What are some surprising influences on reality television?

What are some surprising influences on reality television?

A big influence on my version of reality television is Howard Stern. He actually started pioneering on radio interesting entertainment out of whacked out celebrities and real people, doing social experiments on the radio. He then did some television projects that I was actually a part of in the early nineties, where we did some of that stuff on television and I really feel like, to this day, he is a big influence on pop culture and reality television in general. Many reality shows have been made out of little concepts that he's done on his radio show. Somebody heard it and thought that would be funny. For example, all the shows now, like Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? or a show I am doing called America's Most Smartest Model, are based on the idea that we always find it funny when Howard Stern would put some unbelievably stupid person on and then ask them very simple questions and watch them answer them wrong. It's just incredible. It's so much fun to watch.