ex or dating preference are hidden from each other. The contestant is on the RV and the daters are hidden on the Next Van. The dates begin with one of the daters stepping out of the van and the screen freezes while personal information about the individual is released to the viewer. Whenever the contestant feels he or she wants to end the date, a new dater is released for a trial date. My point is, the viewer is able to decipher that the show is staged and scripted. The outcome of the show is most likely already predetermined but we, as consumers, except these terms that this false reality dating show is a replacement for real-life dating situations and that we subconsciously know that the outcome has already been prearranged. Reality TV shows, therefore, become an excepted excuse to watch something that we know is already false and predetermined for the sake of watching something we may find comical or an acceptable replacement for reality.But what happens when TV shows like American Idol that is not subconsciously known to be prearranged or scripted are in fact, predetermined? 
A few days ago I was listening to 106.5 on my morning commute to Loyola when I was blown away by the statement that the winners of the show are prearranged. What? Yeah, that’s what I said. I began to wonder if this was true. One of Fox’s most popular programs whose mission is to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions would be a major disappointment to many if viewers were aware that American Idol’s winning contestants were already predetermined by it’s show hosts. What do others think?
A few days ago I was listening to 106.5 on my morning commute to Loyola when I was blown away by the statement that the winners of the show are prearranged. What? Yeah, that’s what I said. I began to wonder if this was true. One of Fox’s most popular programs whose mission is to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nationwide auditions would be a major disappointment to many if viewers were aware that American Idol’s winning contestants were already predetermined by it’s show hosts. What do others think? 
What I think you might be referring to here is our familiarity with the structure of the program: the more familiar we are with it, the easier it is to "read" it. This is what I call a post-modern effect, as we transcend the content to consider the structure. We talked in class about programs that reveal their structure to viewers, like Saturday Night Live. Knowing or understanding the structure leads to a false sense of reality. Personally, I doubt that the winners of American Idol are "pre-arranged." What is interesting to me is the way in which we engage with the issue: is it real or isn't it? In a sense, it no longer matters if it is real or it isn't, the pleasure is in figuring it out.
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