The subtle art of reality TV editing has crossed from crafty storytelling into outright deception

I've noticed a disturbing trend where reality TV producers are using editing techniques to completely fabricate narratives, and it's honestly pissing me off. For example, on competition shows, they'll splice together confessionals from different days to create fake reactions that never happened in real time. Last week, I was watching a popular dating series where a contestant's 'shocked' face was actually from a totally unrelated scene about the weather. This manipulation isn't just annoying; it feels like a betrayal to viewers who invest hours into these stories. As a longtime fan, I'm tired of seeing genuine moments twisted into manufactured drama for higher ratings. It makes the whole genre feel cheap and scripted, which defeats the purpose of calling it 'reality' TV. I miss when conflicts felt authentic instead of engineered in an editing booth. Now, I find myself scrutinizing each frame, which totally ruins the escapism I used to enjoy.