The suicide of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Russell Armstrong this week has once again drawn a spotlight on the controversial methods used by producers of reality shows, and this time Bravo has been put in the cross-hairs.
As information seeps out about the mental state of the 47-year-old venture capitalist, who hung himself at a residence on Mulholland Drive, fingers are being pointed at the show and the network.
Also read: A Dozen Reality TV Stars Who Have Attempted Suicide (Slideshow)
"The TV shows aren't causing this problem, (but) they might be amplifying the situation," said Dr. Pamela Rutledge, director of the Media Psychology Research Center. "They can make anybody look like a schmuck if they want to, and you see that a lot -- people get set up."
Armstrong’s mother, John Ann Hotchkiss, recalled him telling her during an interview on HLN, "Mom, they’re just going to crucify me this season. I don’t know what to do. I’ll never survive it."
She added: "[Armstrong told me] 'All the network cares about are ratings. They don’t care if people are hurt, or if it destroys their marriage.’ And I watched it slowly destroy their marriage.”
Armstrong was apparently concerned about how he came across. His estrangement from his wife, Taylor, constituted a major storyline on the show, and he had sent castmates a legal letter warning them not to talk about his marital troubles on the air. (He later withdrew it.)
Also read: Russell Armstrong's Mother Accuses Bravo in Son's Suicide
Armstrong’s attorney, Ronald Richards, told TheWrap that the contestant spent his savings trying to make himself and his wife seem wealthy enough to be on the show. He settled a lawsuit accusing him of siphoning off money from a business to pay for a redecorated home, which was just one of his apparent extravagances.
A spokeswoman for Bravo declined to comment on the production methods on “Real Housewives,” and the show has yet to announce whether it will push ahead with the planned season premiere of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Sept. 5. The show's production company, Evolution Media, did not respond to TheWrap's request for comment.
But the accusation of ratings avarice in the face of human tragedy cuts to the quick, if only because the tactics used on reality shows are well-established, more than a decade into the popular genre.
Former participants confirm that “Real Housewives” uses well-worn methods to wring drama from their real-life players: plying them with alcohol to dampen inhibitions, manipulating situations to create conflict and editing scenes to heighten the drama.
Also read: Michaele Salahi on Russell Armstrong: "He Didn't Understand What He Was Getting Into"
The impact can often be devastating.
In 2009, TheWrap chronicled a dozen suicides by reality show contestants whose deaths appeared to be closely connected to their experiences on the shows.
