Fake reality TV

IT’S the newest evolution on 7Mate: fake reality TV.
And it’s doing my head in.
“Operation Repo” is billed as the “actuality” of car and other repossessions by repo men in Los Angeles.
But here’s where things get weird.
A disclaimer at the start warns that the show is “based on real events”.
It appears that we are actually watching re-enactments – with actors no less – of actual repossessions gone wrong.
But if you stumbled across it, without the disclaimer, you’d think it was plain old reality TV.
Events here follow a familiar theme. Luis Pizarro and his family of repo freaks arrive at the domicile where the car/quad bike/earthmoving equipment/SUV is domiciled, and commence to take it.
What follows is a script that goes a little like this …
“We’re taking your car.” Whack!
“No, you’re not.” Whack!
“Oh, yes we are.” Whack!
That never gets tired.
So far, this isn’t getting monotonous, and it’s hard to look away.
Of course, they do several repos each episode.
Highlights so far have included an epileptic fit thrown by one “victim” and the three subjects who produced assault rifles and handguns.
OK, so it’s about as real as an alien autopsy film, but I still can’t avoid this guilty pleasure.

– Jason Beck