With a name like “The Discovery Channel”, viewers probably expect to learn and discover people, places, and things. Ideally, whatever or whomever they learn about are factually based and empirically tested, as opposed to random opinions, ideas, myths, or legends.
In some ways, the Discovery Channel has abided by these rules and provided content that is interesting, entertaining, and educational. Other times, however, it has fallen short of these expectations in pursuit of higher ratings. Follow the money, right? Like TLC used to be “The Learning Channel” (ha!), Discovery has made a few missteps here and there by presenting carefully constructed narratives and casts as “reality TV”. Taking a look at Discovery shows of the past and the present, we found 10 that are the fakest and 10 that are the real deal.
20 FAKE: Gold Rush
If reality TV had been a thing in the 1800s, perhaps Gold Rush would’ve had a dose of realness. As it was, however, the show premiered in 2010 and followed a group of guys who lost everything in the 2008 recession.
According to former cast member Jimmy Dorsey, he was fed lines from producers to create drama, and the Alaskan government said laws were broken for the sake of ratings!
19 REAL DEAL: American Chopper
Aside from being some great meme material, American Chopper is in fact, the “real” of “reality TV”! In addition to building some impressive choppers, the family drama between Paul Teutul Sr. and his son was real – Junior was fired and Teutul did forcibly buy his son’s ownership.
The legal issues are actually what led to the show’s cancellation.
18 FAKE: Man Vs. Wild
Yeah, Bear Grylls has a reputation for being a total boss when it comes to surviving the great outdoors, but it’s not all based on fact. While he may eat scorpions and jump off cliffs, he’s still accompanied by a full crew and rests up in a hotel every night. There have also been accusations that Grylls has faked things (like bear attacks) for the sake of ratings.
17 REAL DEAL: Dirty Jobs
With a name like Dirty Jobs, there’s not really much need to fake it for the camera. Host Mike Rowe does actually get down and dirty with some of the grossest and most dangerous jobs that other people do on a daily basis! The only major editing that goes on, according to Rowe, is when production removes parts deemed too gross for viewers!
16 FAKE: Alaskan Bush People
Well, the first indicator that Alaskan Bush People isn’t about real Alaskan bush people is that the cast is actually primarily from Texas. The show has also been accused of manipulating relationships and “hiring” girlfriends for the boys on the show for the sake of maintaining audience interest, which is more than a little icky.
15 REAL DEAL: Storm Chasers
Intense and scarily accurate, Storm Chasers (which ended in 2012) didn’t rely on CGI or any special effects to create the terrifying cyclones that a rotating cast chased after. While the people involved knew what they were doing and only maybe hammed it up a little for the audience, the danger was real: cast member Tim Samaras died while chasing a storm a year after the show was cancelled.
14 FAKE: Naked And Afraid
You know how to get people to pay attention to yet another survivalist program? Make the contestants get naked! That’s the premise of Naked and Afraid, and, while the nudity might be real, the actual show rarely is. While contestants are expected to survive on their own, they are frequently taken off-camera and given medical treatment and even access to modern necessities.
13 REAL DEAL: How It’s Made
Another show that relies on its name to tell audiences exactly what it’s about with no extra frills, How It’s Made is the kind of show you can have on in the background to learn a little more about the things around us. They show how modern-day stuff is made, like hearing aids and bowling balls, and how older stuff is made, like horse-drawn carriages.
12 FAKE: Street Outlaws
With the success of the Fast and the Furious franchise, we get the appeal for Discovery to have a drag-racing “reality” show of its own. The thing is, Street Outlaws isn’t a reality show. If street racing is so illegal, why are these people allowing their names and faces to be seen?
In actuality, production works with local police departments to ensure that the “illegal racing” is done safely.
11 REAL DEAL: Mythbusters
With a name like “Mythbusters”, you’d better believe that what you see is what you get! One of the most beloved shows on the Discovery Channel, Mythbusters has been used by fans for years to buffet the “well, actually…” parts of their arguments. Showing their success as well as their failures, the show is hilarious, entertaining, and accurate.
10 FAKE: Dual Survival
Lasting from 2010 to 2016, Dual Survival was found out to be a fake thanks to eagle-eyed fans, who noticed the animal traps weren’t properly secured to the ground, scavenged matches changed colors, and “caught” fish were actually already near death. Former host Dave Canterbury later revealed that he was significantly under-qualified and not a sniper in the Army as he had claimed.
9 REAL DEAL: Deadliest Catch
There are definitely some head-scratching moments on Deadliest Catch that could have it veer into fake territory, but this show is actually painfully real. In addition to using lots of raw footage and putting cameramen at risk, the show actually lost some of its cast in the first few seasons, with a total of six fatalities!
8 FAKE: A Haunting
Shows about ghosts are rarely real, and yet the Discovery Channel still attempted to give A Haunting some semblance of legitimacy. Basically, the show sought to talk to people who had sworn that they had seen or interacted with ghosts and then presented these interviews as fact.
Really, this was a low point for Discovery, as there was nothing the show actually discovered.
7 REAL DEAL: River Monsters
Unlike Deadliest Catch, which focuses more on the dramatics of the boating, River Monsters is mostly about giving viewers an up-close-and-personal glimpse at some of the nastier creatures that live in the water. Environmentalist and host Jeremy Wade is interested in educating people about these so-called “monsters” that cause destruction to the areas around them – which is exactly what a Discovery Channel host should do.
6 FAKE: Eaten Alive
Not a series, but a two-hour special that followed environmentalist Paul Rosolie who had designed a “snake-proof” suit that would allow him to be eaten, but not actually consumed by a giant anaconda. It was a stunt from the beginning, but presented as a thrilling documentary. Rosolie panicked when the snake attempted to go over his head, and the stunt was, unsurprisingly, cancelled.
5 REAL DEAL: Cash Cab
Cash Cab is one of the most popular Discovery shows, with versions of it spanning all over the globe. While the show is definitely real (contestants do actually get money), there are some things left out (they get it in check form after their episode airs). Contestants may also be pre-screened, but not always, to see if they have enough general knowledge to get on a trivia show!
4 FAKE: Amish Mafia
Based on the title alone, it should be clear that Amish Mafia never had a hint of reality to it. First off, a disclaimer stated that most of the scenes were reenactments. Then, there was the fact that none of these “Amish” people seemed to follow their religion – including allowing themselves to be filmed!
3 REAL DEAL: Planet Earth
Not a serialized show, but rather an 11-part documentary, Planet Earth has proven to be both exciting, entertaining, and informational, drawing viewers in from all over the world and becoming one of Discovery’s most popular offerings ever. According to Wired, Planet Earth took five years to film, throughout 200 cities and 62 countries.
2 FAKE: Mermaids: The Body Found
Look, mermaids are a big deal in our society. People like to imagine being mermaids, we have food with coloring that’s simply called “mermaid food”, and you can even buy tails. But mermaids aren’t real, and this Discovery Channel bomb didn’t do anything to convince anyone. It was all fake, the video used was fabricated, and the Discovery Channel did a disservice to its name.
1 REAL DEAL: Survivorman
Bear Grylls may get the lion’s share of the fame, but if you ask Michael Scott from The Office, it’s all about Survivorman Les Stroud. Relying mostly on himself and his own camera to capture his experiences in the wilderness, Stroud taught viewers about conserving their energy and knowing their surroundings as he survived for ten days in different locations.