nathan fielder is doing for reality tv is what the sopranos did for tv dramas. i think the manipulation discourse kind of falls apart when you remind yourself it's a fucking tv show. the meta-rehearsal they set up for patrick was super uncomfortable, but the question of manipulation i think comes down to the contracts. like i guess i don't feel comfortable making that call without that information. as it stands, i don't think it's any worse than any other reality tv show, which was a genre has always been bizarre and manipulative. This feels more in step with kid nation or those colonial house shows from the early aughts than the truly heinous stuff, like extreme makeover (human edition) or the biggest loser.