Reality TV do's and don'ts

DO: Keep 'em guessing

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No one likes to be bored. Similarly, no one likes a boring reality TV star. We all know it's staged, people, so now what do you have for us? Enter 6-year-old Falcon Henne, left, the kid who launched the family hot air balloon, then hid in his family's garage while the media went Baby Jessica-nuts on the out-of-control balloon. Why did he do it? "For a show," he told CNN's Wolf Blitzer later that day. Was this whole event really an accident or a hoax designed to drum up interest in the family's stalled reality show development plans? We're all guessing. But if little Falcon needs any advice, he can always turn to Heidi and Spencer Pratt, the reigning king and queen of the reality-media manipulation game. Were they really abused on the set of NBC's "I'm a Celebrity"? Are they really as awful was they appear to be? Or is it all an act? Somehow, Spencer and Heidi are still making headlines, despite having any actual reason for being famous. Why? No one knows. We can only guess. This is the essence of reality stardom. --Patrick Kevin Day, latimes.com

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DON'T: Mess with the money train

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A successful reality show will open many opportunities for its stars to speak their mind outside the safe and heavily edited confines of the reality show world. But as Jon Gosselin, the resident malcontent of TLC's "Jon and Kate Plus 8," is learning, you can't talk smack about the show without repercussions. He's now the subject of a breach-of-contract suit filed by TLC that alleges, among other things, that he's harmed the show with his criticisms aired on other media. Reality TV will let you look like a fool, but if you try to make it look foolish, prepare for a fight. -- Patrick Kevin Day, latimes.com

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