Guest Post: Alternate Reality: 5 Reality TV Shows That Fooled Us

What's so hard to believe about finding a BMW hidden beneath a pile of garbage? Popular reality TV shows like A&E's Storage Wars show us discovered treasures like this all the time. It has to be real, right? Well former series star David Hester says no. He's suing A&E for wrongful termination and accusing the Reality Show of being fake. According to Hester, he complained to the producers and told them the "conduct of salting and staging the storage unit was possibly illegal" and was then fired from the show.

Exposing a reality TV show for its fictional storylines isn't exactly new, but it doesn't usually involve a lawsuit. Here are some of our favorite "reality shows" from that past that were never very real to begin with. By the way, if you're not a TV junkie, but want to start following reality TV and get "with it", there are many routes to start your journey, such as subscription services like Cable.tv, or online streaming options through the particular network's website. If you get sucked into the reality TV world, remember- moderation is KEY! Here's your list, my friends:

Ghost Hunters

Seven seasons and not one ghost. Sure, America was captivated by the paranormal investigators spending nights in abandoned insane asylums and pretending to find the lurking spirits in the dark, but not once did the camera actually see one. After seven years of watching shadows and flashlights, we'd like to think even the most loyal of viewers have caught on by now.

The Bachelor

A story of love so enchanting, it's almost as if there's a producer behind the scenes crafting the story. Each and every season, the roses always go to just the right people to keep the show enticing and keep us on the hook. What's even more convenient is the tabloid frenzy that covers the inevitable breakup two weeks after the show.

The Pick-Up Artist

Speaking of convenient love stories, The Pick-Up Artist pulled at the heart strings of every awkward 20-something afraid to approach that girl at the bar. Mad-hatted romance expert Mystery (yes, that's what he really calls himself) taught a group of guys with poor self-esteem the tricks of the trade and the confidence to approach and talk to women in public. It made for a completely cheesy and fantastic show, except for the fact that it turned out the winner of the series was an actor and the runner-up was a model.

Crossing Over With John Edward

It's one thing to fool the viewers with a false reality TV show, it's another to trick your own audience. In his prime, John Edward was a psychic phenomena with his ability to communicate with the deceased friends and family members of his audience. But what once appeared to be a Supernatural gift just turned out to be what's called cold reading, the practice of barking out generalizations in the hope that someone believes it applies to them. Oh, and in classic South Park fashion, they dedicated an episode to him as well. Poor John Edward.

The Jerry Springer Show

It seems so obvious now, but back in its peak, we all bought into the trashy violence The Jerry Springer Show had to offer. But the Chicago police weren't so convinced. They forced the show to either come out and admit the fights were staged or to beef up security to keep guests from throwing punches. Jerry Springer, in all his integrity, kept the shows authenticity and put a limit on the knuckle sandwiches.

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