Should we abandon reality TV for good?

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     August 4, 2023 I'm addicted to reality television. Selling Sunset. Keeping Up With the Kardashians. Flavor of Love. If it stars beautiful people screaming at each other for petty reasons, I'll watch it. Ask me to recite the fight between Abby Lee Miller and her fellow Dance Moms cast member Kelly Hyland, from season 4, episode 7, and I'll do it with ease. But with the current strikes upending Hollywood, one question has been weighing on my mind: Is it even ethical to make reality television? In recent years, a string of cast members who have appeared on some of America's most successful reality TV shows have come forward with shocking behind-the-scene horror stories. They include allegations from Love Is Blind contestants who filed a lawsuit against Netflix claiming they were [plowed]( with alcohol, psychologically manipulated, and denied sleep in order to keep them emotionally volatile. America's Next Top Model contestants have [reported]( similar experiences, with one former contestant [comparing]( it to the Stanford Prison Experiment. And many reality TV contestants allege unfair compensation. Love Is Blind season 3 cast members [said]( they were paid only $7.14 per hour. In a Q&A with Seventeen [magazine](, Christi Lukasiak revealed that she was paid only $600 for the entire first season of Dance Moms. Mother Jones has tracked [scandal]( after scandal over the years. I invite you to revisit one of our most indelible investigations into the industry's racist practices from 2022 as the newsletter's top story today. These pervasive allegations make me wonder if there's an ethical way to create reality TV. If a medium is so inherently exploitative, should we abandon the concept altogether? But I hope that in this [ongoing fight]( to improve and protect labor rights in the entertainment industry, reality TV stars can also have a seat at the table. —Arianna Coghill Advertisement [House Donations Ad]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [The Reality TV Racism Reckoning Is Finally Here. “Vanderpump Rules” Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg.]( "I was the only Black person on the show. It was a lot.” BY MOLLY SCHWARTZ FROM THE MOTHER JONES STORE   Mother Jones Store Are you a Mother Funder? If you are, buy the shirt as well! Go to the official Mother Jones Store and show your support beyond the pages. [Check us out!]( [Trending] [Brazil reports a big decline in Amazon deforestation last month]( BY JONATHAN WATTS   [When white people became "white people"]( BY GARRISON HAYES   [Republicans keep being charged for meddling with voting equipment]( BY ABIGAIL WEINBERG   [DeSantis and Newsom: A debate no one asked for is happening]( BY INAE OH Advertisement [House Subscriptions Ad]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [One of Louisiana’s Only Pediatric Heart Transplant Doctors Is Moving Because of Anti-LGBTQ Laws]( “I came back here after a fellowship to dedicate my career to Louisiana. And Louisiana pushed me out.” BY ISABELA DIAS [Fiercely Independent] Support from readers allows Mother Jones to do journalism that doesn't just follow the pack. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Help us out by [forwarding]( it to a friend or sharing it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755