"Wild Boyz" and "Jackass"es: Masculinity and Reality Television

178 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2007.This project examines several popular reality television shows in relation to their depiction of gender generally, and masculinity specifically. In examining reality television, this dissertation traces the genre from its roots in the television game show through its most recent manifestations. Whether living on a desert island on Survivor or receiving electric shocks on Jackass, reality television has demonstrated itself to be a particularly dangerous place to be and is often inhabited by out of control, unpredictable and dangerous men. What follows is a detailed account of the way certain reality shows depict masculinity and how such depictions can be read through issues of race, class, gender, and sexuality.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD