Another Movie Guide

Operation Repo Fake – Is Your Reality Show Misleading You?

Is your so-called reality show misleading you? Word on the Internet is that Tru TV’s hit show Operation Repo is in fact, a fake.

People don’t like to feel duped. It’s a fact that American television networks are forgetting more and more often these days. If you’re asking yourself, “Is Operation Repo fake?” then you’re not alone. Online descriptions of the show often state “American television program where a fictional repossession team…” and there is a disclaimer at the beginning of the show stating that it is based on actual events. (The stories that are portrayed in this program are based on real events. The names of the characters were changed in order to protect their identities… and some honor.)

There was also an Operation Repo movie in production that stated actors re-enact crazy stories of repossessions. Tru-TV describes it as “real-life stories told from an exciting and dramatic first-person perspective”. All of this varying terminology can leave a person confused about whether or not Operation Repo is real or fake and if it’s based on actual events, how much of it is actually true?

Since the show began in April of 2008, there were many who watched it and claimed it to be fake right from the get-go. There can’t possibly be that many outrageous people getting repossessed, right?

While it seems the cast members are real and using their real names, I can find no proof that their company in the San Fernando Valley of the great state of California (where I previously lived) is actually real. Videos on the Web show Luis as a stand-up comedian and Matt Burch has a Website outlining his acting career.

The cast includes:

• Luis ‘Lou’ Pizarro – himself (Boss)
• Sonia Pizarro – herself (Lou’s sister)
• Froylan ‘Froy’ Tercero – himself (Lou’s ex-brother-in-law)
• Lyndah Pizarro – herself (Lou’s daughter)
• Matt Burch – himself

From what I can find, the family members really are related as they say they are but I can’t find any evidence that they are an actual repo company. There are many reasons other viewers have given to say that the show is fake. Here are a few as examples:

� Too many ridiculous encounters

� Over-acting- scenes seems staged

� Too many outrageous and illogical things happen

� Repo laws are broken

� Repo team is too quick to get aggressive or violent

� Some people claim to recognize different repos happening in the same location (different episodes, same backdrop)

� They go against standard repo regulation with no ID badges, uniforms or even professional dress attire

� Their repo equipment has been deemed unacceptable by professional repossessors

� When LA police show up, they are in unmarked car and not in proper attire

� Other slipups like empty houses in shots that people claim to live in, etc.

Without being able to find real hard evidence to validate the show, we have to conclude that it is “fake” in the sense that it is not happening live as we view it and may not even have been real repossessions that this “team” was hired to do. They could be simply re-enacting stories on record from real repossession companies and playing it up for maximum drama.

It seems that this is just another of many scripted “reality” shows these days. The consensus from most viewers is that they wouldn’t mind if they knew it was just a show in the first place. But to claim it as a reality show and especially by a network like TruTV, is misleading. I discovered the debate over Operation Repo after seeing the episode where Luis supposedly had a hard attack. After losing one of the “Deadliest Catch” stars, Phil Harris, I had real concern over whether or not Luis was ok. So a quick search of “Google” told me the rest of the story. I can’t even corroborate that he was even really sick in any way.

This is just a cruel and inappropriate way to play on the emotions of the viewers. In soap operas, we know this stuff is fake and how many people are still hopelessly addicted to their favorite shows? But to play on the emotions of a viewer like this leaves them feeling betrayed. Other words that viewers used upon discovering it wasn’t real include “naive”, “bummed”, “fooled”, and “insulted”.

This led me to the discovery that a large majority of so-called reality shows today are actually re-enactments or scripted programming. How does it make you feel to know your favorite reality show may not really be “reality” at all?

About the Author:

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Lisa Mason is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles and the author of How to Earn a Living Writing for the Internet. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content in her 10+ years as a professional writer.