Such a fun read. As a theater teacher, I can definitely see utilizing this book, or at least selections of it, during film as we talk about the way entertainment has evolved. I think this book was well researched and interesting.

Follow the author as she takes us behind the scenes of some of the most popular reality shows and see the cost of fame. From Survivor contestants who admitted that the show targeted psychologically valuable people for the drama to reality shows allowing known criminals onto their shows. Follow "Suzy", whose job was to do background checks on contestants for reality shows and shudder at the knowledge that a lot of dangerous people were allowed on set for dramas sake.

This book offers and interesting take on Reality TV - particularly on shows that originated in the UK and then were transplanted and adapted for US audiences. He makes interesting points about the manipulation and gimmicks that reality TV show producers use on its contestants and in the end, I am not sure if I learned anything particularly new but it still made for an interesting, diverting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and DK for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book provided a fascinating look at the history of reality TV. I enjoyed it a lot!

I'm an absolute SUCKER for Non-Fiction Essays and short stories and I am so thankful to DK Books, Jacques Peretti, and Netgalley for granting me advanced access to this behemoth before it came out on October 31, 2023.

Really interesting, but gets lost in the weeds sometimes. Maybe that's just because I wasn't as interested in reality tv as I thought. Still, it was an easy read about a big trend that happened in tv.

It is a little too British-centric for my tastes—was expecting to hear more about American television—but it is still a solid look at the phenomenon of reality television, the ersatz authenticity of it all, and its effects on participants and viewers.

Peretti's "Edge of Reality" is promoted as a deep-dive into reality tv casting and production. Unfortunately, it's not quite as detailed as the description promises.

Peretti focuses on a few shows and a few aspects of the reality tv production experience - casting and psych exams, manipulation by producers, and the suicide epidemic among reality tv contestants. He bounces around between Survivor, Big Brother, Fantasy Island, and the Bachelor Franchise but keeps going back to the same psychiatrists and cast members who were willing to speak to him.

Other journalists have been able to get more information and perspectives out of producers and cast members in recent articles and books. This makes me think that either Peretti burned a lot of bridges throughout his time as a reality tv producer himself or people still employed in the area don't trust him. For this reason, the book doesn't give too much information that isn't already known or speculated about.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.