Word: abrego
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Thank, or blame, Ozzy Osbourne, says Surreal Life producer Cris Abrego. The Osbournes "made it possible for us to talk to celebrities," he says. "Five or six years ago, reality TV was a bad word." Now it's CPR for a dying career, a way for forgotten celebrities to remind the world that they exist and for child stars to reintroduce themselves as grownups. Not that any celebrity will admit to such motives. On one Star Dates, Kim Fields--Tootie from The Facts of Life--says of her two blind dates, "If they call me Tootie, they...
...popularity of this new genre, working with stars who aren't show-biz naifs has some drawbacks. Abrego, who once produced the MTV reality show Road Rules, remembers its restrictive contracts: "The Road Rules kids, they'd have to sign their firstborn away. But these guys, if you don't get the right hair and makeup person to show up, there's trouble." There's the ego massaging, convincing even C-list stars and their agents that the series are not has-been freak shows--shhh, it's our secret! "They had standards," Abrego says. "There were people who said...
...people's genuine, unrehearsed reactions, even in contrived situations. Can you expect that from people who have spent their lives performing? "You can tell when someone's acting," says Surreal's Carter, pointing to a genuinely moving moment when Neil talks about his daughter's death of cancer. But Abrego wasn't always sure. "I've seen them turn it on and off," he says. "There's a moment where Corey is crying, and to be honest, we're not sure if it's real." Feldman says it is, as is the series' denouement--he married his fiance...