A study into reality television production in New Zealand: Gender representation on The Bachelor and FBoy Island

Abstract

This thesis explores the ways producers and editors of New Zealand romantic heterosexual dating reality television programmes portray gender and their motivations for creating specific representations. Giving a broader outlook from an international perspective, it brings to light New Zealand’s reality television industry comparing it to studies done on its international counterparts. The study is informed by interviews with New Zealand industry experts, producers and editors of the genre, discussing specific excerpts from two locally produced shows The Bachelor New Zealand, Season 4 and FBoy Island New Zealand. It looks at the roles of editors and producers within reality television, their tasks and responsibilities, and presents an exploration into the techniques and industry expertise that shape the content of the shows, as well as discussing cisgender representation on these shows. By comparing portrayals of gender in the two programmes, it investigates the intentions and rationale for the storylines and character depictions created by the practitioners. Ultimately, it gives an insight into how reality television in New Zealand is manipulated and constructed to appease audience expectations and commercial investment in this popular reality television genre.