You Know It's Fake, Right? Options

[DJRiddle]

Nothing in this show is scary. I can't really stand to watch much of this one, so could someone tell me if anyone has ever staked the vampire, kicked the tiny midget in the devil costume or thrown water on the witch? If this was real you would expect that after how ever many episodes of this amature 'reality show' that they would have gotten at least one brave soul with the huevos to fight back. You know the 'Nam vet just delivering a pizza who used to be a Ranger and who has seen too much death to ever be afraid? The girl who's been taking Akido classes and the friend who set them up didn't know? That rare individual who blacks-out and goes into beserker mode cause their great, great... great grand father was a Viking? It's fight or flight, and usually there is just the latter from what little I have been able to force myself to watch. Just an offensive host who really hams it up and a show that looks and watches like something out of a junior high AV class. Scary is realizing that people think this is real.

[DJRiddle]

It's also awesome to see how many of the topics here have zero replies!

[Gary101]

It's also awesome to see how many of the topics here have zero replies!

Its not that type of show. Usually the soap type sci fi dramas get the tons of replies. They have fans that write "shipper files" in which obsessed fans imagine all sorts of possible plot twists in which the characters have alternative relationships with each other. Lots of shows rarely get any replies.

Obviously reality shows have a rep for faking things. It really depends on how much. The pro-extreme fake camp pretty much thinks they are all actors and everything is scripted. They list the usual stuff -- fake location names, fake reactions, tricky camera angles, inserted segments and too much litigation risk/danger.

The big argument for it is -- reality shows do tend to fake things and with tight budgets and the risk of being sued if anything goes wrong ---- there would seem to be overwhelming pressure on them to just fake everything. If its all scripted with unknown actors --- they can schedule filming more tightly and the danger of anything going wrong is obviously vastly reduced.

Thats a good argument but I think fans will continue to go into a suspension of disbelief mode until theres definitive proof its faked on that level.

I choose to believe sure there might be some fudging but its not 100% faked. A lot of the other arguments --- I dont buy. In the end someone may reveal it was 100% faked but some of the arguments arent very convincing.

a ) The acting is so bad -- its obviously fake. Everyone reacts differently and its impossible to know it by the reactions on these episodes.
b ) Camera angles -- I was bit suspicious about this but Ive seen all kinds of tricky angles on other shows and nothing I can remember seems impossible to do without the victim knowing it.
c ) The fake names -- theyve acknowledged that. Maybe they do it because they dont want the exact location known which would give away their bits to potential victims in that location.
d ) inserted dramatic segments --- theyve explained that right from the get go. They want segments that only the viewer can see to enhance the dramatic effect making it seem like a scene from a movie. I think its a bit dumb and it confuses many viewers who say thats proof its fake.
e ) Litigation/risk and cost --- this is a hard one to explain away but there was a wave of riskier shows since the 90s and there was an article in USA TODAY which explained these shows use specialized lawyers/insurance firms who comb through the episodes to make sure they minimize the risks.

Overall -- it could go either way.

Some of the things Ive found very suspicious --- a victim after the reveal says "I watch Scare Tactics all the time." If he really did watch it he should have easily recognized the people in the show since they repeatedly use a handful of actors.

There are numerous little things like that which make you wonder if its totally fake. However, it goes back to the Ghost Hunters argument -- If they script things 100%, why did they leave that bonehead remark in ?

And if they scripted it --- everyone obviously points to the victims that get hysterical as their favorite bits so why dont they have tons of screaming, hysterical and bizarre victims? In fact most of them are flat , peculiar in their responses or frozen. You asked -- Why dont all of them fight back? They talk to their friends and family who set them up. They dont want violent and aggressive types. They have had several people who ran away and a few have attacked.

[distick9]

I am a fan of the show. I was able to track down one of the actors (Travis Draft) through his website and asked him some questions about the show. In his email he said...

" I don't know why people think it is fake. if the MARKS were actors they would be famous because their "acting" would be to good for you not to know them. We choose people from a huge list that are being set up by someone who knows them. we then profile them to make sure they have no pre existing medical or mental conditions. Thats why they are always toddlers (18-23) years old. I guess the "fake " parts are the scenes that happen in another room away from the MARK. i'm not a fan of that stuff because it looks like porn to me or a telemundo soap opera. Those scenes are added for cinematic value and would be really terrifying for someone to witness , plus they involve weapons that we don't want any "HEROS" to try to get a hold of. So i guess for the most part its so everyone stays safe and has a good time when the jig is up. What really gets me is that somehow this art-form that i have been perfecting since my first show buzzkill in 95 is considered a reality show, this is a play put on in real life for one audience member, then aired for the world to see. I'm glad you like the show and hope you are not a stalker. JK.

Peace in the mid east ,
Travis

P.S. (don't know why i'm p.sing this is typed) check out my band KNIGHTS OF MONTE CARLO. we are a yacht rock band.

late"

Guess i could've omitted the end but i did check them out, and would recommend them to anyone.

[DJRiddle]

Suggesting that those people who are the subject of these pranks must not be actors because they seem genuinely scared is really weak because fear is one of the easiest emotions to fake - One just opens their eyes up real wide, screams and puts their hands up in the air on on their face or just pulls the 'deer in the headlights.' Plus if there is any kind of footage added/removed later for continuity or some other kind of lure or set up not specifically mentioned in the episodes then I would say that means this show is fake.

Remember the guy who talked to the dead? John something I think. That show was totally fake and it was presented as legitamate with a narration at the beginning stating as much. There were plants in the audience, secret cameras and microphones all over the place to gather information on what the real audience members hoped to get out of their visit and the guy had a earwig so the writers/producers backstage could tell him what to say. I believe legal problems concerning a suit about the legalitly of lying to people about their deceased friends and family finally forced it off the air. Scare Tactics isn't the same show, but its presentation to the audience is awfully similar.

I suppose that, ultimately, it doesn't matter since not every one wants to watch intellectually stimulating or cleverly written TV. Lots of low brow stuff has been, is and will continue to be on television and the kinds of people who watch it will do so no matter how much it confuses those who do not. The time, effort, energy and money these kinds of things require could be redirected to help school children, fight crime, fight disease, reduce world hunger, etc. but I suppose it's more important for some people just to watch some body (pretend to be(?)) be scared...

[Gary101]

I suppose that, ultimately, it doesn't matter since not every one wants to watch intellectually stimulating or cleverly written TV. Lots of low brow stuff has been, is and will continue to be on television and the kinds of people who watch it will do so no matter how much it confuses those who do not. The time, effort, energy and money these kinds of things require could be redirected to help school children, fight crime, fight disease, reduce world hunger, etc. but I suppose it's more important for some people just to watch some body (pretend to be(?)) be scared...

Well that argument has been used ad nauseum in this forum. Its generally part of the the very popular complaint about the growth of reality TV in popular culture which critics see as dumbing down the population and displacing "good" TV shows, which has been going on since eons ago. And in this forum in particular many despise it due to the encroachment of that trend into the Sci Fi channel. Its usually countered by saying that's elitist. You know one of the things about a capitalist society is you can vote with your dollars, despite the restrictions in any society theres a large amount of freedom in the US so that you can allocate resources by voting with your dollars into all sorts of unnecessary things which people other than yourself --- find totally worthless.

If an elite gov group dictated where resources could go, the correct things to consume --- maybe they would only allow mainly classic jazz and classical music and only the most serious or wholesome movies, that would be one thing but instead everyone is relatively free to consume trashy movies, punk rock, alternative, Rap, hiphop, country or any silly thing like the Macarena --- whatever. Lots of stuff that other people find totally worthless. Same thing with movies and books. In this case the ratings favor a lot of reality TV. Im also kind of a contrarian and I have my own elitist tendencies. However I generally dont agree non-reality TV is all that great to begin with. Though I love hardcore Sci Fi, ive never liked Sci Fi soaps and many of the classic series type stuff like Star Trek, SG and most of the shows on Sc Fi. I like stuff like anthology series like Outer Limits or quirky things like Lexx and I wish they would make dead serious stuff based on the mountains of Best Of Sci Fi anthologies and other books I used to read all the time.

Theres a lot of whining not just about the Sci Fi channel and not even just reality shows, but due to the recession creating pressure to cut costs --- I guess a lot of people in Hollywood and the industry in general think of the reality trend and the trend away from scripted series to save money as a trend thats killing jobs, resuiting in less opportunity for talent. There was a hubbub about the Jay Leno show displacing an hour a day in primetime reducing the space for series. It reminds me of the complaint about electronic gear/sampling etc --- killing off the demand for musicians. There was an article recently in the LA TIMES about the dramatic decline in the recording industry with tons of cheap PC based recording gear out now people were making home recording studios.

For me , that displacement of potential great TV writers, actors and series generally means less "Two and Half Men" or "Law and Order" or another "CSI" spinoff. I cant really name a lot of great stuff on TV.

And I have to admit prank shows are a guilty pleasure for me.

[casey119]

Okay I've seen this a number of times and most of the time I end up channel flipping to something else. My boyfriend on the other hand enjoys it. But speaking of Scare... I can't pass up this opportunity to share this with anyone... something really scary... lol http://www.typobounty.com/Funny/Health_Care_Reform2.htm

[Svenfan]

I don't give a fvcck if it's fake or not, it's ENTERTAINMENT! And freeking good entertainment in my book! Bring on SVEN and STFU.

[conejitoasesino]

If this was real you would expect that after how ever many episodes of this amature 'reality show' that they would have gotten at least one brave soul with the huevos to fight back. You know the 'Nam vet just delivering a pizza who used to be a Ranger and who has seen too much death to ever be afraid? The girl who's been taking Akido classes and the friend who set them up didn't know? That rare individual who blacks-out and goes into beserker mode cause their great, great... great grand father was a Viking?

Dude, the people are totally screened to make sure they won't go into "berserker rages" when fight or flight sets in.

I once punched a date in the face after he jumped out at me from a dark doorway. No second date for me. Trust me, people like you and me who fight more than we flight, and have some semblance of self preservation (and friend preservation for that matter) would never get picked for this kind of show.

I've never been able to watch an entire episode of this, it's just too ridiculous. But snippets of it every once in a while are pretty entertaining. Like those **** boys. Good for a few minutes but you wouldn't take them home to meet your mother.

[QuantumIguana]

It is suspcious that people don't go and attack those who are attempting to scare them. It's not called the fight or flight response for nothing. To attack in such a situation is not a sign of metal illness or berzerker rage, it's a normal response. Do they have some sort of profile of who is likely to attack, who is likely to flee, and who is likely to just scream? I think it would be difficult to screen for this.

The last time I was in a fight was 1980. If they screened me, they would probably take me as someone who wouldn't fight. But if someone is breaking down my door, I'd likely grab whatever I had on hand and fight.

[Gary101]

It is suspcious that people don't go and attack those who are attempting to scare them. It's not called the fight or flight response for nothing. To attack in such a situation is not a sign of metal illness or berzerker rage, it's a normal response. Do they have some sort of profile of who is likely to attack, who is likely to flee, and who is likely to just scream? I think it would be difficult to screen for this.

The last time I was in a fight was 1980. If they screened me, they would probably take me as someone who wouldn't fight. But if someone is breaking down my door, I'd likely grab whatever I had on hand and fight.

From watching the show they have two methods to minimize that --- one is the screening process. If your friends and family say you probably wont be violent , I think they are probably correct in predicting you wont be totally violent. The other thing they do is usually surround you with a friend and other cast members and probably design the environment to minimize any dangers. There have been several episodes where the mark did fight back but they were quickly wrapped up , held by the cast or friends. The obvious one was the serial killer hitchhiker bit where they had a young guy and his sister in a car with Travis going to a party in an isolated area. They pick up a suspicious guy with a bag which later turns out to have a fake severed head in it.

This one was really over the top with the maniac in the front passenger seat. After they open the bag and find the fake severed head --- the maniac seems to go berserk and stab Travis, the driver. The mark behind the seat does fight back. He starts punching the actor in the head. Now heres the curious part -- you can see his sister grabbing him to make him stop and also Travis. In real life of course it would be bizarre to have the victims trying to protect the maniac. Ive noticed they usually try to box some of the marks in so they cant attack the actors in some bits.

[shyasiangirl]

I love this show. But if someone ever set me up they would have to use new actors and actresses to scare me. I'd be suspicious at first, but I am easily scared...so I would probably start screaming anyway.

[DecayingAngel]

People have fought back, or made a decent attempt to do so, on this show. Heck, I remember when Sven was taken down by that guy who came at him like a football player. It wasn't fake, no way.

There has to be some sort of screening process, and I'm sure that the shows that didn't work out were discarded. I've watched this from Day 1 and really love both the show and the concept.

[Gary101]

People have fought back, or made a decent attempt to do so, on this show. Heck, I remember when Sven was taken down by that guy who came at him like a football player. It wasn't fake, no way.

There has to be some sort of screening process, and I'm sure that the shows that didn't work out were discarded. I've watched this from Day 1 and really love both the show and the concept.

I remember that one, a big hefty guy goes running and then barrels into Sven, tackling him. That one made me wonder if anyone got hurt -- Im assuming of course this isnt 100% fake.

[Gary101]

I love this show. But if someone ever set me up they would have to use new actors and actresses to scare me. I'd be suspicious at first, but I am easily scared...so I would probably start screaming anyway.

Thats one of the things high on the suspicious list. Ive seen that same line again in recent new episodes where the mark claims they are fans of the show. If thats the case then why dont they recognize the cast members? If I was in a weird situation and suddenly that blonde haired guy, Sven, Travis or the older guy ---- virtually ANY of the regular actors popped up, I would recognize them right away and the jig would be up.

Another funny thing I noticed was a lot of the marks use almost the same exact phrases. They'll say things like ----"Could you just let me go............I dont want anything to do with this........."

Sure thats pretty generic stuff, but there are several reactions like that, which seem repeated almost word for word.