They made things up, planted things, and generally hammed it up to make things interesting. Still maybe interesting to watch, but not something I'd treat as accurate.
It's truly frustrating.
The most palatable reality shows are game shows, and it's only middling in the day where you can search up any esoteric fun facts. Sure, the contestants are highly biased in selection, but I assume (maybe wrongly?) that the rest of the show is people playing by some set rules and answering unprepped trivia. Ripped off in prizes by taxes, but everything else is "real"