Although reality television is unscripted, or mostly unscripted, creators engineer situations to create dramatic outcomes. Additionally, programs are the result of selective editing to pick the most exciting incidents. The result is that, although reality programming presents itself as realistic, the situations it portrays are dramatic and exaggerated. Since, unlike scripted drama, reality television portrays itself as 'real', viewers may become more likely to anticipate highly dramatic situations in reality. A 2003 study at Missouri Western State University showed that subjects who watched reality shows were more likely to believe that dramatic incidents were likely to occur.
Critics such as media analyst Tom Alderman have accused reality television of intentionally creating humiliating or shameful situations. Audiences then derive pleasure from mocking or feeling superior to the embarrassed participants. Psychologists Steven Reiss and James Wiltz studied the goals of reality television viewers using the Reiss Profile, which assesses the motives for actions. Reiss and Wiltz came to the conclusion that, among other factors, people who watched reality television were strongly motivated by the desire for perceived status and for revenge.
Popular culture is obsessed with celebrity -- magazines and television report every move of the famous, from their love lives to what they have for breakfast. Reality television is in some ways the pinnacle of this culture: reality television stars are famous for nothing other than being famous. However, many have suffered from this sudden fame. British reality TV star Jade Goody came to prominence following an appearance on 'Big Brother', but struggled to deal with media scrutiny of her complex personal life. In some ways, however, she was able to use her fame to positive ends, such as using coverage of her health to raise public awareness of the dangers of cervical cancer.
Because reality television is so popular, contestants strive to appear on many shows. Although most reality shows do compensate their participants, they are far less expensive than professional actors. Likewise, because reality television shows present themselves as unscripted, they do not need to hire writers. The low costs of production make these shows appealing to networks, but both actors and writers have complained that their prevalence costs jobs. Reality television was one of the issues discussed during the 2007-8 Writers' Guild of America strike.