`ve been through enough.
But I think they`re strong because they`re getting the love from my mother and the staff that she has putting - making sure they get their schooling and homework done.
And they`re in school, fresh and clean and shiny like we were when we were young and make sure they wash their hands when they come home and before they go in the refrigerator.
My mother has never changed. She raised us that way and that`s the way she`s raising them and that`s good.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Sounds like (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to me. So OK, Michael Jackson`s kids aren`t going to be there for the opening argument when the death trial goes before a judge on Tuesday.
But some of Michael Jackson`s obsessed fans will be there, Kareen. I hear they`re already causing a major scene.
WYNTER: Look, A.J., these fans are so passionate. They`re flying in really from all around the world. They are so convinced that Dr. Conrad Murray is guilty. They won`t stop until they feel justice has been served, A.J.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(voice-over) No entertainer`s fans are more passionate. Michael Jackson admirers loved him in life and grieved when he died.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was devastated - just hurt, devastated, crushed.
WYNTER: Now, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you his most devoted fans will be out in force for the trial of Jackson`s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
GOWARD HORTON, MICHAEL JACKSON FAN: I believe Michael touched my life, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) into my life. And it`s my job to try and be here and support him.
WYNTER: Fans like Goward Horton and his mother, Carolyn(ph), are among the fans closely watching what happens to Murray, who is accused of giving Jackson a fatal dose of the anesthetic, Propofol.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For him to be honest and answer for what he did.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I think he`s sweating right now.
WYNTER: Many fans don`t disguise their outrage at the defendant. Some use handmade signs to vent their fury. CNN`s Alan Duke has covered all the Murray proceedings. He remembers one occasion where Jackson followers were waiting in a court hallway as the doctor appeared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They were told they couldn`t say a word to him, so they didn`t. Instead, they hissed at him as if they were rattlesnakes. Murray was just looking straight ahead and I didn`t see him make any eye contact with any of the fans.
WYNTER: Michael`s fans were not shy about expressing their feelings during his molestation trial in 2005. They came from across the globe to be there. And Murray`s trial may be no different.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My name is Daniela Musco(ph) from Bismarck(ph). I`m Una(ph) from Germany.
WYNTER: This group of woman traveled from Germany to visit Neverland Ranch and to see Dr. Murray in court this week.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He was the man who did such mistakes that Michael died.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We hope for justice for Michael.
WYNTER: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT wants to know why Michael`s biggest fans are so emotional about the trial. We posed that question to doctor of psychology, Wendy Walsh.
WENDY WALSH, DOCTOR OF PSYCHOLOGY: Many of these fans are looking at Conrad Murray as the Satan who killed their savior no less. Of course, it`s all distorted.
Michael Jackson was never their savior. Conrad Murray probably isn`t their Satan. But this is part of their fantasy.
WYNTER: Goward Horton and his mom say they don`t regard Michael as their savior, but they are protective of the King of Pop.
HORTON: I`m just trying to see that the truth comes out, first of all, that they stop saying Michael was killing himself and Michael killed himself or Michael was a drug addict. That`s not true.
WYNTER: For these fans, seeing Michael`s name cleared in death is their way of keeping his legacy alive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: And there is no question Jackson fans are committed in a huge way to his legacy. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Kareen Wynter, thank you for that excellent report.
And HLN continues its coverage of the Jackson trial this weekend. Make sure you tune in to the absolutely fascinating documentary "The Death of Michael Jackson: Dr. Conrad Murray on Trial."
Nancy Grace leads a pretrial investigation into Jackson`s death. The documentary debuts Saturday at 9:00 p.m. and again at 11:00 p.m. and on Sunday at 7:00 and 11:00 p.m. right here on HLN.
So what do you think? "Real Housewives" real or really fake?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fact that they throw new a room full of women that normally you wouldn`t want to be with. They`re not your type of people. They don`t enjoy the same things you do. So that`s a recipe for disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Tonight, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT blows lid off the secrets of reality TV. Is it all just a bunch of hooey?
And the sad Salahi saga. Tareq Salahi in tears over his estranged wife leaving him for a rock star. Wait until you see what Michaele just told him about why she left. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
And now, it`s the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Halle Berry breaks foot while in Spain filming "Cloud Atlas."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAREQ SALAHI, ESTRANGED HUSBAND OF MICHAELE SALAHI: You know, when I came back home - I mean, she wasn`t at home but it wasn`t unusual. You know, in our lives that maybe she got a call from HLN or CNN to go talk about - we`ve been talking about the Russell Armstrong issue and the suicide of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: No, Tareq, Michaele Salahi wasn`t here at HLN or at CNN. She ran off with a rock star from Journey. This is just one of the real revelations from the husband of former "The Real Housewives of D.C." star, Michaele Salahi about his wife`s so-called disappearance.
So what brought him to tears today? The sad Salahi saga continues today as one half of the White House gate crashing couple speaks out about his wife, Michaele, running off with a rock star.
Now, it`s been about a week since Tareq Salahi frantically reported to the world that his reality star wife had gone missing.
But a couple of days later, of course, we all found out that Michaele ran off with Journey lead guitarist, Neal Schon. Well, on the "Today" show this morning, a tearful Tareq revealed to Matt Lauer his attempts to talk to Michaele since she left him.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. SALAHI: She`s very cold.
MATT LAUER, CO-HOST, THE "TODAY" SHOW: So you have spoken to her.
T. SALAHI: I tweeted, you know, Michaele, please, our dog is dying right now. And then the manager called and said, "Look, she doesn`t want to talk. She doesn`t want to speak to you. She`s just a different woman. This is not the woman any of us know."
I mean, nobody knows who she is right now. She`s not being herself. On the other side of it, everyone says she had this double life and she`s been living a lie.
And when she did call, she was just very cold about the dog. She didn`t really care. She didn`t even care about - she didn`t want to talk to me about what was going on. She just left. She left all her personal belongings in our home.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s pretty sad. I don`t believe for a moment this is another reality stunt. But with these two a lot of people are saying we have to wait and see.
I want to turn now to the sad and never-ending saga of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Brad is backtracking big time after seeming to suggest his marriage to Jen wasn`t interesting.
He says his words were misconstrued. So we asked on our Facebook wall do you feel any pity for Pitt?
Kimberly A. writes, "Maybe some backlash will do him some good. Maybe it will teach him to keep his mouth shut."
This is from Charlene K., "Way too late, Brad. Open mouth, insert foot."
And Sandy O. writes this, "What`s the difference? If it was a good marriage, he would still be married to her."
We`d love for you to join our debates on Facebook or follow us @ShowbizTonight on Twitter. You can call me on "Showbiz on Call." That`s 1-888-SBT-BUZZ. And you can E-mail us as well at showbiztonight@cnn.com.
Now, the SHOWBIZ lineup - here`s what`s coming up at the bottom of the hour on SHOWBIZ TONIGHT.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT reveals if reality shows are really fake. TV`s biggest reality stars are exposing the tricks of the trade to me.
Former "Girl Next Door," Kendra Wilkinson, has spent most of her 20`s on reality TV from stripper to "Playboy" bunny to mom. Kendra is right here to reveal the secrets of how reality TV shaped her life.
And "Bachelor" bombshells. One-time bachelor, Bob Guiney, telling us what`s really behind that final rose. This is SHOWBIZ TONIGHT on HLN news and views.
Time now for the "SHOWBIZ News Ticker" - more stories from the SHOWBIZ TONIGHT newsroom making news tonight.
TEXT: Ed Helms replaces Steve Carrell as the new boss on "The Office" in season 8 premiere. Kiefer Sutherland returning to TV in new Fox drama, "Touch."
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HAMMER: Now, on a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT - reality show secrets revealed. SHOWBIZ TONIGHT with the startling secrets behind reality shows. All the tricks. All the smoke and mirrors. Are some reality shows actually fake?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEANA KEOUGH, CAST MEMBER, "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY": The fact that they throw new a room full of women that normally you wouldn`t be want to be with. They`re not your type of people. They don`t enjoy the same things you do. So that`s a recipe for disaster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Reality star Kendra Wilkinson has spent most of her 20`s on reality TV, from stripper to "playboy" girlfriend to wife and mom. And Kendra Wilkinson is right here to reveal her secrets about reality TV.
And Kelly gets candid. "Dancing with the Stars" champion, Kelly Monaco, reveals what it`s really like behind the scenes. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Reality Secrets."
(MUSIC)
Welcome back to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. It is 30 minutes past the hour. I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Reality TV Secrets Revealed."
Now, tonight, we are, in fact, blowing the lid off all the secrets behind the TV`s big reality shows. From the Kardashians to "The Real Housewives," even "Dancing with the Stars."
Reality TV`s stars are telling SHOWBIZ everything. And so are the producers behind the camera, who, of course, make it all happen.
SHOWBIZ TONIGHT`s Jill Simonian has been doing some serious digging, and you have got to see what she found out.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JILL SIMONIAN, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT: They`re some of the most watched shows on TV - drama, fights, competition.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Congratulations!
SIMONIAN: But SHOWBIZ TONIGHT has got to ask - just how real is reality TV?
TROY DEVOLLD, REALITY TV PRODUCER: I think that people misunderstand the level of manipulation in reality programs.
SIMONIAN: Troy DeVolld has been a reality show producer for more than a decade and is the author of "Reality TV: An Insider`s Guide to TV`s Hottest Market."
Devolld reveals to SHOWBIZ TONIGHT some of the biggest behind-the- scenes secrets of reality shows like scenes that are staged and conversations that seem-off-the-cuff but are somewhat scripted.
DEVOLLD: There`s a certain thing where you`re sort of following action and you understand things are brewing and things are happening.
And you start to realize, well, you know what? If I get this person in the room with this person and we just see the conversation, say could you please have a conversation about last Thursday night, that you`ll end up getting something great back.
SIMONIAN: Jeana Keough of "The Real Housewives of Orange County" knows this tactic all too well.
JEANA KEOUGH, CAST MEMBER, "THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF ORANGE COUNTY": They didn`t print a word of it because there was nothing to print.
SIMONIAN: She tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT all the housewives we love so much aren`t the friendly neighbors they seem to be.
KEOUGH: The fact that they throw you in a room full of women that normally you wouldn`t want to be with. They`re not your type of people. They don`t enjoy the same things you do. So that`s a recipe for disaster.
SIMONIAN: SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can also reveal that you often won`t see and hear the whole real story, thanks to a reality TV trick in where sound bites are chopped up and edited called franken-bites.
DEVOLLD: You know, an extended bite and it`s cut into 17 pieces. If you hear something and you don`t see it happen on camera, you don`t necessarily trust the bite.
SIMONIAN: Troy DeVolld says reality shows can paint a pretty distorted picture by compressing months of shooting into a single episode.
DEVOLLD: It`s such a distillation of time when you`re shooting for three or four months. You tend to use the product that`s most amplified, the things that are coming in that really dramatic and very big.
SIMONIAN: Are there any reality shows more dramatic or big than the Kardashians? Kim`s younger brother, Rob, tells SHOWBIZ TONIGHT that when it comes to his family and their reality show empire, what you see is what you get.
(on camera) When you do watch "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" and any of the other Kardashian brand of shows, do you feel as though everything is portrayed accurately?
ROB KARDASHIAN, REALITY TV STAR: Yes, for the most part. I mean, people who watch our shows - they don`t necessarily know me or my family on a one-on-one level. But I feel like this is giving them a better chance at seeing who I am.
SIMONIAN: For reality docu-drama stars like Rob, reality competition shows like "Dancing with the Stars" are, well, more real. And no one knows better than Kristin Cavallari, who starred in two hit MTV reality shows, "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills," and then moved on to "Dancing with the Stars."
KRISTIN CAVALLARI, REALITY TV STAR: I mean, they`re completely different. You know, this was obviously physically demanding and this one requires a lot more of me. So you know, I have to bring my A-game and the other one was just like filming a soap opera.
SIMONIAN: Yes, because in the end, SHOWBIZ TONIGHT can tell you most reality shows are just that, soap operas. And just like scripted soap operas, even reality shows can seem surreal, because what you see is not always the reality of what happens.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, my god!
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: That was absolutely fascinating. All the big secrets of reality TV revealed in a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. So Jill, I`ve got to ask, what surprised you the most?
SIMONIAN: A.J., I`ll tell you what really got me. The fact that Kristin Cavallari just came right out and told us that shooting The Hills and "Laguna Beach" were pretty much like shooting soap operas.
I mean, hello, if that doesn`t give us insight about how planned and canned some of these shows really are, then I don`t really know what else does.
HAMMER: You`ve got that right. All right, Jill, thank you so much. Have you ever wondered how reality show cameras catch all the drama? Are they really following reality stars 24/7?
Well, I went straight to the stars of reality TV`s "Big Rich Texas" to find out. And I asked Bon Blossman and Whitney Whatley what`s it really like to have a camera following your every move?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BON BLOSSMAN, REALITY STAR, "BIG RICH TEXAS": Once, in an episode, we sometimes get surprised with, oh, my gosh. A lot more happened than what we actually saw. For example, in my murder mystery party, it was five hours of taping and what actually -
WHITNEY WHATLEY, REALITY STAR, "BIG RICH TEXAS": You only see like six -
BLOSSMAN: Yes, you see six minutes.
HAMMER: Right.
BLOSSMAN: And what actually happened was Pam, my nemesis, threw something at me and she actually got kicked out of my party from my doctor`s wife`s friend. And all of it - once it was pared down, it looked like she had the upper hand.
HAMMER: Anything that you`ve experienced that would be a huge surprise to people watching reality TV that may not be? Because we all know you`re shooting tons of footage and only so much of it can make it on. You only have so many minutes. What would be something that would really surprise us, do you think?
WHATLEY: About the editing. Like what we were saying earlier, that it`s different when it`s edited than what you see.
BLOSSMAN: Also, there`s a lot that - I think there`s more drama that goes on behind camera, behind the scenes.
HAMMER: For all the drama we actually see play out on the shows -
BLOSSMAN: That is nothing.
HAMMER: That doesn`t touch it. Really?
BLOSSMAN: That is (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
HAMMER: That`s a little scary to me.
BLOSSMAN: No, it scared me. What are you saying?
HAMMER: Well, you`re living it.
BLOSSMAN: I know. It`s like - once the camera stops rolling, that`s when the drama happens. When the show premieres and like all of the fans start commenting, that`s when the actual drama and cyber-bullying -
HAMMER: Right.
BLOSSMAN: We`ve even had some of what we call laptop gate happen, like one of the cast members was accused of stealing another cast member`s computer.
Another one who wasn`t a cast member but they`re, you know, a temporary - I guess a cameo - they were accused of opening a checking account and writing like thousands of dollars of checks and taking off back to California.
And it`s like all of this is like - this is show worthy material.
HAMMER: So there`s a show going on behind the show.
WHATLEY: Yes.
BLOSSMAN: We always say, gosh, why are the cameras not here? It`s like almost a curse.
HAMMER: I`ve heard that they call you "Botox Bonnie," which seems strange to me because you`ve always been so candid about getting Botox. You even let the cameras in during a Botox procedure.
BLOSSMAN: Yes.
HAMMER: Why do you think there are so many haters throughout?
BLOSSMAN: Well, I think most people who get Botox don`t admit it and I do. It`s like me and my husband talked about it before. He was like, "Are you sure you want to admit it?" I`m like, "Yes, I do." Because I`m over 40 and I don`t have wrinkles on my forehead.
And I don`t want people to think that, you know, why doesn`t she - what`s wrong with me? Why am I 40 years old and I`m starting to wrinkle? It`s like, I want to be honest.
HAMMER: Have you ever had a time, Bon, where you thought, "I really do enjoy doing the show, but it not worth it in the end to me"?
BLOSSMAN: I`ve never thought that actually. I did read some the hate at times. And I got consumed with it and wanted to defend myself, especially when it comes from another cast member. That`s when it goes a little bit beyond. You know, it crosses the line.
But I just - you know, I made a deal with myself. I`m not going to look at it. I know it`s out there. They`re probably saying I`m an alien. I have horns and I`m hiding them. Whatever.
HAMMER: Can you set the record straight?
BLOSSMAN: Yes, I`m an alien, and I do have horns and I hide them back.
HAMMER: OK, and you`re hiding them?
BLOSSMAN: Yes, I`ve admitted it now.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HAMMER: I appreciate their candor. You can catch Bon and Whitney on "Big Rich Texas" on the Style Network. Well, tonight, on our special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "Reality Show Secrets Revealed," Kendra Wilkinson has really grown up on reality TV.
She went from stripper to successful wife and mom. So what`s the secret of making a career of reality TV? Well, Kendra is right here to reveal how she thrives in front of the reality TV cameras.
Plus a "Dancing with the Stars" insider. It`s Kelly Monaco revealing what keeps the hit dancing competition running. Here`s a hint -
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONACO: There`s lots of glitter, lots of tanning cream, lots of hairspray and lots of double-stick tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Amazing what you can do with that double-stick tape. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BROOKE BURKE-CHARVET, REALITY TV STAR: We love live television. But unfortunately, there`s not enough time to really show what goes on behind the scenes.
And it`s a lot of emotions, a lot of fear, a lot of nervous energy, a lot of rehearsing, literally moments before they step out there on the dance floor. It`s pressure unlike anything else when you have celebrities doing something they`ve never done in front of the world and getting judged for it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KENDRA WILKINSON, REALITY TV STAR: What`s that stuff wrapped around our house? What the (EXPLETIVE DELETED)?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Bank-owned property, foreclosure notice. What the hell has happened? We just got this place. How are we getting kicked out of this place?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: That`s reality star Kendra Wilkinson with her family getting the shock of their lives with the cameras right there to catch it all for her hit show, "Kendra" on E!
Getting caught up in a foreclosure drama is pretty personal stuff to expose on TV but are there any deep, dark secrets that Kendra won`t ever reveal?
I`m A.J. Hammer in New York. Welcome back to a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets."
And right now, Kendra gets candid. There`s no doubt about it - Kendra is a reality show vet. You know, before her hit show, "Kendra" on E!, she, of course, starred in "The Girl Next Door." She competed on "Dancing with the Stars."
It seems that Kendra Wilkinson has spent her entire 20`s in front of reality TV cameras. And as if her life hasn`t been enough of an open book on TV, well, she`s written a very intimate and personal memoir called "Being Kendra: Cribs, Cocktails and Getting My Sexy Back."
Reality star and author, Kendra Wilkinson, joins me right now from Hollywood. Good to see you, Kendra.
WILKINSON: Hi, A.J. How do you doing?
HAMMER: I`m excellent. So let`s get to one of these big bombshells that you reveal in your book. It`s a secret that you put in here about your off-camera relationship with Louis Van Amstel.
Louis, of course, was your partner on "Dancing with the Stars." Here`s what you wrote, "We clashed constantly. He called me `dyslexic.` He asked if I was learning disabled. Part of me thought this is what selling out looks like."
Wow. Listen, Kendra, I know is about your personal experience. But I have to wonder if perhaps one of the great secrets of "Dancing with the Stars" is that partners often butt heads behind the scenes. Is that it?
WILKINSON: Yes. I mean, you know, the clip before said that, you know, "Dancing with the Stars" is the most real out of all the reality shows.
But I mean, we practice for like five to six hours and all you see is like one minute of the rehearsal before the dance. So I mean, they just put what they can into the mix and that`s what you get.
But there`s so much more that happens behind the scenes, you know. You know, there was a time when I couldn`t do a ronde right or I couldn`t, you know, do - I didn`t know the language really.
But I just - you know, I couldn`t pick it up as quickly as I thought I could and it didn`t work out too well.
HAMMER: Well, I`m sorry we didn`t get to see that. But it`s interesting to know that there is a lot more fire going on behind the scenes than we actually get to see in the limited amount of time they have to show it on the show.
Now, you got your big reality break as one of Hugh Hefner`s girlfriends on "The Girl Next Door." And you were barely out of your teens at the time. I`ve got to say, it looked like we were living the ultimate glamorous life when we watched you on the show.
But here`s what I want to know - when the lights went off, was it really as glamorous as what we got to see or was a lot of it just a lot of show for the cameras?
WILKINSON: You know, we didn`t really - we didn`t really, you know, script who we were. So it is - it was what it was. I mean, I am who I am and I was - you know, that`s why I`m called like the sporty girl and the tom boy because-
HAMMER: Would you have been riding the ponies on the beach and off on these mega yachts like you were in doing all these sorts of things if it wasn`t for the TV show?
WILKINSON: Oh, no. Oh, not at all. Not at all. Not at all. I think that lifestyle was - it was very - it was a glamorous life. And that`s really how it was, even off camera, though.
We would go to Europe even off camera. So I mean, we just wanted to share our lives with the world.
HAMMER: It looked like you were having a darn good time doing that. Now, your book is called "Being Kendra: Cribs, Cocktails and Getting My Sexy Back."
And on your reality show, Kendra, you show us in vivid detail just how you`re getting your sexy back. And in fact, in one episode, you whip out your "Dancing with the Stars" moves with your hubby, Hank. I want to take a look at that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILKINSON: Come on, let`s samba.
HANK BASKETT, KENDRA WILKINSON`S HUSBAND: We can samba right here in this bed.
WILKINSON: Come here. I want to see if I remember the dance, OK? Is that it? Wait, it was - was that it?
BASKETT: yes. I don`t care what the dance is.
WILKINSON: Wait, wait. Come here.
BASKETT: I want to have sex.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Hank`s like, "I just want to have sex." You guys were obviously having some big fun there. But here`s one of the reality secrets that people want to know. You`ve got to help us out.
Is there ever a moment when you say, "All right, guys. The camera`s off. Get out of the room. This is all private." Or when you sign up to do this kind of thing, do you even have the power to do that?
WILKINSON: Yes. I`ve been on TV for nine seasons now with the same production company. And you know, you do. If you - when you get on that - when you have a good relationship with the production company, you have a little bit more power.
And you know, but I love to show. That`s the thing. I love to share my life. I love to be who I am and I love to make mistakes on TV. I hate looking perfect. And that`s like the last thing I want to look like on TV. Yes, so - it`s all about the relationship.
HAMMER: It`s all about the relationship. But I have to imagine every now and then, you just kind of give the guys who are running those cameras a look and they know, we better get the heck out of here.
WILKINSON: I mean, when it comes to the baby - when it comes to the baby - I mean, he has his feeding times. He has his nap times, so those times are off limits.
HAMMER: That is fair. That is fair.
WILKINSON: Yes. Yes.
HAMMER: All right. Kendra, great to see you. Kendra Wilkinson, I appreciate you being here. Make sure you get her book, "Being Kendra: Cribs, Cocktails and Getting My Sexy Back."
Now, it`s "Bachelor" bombshells, the reality secrets behind "The Bachelor," the show that really helped put reality TV on the map.
I spoke with "Bachelor" star, Bob Guiney. Bob, of course, starred in the show`s fourth season. And get this - he thinks reality TV just isn`t keeping it real. Watch.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: I watched "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette." And it`s hard to avoid the feeling some of it looks a bit staged. Give me a real sense of how much is actually staged, because it`s not all spontaneous, right?
BOB GUINEY, REALITY TV STAR, "THE BACHELOR": No. To be really honest, I think that the entire landscape of everything has changed, because, you know, back in the day when I did it, which - I saw like my grandpa, you know, walking uphill both ways barefoot to school.
But it was still kind of new, you know, and you`re still going through the situation where you, I think feeling the whole thing out and trying to figure out what was a real situation and what wasn`t, granted you still had a lot of things that were crazy.
You know, I was always on private jets in Belize and Alaska and all these different circumstances that, you know, you don`t normally have in your everyday life. But now, I think people go on there.
And before they`re on the show, they`ve already created characters that they`re going to play. You know, I`m going to be the villain, for example, or whatever. It`s how they go into the whole mix.
And I think that`s actually interesting, too, because I think it really affects the way that people behave on the show.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Grandpa or not, I`m thinking Bob`s right. Reality shows keep feeling more and more scripted. I think they have to get back to reality.
Coming up next, we have the secrets from "Dancing with the Stars." The original champ, Kelly Monaco, revealing just how real the reality dancing competition is. And is it really as glamorous as it seems to be?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONACO: There`s lots of glitter, lots of tanning cream, lots of hairspray and lots of double-stick tape.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kelly gets candid. This is a special edition of SHOWBIZ TONIGHT, "SHOWBIZ Reality Secrets."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What goes on behind the scenes?
NINA GARCIA, REALITY TV STAR, "PROJECT RUNWAY": A lot of fun. We have a blast. I don`t know. We laugh a lot. We fight a lot. Sometimes, I wish the cameras were behind the scenes because so much goes on and we have such a fun time. There`s really good chemistry between Michael, Heidi and myself and I think that - I think we have fun.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I give you the champions of "Dancing with the Stars"!
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: She was the first champion on "Dancing with the Stars." And now, Kelly Monaco is taking us backstage to tell us exactly what goes on behind the scenes on that show and why double-sided tape is a dancer`s best friend.
Many people know Kelly Monaco is a star of "General Hospital." But her "Dancing with the Stars" victory led her to a new challenge, reality TV. She`s starring on the show on E! that`s called "Dirty Soap," which follows soap stars off set.
When I spoke with Kelly, she shared with me the secrets she learned firsthand about "Dancing with the Stars." And she answered the big question, exactly how real is her reality show?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera) You always had the distinction of being the very first mirror ball trophy winner on "Dancing with the Stars." Anything that goes on behind the scenes of the show that might shock us or surprise us?
MONACO: There`s lots of glitter, lots of tanning cream, lots of hairspray and lots of double-stick tape. And the girls, because there was that almost wardrobe malfunction, have to now wear pasties just in case.
HAMMER: Pasties are a requirement.
MONACO: That`s right.
HAMMER: Do you have to sign a little rider or something saying, "I will wear pasties"?
MONACO: Yes.
HAMMER: You know, Joy Behar told me what pasties were.
MONACO: Oh, really?
HAMMER: I`m proud to know because I had no idea prior to Joy Behar telling me.
MONACO: That`s hilarious.
HAMMER: It is obviously a very challenging show to do. Any suggestions for people who are appearing on the show, Nancy Grace from HLN, of course, on how to get through what a grueling and trying time? It must be, physically and mentally?
MONACO: Yes. I mean, you just have to work hard and be dedicated. And I think probably the biggest thing is, is that it`s not a competition within this community of dancers, right?
It`s a competition within yourself. Each week, I saw myself improving. Then I wanted do better and better and better. So I practiced more and my toes were bleeding. And yes, I fractured hips and did whatever I had to do to get the job done.
HAMMER: We`ve seen no shortage of wild interest in shows like the "Real Housewives" -
MONACO: Yes.
HAMMER: Like "Jersey Shore," like the Kardashian variety of shows. But you know, people are watching this and I think most are sitting back saying, "I don`t think what we get is really what`s going on."
MONACO: OK.
HAMMER: You know, there`s a lot of talk that there is a great deal of script or at least circumstances being put out there to play out in certain ways on reality TV. What is the reality of that?
MONACO: With "dirty soap" and what we`re doing is, it`s different. You have professional actors that are exposing their jobs, what we do every day. We have actual jobs that we`re going into.
And you get a sneak peek behind the cameras, behind the scenes. You go into the make-up room, up on the set. You get to see all this stuff, and in character. And then you get to come home with us.
We have the most outrageous story lines on the planet. We can`t possibly top that with scripting our real lives.
HAMMER: That`s true. No, that`s true. And I think that that`s a great distinction to make in the case of your show, in the case of "Dirty Soap." What you see is what you get is what it sounds like.
MONACO: Yes. I mean, what you see isn`t always what you want.
HAMMER: There`s that as well.
MONACO: But it is what you`re getting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HAMMER: Kelly Monaco`s "Dirty Soap" airs on E! That`s it for SHOWBIZ TONIGHT. I`m A.J. Hammer. You can catch SHOWBIZ TONIGHT exclusively Monday through Friday at 11:00 p.m. Eastern and Pacific right here on HLN.
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