‘Terrace House’: Is the Show Real or Scripted?
Many reality shows make the claim that they aren’t scripted and Terrace House is one of them. The one thing that sets the Netflix show apart is that it’s not totally focused on drama so it’s a bit more believable.
However, fans aren’t aware of how producers can affect the situations on the show. Is the show real or scripted? Here is everything you need to know.
‘Terrace House’ claims to not be scripted
Terrace House shows six strangers living together as they continue to live their lives. That means fans can watch them go to work, pursue their hobbies, and maybe fall in love with each other.
There are times when cast members decide to leave and they get replaced with someone new. This changes the dynamic of the house. The panel always claims the show doesn’t have a script.
Cast members were accused of faking relationships for the show
Some cast members have been called out by other people in the house for faking relationships for the cameras. Riko Nagai and Hayato Terashima of Boys & Girls In The City were accused of kissing while they weren’t being filmed, then pretending to not be involved for the cameras.
“This was the defining moment of the series,” panelist Ryota Yamasato or “Yama-chan” told Tokyo Weekender. “Young Japanese idols are expected to be pure so it’s no surprise Riko tried to hide the relationship with Hayato. The other housemates knew what was happening so [they] decided to confront them. For the sake of her career it would have been easy for the production team to gloss over it, but I’m glad they didn’t. This is an unscripted reality show so it was important that viewers saw how it developed.”
Aio Fukuda and Risako Tanigawa were also accused of planning a fake relationship off-camera. They were accused of talking about holding hands before Tanigaway ultimately rejects Fukuda.
So the show has acknowledged that it’s possible fans might be tricked into watching fake relationships. But is the show real outside of these incidents?
There is a rumor that Lauren Tsai said it isn’t real but it’s not scripted
Lauren Tsai appeared on the Aloha State season of the show. There is a rumor she claimed the show is very forced in an interview that was later edited.
“It’s probably the least real reality show,” she told Metropolis Japan, according Oh No They Didn’t! Instead, she compared it to a “Japanese drama.” Tsai said the crew would appear for an hour during the day then a few hours at night.
She claimed the cast was asked not to talk to each other when they weren’t filming by producers. “But seriously what are we supposed to do for the entire day?” the model asked, according to Oh No They Didn’t!.
She then addressed the claim that the show is unscripted. “It is non scripted but at the same extremely scripted,” Tsai said. “They don’t tell us exactly what to say. Though they know what kind of story, they want to edit in their minds so they force that content to be created,” she added.
Fans and the blog, Oh No They Didn’t! claimed this part of the interview was later removed. It looks like Terrace House is unscripted, but like most reality shows producers do try to get a story from the cast.
