Even Reality TV Hosts Are Being Replaced By Robots (vice.com) 56
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard, written by Katie Way: MILF Manor is a reality TV show made to be dissected on the internet. Everything, from its ripped-from-30-Rock title to the Oedipal set-up of mothers and their sons thrown into the same "dating pool," is so patently outrageous that it boomerangs back into normalcy -- of course these mothers need to participate in a blindfolded contest to identify their sons by their abs alone. But MILF Manor's most understated quirk is the one that sticks out to me: There's no tanned, vaguely handsome man with veneers and a dress shirt directing the festivities. Instead, contestants receive alerts and directions via text, on iPhones in magenta cases that seem to be provided by the producers. Like more and more reality TV competition shows, there's no actual host.
By my estimation, Netflix's The Circle kicked the trend off in 2020. Its contestants, who compete to create the most lovable social media presence in physical isolation, receive prompts and challenges from a big-screen TV in their living quarters. Pressure Cooker, a more recent offering from the streaming giant, is a cooking competition show where the host is replaced by a kitchen ticket printer: Competitions receive challenge instructions and the results of game-ending votes in the same way chefs take orders from their diners. The Button, a YouTube speed dating series by the production company Cut, goes a step further with the introduction of a large talking button that cracks jokes and prompts daters to ask each other cringe-worthy questions until one of them presses it, ending the date and sending in another option.
Why axe the role of host when it's been a staple of the formula for so long? It could be a sign of the recession. Reality TV competition shows are famously among the cheapest television to produce, but if I've learned anything about business, it's that executives have never met a corner they're not dying to cut. It could also be that the role of reality TV host is not attracting the same iconic cultural figures it once was, when the subgenre exploded in popularity in the early 2000s. [...] At the core, though, I believe there's something more insidious at play: Robots are once again stealing jobs from red-blooded human workers. Only this time, instead of factory linemen or fast food cashiers, these laborers are C-List comedians and guys who are incredibly symmetrical but not quite hot. (Again, Jeff Probst, I am not talking about you!) Sure, I know machine intelligence doesn't experience emotion -- yet! -- and I know that all of these robo-hosts are likely operated by producers -- for now! But isn't toying with people in a high-stress, high-stakes situation, the exact job description of a reality competition host, the absolute dream gig for a robot? Seems a little too perfect. "Experts already predict that AI and machine learning could replace people working as couriers, investment analysts, and customer service representatives," concludes Way. "Adding reality competition show hosts to that list means the creep into our cultural landscape has already started, which is a distinctly scary thought, in my book. Our flesh is weak, our MILFs are fragile, and we are so, so vulnerable to the clinical calculations of our machine overlords -- uh, I mean, hosts."
By my estimation, Netflix's The Circle kicked the trend off in 2020. Its contestants, who compete to create the most lovable social media presence in physical isolation, receive prompts and challenges from a big-screen TV in their living quarters. Pressure Cooker, a more recent offering from the streaming giant, is a cooking competition show where the host is replaced by a kitchen ticket printer: Competitions receive challenge instructions and the results of game-ending votes in the same way chefs take orders from their diners. The Button, a YouTube speed dating series by the production company Cut, goes a step further with the introduction of a large talking button that cracks jokes and prompts daters to ask each other cringe-worthy questions until one of them presses it, ending the date and sending in another option.
Why axe the role of host when it's been a staple of the formula for so long? It could be a sign of the recession. Reality TV competition shows are famously among the cheapest television to produce, but if I've learned anything about business, it's that executives have never met a corner they're not dying to cut. It could also be that the role of reality TV host is not attracting the same iconic cultural figures it once was, when the subgenre exploded in popularity in the early 2000s. [...] At the core, though, I believe there's something more insidious at play: Robots are once again stealing jobs from red-blooded human workers. Only this time, instead of factory linemen or fast food cashiers, these laborers are C-List comedians and guys who are incredibly symmetrical but not quite hot. (Again, Jeff Probst, I am not talking about you!) Sure, I know machine intelligence doesn't experience emotion -- yet! -- and I know that all of these robo-hosts are likely operated by producers -- for now! But isn't toying with people in a high-stress, high-stakes situation, the exact job description of a reality competition host, the absolute dream gig for a robot? Seems a little too perfect. "Experts already predict that AI and machine learning could replace people working as couriers, investment analysts, and customer service representatives," concludes Way. "Adding reality competition show hosts to that list means the creep into our cultural landscape has already started, which is a distinctly scary thought, in my book. Our flesh is weak, our MILFs are fragile, and we are so, so vulnerable to the clinical calculations of our machine overlords -- uh, I mean, hosts."
Maybe this will finally do it (Score:4)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Bachelorbot (Score:3)
Boston Dynamics "Do You Love Me" could be the start of a new reality series, that would actually be interesting to watch! https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Does Atlas get the dog, or that funky ostrich looking thing, or does he get that cute lady bot?
Re:Bachelorbot (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
My vote is for the Crushinator!
Eat Jeff Probst (Score:3, Funny)
Why "even"? (Score:2)
Is a reality TV host such a complicated job?
Re: (Score:2)
Agreed, bottom of the barrel stuff.
MILF? (Score:2)
Are we supposed to know what that means? The summary doesn't bother explaining it, as far as I can tell (although I only made it through the first paragraph before I got bored and started skimming).
Re: (Score:2)
Oh come on, you know. They're those tubgirl types who are obsessed with throwing the perfect lemon party where they can share their recipes for blue waffles...
Re:MILF? (Score:5, Funny)
Maybe google "MILF definition" then but I already knew what it was supposed to mean as most Slashdotters might. I suspect a "MILF manor" is a manor with MILFs inside it :)
Also:
https://www.thecut.com/2022/12... [thecut.com]
The premise of MILF Manor — an actual television program, not just someone’s PornHub search history — is fairly self-explanatory. Eight MILFs date eight younger men while living together in a big, gorgeous house. In case you need a refresher, MILF stands for “Mother I’d Like to Fuck,” and TLC stands for “The Learning Channel.” So don’t think of MILF Manor as a reality dating show. Think of it as an educational journey exploring what is apparently a challenging concept: older women dating.
Re:MILF? (Score:4, Funny)
Are we supposed to know what that means?
Yes you are. You're definitely supposed to know what this late 90s pop culture means. Excuses for not knowing:
a) being in a 22 year coma
b) being an actual alien
c) living in a cave in fear of the Y2K bug
Re:MILF? (Score:4, Funny)
c) living in a cave in fear of the Y2K bug
Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask... anyone know when it'll be safe to come out?
Re:MILF? (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
Excellent story for Funny...
Re: (Score:3)
Are we supposed to know what that means?
Yes you are. You're definitely supposed to know what this late 90s pop culture means. Excuses for not knowing:
a) being in a 22 year coma
b) being an actual alien
c) living in a cave in fear of the Y2K bug
I'm still struggling to figure out who'd watch a reality TV show about the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Re: MILF? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
You kidding, those Moro chicks are hawt!
The scary thing is, Mindanao (Philippines) chicks are hot. I'd just avoid the MILFs.
Re: (Score:2)
Honestly I'd watch that over the actual show we're talking about anyday.
I mean... (Score:3)
It's not like it makes them any worse. It's trash-tier TV anyway. Why put any human effort into it? Certainly the viewers aren't capable of most human-level cognition anyway...
Who watches this shit? (Score:1)
Seriously, I have to ask; what's the target demographic for this pile of shit?
Why would you waste your time watching it? Why would you admit to wasting your time watching it? Why aren't you ashamed of that? Why would you ever admit to it?
Trailer trash is going to trailer trash, right? Why participate in it?
Re: (Score:1)
Blame Trump for this shit. Or rather the "culture" that got him elected.
It seems like ever since Trump was elected fantasy incest porn seemed to be ever more popular.
Re: (Score:2)
Trump
Really?
fantasy incest porn
You don't actually know what MILF means, do you?
Re: (Score:1)
Can't read?
MILF Manor is a reality TV show made to be dissected on the internet. Everything, from its ripped-from-30-Rock title to the OEDIPAL set-up of mothers and their sons thrown into the same "dating pool," is so patently outrageous that it boomerangs back into normalcy -- of course these mothers need to participate in a blindfolded contest to identify THEIR SONS by their abs alone.
Re: (Score:1)
Remember when Trump said his daughter was the type of person he would like to sleep with?
Re: (Score:1)
Remember the old days when people went on Shock Jock radio shows to say shocking things to get noticed to feed their narcissistic tendencies?
Now they just post on twitter and instagram.
Re: (Score:1)
Trump wasn't elected. The Russians installed him. How else could Hillary have lost?
Anyway, I don't think it matters what outlet he used. Any microphone worked. He's an attention whore. It got people talking about him.
She is pretty fuckable, though, he got that part right, at least.
Re: Who watches this shit? (Score:2)
Post hoc ergo propter hoc.
Start with an AI host....lets call him Calculon (Score:1)
Wait, they pay these people? (Score:2)
Good! (Score:2)
Now the candidates need to be robots as well, they can eat the bugs.
And other robots can watch it.
But I think, they already do.
Text message means "robot" now? (Score:4, Funny)
Anything that displays text is a "robot" now? These aren't even AIs, they are just some human sending a text message!
Oh, hang on a sec [looks at phone], my wife is doing a robot...
Even Reality TV Hosts Are Being Replaced By Robots
So are the Odd ones!
I Go There (Score:5, Funny)
I go to MILF Manor all the time. When I was growing up, we used to call it "the grocery store" or "supermarket".
Re: (Score:2)
I go to MILF Manor all the time. When I was growing up, we used to call it "the grocery store" or "supermarket".
So you hung out in the Produce section comparing the sizes of cucumbers with prospective female customers, eh?
Yes, that concept was pulled straight from Animal House
Honestly, one can do better (Score:2)
Just lock those "Reality TV stars" into a house, ditch the cameras and the production crews and just transmit a test pattern. That's both cheaper and more entertaining.
Elephant in the Room (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
You're the kind of person who gets upset when XBox introduces an energy-saving mode [imgur.com].
Also, you might want to have that stutter checked out.
Re: Elephant in the Room (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Um, what? (Score:4, Insightful)
TRW (Score:3)
Wasn't the "original" "reality" television show (the real world) hostless?
Re: (Score:2)
you know, you're right. MTV's Real World didn't have a host. Just captions on the screen to keep the focus going and remind you of everybody's names.
Now they had interviews, and here's where the AI falls short: an AI wouldn't be able to come up with QUESTIONS that would trigger answers worth including in the show.
The Question is the hard part, not the answer or the framing. To get an AI to ask a question, or simulate asking one for the sake of the script? that's harder.
ChatGPT does many things to answer que
Novelty not Cost (Score:2)
It could be a sign of the recession. Reality TV competition shows are famously among the cheapest television to produce, but if I've learned anything about business, it's that executives have never met a corner they're not dying to cut. It could also be that the role of reality TV host is not attracting the same iconic cultural figures it once was, when the subgenre exploded in popularity in the early 2000s. [...] At the core, though, I believe there's something more insidious at play: Robots are once again
Machines I'd like to fu... (Score:2)
You can't make this shit up... (Score:2)
The once far fetched notion of an AI caretaker that had at it's core personality historical training cruft from an earlier incarnation used to tease and torture contestants as a gameshow host isn't so far fetched anymore.
It works only because... (Score:2)
Reality shows don't actually need intelligence to operate.
\o/ (Score:1)
Hilarious - everyone knows that US TV show hosts are robots.
not stealing our jerbs (Score:2)
No, red-blooded humans are taking jobs away from other red-blooded humans. Robots are the excuse, not the cause.
How can they tell the difference? (Score:2)
Seriously, reality TV hosts ... it's not a high bar to climb.