The purpose of this study is to approach the understanding of viewing of reality television with the intention to explore emotional responses in the reception since emotions are crucial part in the emotionalized television genre of reality television. The German adaption of the format The Farmer Wants a Wife was chosen for this case study to examine tendencies of portraying contestants in unpleasant situations. Humiliation, embarrassment or discrediting the contestants creates a balancing act between fun and ridicule. The protagonists are located between the status of (temporary) cult figures and/or figures of fun. The thesis’ main aim is to find out which emotions are perceived and addressed in the watching experience of the format being named in the context of ‘fremdschämen’. The winged German word for vicarious or empathic embarrassment was thereby addressed beyond its descriptive metaphor for current programs. Emotional responses in connection with shame and embarrassment were previously predominantly neglected in research on reality television. Its relevance and occurrence in media is insofar important, as the concept of ‘fremdschämen’ found the way into German mainstream language use. The thesis delivers qualitative approaches to capture the mediation of emotions in reality TV: In a narrative analysis, the question on how emotions actually are staged was approached. Subsequently, four focus group discussions with overall 18 German-speaking discussants were conducted to understand individual and social watching preferences, emotional involvement, attachment styles and positioning in the reception. The study’s findings suggest that the contestants’ ordinariness is challenged by mainly focusing on extraordinarity in the docusoap. Thereby, new opportunities of audience positioning, identification and anti-identification and constructions of appealing figures are encouraged. Gentle mockery in the style of presentation contains furthermore self-criticism of the genre and expresses a critical stance of viewing. Emotions are performed on different levels to increase entertaining values in the program. Especially embarrassment can be connected to its function of ridicule and the maintenance of social order.

This thesis focuses on the manner how a phenomenon often called "media construction of reality" occurs in the Reality TV. This popular television genre is known for mixing reality captured on an omnipresent camera together with fiction elements in order to amuse the audience. In the theoretical part, I will focus on the concepts that are crucial for this phenomenon such as Berger's and Luckmann's social construction of reality, gatekeeping or agenda setting. Also, I will describe the history of Reality TV as a genre and also will focus on main subgenres that can be seen on television these days. In the practical part, I will use narrative analysis to identify how the media are constructing reality in television programmes. The sample for the analysis will consist of 80 episodes from 11 different TV shows of American and British production. These have already spread out of their country of origin and are familiar to Czech audience from local TV channels. My main thesis is that media construction of reality can happen from the very beginning - i.e. from rules establishing to shooting and postproduction. All these phases will be analyzed in this paper.

5 Abstract This diploma thesis focuses on the structure of relationships and the influence of power in the documentary image of the total institution of female prisons. The total institution is, seen from the outside, an impenetrable institution. This fact enables us to analyse the structure of relationships and the influence of power more easily than in an open surroundings. The environment of female prisons is also defined from the point of view of gender - gender socialises us, we constantly refer to gender, gender is an organising principle. The aim of this diploma thesis is to find the answer where to gender projects itself in the environment of ostensibly no-gender determination. The research of the thesis defines the study of a docusoap, broadcasted at Nova TV in 2015. The study also contains an analysis of an interview with the producer of the show. Based on this analysis I come to the conclusion that within the documentary image of female prisons it is visible that the prison keeps the stereotyped image of a "real" woman and the whole prison is run according to this model. This means that gender stereotypes mirror mainly in everyday functions of the prison. The next reflection of gender stereotypes is evident in the relationships between the inmates themselves and further differentiation between...