Vocalizing Appalachia on Reality TV

Since emergence of local color writers in the late nineteenth century, Appalachia has appealed to the masses as a subject of entertainment, among other things. As television became the dominant storyteller in American culture, Appalachia was portrayed on television shows like Petticoat Junction, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Green Acres, just to name a few. Television has continued to evolve, with reality shows rising as a dominant genre, and reality television has, in turn, developed a love affair with Appalachia. The list of reality TV shows that focus on Appalachia is quite long— Appalachian Outlaws, Moonshiners, Snake Salvation, Buckwild, Hillbilly Blood, Mountain Men, and Snake Man of Appalachia—but are the realities of such television shows reinforcing stereotypes of Appalachians created and spread by local color writers, or are these shows shedding light on the realities of Appalachian life? This paper will examine the complexities surrounding reality television’s portrayal of Appalachian life and culture.