And the winner of Masterchef is... *ad break*... Ralph Fiennes!

March 22, 2024 6:54 PM

Do reality competition shows in the US have to follow the same laws as other game shows?

I watch a lot of cooking competition shows but I'm wondering if they have to conform to the same laws as Jeopardy!/Wheel of Fortune/Price is Right/etc. which were passed in the wake of the 50s scandals in TV game shows. There are so many times where it looks absolutely completely fixed. And a lot of that is probably editing I know. But maybe they just don't have to follow those laws because it's not a "game show" but a "reality show"? Is Ramsay lying to me?

posted by downtohisturtles to Law & Government (6 answers total)

Some potentially useful info in this blog post.
posted by not just everyday big moggies at 7:06 PM on March 22 [3 favorites]

If you look at the fine print at the end of many of these shows, it will say something to the effect of: the network consulted with the judges concerning the outcome. The constraint is more public perception than law.
posted by praemunire at 7:17 PM on March 22

Top Chef, for example, says in the credits: "Winning and elimination decisions were made by the Judges in consultation with the producers. Some elimination decisions were discussed with Bravo."

I take this to mean that there is no expectation of anyone having a fair and impartial chance at the prize.
posted by supercres at 7:18 PM on March 22 [1 favorite]

I was on a game show. My understanding is that Master Chef and the like treat contestants like actors and is considered entertainment, receiving a stipend or some other pay win or lose. Game shows have clearly defined rules. It would be nearly impossible to be objective and the casting process is treated clearly as a casting process. Game shows or quiz shows definitely have an element of casting but it is much more strict. You can tell on real game shows like Jeopardy there’s no joking around versus Family Feud. I don’t know the specific laws only that the game show I was on were pretty strict in the selection process. It was fairly objective with open casting calls and what they could even tell us. As in they had a Q&A but everyone was told the same thing, etc.
posted by geoff. at 2:05 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]

In one season of Last Comic Standing, the judges realized that the results the host was reading did not match their voting. Drew Carrey (most memorably) made a big deal about it on camera, and it was explained that the judges' inputs were given a lot of weight but producers had the final say. This was an early round where you could understand wanting to shape the field in some way, and not e.g. overriding an elimination decision - though maybe that happens too.
posted by Horselover Fat at 6:11 AM on March 23

My understanding is that Master Chef and the like treat contestants like actors and is considered entertainment

Which makes total sense, when you think about the difference in objective judging (i.e., you're right or you're not when you answer a Jeopardy! question) and subjective judging (i.e., this judge liked your food in part because of personal preference).
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 6:13 AM on March 23 [1 favorite]