How do reality show producers mold a cast member into a 'character'?

How do reality show producers mold a cast member into a 'character'?

Richard Hall (Reality TV Producer) gives expert video advice on: Do reality show producers 'coach' cast members during a shoot?; What happens if a cast member has a breakdown during a reality show shoot?; Are reality show storylines written ahead of time? and more...

That is another conception about reality TV that people give us way too much credit for, and that is molding characters. First of all, in casting a person, who that person is or is likely to become in certain situations becomes pretty clear. If somebody is going to be self-righteous or obnoxious, we will know it going in and we have every anticipation that they'll be that way when they're on the screen. The molding part I think we're given far too much credit for. A lot of that comes from people saying the producers edited me to look that way. Especially if they don't look good.