Whether you love reality shows (as I mostly do), whether you hate them, one of the two people most responsible for the genre passed away on Thursday.
It was breast cancer. She was 57.
Mary Ellis-Bunim enjoyed a long career as a soap opera producer before she teamed with news producer Jon Murray 12 years ago to create “The Real World.”
“The Real World,” in turn, utterly transformed mainstream television, spawning such copycats as “Road Rules,” “Jackass,” “Making The Band,” “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “The Amazing Race,” “Lost,” “American Idol,” “Trading Places,” “The Osbournes,” “Temptation Island,” “The Mole,” “Fear Factor,” “American Idol,” “Am I Hot?” “Love Cruise,” “Class Reunion,” “Dog Eat Dog,” “Paradise Hotel,” “Newlyweds,” “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Mr. Personality,” “The Surreal Life,” “Joe Millionaire,” “Cupid,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “The Joe Schmo Show,” “Windy City Heat,” “Average Joe,” “The Simple Life,” “Todd TV,” “The Apprentice,” “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance,” etc. etc. etc.
Call her savior, call her the devil, but I believe, in all sincerity, that the soul of Mary-Ellis Bunim deserves residence in a happy place, if only for the vast number of sitcoms displaced by “Real World’s” progeny.
Mary Ellis-Bunim enjoyed a long career as a soap opera producer before she teamed with news producer Jon Murray 12 years ago to create “The Real World.”
“The Real World,” in turn, utterly transformed mainstream television, spawning such copycats as “Road Rules,” “Jackass,” “Making The Band,” “Survivor,” “Big Brother,” “The Amazing Race,” “Lost,” “American Idol,” “Trading Places,” “The Osbournes,” “Temptation Island,” “The Mole,” “Fear Factor,” “American Idol,” “Am I Hot?” “Love Cruise,” “Class Reunion,” “Dog Eat Dog,” “Paradise Hotel,” “Newlyweds,” “The Bachelor,” “The Bachelorette,” “Mr. Personality,” “The Surreal Life,” “Joe Millionaire,” “Cupid,” “America’s Next Top Model,” “The Joe Schmo Show,” “Windy City Heat,” “Average Joe,” “The Simple Life,” “Todd TV,” “The Apprentice,” “My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance,” etc. etc. etc.
Call her savior, call her the devil, but I believe, in all sincerity, that the soul of Mary-Ellis Bunim deserves residence in a happy place, if only for the vast number of sitcoms displaced by “Real World’s” progeny.
Call her savior, call her the devil, but I believe, in all sincerity, that the soul of Mary-Ellis Bunim deserves residence in a happy place, if only for the vast number of sitcoms displaced by “Real World’s” progeny.
