Customer Reviews

Get Real!: The Untold Story: Sexy, Scary, Scandalous World of Reality TV!

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I am a huge fan of reality television and also a huge fan of Howard Stern. I bought the book directly as a result from hearing Mike plug the book on the Stern show. I thought it was a great book. I read it in 2 sittings and had trouble putting it down. This would be a five star review, BUT it gets a star reduced from the score because early in the book Mike explains that on MTV's The Real World people get voted off and the last person standing wins.........HUH??? Is there a different Real World on MTV that I have never seen? That's just inexcusable for somebody writing a tell-all book on reality television. How did this misinformation get by his editors also? Shame, shame Mike. It's a great read, but I couldn't get this huge mistake out of my head while reading the rest of the book. How can we trust that Mike's other facts are correct when this one is blatantly WRONG. So I give it 4 stars.

I was let down on this book. I thought it would be more behind the scenes information on Reality TV shows, but instead it was much too much about the "psychology" of why we viewers watch Reality TV. I wanted more behind the scenes stuff, like how do they actually produce these shows like Survivor, Amazing Race etc. I already am a fan of reality TV and don't need to be preached to about "why" I watch.

This book was just an okay read. The author kind of has this annoying running dialogue regarding Jennifer Aniston that was not entertaining. There was not a whole lot of "insight" either.

I love hearing Mike Walker on Howard Stern, but leaving him write pages upon pages of his overblown dialogue is not only tedious...but downright annoying to read.

If you have followed reality TV, this is a great book. I am also a big Howard Stern Fan and a Mike Walker fan so I loved this book. It's a quick read, but lots of interesting things and behind the scenes on reality TV both the good and the bad. A nice gift for someone who is a fan as well.

Although I have rarely read Mike Walker's regular gossip column, I love this book, and he seems to have the dirt on everyone. The book is large in size with loosely spaced type, and Mike's fun and witty writing style will keep you interested throughout each chapter.

The only reason I am giving it four stars instead of five is because, as one other reviewer noted, Mike totally blew it on 'The Real World', describing the MTV series as having "Pioneered the concept of competition. Contestants battled each other in an elimination contest and were booted off the show, one by one, until only the winner remained." I think Mike was describing 'Big Brother', not 'The Real World'.

But don't let that mistake keep you from buying this book. If you're a fan of reality TV or if you have any interest in what goes on behind the scenes in getting these shows produced, the good and the bad, the down and dirty, there is no better source of information than Mike Walker.

i was watching boston legal the other night and they had an episode on about the very REAL problems with reality tv, and it made me think of this book (which I had coincidentally picked up just a few days ago). Cool connection, interesting stuff, not simply your typical tabloid fare.

I am actually obsessed with reality TV and celebrity gossip so this one tops my list this year. Even if you're not into it, you'll love this book. It is hilarious!

Mike Walker knocks reality TV out of the park (it is that season--baseball AND American Idol). His wit is unmatched and keeps the book fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable every step of the way. He uses the best bits from his own columns, and includes never-before-told secrets of the reality TV world. Walker also analyzes just WHY our nation is so infatuated with what he would describe as "so-called reality." In other words, it's a subject rich with psycho-sociological implications (and more importantly, scandal)! Perfect for those with an interest in the entertainment world.

Highlights include: tips for wannabe reality TV stars and Mike's own major network reality pilot pitches--there are a couple. The cover alone is worth the price of the book. This one is for the inner Cowell-lover in us all.

This is "the" book for those of you who share my penchant for onomatopoeic words and intentional malapropisms--or should I say Walkerisms?--"Get Real!" is riddled with them from the first page to the last. I especially love this bit, even though I have no idea who Victoria Gotti is. It made me laugh out loud:
"From big-haired, blonde Mafia princess Victoria Gotti and her tight-knit La Famiglia of three hair-gelled, bello bam-boy-nos sired by ex-hubby Carmine Agnello, who unfortunately could not appear due to his prolonged prison incarceration on a, whaddyacallit...racketeering beef."
And in case you secretly wanted to know how Paris stays so skinny and Ashton so faithful...it's certainly not magic.