Fans Criticize the Staged ‘KUWTK’ Storylines That Were Most Obviously Fake
Even the most die-hard reality TV fans know they can’t expect it to be 100% real and authentic. Between the editing to make the storylines fit neatly into the time allotted for an episode and the showrunners pulling the strings behind the scenes to get the on-screen developments they want, there are plenty of tricks reality shows use that aren’t strictly “real.”
Still, fans want to believe that what they are seeing is more or less a snapshot of something meaningful out of the cast members’ lives. This is especially true for a show like Keeping Up with the Kardashians where the premise is not about strangers competing for a prize but about a real-life family just living their lives.
That’s not what fans think they’re getting, though. These days, fans are getting fed up with plots they feel are forced and scripted. It doesn’t just go against the whole point of reality TV — it can also be boring to watch.
‘KUWTK’ has faced accusations of being fake
While the most recent accusations about the show being fake have come out of the seemingly disparate plot lines designed to keep fans tuning in, the show has long faced criticisms of being less than authentic. Fans have pointed to chronological abnormalities where scenes were aired out of order simply to tell a story in the way the creators wanted.
Another point of contention has been the fact that the Kardashian family holds the right to see, approve, and even edit footage before it makes its way to the screen. While this makes sense from a privacy and safety point of view — they are, after all, letting cameras capture intimate moments of their lives — it does leave fans wondering just how much “reality” is making it through.
Fans think they can recognize fake plots
While the Kardashian-Jenners may think they’ve got fans fooled with their editing and scripted scenes, fans feel like they’ve been able to see through the deception. A recent Reddit thread asked fans to share the moments they found least convincing when it came to believing they actually happened as filmed.
Some fans were particularly harsh and said they didn’t believe any of the show was real. “All of it. Every single thing they put on air with the exception of Kourtney no longer wanting to do the show and even that I give a side-eye to sometimes. Sometimes I think it’s a storyline fake but [I’ll] play along,” one fan wrote.
“Yes, I’m sure most of what’s aired is fake. The show doesn’t include 99% of what’s really going on in their lives,” another agreed. Obviously, however, these fans have kept tuning in, so they must be getting some enjoyment out of it without having to believe it depicts reality.
Many silly plots seem fake to fans
Fans pointed to a lot of big plot lines that made them shake their heads in disbelief. They think that big moments like Kylie Jenner’s pregnancy and Khloé Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s actual relationship woes were hidden from the camera. It might make sense that the family would want to keep these major, personal stories to themselves.
However, many fans also pointed to silly moments that have no reason to be scripted other than to spice up the show. “Kris putting the tracker in her mother MJs shoe,” one fan wrote as a moment that didn’t read as true. Another pointed to Khloé Kardashian hiring a mime and Kris Jenner with the baby monkey as plots that just didn’t seem real.
Re-watching old episodes has allowed fans to catch some scripted moments: “Whenever Kylie and Kendall were ‘West coast contributors’ for [Seventeen Magazine] and they had to walk up to girls at the grove and ask girls if they were interested in modeling. Kendall got all anxious and made Kylie do everything. I just rewatched this episode and noticed that one of the girls they approached was their friend Spencer.”
While the show may be fun, many viewers are convinced that there isn’t much reality to it.
