Reality television is a genre that represents real people and their real lives. But all representation is transformation, and television transforms reality into many different things. This dissertation looks at the cultural stimuli for reality-based media and how it is perceived, as well as exploring the idea of watching and being watched. Ideas of surveillance, identity, and reality itself are communicated through our screens, which affects the subjects and the viewers. There are also discussions surrounding who and what is represented, how and why this is done, and the consequences of doing so.